ALBANY, N.Y. -- With the exception of the tinted protective visor on the front of his facemask, Brian Williams doesn't look different from any offensive lineman at the New York Giants' training camp.

	Brian Williams thought his career might be over after he suffered a right-eye injury in 1997.

The veteran center gets an equal number of plays and the same attention from the coaches.

Williams is different in one major way. After missing two seasons with what many felt was a career-ending injury to his right eye, the 33-year-old, who still has trouble seeing when he glances down, is attempting a comeback to regain the starting spot he held from 1994-96.

"It's a miracle," said guard Ron Stone, who is Williams' roommate. "He was pretty much done, but he wasn't ready to leave the game. He fought hard, and he came back."

After Williams missed the start of last season, few gave him a chance of returning. The double vision that resulted from being poked in the eye by teammate Bernard Holsey in the opening days of training camp in 1997 just wouldn't go away.

However, the Giants' 1989 first-round draft pick wasn't willing to give up. He underwent a second surgery in October, and it worked.

"Last year, there was just nothing in my future that I saw that was very bright," Williams said. "Being a football player was not even in my mind. I'm here (now), and it's time to get beat up again and get sore."

The Giants really want Williams to succeed. Before he was hurt, he was viewed by the coaching staff as one of the NFL's top centers and the glue of the offensive line. Not only did he make all the line calls, he was the veteran influence who made five players work as a unit.

Coach Jim Fassel was reminded of that on the opening day of camp Friday. The offensive coaches told him that Williams reminded the line "no offsides" on the first day of workouts.

There weren't any.

When free-agent center Emmett Zitelli seemed confused walking to a drill, there was Williams ready to explain things to him.

One of the centers of attention in the camp, Williams is doing his best to downplay his comeback.

"The only thing I am thinking about is just improving," Williams said. "I'm here, and I'm glad, and I guess I forget about everything that happened in the past. I just want to move on."

Williams isn't taking anything for granted. Even though he has been penciled in as the starting center, he feels he has to prove himself again.

Lance Scott, who started the last two years, has been moved to left guard to take over the spot that opened when Greg Bishop signed with Atlanta.

"Barring another injury somewhere, I think he is the guy," new line coach Jim McNally said. "I don't think he is going to disappoint us."

Besides a few new techniques McNally has installed for the linemen, the most difficult thing for Williams to deal with has been the face shield. It keeps in the heat, fogs up and it makes it hard to breathe.

It's also never coming off, Williams said.

"I think the preseason will show a lot to me," Williams said. "You can only do so much in preseason. You have to play games and go against different people to see how your skills come back."

Game one of the exhibition season should be interesting. Williams will get a chance to occasionally go against Minnesota's John Randle, one of the NFL's top defensive linemen.

That should tell a lot.