How much net would be left to shoot at if Quinnen Williams was the goaltender?

The 6-foot-3, 303-pounder said that’s the position he would take if he played hockey instead of defensive tackle for the New York Jets.

“I would be the goalie,” Williams said. “You get to really be the showstopper on defense. And you get to wear more pads and uniform than everybody else, so you get to stay warm.”

Williams talked about hockey during Sunday’s telecast of the NHL Stadium Series game between the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders. Williams attended the Rangers’ 6-5 overtime victory, which drew a crowd of 79,690 to MetLife Stadium, where Williams plays his home games with the Jets.

Although he’s a Birmingham native who starred at Wenonah High School before becoming an All-American at Alabama, Williams is a hockey fan.

“I love it so much, man,” Williams said, “just because the physicality is the same and the different things they do. I never ice skated before, but I always used to roller skate, and the technique that they have to go full speed, to stop and the different things that they do is super, super athletic to me. …

“It’s super physical, man. You go faster on the ice. I’ve seen guys get hit into the plastic walls, seen guys fight, seen guys get knocked on the ground, different things like that. We fall on turf and grass. They fall on ice, so it’s super physical.”

In first place in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers are sailing toward the NHL playoffs. The Islanders are battling for a postseason berth in the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, the Jets haven’t reached the playoffs since the 2010 NFL season. That’s the longest current postseason drought in the NFL, and it’s also longer than any team in the NHL, NBA and MLB has gone since its most recent playoff berth, too.

After acquiring four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in April, expectations were high that New York would break its streak. But Rodgers sustained a season-ending injury on the Jets’ fourth snap of the opening game.

RELATED: JETS’ QUINNEN WILLIAMS PUTS CINDERELLA AT QUARTERBACK

With Rodgers returning for 2024, New York will be expected to improve on its 7-10 showing of 2023. A Pro Bowler the past two seasons, Williams has hopes of getting to the Super Bowl after watching the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11.

“I’m a big fan of football itself,” Williams said. “I’m a big fan of those guys – the San Fran defensive line and the Kansas City, Chris Jones, defensive line. Just the techniques that they do, and just to watch them and see the things that they do to get to that big-time stage, man, helped me out to put in my game so one day I can get to that same big-time stage.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.