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Mike Williams solidifying his place with Redskins
Considered a first-round bust as a tackle, Mike Williams has resurrected his career with the Redskins.

Williams has a promising future in the league as a guard, Coach Mike Shanahan says, and Williams is the Redskins' first-team right guard. He has continued to strengthen his standing during the first two days of the second voluntary minicamp.

Things are going well for Williams, who eventually got it figured out.

"I get it now," he said after practice Saturday at Redskins Park. "It took some time for me to get it, but it's just that simple. I know what it takes now. ... I really didn't workout before in the offseason. I was one of those guys.

"But I know what it takes now. I know what it takes to be at this level and to be the best player you can. Now, I spend all my day in the weight room. Why? Because I know what this job requires. It took me some time, but I get it."

The fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft, Williams had been out of football for two seasons and last played in the 2005 regular season when the Redskins signed him as a free agent before the 2009 season. He struggled in pass protection at tackle but provided a physical presence at guard.

Shanahan and his staff liked what they saw on film and General Manager Bruce Allen rewarded Williams with a two-year contract. After weighing about 410 pounds when he joined Washington, Williams said he's down to 332.

Williams is serving as a mentor to rookie left tackle Trent Williams, whom the Redskins selected fourth overall last month. "When you first get drafted, and this is the thing I tell Trent to guard against, there's a lot of stuff going on, there is a lot of stuff on your shoulders and there's a lot of expectations," he said. "You've got to learn to recognize that, and I didn't. That's one of the faults that I had.

"There's a lot of people pulling at you and saying, 'Hey, you've got to be this.' And if you let that get in your head, you'll start getting frustrated and discouraged. You'll stop thinking about football. You start thinking about, 'Ah, man. I'm doing this wrong. Or I'm not doing this.' Then it's really hard."

The key, Williams said, is to remain focused on playing at the highest level you can.

"You're just supposed to be the best player you can be," he said. "There's going to be a lot of people who talk about you. There's going to be people who talk good about you and bad about you. But you've got to learn what you need to do to be the best football player you can be. And that comes with being a high draft pick or a free agent."
By Jason Reid | May 9, 2010; 9:00 AM ET

Redskins Insider - Mike Williams solidifying his place with Redskins

Just felt like this was a feel-good bump for this old thread. There was a lot of doubt last year about this dude, but he's shaped up & is training.. He's even kept his weight down to 330, which is a stick figure compared to the Michelin Man he was this time last year.

Good for him -- now the presumed starting RG for the Redskins.