June 3, 2022 • 17 mins
Wayne Larrivee sits down with former Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams to reflect on Charles Woodson's teachings (4:26), the postseason journey leading to Super Bowl XLV (9:05), and the important impact Williams' wife had on his 15-year NFL career (15:22).
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
For more than a century, the Green Bay Packers have
been a benchmark for football excellence. Thousands of players have
helped pave the way, and we're here to tell you
their stories. I'm Wayne Laravy. This is the Packers Alumni Spotlight.
(00:24):
In the early two thousand's, the Packers, under then general
manager Ted Thompson had a knack for picking up free
agents off the street and converting them into productive starters.
After being cut as a rookie free agent in training
camp by the Houston Texans, the street is the place
where the Packers found Tremont Williams in late November of
(00:44):
two thousand six. Well, as you know, signed with Houston,
went through training camp with the Texans, had a good
training camp, and unfortunately didn't make it. Green Bay was
the first team that called me. Um when I became
(01:04):
a free agent. Um, when I got released from Houston,
first workout I came to was here, came here, had
a great workout. To contact my agent and told him
that he did very well. Um, whenever we find a
spot for him, he would be the guy we bring in.
And now it didn't take till a week ten or
eleven for it that happened so I went on nine
(01:26):
other different workouts in between that time. So every week
I was going to a different team. I was on
a lot of people shortlist, which was which was good.
But doing that over and over again all year long,
you start the one that man, when there's somebody really
gonna sign me, I'm going on all of these workouts.
So nonetheless, Um, when opportunity showed up a Green Bay
(01:48):
call right before Thanksgiving, I was at my mom's house.
I can remember it like it was yesterday, and um,
they told me that they wanted wanted to sign me
to the practice squad. So, um, you know I was
excited from their point point on. Two thousand and six
was Mike McCarthy's first year right in that coaching staff,
and in the following year you made the team two
(02:10):
seven team. Yeah, tell me about you know, you're you're
part of a real young group in two thousand and
seven that goes on kind of. I always called it
the blessed season. No one expected the Packers to storm
to the playoffs and actually get to the NFC Championship
game at home. Tell me about that season. What do
you remember about it? So I remember, Um, I tell
(02:32):
people all the time. Obviously, this was the first year
that the Packers, UM, I think actually kept six cornerbacks
on their roster. Um. I had a really good training camp,
so I think I kind of forced their hand. I'm
not gonna tell them that, but I kind of forced
their hand. But I made the team outright, as you know, UM,
(02:52):
and went throughout that season. I started off as the
kick returner. That's all I did, kick returning. I think
I was on kickoff team and that was my job.
I did my job throughout the year, and UM got
some opportunities down the line when a couple of guys
got injured and was able to take advantage of the situation.
And when we got into the playoffs. It was funny
(03:13):
because I was actually the start nickel at that point
already within my first season, and UM, I played well
throughout the playoffs. So UM that that's kind of UM
my remembrance from my first year. The cornerback room you
were in, Al Harris, Charles Woodson, I mean, those are
(03:33):
some great were they great mentors for you? They were
great mentors for me the day that I got here. Um. Actually,
the first guy who took me in was a rookie
just like me, which was Will Blackman. And when I
got here, he kind of took me in, made the
place feel like home right away to me. Um. And
you know, in this business, you know, people think that
(03:54):
you know, just because we're competeing, you know that you know,
you guys are not friends, you guys against each other,
but we actually not you know. Um, Like I said,
the guy took me in right away. UM showed me
the ropes, and as I said, I was able to
settle in right away. And that was a good thing
for me, whichon made a great impression on you and
Nick Collins and later Sam Shields who came in as
(04:18):
a rookie in the two thousand and ten season. What
exactly was that relationship? Like, what did he do? What
did he show you that maybe you guys didn't know. Um,
A bunch of different things really, Um. Just first and foremost, UM,
just how to watch film coming up as a football player.
(04:38):
You know, you think that just because you're watching film,
you actually know what you're doing. Um. Obviously, if you
watch enough of it you'll pick up some tendensees. But
some of the things that he showed us, it was
so efficient the way that he watched film, and he
saw it different than the coaches. Sometimes the coaches were
coming and be like, no, Wilson, that ain't it. But
(05:00):
then Wilson would show them exactly what you see and
they'll be like, oh, okay, yeah, you know that, we
see what you see now. You know we see what
you see now. So it was it was certain things
that he watched. UM. For example, UM, a lot of
teams may be hard to break down, but for me,
if I can't pick up all of the formations that
this team do, I may go back and see whether
(05:22):
receivers are lining up, whether they're lining up on a
hash mark where they're lining up at the top of
the numbers, whether they're lining up at the bottom of
the numbers. May tell me what roles did that they're doing.
So I had so many different ways that I can
look at film and figure out what guys were doing.
And it slowed the game down. Yeah, and you had
a great season in two thousand and ten, as did
(05:45):
the team, but it came with a certain amount of oh,
what's the word I'm looking for. Uh. There were some
moments where injuries are piled up to the point that
a lot of us on the outside looking in and said, well,
they they're talented, but maybe it's not their year. Was
that ever the feeling inside the team as you guys
(06:05):
headed towards what became ultimately a super Bowl season. I
don't think that ever creeped up in our minds, crept
up in our mind um for the simple Factum. I
don't know if anybody one else feelt the same way
that I feel. But the one game that I felt
like really turned our season around was was within the loss?
(06:26):
What was it was within the loss? And it was
against the New England Patriots. We obviously didn't have air
in that game. Um, we had Matt Flynn that quarterback.
Matt came in and done an excellent job. I think
Matt might through for four hundred and fifty yards um.
And I feel like the only reason we lost that
game because we ran out of time. That sounds crazy,
(06:47):
and we ran out of time, but I felt the
only reason we lost that game because we ran out
of time and we were saying to houself, we said, man,
this is a super Bowl caliber team that we just
lost to what our backup quarterback? We had, our real guy.
I think we're ready to go defend our title, and
you didn't lose again after after that, we didn't lose
(07:09):
again after that. I felt like that was the difference.
I feel like we all came together and we were like, man,
we we got something here. We knew the ability that
we had. We felt like we had the most talented
team in the league already, but as you said, we
had those injuries that you know, kind of derailed us
a little bit um But at the same time, we
felt like we were finding that niche for where we
needed to go. That season began in Philadelphia, and I
(07:31):
don't know if you were aware, but this is two
thousand ten and the Packers had not won a game
in Philadelphia since nineteen two. Okay, um, so here, now
you beat Philadelphia, you finally win an opening Day, and
now you have to go and play him again. Why
card game? What are the chances of the Packers gonna
(07:52):
win two games in Philadelphia in one year? You know?
But here the here they were. You guys are on
the league, you're protecting, but the five point lead, and
Michael Vick has the Eagles and he's driving into Green
Bay territory, And tell me what happened next on that
pass into the end zone. We knew that we had
to keep him out the end zone. I was an
(08:12):
off coverage and Riley Cooper just ran the gold route
down the field, and um, I didn't actually think Michael
was gonna throw the ball. I didn't think Michael was
gonna throw. The ball was on the top, on top
of the guy the whole time. And I got my
eyes around, and I tell a lot of guys, I said,
as a dB, people say that we can't catch But
I said, the reason why we can't catch it because
(08:34):
we can't track the ball out of the quarterback hands
like the receivers do. So our job is to try
to find the ball. We call it flash. If you
can find the ball in the flash, then you're good.
So I was able to see the ball actually come
out of Mike's hand. And if I can track the
ball out of your hand, I'm catching it. Like it's
hands down, I'm catching it. So I try to tell
(08:56):
the dbs now alladays, the ones who I coach up now,
UM to try to track the ball as fast as
you can because the fact that you get your eyes
on the ball, the more players you make. In the
Super Bowl run of two thousand ten. You could make
the point that the Packers never get to Dallas and
Super Bowl forty five without Tremon's interceptions in the first
(09:19):
two games of the postseason, the first to clinch the
wild card and win in Philadelphia in the final minute,
and a week later in Atlanta where his pick six
just before halftime state the Packers to a fourteen point league.
For me, it was kind of a perfect storm. What
I mean by perfect storm is that I knew it
(09:40):
was going to happen. The defensive coordinated new it's going
to happen. The whole defense knew what was about to happen.
And the crazy part about that play, we wasn't ready
at the snap because they were moving so fast, but
we know what the short short yardage play is. Plus
they was only trying to get in field goal range,
so they we knew exactly what they were what's gonna
(10:00):
do And when the ball was snapped, I just kind
of clicked and just kind of ran right underneath that
drove on that out route, and um, it was a
win win for us. All. We went from the underdogs
to the top dogs. I feel like at that point,
and Rogers had a brilliant game. Phenomenal game. And so
you go to the NFC Championship game in Chicago the
(10:22):
next week, and the offense has the momentum. They get
off to a good start, but then they kind of
bogged down and it came down to the defense. Remember
b J Roggie dancing right with the interception return for
a touchdown. But somehow the Bears are back in it.
They always are. That's never over. And somebody named Caleb
Haney is driving them for the tying score in the
(10:43):
final seconds of the game, and you're understudy or your
your guys. Sam Shields, who by then as a rookie
had become the nickelback, picks it off. Um, tell me
about that and that whole situation in Chicago that game. So,
as you said before, we knew going into Chicago that
we feel like any time we play Chicago, we dominate him,
(11:05):
but when we look up on the scoreboards, still close
as a division opponent. Obviously, so we knew that. And
like you said, we had a guy Caleb Handy who
came into the game. Now that's a guy who comes
into the game. You haven't had any film study on him.
You don't know what he's able to bring to the
table the whole nine. Now we got to kind of
figure out on the run with this guy is capable
(11:27):
of doing so. Now kind of quickly we found out
what this guy was capable of doing. We don't know
if it was the game of his life, but he
was doing well for his team. UM, and we know
we had to make that stop. Um. We felt like
we had the players to playmakers that we always have
and when he came down to the defense side of
the ball, we pride ourselves doing that. So obviously, like
you said, Sam Shields came up with the big play.
(11:49):
And at that point, Sam hadn't rolls from kind of
from a puppy to to a big dog at that point.
First half of the season, you know, he was still
kind of learned that had the training wheels on him.
Second half of the season. Took the training wheels off
and let him do what you do well. And so
you guys make it to the Super Bowl. UM, tell
(12:11):
me about your remembrance of that day and what did
anything in particular stand out to you as you took
part in all that was the Super Bowl. I can
kind of remember almost everything, um, just from the bus
ride to the stadium. You know what suit I had on,
you know, the whole nine. Um, I can remember everything,
but um, I think one of the most famous things
(12:33):
that we can remember. Unfortunately, when Woodson got hurt and um,
you know we had to go in for halftime, and
you know, Woodson as our leader and to see this
with this guy played for he played for super Bowls,
all that was something to think about it right now,
what'son is going to the Hall of Fame, the whole nine.
(12:54):
If everybody feels like that's the a pit of me
of what guys played the game for. That ain't what
he played the game for. He played the game to
win a Super Bowl. That was his ultimate goal, to
win a Super Bowl. So for him to have to
go out of that game, um, we kind of felt
for him. We felt for him, and we went in
the locker room and eat and he made a speech
(13:15):
to us. You can feel all emotions that he had
running throwing. So that alone made us want to win
that game for him. So the win that game was awesome.
It was such a roller coaster. I mean, you guys
defensively turned them over three times, the offense capitalized with
touchdowns and all three turnovers. But in the second half,
it's going back and forth and there's that big play
(13:37):
made by Clay Matthews and Ryan pickett Um. They're just
that game kind of encapsualized your season, you know what
I mean, quick start, adversity, hits, come back and you know,
get the job done. It was had to be at
the high point of your career. It was it was
man Um as we said, came down to the defense again.
(13:58):
That was the epitome of the season. I mean, we
was top defense that year, but he came down to
the defense, and we took pride in that situation. Came
down to the defense. Three of those playoffs, you know
what I mean when you think about it, and I
you know, you look back now and the Packers haven't
been back to the Super Bowl, and I maintained a
lot of it has to do with the fact that
(14:19):
the defense hasn't been able to when the offense struggles
in the postseason. And your offense struggled in Chicago, it
really did h and Pittsburgh came back on you guys
uh in the Super Bowl, but your defense was always
there to make a play. And that's kind of the
difference from what I've seen and you played on a
lot of those teams that after the Super Bowl, including
(14:41):
two thousands of life where it just didn't work. It
was it wasn't the same. You try to figure yourself out. UM,
go back and do self scout on yourself on your defense. Um.
One thing you know about winning the Super Bowl is
every team is after you. Now it's gonna be those
same UM teams who go back and watch film and
(15:03):
see what we did all year long, and they're gonna
pick up on those things. And now we need to
make adjustments. And I don't think that we ever really
did a great job of making adjustments, you know, schematically
to what we were doing, because you know, we were
top dogs at that point, so everybody's coming for you,
and you're gonna be the guys on display. And I
don't think we made the adjustments to that. A fifteen
(15:27):
year NFL career cornerback is rare, indeed, and Treman credit
his wife for that. So my wife actually, um played
professional basketball overseas in Poland, and UM, you know, she
grew up as an athlete too, so she understand the
grind that we go to go through. She understand on
(15:50):
the time that I need when when I'm at home,
how much time I need to need to watch my
film and all of those different things. And she handled
all of these things behind the scene. And not only that,
but you know, I was also able to bounce things
off of her, you know, and I get home, all right, baby,
what you think about this play? What you think that
he's gonna do? Because she had a mind just for athletics,
(16:13):
in sports, So it was it was beautiful to me.
You know, I don't think many relationships have that. You know.
My wife always asked me all the time, she said,
what would you do if I didn't like sports? I say, baby,
I don't know, I don't know, but um, I think
just being able to go home and have someone who
(16:35):
understand me and who's able to pick me up, you
know when it gets tough at work and I'm able
to come home and she understands that. Everybody don't get that.
So it was, it was, it was beautiful. Truman finished
his career in Green Bay, and precedented fashion, he became
the first player in the history of the league to
dress for two different franchises in the same postseason. In
(17:00):
the two thousand one postseason, the Ravens cut Tremon after
their loss in the divisional round. The Packers signed him
the following week, and he dressed for the NFC Championship game.
Treman Williams retired in fittingly as a Packer, capping a
remarkable career.
For more than a century, the Green Bay Packers have
been a benchmark for football excellence. Thousands of players have
helped pave the way, and we're here to tell you
their stories. I'm Wayne Laravy. This is the Packers Alumni Spotlight.
(00:24):
In the early two thousand's, the Packers, under then general
manager Ted Thompson had a knack for picking up free
agents off the street and converting them into productive starters.
After being cut as a rookie free agent in training
camp by the Houston Texans, the street is the place
where the Packers found Tremont Williams in late November of
(00:44):
two thousand six. Well, as you know, signed with Houston,
went through training camp with the Texans, had a good
training camp, and unfortunately didn't make it. Green Bay was
the first team that called me. Um when I became
(01:04):
a free agent. Um, when I got released from Houston,
first workout I came to was here, came here, had
a great workout. To contact my agent and told him
that he did very well. Um, whenever we find a
spot for him, he would be the guy we bring in.
And now it didn't take till a week ten or
eleven for it that happened so I went on nine
(01:26):
other different workouts in between that time. So every week
I was going to a different team. I was on
a lot of people shortlist, which was which was good.
But doing that over and over again all year long,
you start the one that man, when there's somebody really
gonna sign me, I'm going on all of these workouts.
So nonetheless, Um, when opportunity showed up a Green Bay
(01:48):
call right before Thanksgiving, I was at my mom's house.
I can remember it like it was yesterday, and um,
they told me that they wanted wanted to sign me
to the practice squad. So, um, you know I was
excited from their point point on. Two thousand and six
was Mike McCarthy's first year right in that coaching staff,
and in the following year you made the team two
(02:10):
seven team. Yeah, tell me about you know, you're you're
part of a real young group in two thousand and
seven that goes on kind of. I always called it
the blessed season. No one expected the Packers to storm
to the playoffs and actually get to the NFC Championship
game at home. Tell me about that season. What do
you remember about it? So I remember, Um, I tell
(02:32):
people all the time. Obviously, this was the first year
that the Packers, UM, I think actually kept six cornerbacks
on their roster. Um. I had a really good training camp,
so I think I kind of forced their hand. I'm
not gonna tell them that, but I kind of forced
their hand. But I made the team outright, as you know, UM,
(02:52):
and went throughout that season. I started off as the
kick returner. That's all I did, kick returning. I think
I was on kickoff team and that was my job.
I did my job throughout the year, and UM got
some opportunities down the line when a couple of guys
got injured and was able to take advantage of the situation.
And when we got into the playoffs. It was funny
(03:13):
because I was actually the start nickel at that point
already within my first season, and UM, I played well
throughout the playoffs. So UM that that's kind of UM
my remembrance from my first year. The cornerback room you
were in, Al Harris, Charles Woodson, I mean, those are
(03:33):
some great were they great mentors for you? They were
great mentors for me the day that I got here. Um. Actually,
the first guy who took me in was a rookie
just like me, which was Will Blackman. And when I
got here, he kind of took me in, made the
place feel like home right away to me. Um. And
you know, in this business, you know, people think that
(03:54):
you know, just because we're competeing, you know that you know,
you guys are not friends, you guys against each other,
but we actually not you know. Um, Like I said,
the guy took me in right away. UM showed me
the ropes, and as I said, I was able to
settle in right away. And that was a good thing
for me, whichon made a great impression on you and
Nick Collins and later Sam Shields who came in as
(04:18):
a rookie in the two thousand and ten season. What
exactly was that relationship? Like, what did he do? What
did he show you that maybe you guys didn't know. Um,
A bunch of different things really, Um. Just first and foremost, UM,
just how to watch film coming up as a football player.
(04:38):
You know, you think that just because you're watching film,
you actually know what you're doing. Um. Obviously, if you
watch enough of it you'll pick up some tendensees. But
some of the things that he showed us, it was
so efficient the way that he watched film, and he
saw it different than the coaches. Sometimes the coaches were
coming and be like, no, Wilson, that ain't it. But
(05:00):
then Wilson would show them exactly what you see and
they'll be like, oh, okay, yeah, you know that, we
see what you see now. You know we see what
you see now. So it was it was certain things
that he watched. UM. For example, UM, a lot of
teams may be hard to break down, but for me,
if I can't pick up all of the formations that
this team do, I may go back and see whether
(05:22):
receivers are lining up, whether they're lining up on a
hash mark where they're lining up at the top of
the numbers, whether they're lining up at the bottom of
the numbers. May tell me what roles did that they're doing.
So I had so many different ways that I can
look at film and figure out what guys were doing.
And it slowed the game down. Yeah, and you had
a great season in two thousand and ten, as did
(05:45):
the team, but it came with a certain amount of oh,
what's the word I'm looking for. Uh. There were some
moments where injuries are piled up to the point that
a lot of us on the outside looking in and said, well,
they they're talented, but maybe it's not their year. Was
that ever the feeling inside the team as you guys
(06:05):
headed towards what became ultimately a super Bowl season. I
don't think that ever creeped up in our minds, crept
up in our mind um for the simple Factum. I
don't know if anybody one else feelt the same way
that I feel. But the one game that I felt
like really turned our season around was was within the loss?
(06:26):
What was it was within the loss? And it was
against the New England Patriots. We obviously didn't have air
in that game. Um, we had Matt Flynn that quarterback.
Matt came in and done an excellent job. I think
Matt might through for four hundred and fifty yards um.
And I feel like the only reason we lost that
game because we ran out of time. That sounds crazy,
(06:47):
and we ran out of time, but I felt the
only reason we lost that game because we ran out
of time and we were saying to houself, we said, man,
this is a super Bowl caliber team that we just
lost to what our backup quarterback? We had, our real guy.
I think we're ready to go defend our title, and
you didn't lose again after after that, we didn't lose
(07:09):
again after that. I felt like that was the difference.
I feel like we all came together and we were like, man,
we we got something here. We knew the ability that
we had. We felt like we had the most talented
team in the league already, but as you said, we
had those injuries that you know, kind of derailed us
a little bit um But at the same time, we
felt like we were finding that niche for where we
needed to go. That season began in Philadelphia, and I
(07:31):
don't know if you were aware, but this is two
thousand ten and the Packers had not won a game
in Philadelphia since nineteen two. Okay, um, so here, now
you beat Philadelphia, you finally win an opening Day, and
now you have to go and play him again. Why
card game? What are the chances of the Packers gonna
(07:52):
win two games in Philadelphia in one year? You know?
But here the here they were. You guys are on
the league, you're protecting, but the five point lead, and
Michael Vick has the Eagles and he's driving into Green
Bay territory, And tell me what happened next on that
pass into the end zone. We knew that we had
to keep him out the end zone. I was an
(08:12):
off coverage and Riley Cooper just ran the gold route
down the field, and um, I didn't actually think Michael
was gonna throw the ball. I didn't think Michael was
gonna throw. The ball was on the top, on top
of the guy the whole time. And I got my
eyes around, and I tell a lot of guys, I said,
as a dB, people say that we can't catch But
I said, the reason why we can't catch it because
(08:34):
we can't track the ball out of the quarterback hands
like the receivers do. So our job is to try
to find the ball. We call it flash. If you
can find the ball in the flash, then you're good.
So I was able to see the ball actually come
out of Mike's hand. And if I can track the
ball out of your hand, I'm catching it. Like it's
hands down, I'm catching it. So I try to tell
(08:56):
the dbs now alladays, the ones who I coach up now,
UM to try to track the ball as fast as
you can because the fact that you get your eyes
on the ball, the more players you make. In the
Super Bowl run of two thousand ten. You could make
the point that the Packers never get to Dallas and
Super Bowl forty five without Tremon's interceptions in the first
(09:19):
two games of the postseason, the first to clinch the
wild card and win in Philadelphia in the final minute,
and a week later in Atlanta where his pick six
just before halftime state the Packers to a fourteen point league.
For me, it was kind of a perfect storm. What
I mean by perfect storm is that I knew it
(09:40):
was going to happen. The defensive coordinated new it's going
to happen. The whole defense knew what was about to happen.
And the crazy part about that play, we wasn't ready
at the snap because they were moving so fast, but
we know what the short short yardage play is. Plus
they was only trying to get in field goal range,
so they we knew exactly what they were what's gonna
(10:00):
do And when the ball was snapped, I just kind
of clicked and just kind of ran right underneath that
drove on that out route, and um, it was a
win win for us. All. We went from the underdogs
to the top dogs. I feel like at that point,
and Rogers had a brilliant game. Phenomenal game. And so
you go to the NFC Championship game in Chicago the
(10:22):
next week, and the offense has the momentum. They get
off to a good start, but then they kind of
bogged down and it came down to the defense. Remember
b J Roggie dancing right with the interception return for
a touchdown. But somehow the Bears are back in it.
They always are. That's never over. And somebody named Caleb
Haney is driving them for the tying score in the
(10:43):
final seconds of the game, and you're understudy or your
your guys. Sam Shields, who by then as a rookie
had become the nickelback, picks it off. Um, tell me
about that and that whole situation in Chicago that game. So,
as you said before, we knew going into Chicago that
we feel like any time we play Chicago, we dominate him,
(11:05):
but when we look up on the scoreboards, still close
as a division opponent. Obviously, so we knew that. And
like you said, we had a guy Caleb Handy who
came into the game. Now that's a guy who comes
into the game. You haven't had any film study on him.
You don't know what he's able to bring to the
table the whole nine. Now we got to kind of
figure out on the run with this guy is capable
(11:27):
of doing so. Now kind of quickly we found out
what this guy was capable of doing. We don't know
if it was the game of his life, but he
was doing well for his team. UM, and we know
we had to make that stop. Um. We felt like
we had the players to playmakers that we always have
and when he came down to the defense side of
the ball, we pride ourselves doing that. So obviously, like
you said, Sam Shields came up with the big play.
(11:49):
And at that point, Sam hadn't rolls from kind of
from a puppy to to a big dog at that point.
First half of the season, you know, he was still
kind of learned that had the training wheels on him.
Second half of the season. Took the training wheels off
and let him do what you do well. And so
you guys make it to the Super Bowl. UM, tell
(12:11):
me about your remembrance of that day and what did
anything in particular stand out to you as you took
part in all that was the Super Bowl. I can
kind of remember almost everything, um, just from the bus
ride to the stadium. You know what suit I had on,
you know, the whole nine. Um, I can remember everything,
but um, I think one of the most famous things
(12:33):
that we can remember. Unfortunately, when Woodson got hurt and um,
you know we had to go in for halftime, and
you know, Woodson as our leader and to see this
with this guy played for he played for super Bowls,
all that was something to think about it right now,
what'son is going to the Hall of Fame, the whole nine.
(12:54):
If everybody feels like that's the a pit of me
of what guys played the game for. That ain't what
he played the game for. He played the game to
win a Super Bowl. That was his ultimate goal, to
win a Super Bowl. So for him to have to
go out of that game, um, we kind of felt
for him. We felt for him, and we went in
the locker room and eat and he made a speech
(13:15):
to us. You can feel all emotions that he had
running throwing. So that alone made us want to win
that game for him. So the win that game was awesome.
It was such a roller coaster. I mean, you guys
defensively turned them over three times, the offense capitalized with
touchdowns and all three turnovers. But in the second half,
it's going back and forth and there's that big play
(13:37):
made by Clay Matthews and Ryan pickett Um. They're just
that game kind of encapsualized your season, you know what
I mean, quick start, adversity, hits, come back and you know,
get the job done. It was had to be at
the high point of your career. It was it was
man Um as we said, came down to the defense again.
(13:58):
That was the epitome of the season. I mean, we
was top defense that year, but he came down to
the defense, and we took pride in that situation. Came
down to the defense. Three of those playoffs, you know
what I mean when you think about it, and I
you know, you look back now and the Packers haven't
been back to the Super Bowl, and I maintained a
lot of it has to do with the fact that
(14:19):
the defense hasn't been able to when the offense struggles
in the postseason. And your offense struggled in Chicago, it
really did h and Pittsburgh came back on you guys
uh in the Super Bowl, but your defense was always
there to make a play. And that's kind of the
difference from what I've seen and you played on a
lot of those teams that after the Super Bowl, including
(14:41):
two thousands of life where it just didn't work. It
was it wasn't the same. You try to figure yourself out. UM,
go back and do self scout on yourself on your defense. Um.
One thing you know about winning the Super Bowl is
every team is after you. Now it's gonna be those
same UM teams who go back and watch film and
(15:03):
see what we did all year long, and they're gonna
pick up on those things. And now we need to
make adjustments. And I don't think that we ever really
did a great job of making adjustments, you know, schematically
to what we were doing, because you know, we were
top dogs at that point, so everybody's coming for you,
and you're gonna be the guys on display. And I
don't think we made the adjustments to that. A fifteen
(15:27):
year NFL career cornerback is rare, indeed, and Treman credit
his wife for that. So my wife actually, um played
professional basketball overseas in Poland, and UM, you know, she
grew up as an athlete too, so she understand the
grind that we go to go through. She understand on
(15:50):
the time that I need when when I'm at home,
how much time I need to need to watch my
film and all of those different things. And she handled
all of these things behind the scene. And not only that,
but you know, I was also able to bounce things
off of her, you know, and I get home, all right, baby,
what you think about this play? What you think that
he's gonna do? Because she had a mind just for athletics,
(16:13):
in sports, So it was it was beautiful to me.
You know, I don't think many relationships have that. You know.
My wife always asked me all the time, she said,
what would you do if I didn't like sports? I say, baby,
I don't know, I don't know, but um, I think
just being able to go home and have someone who
(16:35):
understand me and who's able to pick me up, you
know when it gets tough at work and I'm able
to come home and she understands that. Everybody don't get that.
So it was, it was, it was beautiful. Truman finished
his career in Green Bay, and precedented fashion, he became
the first player in the history of the league to
dress for two different franchises in the same postseason. In
(17:00):
the two thousand one postseason, the Ravens cut Tremon after
their loss in the divisional round. The Packers signed him
the following week, and he dressed for the NFC Championship game.
Treman Williams retired in fittingly as a Packer, capping a
remarkable career.
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