Leonard Williams’ Giants career begins Monday night against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium, the place where he played home games for the past four-plus seasons with the Jets before being traded Monday.
But, for the first time, Williams will dress for the game in a different locker room and wear a different colored uniform. And the big question about the 6-foot-5, 305-pound defensive lineman is whether he’ll be the same player for the Giants as the one he was in the 71 games he played for the Jets.
If that’s the case, then Williams will become as confounding a player to Giants fans as he was to Jets fans, who always expected more from him after being selected with the sixth-overall pick in the 2015 draft.
For all of his positive virtues — a relentless work ethic, hustler in games and positive locker-room influence — Williams always seemed to come up just short of being a game-changing impact player.
During a conversation with The Post, Williams unwittingly described his game to perfection when the topic of his lack of sacks (17 in 71 games, two in the past 18 games) was broached.
In essence, he called himself a jack of all trades and master of none.
“I think I’m pretty good in all aspects of a defensive lineman,’’ Williams said. “I have almost everything you want in a defensive lineman — I can stop the run, I can pass rush, I can play nose tackle, three technique, five technique.
“But the only one stat that people judge me from in a negative way is the number of sacks.’’
The reality, whether Williams chooses to acknowledge it or not, is that Giants fans are going to be just as hungry for sacks as Jets fans were. And, for all of the dirty work against double teams he did with the Jets and the almost-impact plays he made, 17 sacks in 71 games is not enough.
Williams insisted the obsession about sacks by fans and media “doesn’t bother me too much.’’
“I know who I am,’’ Williams said. “I don’t think I’m going to let what an average fan who doesn’t study football the way I study football change the way I view myself. The Giants wanted me, so they obviously see the same thing. They seem excited about having me here, they’re happy to have me here. Having that feeling lets me know they know football and they know what type of player I bring to the table. So, I’m happy to be here.’’
Two believers in Williams are Giants coach Pat Shurmur and former NFL defensive lineman and current ESPN analyst Booger McFarland, who will call Monday night’s game. Both defended Williams’ lack of sacks.
“You can pressure the quarterback and not get the actual sack,’’ Shurmur said Saturday. “You can have an impact as a rusher and have a big impact on the quarterback if you get inside push. I think it’s just the people that crunch the numbers that probably have issue with him more than the people that coach the game and watch the game.’’
McFarland, on a conference call this week, said: “Too many times in the media we judge defensive line play based on sacks. I get it. I was a victim of that when I was a first-round pick. Everybody compared me with Warren Sapp, when in actuality I thought I played really, really well.
“Playing defensive line is not just about sacks. Playing defensive line is about how you play the run, how are you controlling your gap, are you a presence in the pass game? Not necessarily get the sacks, but are you a presence? I think Leonard is playing really, really well.”
The question — as it often is when trades like this are executed — is whether the change of scenery and scheme will make the difference in turning Williams into more of an impact player as a Giant than he was as a Jet.
“I’m excited,’’ Williams said. “I feel like I have a new fire in me now. This feels like that first-game type of feel, like how I felt when I was a rookie, except I have more experience and I know what to expect.’’
General manager Dave Gettleman, in an in-house fan interview Friday, assured fans his plan is to make sure Williams, who will be a free agent after this season, remains a Giant.
“It’s not even just about staying in New York; I just want to stay with the team that I’m on,’’ Williams said. “I wouldn’t want to get to know these guys [Giants teammates] for eight weeks and then have to get to know another team next season. I want to try to get fully engaged when I’m here, and by doing that I’m giving it my all, so I’m going to want to stay.’’
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