Trill Williams – August 27, 2021
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Friday, August 27, 2021
CB Trill Williams
(How would you describe the experience of your first NFL training camp?) – “The first word that comes to mind I would say is very different. Coming out of college, it’s really eye-opening because you’ve got guys like Byron (Jones) and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) out there and they’re executing how they would in a game in practice and their speed and me coming up behind them, it’s like I got to match their intensity every play. It’s different in a good way.”
(How would you describe the emotions when you’re waived by the Saints. The word out there was they were looking to bring you back and then the Dolphins came in and got you.) – “That process was crazy because I get there and they put me on waivers and I was only there for three days at the time. Then that Monday, I’m here. God works in mysterious ways and he put me where I’m supposed to be and I’m supposed to be here. I can only control what I can control. I’m just blessed to be here.”
(I know I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to you but you could have played or stayed at Syracuse. Why did you come out?) – “I felt like that was the best decision for me and my family. Obviously I talked to my coaches about it and they gave me good feedback. I had an ankle injury that made me leave early as well. I had to go get surgery on that. My health was my main priority and I had to go get healthy. I came back and now I’m here. I think I made the best decision for myself.”
(How did you wind up with the jersey number that you have?) – “(laughter) So I came late so by the time I got to Miami, every number from 1 to 50 was literally taken. So the next number was 51. I still get jokes about it now by my teammates and when I play other teams. They look at me like, ‘why is a linebacker covering a receiver out here?’ (laughter) So hopefully quarterbacks see me out there one day and be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a linebacker, let me try him,’ and then I go make a play on the ball and prove them wrong.”
(So ideally if you make the roster, I’m guessing you would want to switch numbers?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. (laughter) That’s the first thing.”
(Do you have a chip on your shoulder playing in No. 51 to play for a chance to get another number?) – “There’s a chip on my shoulder every time I step on the field. No matter the number, I’m going to play football. At the end of the day, that’s what it is – football. I could care less about the number, for real.”
(A couple of days ago, Head Coach Brian Flores said that it’s fair to say there’s two, three, maybe four spots available. Have you gotten any insight from coaches in terms of what they want to see from you, whether it’s defensively or special teams?) – “Honestly, I think they just want to see me go out there and play football how I’ve been doing and what they saw on film from me coming out of college. Like I said, I can only play football and control what I can control. I’m going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got every time I go out there.”
(I know you’ve played a lot of corner while you’re here, but you played a lot of safety back in college. Where is your comfort on corner versus safety?) – “I really don’t have a preference on either. I’m an athlete so I’ll go out there and play wherever I’ve got to be. Whatever the team needs me to play, that’s what I’ll play. But I’m glad that I got a couple of snaps at corner and I’ve moved around, so I’m a really versatile athlete. Like I said, whatever the team needs me to play, that’s where I’ll be at.”
(You have a unique first name. Is there a story behind it that you might want to share?) – “So most people don’t know my real name is Atrilleon. Within that name is Trill, so when I was younger, every time I heard Atrilleon, I was always in trouble by my mom. So every time I hear that name, I get flashbacks. But my dad had a dream one day and he said that was my name in his dream and that’s what they named me. You’ve got to call him about that one.”
(When did you start going by Trill?) – “I’ve been going by Trill as long as I can remember. It started when I was playing baseball and then my dad comes up with nicknames all the time and he called me Trill one day and that just stuck.”
(Does mom still call you Atrilleon?) – “(laughter) When I hear it, I get flashbacks. I’ll be like, ‘what did I do?’”
(Has Head Coach Brian Flores called you Atrilleon?) – “Nah. (laughter) I don’t want to make him mad when it gets to that point.”
(So how do you feel about your performance in training camp?) – “I feel like I went out there and did everything I could and I put my best foot forward trying to make this team. It’s really hard. We’ve got a lot of great DBs on this team. All I can do is just go out there and give it my all. That’s the only thing I can do.”
(What’s the biggest thing you’ve picked up on this whole training camp?) – “There’s a saying that our DB coach says. He always says, ‘Stay green,’ and that means to always accept learning, no matter how old or young you are. I see it with Byron (Jones) and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). They’re All-Pro guys and to this day, they still want to learn new things; and that pushes me to learn new things as well.”
