Transcripts

Search Transcripts
Connor Williams – March 21, 2022 Download PDF version

Monday, March 21, 2022

OL Connor Williams

(When you were sold on Miami, were you brought in here specially to play guard? Was there ever any talk about moving you to tackle or was it you are strictly coming here to play guard?) – “I think as of now, it is still really open. After meeting the coaches and everything, they’ve seen my ability to play really any position. Obviously, most of my work in the league has been at guard and at that, it has been at left guard and I feel most comfortable at left guard. But also, they understand that I can probably play tackle, I can play center and so it’s really wherever I’m needed and wherever I’m placed is where I’m willing to work.”

(Did Head Coach Mike McDaniel give you any insight on what that decision would be based on? In terms of whether you’ll stay at guard or perhaps move to tackle?) – “I think the image of the team is like a living and breathing organism right now. Once we get on the field and once the team starts coming to life and seeing who we are and what our identity is, I think that’s when it will start to be more clear. I don’t think until we get on the field will that become more relevant.”

(Would you be fine doing any of those things? A move to tackle, you’d be fine with it?) – “Most definitely. I played tackle in college. I’ve had snaps at center in preseason games and so I’m most definitely open to play any position.”

(For the first few years of your career, you kept your holding penalties down but then you had an uncharacteristic amount last year. Why do you think that was and what can you do to correct that?) – “Honestly it was a one-off year and it’s not a reputation I’ve had in previous years. I think a lot of things not going the right way and just build on the season. No excuses to be made but just fine-tuning my craft and knowing when to let go and when not to and just focusing on the very details and just playing a cleaner game. Honestly, that comes with an additional year of experience. One year at a time. This game is all about experience and live reps. The more you get those, the more you’re comfortable with it and the more you understand the full scope of what you’re doing.”

(There’s been a lot of talk about Head Coach Mike McDaniel and this zone running scheme that he is seeking to bring to Miami. I was just curious if you can kind of whittle it down to a percentage in Dallas, how much do you guys run whether it’s inside zone or outside zone, and what does it take for an offensive line for that to be really cohesive?) – “I think one thing is clear is that was one of the best things we did in Dallas was coming off the ball running side to side, getting the d-line moving and getting the defense on their feet and then penetrating the defense with the run game. Once you get the defense on their heels, then you can get them in the air, you can dish it out and after talking to coach, you can tell his excitement in bringing this new zone scheme into Miami. That is part of the reason I’m here is to be part of that building block of starting a great zone scheme. I think the biggest part of that is the cohesiveness of the team. Everybody is on the same page, everybody is working together and after reps after reps after reps it starts manifesting into its own.”

(I know that you’re a pretty young offensive linemen yourself, but you come to a town here in Miami where there’s a lot of young offensive linemen in this room already. What are some of the leadership qualities you think you possess that you can help guide this younger group and just be a leader in that room?) – “This is probably one of the most exciting things for me about coming to Miami. Coming into the league, I came in at 20 and you had Travis (Frederick), you have Zack (Martin), you have Tyron (Smith), you have ‘L’ (La’el Collins) and you have all these great players to learn from. They set a mold of how to do things, how to be a great player in this league and what it means day in and day out to work hard and what that hard work means and transitions onto the field and the respect it has in the locker room. Just having a younger o-line group, it’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be some good energy of just being able to get to work day-in and day-out with guys that are eager, that are hungry and just being able to grow as a unit together. The O-line is a special game. It’s all about camaraderie, it’s all about trusting the guy to the left and to the right of you. You’re never just as good as your best player. You’re as good as the whole line’s strength all together. That’s the most beautiful part about it and I think that’s the most exciting part of the game, just being able to build that together – the chemistry together.”

Search Transcripts

Weekly Archives