Interesting Article on Mario Williams

bsmith_501

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NFL.com is tracking Mario Williams as he works out in Phoenix. Pretty good read.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/9204128

Getting ready for everything


(Defensive end Mario Williams is considered one of the top prospects in the 2006 NFL Draft. As a junior at North Carolina State, Williams helped lead the Wolfpack to a 7-5 record and a shutout bowl victory over South Florida. Williams' 14½ sacks and 24 tackles for loss propelled N.C. State to a No. 8 national ranking in total defense. NFL.com brings you updates from Williams as he approaches the draft.)

(Feb. 2, 2006) -- Everything's going great. Everything we're doing out here in Phoenix is top notch. The weather is great. I like to go outside and run on the field because conditions are very good.

We're going to have a little get-together and have a party for the Super Bowl. We just talk about the game a little bit and plan on watching the game on TV. We don't analyze the game too much; we leave that up to (the media).

But before the Super Bowl, I know I have to start somewhere. I have always had a dream that I could one day be in the NFL and be playing on Super Sunday. Of course, I have always had a dream like this, but I have always taken it one step at a time from high school to college, then college to the NFL. It's a good feeling to have as well.


Mario Williams was about 290 pounds entering API, and is now bigger and stronger.
You must have confidence. You can't be too over-cocky, but at a certain point you know it's time to get it going -- time to put up or shut up. Being at API (Athletes' Performance), I'm with some NFL guys who are there now. I am going up against them, competing and giving it my all. I'm trying to make a statement as soon as I step onto the field. There's no doubt in my mind of my ability and what God has given me to go out there and put it on the field. I have no lack of confidence whatsoever.

We have position drills; whoever plays your position (among the NFLers) comes in and we'll do drills. They teach us techniques and little tips to read offensive linemen and to know what's going on before it happens. Just be prepared and know what to do to counter that. That's going well, also.

We're really, really focused on core strength here; being stable and being able to transfer power efficiently as fast as possible. The little things like that -- and it's always the little things -- are the ones that are really going to go a long way. Having good core strength and stability makes things easier, as far as having balance and leverage on your opponent. That's the No. 1 thing I really have to key in to as I actually go into the NFL and start playing.

The NFL is a little bit of a big man's game and a speed game, but at the same time, you have to be smart. You have to know what the opponent is going to do. I think it all comes down to it being mental. You need to know what to do in this situation or that. I consider myself a little bit of both a big guy and a fast guy. I've gotten a lot bigger now; I've gained straight muscle recently. I'm not putting on any bad weight. And I think I am also getting faster. From the times we wrote down, I have actually gotten faster.

The best advice to give younger players right now is just listen. The No. 1 thing that helps you out tremendously is paying attention to coaching and being coachable. Listen to the techniques. There will come a time when you have to believe in the system. If you don't, it's really going to hurt you and it's going to be tougher for things to happen, especially when you have a great coach that knows the ropes and knows the little things. That's the one thing I would do in the NFL -- just listen to what they tell me, how they tell it to me, how to come off the ball, how to use my hands. You have to learn the ways and techniques of the game.

Dominating in high school and college
Before the ball is snapped, I could hear them ask for help. A lot of times, especially toward the end of my college career, we actually ran a three-down front and I heard a tackle on almost every play yell, "cover me, cover me!" It was a lot of respect. Hopefully there will be a time in the NFL when I can get that respect.

I guess I was bigger than everybody else in high school. It was more or less just going out there and running around. We had plays and stuff like that, but when we got to college, it was more of role playing. And when I get to the NFL, it's going to be even more of that. It's going to be strictly this or that.

I've just gotten bigger every time I have stepped up to the next level. I'm already drastically bigger in the three weeks I have been training at API. I just feel like working with them and having them push us to the limit will help me be a pretty big force when training camp comes around.
 

Bobby Roberts

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Working hard to prepare in the offseason speaks volumes. We do need 1 more DE in the mix and an upgrade can only help. You need to win the battle in the trenches with strong lines. Having 4 solid DEs in Kampman, KGB, Montgomery and Williams would be a major strength for us.

It's hard to pass up on a future team leader and great player in Hawk, but finding a great DE is more difficult than a great LB.
 

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