All Access: Nick Williams on breakout season

Physical Therapy and Art Van Furniture in Mattress. As you can hear in the background, we are in front of a live audience here and BANC Studios at a US hall. Good to have some Bear season ticket holders in the audience for this February show that feels like February outside. You guys are warming it up for us tonight. Thank you so much for being here. You guys good, All right, Tom you good, I'm good. How are you doing. I'm fantastic and big Nick Williams is very good, the leading

sacker on your Chicago Bears for twenty nineteen. Honestly, can you have ever in your wildest thought that one day we'd be saying that like you would be hearing that out of somebody's mouth in week entering Week eleven of the twenty nineteen NFL season when you first started. No use that microphone right there, body. Yeah, yeah, uh, it's it's a great story. You're a great story. Yeah it is. Uh,

it's it's kind of surreal. I was talking to my dad the other day and he was like, he's always sending me like the whole stats from the league and stuff like that, and I was like, he was like, man, can you believe it? Can you believe it? And I

was like, no, I can't. But I just knew if I worked hard, you know, and uh, continue to keep my head down and just keep pushing forward, I would have The funny thing is I looked up a scouting report that way back when you were getting into this game from Stamford and not much pass rush, that's what That's not much pass rush. But he's very athletic. He's very fast off the ball and he ran a four nine forty, so he's got a lot of athleticism. And that that's funny when you hear it now, because boy,

you've grown into a hack of a pocket pusher. Yeah, it's just sometimes it just takes time. It takes time for players. Everybody has a different type of story to get to where they're at in the league. So it just takes time. You think, you come into your home, you play for an amazing organization like the Bears, and they just bring a lot out of you. So that's what kind of happened, you know, offensive defensive linement, it's

kind of unique. With that offensive lineman. You're either good against the run and you need work against the pass, or you're good, you know, vice versa. It's just like the same in defensive lineman. Have you looked at the list of the leading sackler sackers in the NFL? I have? Okay, so there's six of you guys that are stuck at six sacks. You and Jordan Phillips are the only two defensive tackles in that list, and then the others come

behind you. You know, when you think about going into this game last year and all the hype about Aaron Donald and stuff, I mean, it's it's got to be amazing to you that your work ethic has allowed you to get yourself to earn yourself into this position. Because when you look at that list, there's a lot of names on that list, man, and you're you're you're right there from the middle, from the middle of the line of scrimmage, old and strong man. But I really don't.

I really I try not to look at the list a lot, you know. I try to keep my head down, do do what I've always done, uh, and that's just come to work every day and try to get better at something. So the immediate as soon as a Chem Hicks's injury happened, did you know that you are going to expand your role from that point? Or is it because of the quality of play that you've displayed that your role has expanded. I think it's a little bit

of both. You know, a Chem going down, I mean, he's a pro bowled calibery, a defensive lineman in this league and I respect this game a lot and that's my guy, as you all may know. But when he went down, I was kind of like, Okay, well, they're gonna need more for me. So that's that's kind of the approach I took to the game, and I've had success. Well, you know, we are kind of introduced to you that you are a middle of the line kind of a

defensive lineman, defensive tackle, nose guard. So you make a play over the right tackle, you make a play when you're lined up over the guard or are you lined up over the guard and you rush over the center and then you have another play from the inside. Man.

That's that's a big role. There's a wide variety of positions you play, so when you play one position to the next, are all your techniques the same or as a defensive end technique for you a little bit different than maybe when you're playing over the guard or over the center. I think it's uh, I think it's the same. You know, if you're lining up in a zero zero nose right over right, the right over the top of the center is no different from lining up in a

five technique. Five technique is the inside eye of the head up of the tackle, head up of the ta inside of it will be like a four. But it's no different from that. So you can, you can. You're very interchangeable. So I think that's one that's one reason to Bear wanted me here. They loved me to be here because I could play both nose and in the end position. Nick Williams our guest here on Bears All Access brought to you by I Just Energy here at PNC Studios in front of a live studio audience of

Bears season ticket holders. Good to be with you. Dan Briley is our producer and Bob Boxer is producing our show here today. You were on with us, I think it was seven weeks ago. Yes, so lots changed in seven weeks before the Minnesota game, right, Yeah, So how have you changed on the field in the last seven

weeks in terms of your incomplete game? I mean, I'll just try to get better at at something each each week in and out of practice and uh working on something, you know, to try to get better, to try to contribute to this team, to this team success. And you know the story that you said the journey. Pittsburgh drafted you. That had to be a thrill because a big guy in that system where you could be interchangeable, and that's a they're like big guys playing in their three four defense.

And unfortunately you got injured your rookie year that shut your back to Yeah, it sent me back. I was hurting my rookie year. I was on IR. I actually had my surgery my rookie year October thirty first, I never forget it Halloween and I kind of got set back. But moving forward, I kind of put it in my head to just bring my lunch pail to work, you know, and uh keep my head down and continue to work hard, and uh not say much but just let my let

my play do the talk. I was looking after you then as a rookie terms of guys, your big guy. Here's a keep who had Steve McClinton. Steve McClinton, he's big, big no soucker for the Jets now and Al Woods, you know, he's playing with the Seahawks. I had Cam Hayward. He's still in Pittsburgh. So those were kind of like my and then Brett Keisel. Brett Keisel was still playing Bearded one. The Bearded one, he was still playing. And those were kind of like my ogs of any sorts.

So they kind of looked out for me or kind of told me what to do. You know, when you're a rookie, you get told what to do. So they kind of looked out for me. And here I am. Now. You know if you didn't invest in the weight room in yourself, that you would never be here right now. You're one of the biggest strongest guys in the NFL and on this team. So you around the Steelers, we

all read about football fans around the NFL. You read stories about James Harrison and him basically spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on his body in the offseason. We've been around the greatest player in the history of the league, and Walter Payton has never spent a cent on anybody

to train him for preparation for the next season. Where do you fall in in terms of are you a self motivated, self prepared guy or are you the James Harrison that you have to have help or the Walter Payton that I can do it on my own a little bit of both. You know, I'm a weight room guy. Yes, you know, I love the weight room. I probably don't like running as much because because I'm more than three hundred pounds, so I'm kind of like, but you know, you have to run, you have to be in shape.

But I'm in the weight room guy. You don't have to really stay on me about working out every day in the off season to get ready for the season. And I work out hard, and I work out long, long hours, and I sometimes I do two of days in the off season. So I just I just love working out. You love preparing for the next season? How much you way right now. I think I think I'm like three ten. What's the moost you ever weigh twenty? Really? You know what he was when he was high school? Uh?

He was a six foot two, one hundred eighty five pound basketball player. Yes, that was oh my god, in a senior year high school. Well, you know what, like you would have actually actually my eleventh grade year, that's how That's how big I was. I was like six two, one eighty five and then I was playing like I was playing basketball. I never played football, and I was playing basketball. And my dad was like, hey, son, uh,

you're playing You're playing center and you're six two. And I had and I was fortunate enough to play against like Eric Bletsoe. He's like a guard for the Milwaukee Bucks Bucks. And I had had a good thing of playing against the Marcus Cousins. And because he's from Alabama, so I played against him in high school. He was

like sixteen sixty eleven and I'm guarding him. My dad looked at me and said, hey, Nick, you probably you probably you probably need to go out for the football team because you're not gonna have much sincess here on the basketball court. So my senior year. I got to like us two forty two hundred and forty pounds, and then the way just kept kept coming. We're gonna pick it up from there. I won't find out what the heck you were eating, that's for sure. How you got

to hear him? We gotta talk a little Bookie Cousins too, because that locker room loves the NBA. Rudy Charles Little Junior. Nick Williams our guest here on Bears All Access for step away More. Caught up with Nick Williams on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to star Man, Welcome back to Bears All Access. Struck to you by IGS Center for a proud partner of the Chicago Bears, providing electricity, actual gashing homeward he products over one million trust frost the country.

Learn more about IGS Energy at igs dot com, Jeff and Town. When Nick Williams our special guest, thanks always to Hurt Lawrence at Adams Dzinski in ORIM Chicago Sports six seventy Score Studios and the crowd enjoyed it. I saw, I saw something I had. I had to take a minute here because a lot of great Bears season ticket old this year, having Bears jerseys, and I saw one and said, since on back and this this fine young couple over here, since together since and then he's wearing

nineteen and she's wearing sixty seven. And you should be wearing nineteen, ma'am, and he should be wearing six center because you know, you look like you're in nineteen year old. But that's beautiful. I love that. That was awesome. I was wondering when I went to look, I always look at the number of the jersey. Then if there's a number I don't really recognize that, I always go back to see if they have their own name on it or the name of a player. And I went back

there and it said together, that's a Bears family right there. Goodness, good to have you alongside. Before we went to break, we were talking about your weight. Yeah, we're talking about how you how you added, how'd you pack it all? Because it's not your weight room. You gotta have the protein to build a muscles. So what we're diving into to get all the way up to football weight back

to college. Man, let me start in high school. So my senior year I started going to sonics, and man, this when this when they just came out with the breakfast burrito and I was like, I was like eating like two or three of them a day, and I was my weight was just shooting up. I was like, oh, this is great. So then I finally got to college, and you know, you get to college, you're still small. You know, you're coming in with other big, big guys.

So I was two forty when I came into college and I just attacked the weight room and I read shirted and my coach, my head coach, tricked me. He was like, yeah, you're gonna play defensive in for us out of the past Sullivan And he said, uh, he said, You're gonna play a d and just come to all the away games and just get you some food and just eat, just eat your eat your life away, you know. So so I was just backing on the weight and

I ended up I was like three twenty. Wow. So so yeah, in college, so eventually I had to had to drop back down and learn how to kind of mold my body into what I wanted it to be the strength to be able to carry the weight. And then I went back down to like three ten, and it was an optimal weight for me. That's the heck of a thing. When the coach when I was in college, after my sophomore year, they said, we want you to go home and gain as much weight as you can

because you're gonna play left tackle next year. And I came back at three seventeen and I had no clothes at fit. I could barely breathe, but I was really strong. And then you got to kind of figure out how to run with all that weight on me. Oh my god, my knees were killing me. Yeah, my knees. I was like, I felt like my knees were like what are you doing to us? You know? Like, so I had to drop I had to drop that weight and then I

came back up. So Sam Samford Sam not stand. So um, I heard that when you guys are introduced before the game, there's like us, all the students are in red shirts, and then there's a guy that's dressed up like Moses. He walks out parts Ye stand Stanfords the Christian Christian University down in Alabama, and we have the red sea of student section and they're going they're going crazy. It's not it's not many of them trust me, and they're going crazy. And we got this guy that dresses up

like Moses every game, every home game. And I guess he passes it on because I'm like, this kid is not graduating college, you know what I'm saying. So so, yeah, he dresses up as Moses and parts the Red Seed and it's pretty cool. That's a funny. That's a funny thing. Uh, tell me the State Farm insurance connection. State Farm? My dad got to Stanford or got you to Pittsburgh, got me to Pittsburgh. Well, my dad used to work for State Farm, So, uh, I guess I guess he had

a connection, right, your dad's your name is? And he knew Pat Sullivan, he knew, he knew I think he knew Patian knew one of the coaches Pittsburgh Steelers. Yeah, Pat Sullivan knows. Uh dang my defensive line coach, Mitch. I'm forgetting his last name. Yeah. But the point of it is, this is partly why you get found anywhere because the slightest little relationship. Hey, you gotta check this guy out here. They drafted you. Yeah, Mitchell was a Mitchell was the first I think he was the first

African American defensive lineman at the University of Alabama. And one of my one of my strimp coaches actually came from Alabama and he was that year. He was asking, Hey, do you have anybody at Sanford? And uh, my strimth coach said, yeah, you should check you should check Nick Williams out. I mean, just just for giggles, you know, you should check him out. And so he came out and he liked he liked me, and he went on to Tuscaloose and looked at some more some more guys,

but he ended up drafting me. John John Mitchell, John Mitch, I think that's a great story. That's a great story. Hey, um, Jeff said, where we haven't we talked to you seven weeks ago? A lot has change in seven weeks, Um, and you're from the Alabama area. Are you a good driver in the snow? Hey? Funny story, funny story. When I was in Pittsburgh, it's my first snow right epidemic I called it. So I was still driving my college car.

It was a Chevallet and Paula two thousand and eight, and I was driving up this hill and they were like, they were telling me, yeah, man, you'll you'll be cool man if you got front real drive you'll be all right. I was like, okay, cool, I'm driving my college car. So it was my rookie year and I was hurt.

I was hurting my rookie year. So I was driving up this uh, driving up this little hill, and then my car started just sliding back, and I was like and I was like, oh oh no, oh no. So it was kind of like my first a little a little incident with snow. But I've gotten much better. So from from Sunday night when you go to sleep till you wake up Monday morning to come into work, and it's like all hell broke clues? Is that, like you

still have to get acclimated the driver. Have you gone around the cold weather enough with your career in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and in Chicago. Yeah, I've been. I've been around like Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Chicago, so it's it's I'm acclimated to it. We had Buster Screen as a guest last night, out out and about for bears after dark with w BBM and his cars a truck. I guess he parks

outside so he could not get the car door. It was frozen to the point he couldn't shut it, so he drove all the way from Chicago to Hallis Hall with his hand clothed. So yeah, it's it's an indoctrination. I mean, Eddie, Eddie Paniero. I had never seen snow till last week. Oh, first snowball in his hand. Yeah. Yeah, it's just it's crazy when you think about it because we're used to it. Well yeah, I mean there's a lot of firsts that come up in the life. You know,

have you ever been in the Coliseum? So, yes, I played. I played at the Coliseum. You have two times. Actually, when I was in Kansas City, i played, Uh, I played against the Rams and uh I think when I was in Miami we played against the Rams as well. You know, it's it's like one of the stadiums throughout a football player's career that you would like to you know, that you would like to play in. And it's it's

kind of neat. We haven't been there for a long time, but I didn't realize that you would have the opportunity to play there yet. Yeah. Yeah, I've played there twice and it's it's been it's been pretty good. A lot of history in that stadium and so extreme cold or extreme heat I'm going to do extreme heat. I was in I was in Miami for training camp and we would have to take breaks. It would get like hot as crap, and we had to take breaks in between

periods and stuff during practice. So I would take heat over extreme cold. I played my last year with the Dolphins, and there's times in December it was like two hundred degrees. Oh yeah, it was so hot at practice. It was hard to make it was so hot. We always we always sometimes we always went to the bubble. They're like, we're not even going to chance here because guys are like falling out. So but I would still do extreme heat over extreme cold. Nick Williams our guests here on

Chicago Sports Radio six seventy the Score. We're gonna take another break again. We're brought to you Buy IGS Energy here at Pancy Studios at ADASA. Stick around More to come Bears Conversation on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy to Score Tack from Fancy Studios at ADASAW. This Bears all Access. You Buy IGS Energy with Tom Fair, I'm Jeff Joniak and Big Nick Williams. Nick, you go and get six sacks for a team that is you know you're gonna You're not gonna lie. You miss a chem Hicks, no

question about it. But the attention surrounding you has increased significantly. There's a lot of reporters around your locker now, and you know, how are you with that? Because if you're not used to it, and sometimes it's intimidating for a guy, no matter what age they are in this league, some guys don't love the attention. I mean, some guys just don't want to talk about themselves. Khalil is one of those guys. He wants to talk about everybody else but himself.

He's a great player. Uh. You seem to have the personality that is accepting of that and you can handle it well, but what is your what is your opinion on it all? I mean I can I can handle media and people being around my locker and stuff like that. It was once a time when they weren't around my locker, Like, Okay, who's that, Who's that? Who's that on the team? Who is that guy? You know he's a big guy, but

I don't know him, so I kind of hand a ittle. Well, you know, I always try to pointing back to my teammates. You know this organization. Uh, these coaches. Um, so I'm very fortunate to play for the Bear. So there's an interview playing on all over TV today where you're getting interviewed. But the only thing you can hear was someone screaming in the background, and it's treet Cohen because they put the towel so high on the shelf so he couldn't

reach him. Yeah, he gets pissed when that happens. You know, he's always he's always screaming. He's always screaming that he can't reach the towels, you know. So I think teammate, I think teammate is getting them a little step stool so he can I'm just playing Tony Medlin that had a quick manager for the Bears. He's probably an inch shorter than Turek calling so, I mean, he's not the guy that's putting him up on the top of chelf. Yeah, he's definitely not the guy putting him up on the

top shelf. I think him and Turek are pretty close. And Hype I was there when all that was going down, and I and I left really hard, That's all I gotta say. Because he came flying out of that room, you know, and everybody was laughing. A Keem was in there, he was cracking up. He is one funny dude. Yeah, he is, he's he's he's a character on this team.

And I mean we just we just got a close group, close locker room and guys are joking on each other and we could take jokes and we give him back and we're just that's way it's supposed to be in the room. You know, definitely, you know, good times and bad. I mean, you gotta you gotta keep it lights sometimes and have those guys. There's always some guys. There's obviously your whole team was full of characters, including yourself, uh

back in the day. But to have that, to to not make everything seem so serious all the time, unique guys like Tarik. Yes, yes, we're grown in playing a kids sport. You know, you always got to remind yourself that it's a business and you gotta win football games. But at the end of the day, we get to play a kid's sport and you gotta have fun with it. You got to are you trash talker? I'm not really.

I'm be honest because I played defensive lineman at night and I said, I said when we were playing the lines last last Sunday, I was saying some crazy stuff out there. But I'm glad I wasn't miked up. But I'm not really, I'm not. I don't really go at it. I have to let it, let it come to me first. Have you come across any trash talking offensive lineman yet, because they really don't have a lot of time to talk because it's all about getting back to the huthole

to hear the next play. Richie Incognito, Yeah, oh my god, he talks so much. Something else. He talks so much. When we played we played the Raiders, he was just talking the whole game, and I was just like, okay, okay, Richie, Okay.

Well I was the reason I brought it up to see if you talk trash or whatever it is, because Schuster Smith, what's his first name, Schuster Smith, the wide receiver from the Pittsburgh Steelers, said Jalen Ramsey had talked more trash than any other player he's ever facing the history of his football life. So you know, you guys are getting ready to go see him, but you'll never face him because he's a defensive player. But you know, it's always interesting to see you know, who is that guy?

You know, who is the who is the talker of your unit on the defensive line unit, well on the defense, on the front seven, on the front on the front seven. Who would be that guy? A key one he plays because I am, yeah, a key He can talk, you can talk now, and he can back it up with some good some good play. You know. That's that's the key to it. When you're talking, when you're doing some trash talking, you gotta have great play behind it, because

if you're doing trash talking, you getting kieled out. There, wasn't it, wasn't it? You know? I think I'm if I'm vaguely correct on this. John Randall, and he had a whole book on a guy, so he would do research into your background and try to push your buttons

to get your blood up. And you know, I would love to see that scenario with a guy like you or a guy like Olan Crutz and just hear that kind of conversation going on, because I have a feeling that would have been some memorable stuff, especially in today's

day and h Everything's Mike. I still think Tim Harris of the Green Bay Packers was the ultimate trash talkers of all time because he didn't study in advance about your mom's maiden name, or maybe your brother and sister's name, that kind of stuff that John Randall would, But it was more of what came out of him. And you know he was a he had a good sense of humor.

But that whole topic is an important one actually for this game because Jalen is one of the premier trash talking guys in the league and he can black back it up. But when you got young players and guys that are temperamental or emotional, you know, you don't want that to cause a problem during the game or get in their head. And that's his whole design obviously, because he's not gonna stop. It's gonna start in the first quarter and it's gonna end with the whistle blows to

end the game. So with young players, tom, you know, it's got like Anthony. Anthony Miller is one who could give it back to you a little bit um And it'll be interesting to see Jalen and if in fact that is the matchup against Alan Robinson, two guys that practiced against each other during training camps and know each other very well, what that'll be like it'll be a subplot to the Sunday story in LA. I think it'll be interesting something. I'm sure Matt Naggie will address address

with the team. Uh shredded or saucy cheese beans er nah? However, you make them share your Bears game day Nato recipe at Tostitos Bears dot com for a chance to win a Bears VIP tailgating experience in tickets at the December twenty second game versus Kansas City. May the best Nacho's win. Never looked at that until right there, right when you said you said shredded, I thought you were talking about Nickson. Right. Here's here's something nicest. That's a lesson always read your

copy ahead of time. Like, what is this? Hey? Nick? I got one more college question for you. So November twenty third, Samford plays Auburn. What is did you guys play one of those ultra opponents when you were at Stanford? Yes, we always played a big school when we were at Sanford. What was that like for you? Was it? I mean? Was it kind of a benchmark? Though? Because if Nick Williams out of Stanford, you go out there and you compete against this bigger team. Then all of a sudden,

it gives you street credit, it gives you self confidence. Yes, I always looked at those games before the season started when I was at Stanford, who what's the big school we're playing? Because I always knew, Man, man, I need to really perform against that school because especially at SEC screen. So I'm like, man, I need to really go out there and like play well because the scouts are looking at this game, they're looking at a couple of the

other games that we're playing, like conference games. Play We played Appalachian State, we played Furman, we played Georgia Southern. Those are some good, good schools. But if we played Auburn, who played Glorida State, we played Kentucky, we played all those Always on the road, right, when you play these bigger they're not coming to us, right, they're not coming

to Stanford. I mean, it's it's even you know, I don't know, is it more difficult because you know, when you're a defensive lineman and you're playing a team at home, the crowd is quiet to let the quarterback communicate. Do you like hearing the quarterback's voice or do you kind of like what if you're playing at home when you can hear it, what is your preference. I mean, I played in Kansas City, and when you play defense in Kansas City, it's like one of the loudest stadiums in

the NFL. So I've had it both ways. You know, at Sanford, I can hear my mom, and my mom's talking to me, talking to me at in the in the crowd's like, come on the car. You could do it, dude, this isn't I'm like, you know, we just have like one on one conversations because it wasn't many people at the games. So I've had it. I've had it both and I like, I like, I like when the crowd is in it, the fans are in it, and it's

like going crazy. How big a thrill is it? Because for a lot of a lot of these guys, you know, their families can't always come to every game or just to have your parents and teams. Uh, it's it's it's great. My dad was at the Lions game and I was able to get a sack for him and flex for him, and he was like flexing in the in the crowd and yeah, spot it out. Yeah, I had him spot it out. And my mom was at a at a inch game to the I want to say the Minnesota game, and I had I had a great game in the

Minnesota game. So it's it's always good to have your parents in town and see you. They know you when you were trying to when you're just starting out, and to kind of see you out there on the field on TV. It surreal to them. So is that your goal to move after a sack that a double bicet flex or or something. Is something going to be different this week? Now? I'd probably be the DOUBLET flex. He got thirty inch charms you might have roll from. Yeah, you got to throw them up, you know, and it's

something everybody can do. You know. I did it. I did it in the Minnesota game and I looked. I looked at the fans in the end zone. They were like throwing it up, like yeah. So it gets him into it. Yeah, it doesn't take long for something to gain momentum. So yeah, it could be a thing for Williams here in twenty nineteen. Still seven more games to go to add to the to the success you're having right now. All right, we're gonna take another break here

from panc Studios at Adasaw. This is Bears All Access, brought to you by IGS Energy on Chicago Sports Radio, tick seventy the Score. All right, everybody, welcome back to Bears All Access on Chicago Sports Radio six seventy. In the score. We got a lively bunch of season ticket holders the stch experiences. Addition, here live at We've got a wonderful facility. Loved this place. Pick Nick. Have you been down here before the studio? Probably one time at

the beginning the season. Yeah, Yeah, it's great in here, man, this is where it all. This is where all this is where Tom shines. Yeah, you know all these videos you see, Oh yeah, this is his this is his place, right A Hall of Famer in the crowd though we bear man, bear Man's Man's in the house. You ever, you ever as you come out of here, Legan and see the guy in the forty six jersey with the bear head on, I think I've seen him like on the Jumbo on the Jumbo Trump ye on them Tim

and Living Color. Yeah, in the in Pro Football Hall of Fame. I think that's a that's awesome. Is that it's the greatest thing about being a Bear because I grew up a Bears fan in my whole life, so I kind of have more of an attachment as a fan than I do as a player as a broadcaster, and you know, when we go to these stadiums, like going to LA this week, it's gonna be insane how

many Bears jerseys you see there. It is gonna be an awesome site because my experience as a play in the coliseum was Notre Dame USC and it would sell out and it would be a majority sc I played there in the USFL when there was nobody, and now you're gonna come back and play in the NFL with I think there's gonna be a lot of Bears. So they know it's coming too, because they've been asked about it up there over there in LA, so they know

it's coming. So if you're going, be loud and proud, I mean you always are, so Bear fans travel very well. This segment of Bears All Access is brought to you by CDW. People to get it learn more at CDW dot com. Nick Williams our guest, Nick, are you a patient man? Because you had to be setting you up? You got you got in the league in tw thirteen. Oh my, oh my, wife, it's not here, it's not listening to this. I think I'm a very patient man, you know. So yeah, I know she's gonna listen to it.

She's gonna be like, no, you're not, especially with the kids. But uh yeah, I feel like I'm a patient man, you know, as far as my story in the league, Uh, you just gotta you just gotta have belief in yourself. You know a lot of guys kind of fall if you're not getting the playing time or seeing the snaps that you want to see, you kind of like give up on it. So you just gotta stay patient and it'll work out where you ever, you ever have a crossroads moment where your thought, I don't know, I don't

know if I can keep this train rolling. Man. When I first got when I first got to Pittsburgh and I saw how big the guys were, like Steve mcclindon and Casey Hampton had just retired and we're looking at film in the defensive line room and John Mitchell was like, yeah, this is what I want you to do. I'm calling my dad like I'm not gonna be able to do this.

Do this. And then we go to Latrobe. What they do they do training camp at And it's like miserable there and we're like practicing hidden every day and I'm kind of like, oh my god, what am I doing? So that was kind of like a moment I kind of had to kind of had to focus, recalibrate and say, yeah, you can do this, man, you got drafted here and

you can play in this league. But you were you were out of football for a season, right, So from the time that you were out of football for the time you got back into football, did you gain a lot of strength during that time? I mean, were you did you present yourself as a different player in that second goal around? Oh my god. In twenty seventeen, I actually worked out with the with the Bears around like week five and Jay Rodgers did the workout and they

didn't have a spot for me. It didn't work out, but I went back home and I was and I was I was. I was happy, you know, and I was just started working out like crazy. I was just attacking the weight room, getting strongest crap. And then in twenty eighteen when they had the voluntary mini camp, they called they called me and said, hey, do you want to come for a tryout? And when I came for the tryout, you know, it was kind of like I

was strongest crap. It was. It was kind of like scary, you know, like because I have been lifting that whole time, and you know, when you're when you're playing games in NFL during the season, you don't lift as much. So when I came in for that that mini camp, I was strongest. Crap. I just knew. I just knew it was something. It was something new about this goal around. But I mean, do you do you lift now during the season, Because for me, self confidence was always getting

stronger during the football season. So I think I think you have a similar attachment to the weight room that I did during my time. Yes, I love lifting. I love lifting. Uh so. I mean Loco, our strimp coach, our head strimp coach. Loco, I'm always in his ear trying to see what numbers I need to hit this week. I need to increase my numbers in a in a squad or or a bench or a low incline and just just any just any lift that you want to do. I always want to put put on weight, put on

more weight each week. Jason Lescouzoe for the uninformed out there. Oh yeah, yeah, he tell me know what's and local. Well, no, that's funny because at the one hundred, uh, we're introducing the team and Tom didn't know his name because even no, I didn't, I didn't know how to read his last name. Loco makes it nice and easy. Uh. That strength though, now that you you know, you know, you mature into your body. I mean you haven't always been three hundred pounds. Clearly,

this is like, this is new territory. It's it's not that long that you've been carrying this kind of weight around. But I've I've always felt and listening to time talk about the weight room, not only does it give you your a little bit of your confidence. Obviously, knowledge is power. On Sundays, you know your assignments, you know your technique, you know you studied your opponent. But if you don't feel strong, that could sneak into your head and cause

a little bit of a problem. Oh heck yeah, especially when you're playing any trenches, when you're playing defensive line, offensive line, if you get a guy that's clearly stronger than you, you kind of you kind of get into your own head like, oh man, what can I do against him to kind to kind of help me have success during this game. So Steve McClinton a long time ago told me, Nick, if you're strong in this league, nobody can mess with you. And I kind of took

that approach to the weight room. I need to get strong as crap. I need to get I need to hit crazy numbers. So that's the kind of approach that I took, that that I take to the weight room. Now, did it also help you bond with your teammates because Tom has always told me that's where it all starts in the offseason programmer, the camaraderie, and you better adjusted because you've been in several places. Obviously this is your fourth team. And did it help you transition into to

this place a little bit? Yes? Yes, you meet guys

in the weight room. It's just like it's just like going a lifetime or twenty four hour fitness You meet guys in the weight room that you probably think you didn't You probably thought you didn't have anything in common with them, but they love lifting weights and you kind of get into it and you just find a common ground, a common lift, and you just your relationship with that person just takes off, you find that young defensive lineman or the young players gravitate towards you in the weight

room because obviously they look at you and they know what you've been able to accomplish. They got to know what you know, what you're talking about, but they also want to kind of be around your work ethic. Yes, so we were, we were me and a team. We're kind of like the big dogs in the weight room. You know. So, uh, last year allowed Nichols. He wasn't he wasn't a lifting with us. So this year he decided to lift with us. And you can you can tell him, you can tell him the field he's way stronger.

Abdula Anderson, it's another one that lifted with us. Yeah, the law says he's never been stronger in his life. So good work helping out the young guy. We got another statement to go here on Bears All Access coming back with Nick Williams Bears defensive Lineman were brought to you by IGS Energy And this is Chicago Sports Radio

six seventy The score. Chick, Johnny, I'm favor with you Bears All Access here on Chicago at Radio six seventy in the score, rot you botify and Vulture from Igs Energy and Hey Bears fans get out of the cold and hit the beach in Cabo Lucas, Mexico. Were your favorite Bears players? Inside the Bears hosts Laurence Greeden and half A, Spice Adams and Apple Vacations this March. Visit Apple own the Rash Bears for more information. I don't even know every year, I don't know yet. I don't

know yet. I'm still working through that. But Spice Adams. Have you seen Spice lately? Nick? Have you have you ever met Spice? Yes? Have you done big big guys in small cars? We did, We did big guys in the bins, But Spice wasn't there. Roy Robertson Harrison, Oh, interesting, A little sit because Spice Adams, everybody, he's dropped three figures, three digits. He looks great. He looks like a guy in a magazine, movie movie star. That's what you're looking

at it right now? So um yesterday, I can't believe it. Yeah, he looks fantific. For him, I think a great job. You know, that's the pursuit of every athlete that once they get done playing football, as you have a decision to make when you're done, and it's either gonna your decision. Yeah. Time. The most ever weighed is three seventeen. At the conclusion of my last season, I weighed about two ninety. But then, um, when I knew, I convinced myself I wanted to retire.

I went and lost so much weight that I didn't have I couldn't go back at many camp. So that's what I did. Yeah, and he stayed in fine shape ever since. I tell you right now, So let let's talk a little ramps because you're you're here last year obviously, Uh, that game last year was one of my favorites, right right, guys.

I mean that that was it was like a blueprint to stop something that the twelve thirteen games have you count the playoffs, scoring thirty or more points, and until the Patriots got a hold of them using chunks of your game plan to stop him, nobody could stop him. So what was it about that day, that scheme, that that that plan to make it difficult for Jared goffin the Rams? I think it was just it was just

our time. It was just our day. You know. Teams have those nights, those days, defenses have those days when they just can't be stopped and just throwing the kitchen sink at him to try to stop him. And uh, my favorite play in that game was the Eddie Goldman and Keem Hicks safety on Jared Goff And I was like, man, they some monsters. I wouldn't even playing. I wasn't even playing, but I was like, man, it's some monsters out here. I wouldn't want to play against us. So it was

a ferocity about it. Yeah, the whole thing. I mean, it was just a vicious game. And had a pick you know, uh I think I think did Prince have a pick? I know Eddie had a pick? Pick? Hey listen there were four yea, it was four him. It was just crazy. It was just a crazy game. Yeah, three sacks. The defense was going crazy. So it was a great you know, you said you threw the kitchen

sink at him. And one of the audience members wanted to ask, or do you have a preference whether you play a thirty four front or you play a four man defensive line front, because you really kind of just morphed to the offensive personnel you're facing, But do you have a preference in your rush ability, your ability to

work with a blitzer no matter what it is. I don't have a preference because you know, three fours can are kind of interchangeable depending on what the offense puts out personnel wise, like against eleven personnel you might go sup. So it's just two defensive linemen on the field, and that looks like a four to three. So you're able to rush with Khalil Mack and Flow and Aaron Lanch

those guys. So I mean, well, you know, numbers are getting difficult because even Detroit last week against the Bears, they had one defensive lineman in the stance and then they had five linebackers standing up at a different distance. That now the offensive line has to decipher who their responsibilities are according to the depth they're coming from, and so there's a lot of different variations of different fronts. Yes,

it is, I prefer three four. You know, as many big guys you can get in there in a three four defense to stop the run and then you can get after the passer when you stop the run. Now, do you feel you have an advantage if you're over the top of the center because he has to snap the ball first and a little bit of his inertia is going backward. Oh yeah, I love rushing over the cities. Man's I think about it at night. You know, they're probably the worst past defenders. Uh on the on the

office will be careful, I know. Thank god, Jay Hilgenberg isn't here. He's listening. No, no, no, no, man. Man, when you when you get the rush over the center, I mean you kind of you kind of get get get kind of riled up to do it. So it's a I love rushing over the center. And it's interesting. The Ramps have some serious They got a serious situation on their offensive line right now with bodies and injuries.

They've been just wiped out. So I don't even know what the alignment's going to be or how you guys are planning for it, but it's it's going to be an interesting task. But all that greatness last year doesn't matter if you guys don't stop the run. And you did that game against Gurley and you have to do it this week. Yes, we have to do it this week. You have to stop the running the National Football League period. So h oh yeah they like that. No no, no, no,

Jay hig messages. I heard that. I heard that. Sorry, Jack and with and with that, I mean, if you know, it's just it's it's a necessity because that team with their their their play action is what they want to do. They want to create those plays to draw you guys in and hit down the field. But they got a lot a lot of great weapons they do. And and Todd Gurley's he's a great talent in this league. And we're not. We're not. We're not a defense that we're

listening to. Oh they're beat up on offense out of we're not. We're not taking this team lightly, and we're gonna go in there and put our best defense on the field. You know. So you're going and you prepare before Detroit, and at the last minute you find out that Matthew Stafford's not playing. It can't change anything about your preparation. You have to use the preparation that you

did against the next quarterback you're gonna play. So you're you're now you have a little bit of an awareness of that there's gonna be some offensive line missing from the Rams. Would you just rather thrust upon you like the Stafford decision? And then there's nothing you can think about, or you don't have time to change it or do you like a little bit of notification about the changes on the offensive line, because I don't know how much tape you're gonna have to look at of some of

the guys you're gonna face this week. Yeah, you want to. I mean, going into the week in preparation, during practice, you want to have as much tape as you can get on guys to kind of see how they how they move, see what their strengths, what their weaknesses are. So yeah, you want to have a lot of tape on those guys. But at the end of the day, their nameless gray faces in this league, if they're not playing for the Bears, we're trying to go out there and beat the crap out of them. And they're in

the NFL for a reason. I don't care if they they were inactive for a few games. It's they're in the NFL. So we're gonna put our best defense. Well, it's amazing. There's gonna be a lot of guys that are gonna have to read your bio because they're gonna look and they're gonna, oh my god, this guy's got six sacks. The three of the they're gonna be they gonna be like, who the heck is this guy right now? I mean, that's that's awesome for you. I mean, you know,

congratulations for it. But it's also kind of neat that you're you're the guy that they're gonna be reading about coming into Chicago, I mean coming when Chicago comes in, because yeah, who is gonna who's working with Leonard Floyd, who's working with Khalil Mack and Eddie Goldman, Roy Robin, the whole crew. Yeah, it's it's gonna be it's gonna be kind of kind of crazy that they even think that they're reading about me, you know what I'm saying.

Like I was kind of like like when I was in Kansas City, I was kind of like the extra d lineman to come in. If they went into a heavy package, they're run the ball, you know. So it's kind of it's kind of crazy to think. But like I said, I'm just gonna put my head down and do my job. How do you guys feel as a

unit when you'll lose a team. You'll lose now Danny Trevisan for an unknown amount of time, and you guys that are the on the depth chart must feel very good about what you did in that Minnesota game, and it is trickled all the way through the rest of the season that they believe in you and you believe in each other. Yeah, I think it speaks to not only this group, but the but the organization, the front office, the scouting department, the coaches that put together this team.

You know, we're we got a lot of depth, and I think fans, I think I think the league is seeing that. You know, we got a Keem Hicks out, we got Danny out. They're great, great players in this league, in this defense, and we're gonna miss them when they're not with us. But at the end of the day, it's the next man up. You know, it's the next man up. We're gonna perform at our best as much as we can, as much as we can do to

get to get a W in the college. You know, Nick Kotkowski's performance last week is kind of a salute to the coaches because here's a guy that was didn't know if he was gonna play, knew that he was gonna play on special teams. All of a sudden, his opportunity is presented. Bam. Nick is ready to go. Yeah, we got we got all the respect for that. You know, he's a great He's a great player in this defense

and in this league. And I think people are seeing that, like, hey, we had Roquan roke On was the draft pick last year. But Nick Nick can still play. You know, Nick, he just goes about his business. Man, He just goes about his business just like me. I mean, he's white Nick on black Nicks. You know, there's a big promo there somewhere we can work to Nick Man. That's Nick Williams right there. Everybody, give a nice hand, thank you season

ticket others for coming out here tonight. Appreciate it. Herb Lawrence and Adam Kazinski in our Chicago Sports Radio Score Studios, the Great Dan BURRELLI about boxer filling in the night for pauls Rang four Top Bear, Nick Williams, I'm Jeff jonnyak Bears and Rams. Sunday night, four pm. The pregame on WBBM seven twenty two The kickoff. Hope you'll join

us then, good night, everybody. Thanks for listening to this Chicago Bears Network presentation of Bears All Access podcasts are available on Chicago Bears dot com and on iTunes, or download the official Bears mobile app. Bears All Access has been brought to you by IGS Energy and sponsored by Miller Lite