Time Machine: Willie Williams, March 9, 2022

Time Machine: Willie Williams, March 9, 2022

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome Steeler Nation. I'm standing Severn. Is my great pleasure
to welcome in former Steelers defensive back cornerback Willie Williams. Willy,
Great to see you. Thanks for having me our pleasure.
Uh six round draft tricks out of Western Carolina. Um.
Getting drafted that late? Did it come as a surprise?
You do you expect to go earlier or maybe not

(00:22):
at all? I was expecting to go earlier, you know,
listening to my agent and some other people talk uh
need you know, he was talking about between the first
and third round, but you know I fared out to
the sixth round, which you know, it's a great opportunity
for me coming from a small school. So I was
happy being drafted. What about being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers,
You know, it was a dream that came true because
I always wanted to play for the Steelers as a kid.

(00:44):
But to get drafted by them and to play for
steel it was a great, great opportunity coming from your
part of the country. What was it about the Steelers.
It was the fact that they had won all those
Super Bowls of the seventies. Yeah, exactly, and plus you know,
I was a big Land swine fan. I always thought
I was him when I was playing and street football.
So you know, they has a great, great, great athletes
back then and still Curtain era, and I was always

(01:06):
staying on top of them. So my dad was a
big Stellers fan as well, so I just followed his footsteps.
When you came here. Of course, the Super Bowl era
was long gone. The team was kind of, you know,
re tooling if you will, to get into a terrific
run in the nineties. Um, did that give you a
better opportunity because you know, the mel blunts and you

(01:27):
know some of the main stage that defense were now gone. Yeah.
I felt that way because you know, just to have
that name behind your my name is Willy Williams to
Pittsburgh still as you know, I always thought I can
come in and contribute, to try to get help to Stillers.
Get back to that to that point. But um, I
was a rookie coming in trying to find my way,
and I had guys like Rod Woodson, Cornell Lake and

(01:48):
Greg Lord that I just was like in star struck,
you know, because I always watched those guys played when
I was in high school and college. So to be
drafted and just to be part of that team. It
was just a great feeling. But eventually I thought we
was gonna eventually go to a Super Bowl because I
always had thoughts by having those guys in front of me,
that's gonna lead us there. But it took a while.

(02:09):
We had to work hard at it, but we eventually
finally got there, and uh, it was just a great
opportunity to be able to play in the Super Bowl.
You know, they talked about the greatest transitions from college
to pro quarterback. Obviously they'll talk about offensive tackles. It's
a big transition running backs, skill position guys, But what
about on the corner, especially playing at a smaller school

(02:32):
like Western Carolina, what was the biggest difference when you
went from that level of football to the ultimate level
of football. I think coming to Pittsburgh from Western Carolina,
I just always had that aggressive attitude in me when
I was playing high school football. Um, that's what they
talked about. I was aggressive, and also I had good speed.
To speed does matter sometimes, especially being my size. I

(02:56):
was only five nine, one seventy coming out, So UM,
I think just having that attitude, that aggressive attitude and
having good speed and just being a smart football player
helped me out a lot. Um. Coming in. I always thought,
you know, well, I'm the smallest guys gotta be the toughest,
and um, I got the name pound for pound minded
mouse uh Levron Kirklin game of that name because I

(03:16):
lived up to that standard being a tough small guy.
You know, it's funny you talk about that. And Thomas
Schevard was another guy wasn't real big, Yes he could
hear the ton um. Was it cool to be part
of what became known as the Blitzburg defense. Very cool
because we know what to expect from other teams and

(03:36):
didn't know what it was gonna receive on Sunday. So
to be part of the Bittsburg team is just wonderful
because we always wanted to put pressure on the quarterback
and to just you know, make him get the ball
rid of the ball quick and we we can see
in the quarterback guys he was a little intimidated, which
was good. And plus you had Kevin Green and great
Lord on outside. You better get rid of the football.
So we always went into a game thinking that, Okay,

(03:59):
we're gonna put pressure on this offense and we're gonna
give it to the offense to win Quiver and Quake
uh Blitzburg, and you know that they were frightening the
other teams. And I'm wondering, outside of the schematics and
the individual talents of the players on that defense, how
much of it was that attitude? You know what we

(04:19):
all had attitude. Um, you know, going into all season,
we all broked out together. We um, we ate together,
we hung out together. It was just that chemistry that
we had and we just always talked about how good
of a football team we had, but we just had
to put it together as a team. On the practice field,
we practiced like we play and I think by playing
for Bill Coward, he put that attitude in us. The

(04:41):
way you practice is going where you play. So we
took seriously. Um, we didn't go in tagging off on No,
we went in doing practice, hitting runners, hitting receivers because
that's just the attitude that we have. And we had
expressed that to let everybody know that we have a
great football team on defense, and we were gonna try
to timidate all the offenses that we played against. Everybody
knows Stealer Nation about Bill Coward and his demeanor. Um

(05:05):
did that attitude come directly from him, the way he
was on the sideline, you know, stuffing photos and referees
pockets and you know, doing all those things in the jaw,
I think. So it rubbed up on me because that
was my first NFL coach, So he had that attitude,
so I gotta play up to his standards. So by
coming in being drafted by him and he's showing the
attitude that I want to have, it just you know,

(05:26):
rubbed up on us. Especially being a rookie. You had
seven interceptions one year, and they always talk about and
it's true past defense, good rush, good coverage, they go
hand in hand. You had the seven interceptions one year.
How much of that would you attribute to the kind
of ferocious pass rush that you often god from that Devin,

(05:48):
It's instantly you brought that up because that was in
ninety five. That was my first year being a starter. Um,
when we talk about the seven interception, always go back
the first game I started against Detroit Lions. That's when
What's and got hurt. So I had to come in
and start. And the receiver Herman More he just that
was the worst game I've played in my life. Team
catches for a hunting in something yards on me, all

(06:09):
on me. So I was kind of like filling in
the dumpster that that game, and Bill Kyle mentioned me
for the following game, and um, you know, I went
in with the attitude. I said, Okay, the next time
I get that opportunity to be a starter, I'm not
looking back. So I end up playing against Houston and
Nickel position, and then the Miami game came back in
as a starter. Bill Coward came to me and said,

(06:31):
you know what, really, Herman Moore beat everybody, so we're
gonna put you back in the starting line up. And
ever since then, I didn't look back. And to get
seven and steps with that year was it came from
the pass rush because I knew if I could just
have good coverage on the back end, three seconds step
balls coming out and I'm gonna be in a position
to make an exception and it just end up being
in the right place at the right time. That Herman

(06:52):
More game, I remember it was. It was at home,
and I think that's the game Rob Wosen got hurt.
I had to come in and just start, and I
was just like had the big guys and just nervous
and Uh, you know, I learned a lot from that
game because I always went back to that game just
to learn. I'm learn from it, learn from it. End
up being U you know, started for the rest of
the season. Well, Bill was right, herman, a lot of

(07:14):
people in it probably goes down, if not the most
devastating home playoff loss, certainly one of them. And I'm
wondering that game in particular, did that serve as a

(07:35):
springboard for when you did get to the Super Bowl?
I think so, because I never forget it. I think
against the San Daval charges. Um, to lose that game,
it was just this attitude that we got said, okay,
we need to get back to work. I mean, I
remember the guys coming to the locker room of course,
was crying and just bawled and just wondering what happened.

(07:55):
We had an opportunity, but it didn't work out. But
to uh, to lose that game, I think it was
just the building blocks for us to get back in
and um we started earlier than normal than most teams
because we said we gotta get back. We gotta get
back because to get that feel as a a f
C championship game and all was that close again to
the Super Bowl. It's just put something in us. And

(08:16):
I think by having Greg and Kevin Green and Lebron
Curricle and all the older guys, um, you know, they
made us. And listen, we get we started working on
this certain day, you better be there. And that's just
how it was, and we end up, you know, having
success in Well, let's go to a big success the
ANFC champion game against Indianapolis. And people will talk about

(08:37):
a lot of the players that occurred in that game,
but one that didn't get a whole lot of attention.
It's in the third quarter. Um, you're up sixteen thirteen,
but Jim Harbaugh, now Michigan head coaches the quarterback and
it's third and short at their own thirty one yard line,

(08:58):
and there's some con fusion about the defense that was called.
They were supposed to be half the team thought it
was going to be a blitz. The other half. I
didn't think it was gonna be a blitz. They hand
off to Lamont Warren and I sitting up in the
press box, said, oh no, look, the whole field is open.
He could have run to the river and no one

(09:20):
would have touched him. Somehow, you made the tackle on
Lamont Warren for no game. Otherwise he runs literally for
fifty yards and at least tie the game and probably
go ahead and win it. Uh, take us through what
happened in the huddle and where was the confusion and
why did you do what you did to make the tackle. Yeah,

(09:41):
I mean we got the call and a lot of
people didn't understand what was called. So we was like, Okay,
what is the play? What's the place? So we I'm
looking back and the sauce backer sauce backer, So sauce
backer was at corner blitz on the tight end side
like you shoot sauce backers. They gave me the call.
So once the balls snapped, I came off the corner
like I was told to do, and next thing I know,

(10:01):
I started running back. Uh run away from me. So
I had to just break it down and got skinny
and I end up making a tackle. And to be
honest with you, I didn't realize that was a big
play because I was just so afraid I made a
mistake on the play because it was a lot of
confusion going on. So I didn't know it was a
big play. And til we got to the sideline. So
to realize that if I didn't make that tackle, Lamart

(10:22):
won power with a bump his head on the go post,
and uh, you know, just to make that play to
give us an opportunity to get to a super Bowl
was was awesome. And um, every time I get with
some of my buddies that I played with, they always
talked about that play. So, uh, it's it's it's great
to have that feeling. Um, and the guys gave me
credit for which I was like, nicest team thing. I'm

(10:43):
always that humble guy, didn't want to the accolades or
what I've always was a team player. So to make
jokes about you help us get to the super Bowl,
you know you still a little baby. Still small jokes
that went on and on. But other than that, it
was a great opportunity to be able to make that
play and didn't realize a big play until after the
game was really over. So to help us getting that

(11:04):
Super Bowl that year was also I'm like your teammates
because I certainly do. It always sticks out as a
moment of a horror in the making. What did the
other half of the team. I think they were supposed
to do well? They thought it was like a zone
type player whatever, but it's just to play. Wasn't called
correctly in the huddle, and everybody broke the huddle, and

(11:25):
everybody was just looking back, what's the play, what's the play?
What's to play? And I got a sauce backer call,
so I you know, sauce backer gave me a bliss
on the corner. And I think the other colon was
playing his own type coverage and everybody else it was.
I was on in the half that thought was a
blissed and the other halves playing his own coverage, so
I thought it was a bliss. I did my job. Well,
obviously it was a busted play. Well that wasn't the

(11:48):
only only moment of heart stopping. Uh, everybody remember the
hell Mary Aaron Bailey and the end zone. Where were
you on that play and what was your perspective and
what did you see? But actually I was in front
of everybody, so my job was to try to go
up and backed the ball down. I jumped up and
I barely tipped it, and then I looked back the

(12:10):
ball just kept going up in the air and kept
going up in the air. Next thing, you know, Randy
Fuller came from backside and kind of like put his
body in the way and kind of like knocked the ball.
Now and to see that and to see Bailey almost
catched that path was just just hard. My heart just
stopped because not again, you know that that that that
mindset came to old Not again, you know? So it

(12:31):
was it was. It was nerve racking. I can tell
you that gave guys some great hairs after that season.
There was some delay when they actually said incomplete, did
you see it clearly and you knew that the ball
hit the ground. I didn't see it clearly. Randy full
of damn Para saw it, and Corney l A. They
knew the ball hit the ground. I didn't see it
because I was in front of everybody. I just looked

(12:52):
back and just happen to see the ball was still
in the air. And the next thing I know, I
saw Randy just flashed past me and I couldn't get
a good visual on the ball. So I'm just going
to referees call what was the feeling in the locker
room knowing that you had won the AFC Championship after
the lost to San Diego the priory and knew that
you were going to the super Bowl. Um, it was

(13:13):
a great feeling, but you know, we knew we was
a tough ball game that that game, and everybody was
saying it was too close. I mean, we're better than that,
and everybody was talking about we were better than that.
So it was a close game. So the mindset was now,
now we gotta get there too super Bowl and win it.
We can't go to super Bowl and lose it. So
that was just the mindset. So everybody just put in
that extra work. Uh, we had extra workouts, extra film study,

(13:35):
and um, you know, we just put in the overtime
to try to get ourselves prepared to go win a
super Bowl and not just to show up. Well didn't
in the way you would have liked, but looking back
on it, really was actually playing in the super Bowl
on a great team. That's the highlight of your career. Yes,
I would say so. It was so real. I never
thought I would be in that position to be a
starter in a super Bowl, so, um, to get that

(13:57):
far and to be able to be on that showcase,
it was awesome feeling. And to have them a nowcial
name coming out of that huddle, coming out of that tunnel.
It was. It was a great, great opportunity for us.
It didn't end the way we wanted to. Uh, A
lot of you know, wet eyes, crying and hugging, you know,
maybe we'll get back next year. It was a lot
of talk about that, so um. And obviously we didn't

(14:18):
go back that following year. We took me ten years,
but I end up coming back to Pittsburgh, end up
getting that ring. So um, and that's all we talked about,
was getting the Super Bowl ring. To play thirteen years.
To not get a Super Bowl ring, it's it's devastating,
but to play thirteen years and to get one, it's exciting.
It was a terrific career. I don't stealer fans. Remember

(14:40):
you very fondly. I can't thank you enough for being here,
thank you for having me. It's great to see you too.