METAIRIE
Kyle Long Jersey , La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints can only hope safety Marcus Williams’ recent refusal to discuss the last play of last season isn’t a
sign of mental fragility.
New Orleans is counting on Williams, a 2017 second-round draft choice , to build on a largely promising rookie campaign that helped solidify the Saints’
secondary and propel the club back to the playoffs for the first time in four
years.
At issue now is how Williams will move forward from the cruel way his first NFL season ended. His whiffed tackle attempt on Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs last
January allowed the Vikings receiver to score a 61-yard, game-winning touchdown
in the dying seconds of an NFC divisional round playoff game.
It’s a question that, for now, Williams declines to field.
“I’m not talking about last year,” Williams said after practice on Saturday.
Asked moments later if he still watches a video he promoted on social media that opens with that final play in Minnesota — which he titled “Turning my
NIGHTMARE into my MOTIVATION” — Williams smiled silently and turned his gaze
toward a team public relations official, who ended the interview.
Defensive backs routinely utter the refrain that players at their position must have short memories — that they must quickly forget receptions made by
players they defend and focus immediately on their next opportunity to thwart a
pass.
But in Williams’ case, the touchdown he couldn’t prevent in Minnesota instantly went into NFL annals as one of the more stunning and unusual endings
to a playoff game in league history.
That one will be hard to forget.
Meanwhile, Williams’ decision to block a columnist for The Times-Picayune on Twitter also raises questions about how he deals with scrutiny.
Teammates
John Riggins Jersey , however, are quick to suggest that Williams’ performance at training camp says more about his response than anything
else.
“The way he approaches practice, the way he approaches each meeting, the way he approaches the game — period — you can tell he doesn’t necessarily think
about it, but it’s there and it drives him,” Saints defensive tackle Sheldon
Rankins said. “He’s been playing out of his mind in training camp so far.
“I commend him for that,” Rankins continued. “A play of that magnitude in that game — that could derail a lot of people’s confidence and kind of make
people go into the tank.”
During the first couple weeks of training camp, Williams has looked like a star in the making, closing hard on balls thrown anywhere near him. Several
times, he has intercepted Drew Brees
Radim Vrbata Jersey , who compared Williams to retired Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, a five-time All-Pro.
“I really love everything about him as a teammate and as a young player who is just hungry to be great,” Brees said. “He is definitely a presence and a
force in the deep part of the field. You have to know where he is because he’s
got such good range and such good instincts.”
Coach Sean Payton appeared to make a point this offseason of deflecting blame for last season’s end away from Williams, who not only had four interceptions
during the 2017 regular season, but also had another pick in the playoff game
against the Vikings. While being interviewed by his daughter, Meghan, on NFL
Network, Payton said his biggest regret from the playoff loss was the Saints
offense’s inability to convert a third-and-1 play before kicking a go-ahead
field goal with 25 seconds left. If New Orleans had gotten one more first down,
Payton reasoned, the Saints’ field goal would have been attempted with virtually
no time left for the Vikings to respond.
And after recent practices
Charles Clay Jersey , Payton has been highly complimentary of Williams.
“You have seen him come back in the spring and even now in training camp, just playing at a real high level,” Payton said. “He is just continuing to get
better. He is a great thinker. He is smart. Rarely on the field does he do
something that you don’t want. That intelligence, along with his physical skill
set, are two great traits.”
Williams does discuss the upcoming season. And in those moments, he doesn’t sound like a player overly burdened by his past.
“I just do my one-eleventh — whatever the coach tells me to do,” Williams said. “Everybody has their own job to do. You can’t be Superman out here.”
NOTES: Players not practicing on Saturday included DE Marcus Davenport, WR Cameron Meredith, TE Michael Hoomanawanui and DL Mitch Loewen. Davenport, the
club’s first-round draft pick last spring
Kevin Hogan Jersey , has not practiced in about two weeks.
The Kansas City Chiefs have signed defensive tackle Xavier Williams, a restricted free
agent from the Arizona Cardinals, who declined to match the offer Kansas City
made to the run-stopper.
The Chiefs announced the signing in a statement Wednesday.
The 6-foot-2, 309-pound Williams grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Grandview, Missouri, before a standout career at Northern Iowa. He started twice
and appeared in 23 games over the past two seasons in Arizona, making 28 tackles
and earning a reputation as someone who can plug up the run.
The Chiefs had been searching for a nose tackle after Bennie Logan became a free agent.
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