In hindsight, 'Schmitty' did Trent Williams a big favor
Published: 8/19/2010 12:42 PM
Last Modified: 8/19/2010 12:43 PM
Just after Trent Williams became the fourth pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Washington Post called Oklahoma sports enhancement director (aka "head strength coach") Jerry Schmidt.
"He's definitely not a gym rat. If he was, there wouldn't be anybody even close to him," Schmidt said. "If he really committed himself, it wouldn't even be close. He'd be the best ever. That's how much talent he's got. There's a lot of talent there that he just hasn't tapped."
Any OU staffer – Bob Stoops, coordinator Kevin Wilson, O-line coach James Patton – would have said the exact same thing. But because Schmidt was so blunt, some fans went nuts.
"How dare he!" they cried. "He's not even a position coach! What right does he have! Bet Bob is bent!"
Well, Stoops wasn't bent. Maybe he looked at the situation from a different angle.
Here was a 21-year-old rookie whose work habits weren't exactly top-tier. He was about to be given $60 million worth of excuses to coast through training camp. He was about to join a team whose underachieving had driven a rabid fan base literally mad. He was about to become that team's starting left tackle.
Without the proper motivation or frame of mind, this could have been disastrous.
Instead, Williams has been marvelous. Whether someone reads Schmidt's comments to him every morning before lifting – the safe bet is they're prominent in his mind or his locker door -- he's playing like he has something to prove.
Click on Fanhouse, you'll find a piece entitled "Redskins' Trent Williams Not Playing Like a Rookie." The reviews from D.C. outlets have been similarly positive since Washington's preseason-opening rout of Buffalo.
New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan is encouraged So is Chris Samuels, the Skins' former left tackle now mentoring Williams after retiring last offseason.
And how's this: Brian Orakpo, the Skins' second-year defensive end from Texas, is refining Williams' game in daily one-on-one practice battles.
A Longhorn assisting a Sooner? You bet.
"Brian's a second-year Pro Bowl player with all his tricks," Shanahan told media. "So it really helps a young offensive lineman to go against that every day."
Orakpo actually saw this coming. He told fans the Redskins had drafted a "beast" when they nabbed Williams.
Stoops, Schmidt and the Sooners' brass surely had that notion. They saw it for four years – Williams could be truly great.
It all depended on his inspiration.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Jason Collington
Web Editor
