Trent Williams is going into his second year as the starter at left tackle, widely considered to be the toughest and most important position on offense after the quarterback.
He had an up and down rookie year after the Redskins made him the fourth pick of the 2010 draft. The good thing for the Redskins is that Williams realizes that he did not play up to his potential and he has set out to do something about that. He came in about 12 pounds lighter than he did a year ago and it appears that he has turned some weight into muscle.
The proof, of course, will be on the field in September.
Here is some of what Williams had to say when he met with the media on Monday:
On the return of Jammal Brown:
He is a huge piece to the puzzle and to our success this year, and having Jammal back in the second year in the offense, he is way more comfortable than he was last year. We have big things planned.
On practicing without pads:
To us, it really doesn’t matter. When you are in the trenches you have to go just as hard, pads on or pads off.
On how his body feels different from last year:
Night and day. I feel more explosive. My legs are with me during the whole practice and not giving up in the middle. I feel great.
On offseason training:
I pushed myself this offseason harder than I have ever pushed myself. I ended up training seven days a week most of the time. I had a sour taste in my mouth after last season and I just wanted to get better. I wanted to come back a totally different player.
On the need to step up as a leader with Casey Rabach gone
Yes, I feel like I should be a better leader anyway, not just because Casey is gone.
On having offensive lineman Kory Lichtensteiger playing next to him for a second year:
It definitely improves the continuity. We know each other—I know him and he knows me. It is improving.
If the Redskins are going to be at all competitive in 2011, we will need EVERY member of the starting O-Line to elevate his play. Whether the starting QB is Grossman (hope not) or Beck, good zone blocking to generate a strong running game, and solid pass protection--Sexy Rexy is prone to turnovers when pressured, and Beck is so raw in terms of NFL starts that he's likely to get "happy feet"--will be vital to the Skins' being respectable in the Division.
At this point, I'm more comfortable about the Skins' defense improving its play significantly vs. 2010 than the offense. Hopefully, there will reasons for optimism about the offense coming out of preseason play.
Posted by: Dave C. | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 08:11 PM