Detroit Lions’ new defensive tackle Nick Williams is going into his eighth season in NFL but he only emerged as a defensive presence last season with the Chicago Bears.
Williams is intelligent and a hard worker, so why has it taken him so long to get his footing in the league?
“Sometimes you get lost in the shuffle, that’s just the NFL,” Williams said via a virtual press conference on Wednesday. “You get lost behind guys, you play behind big-name guys your whole career, you don’t get the reps, the opportunity, and once it’s available to you’re either going to succeed or your not. I was given the opportunity last year and I succeeded, and I want to continue to succeed.”
While Williams made a name for himself last year, and definitely earned his payday with the Lions, if he wants to continue his success, he will have a new set of problems to overcome in 2020.
Outside of rookies John Penisini and Jashon Cornell, every other Lions defensive linemen has experience playing in the Lions’ defensive scheme — except Williams.
With facilities being shutdown for Spring mini-camps, Williams is missing out on key opportunities to learn the scheme via first-hand experience. So what is he doing to make up the difference and not get left behind?
“Hopping on more calls with our defensive line coach Bo (Davis), and trying to get as familiar as I can,” Williams said. “Nothing beats being able to actually walk through the defenses, be with defensive players, be able to do OTAs, and go through different checks and calls, nothing beats that. But, the way you can kinda get to that level is more meeting time.
“More meeting time with Bo (Davis), more meeting time with coach Undlin (defensive coordinator), I just have to continue — once the Zoom meeting calls are done — I’m going to still be hopping on calls with them to help walk me through it. Once we are able to report and get rolling, we gotta have everything rolling at a certain tempo, so I don’t want to be left behind, (or get lost) in the shuffle, because I’m lagging in the playroom. I want to be on point, so it’s just more meeting time.”
But Williams can’t, and won’t, stop there. Once he gets to camp in the fall he will have to put what he has learned into practice. One big thing Williams does have working for him is through years of adversity he has learned to never be comfortable where he is at.
“I’ve seen every face of this league, so I am never comfortable. And I think once you get comfortable, you don’t have anything to strive for. I’m not the top defensive tackle but that’s something I want to strive for. I want to bring good football to the Detroit defensive line.”