Roy Williams Coverage Safety
SAN ANTONIO -- Safety Roy Williams lost 26 pounds this off-season, and, for a day, he lost the aloof and surly attitude he has sometimes had with the media.
This Roy Williams is thrilled about his role in a defense that promises to use him more like the player he was at Oklahoma and in his first two seasons with the Cowboys.
And the Roy Williams who spoke after Friday's practice smiled, laughed and seemingly was understanding of his critics.
When asked if he ever tires of the seemingly endless criticism that is thrown his way, Williams said, "All the time. All the time. It's cool, though.... It's OK to get criticized. Jesus was criticized; he was persecuted. What makes me any different?"
Williams said he feels the criticism is "unfair, because [reporters] really don't know what you're talking about. It is what it is. You have to sell papers. You have to sell tickets."
In the past two seasons, Williams has heard the critics who say his coverage skills are poor and that he has been responsible for allowing touchdowns.
Is the criticism fair?
"No. I will admit if I give up a touchdown, that was on me. A lot of the stuff put on me last year and the year before, it wasn't even my zone to be in," Williams said.
"At times I'm like, 'That's not cool because you guys don't know the whole story,'" said Williams, who spent much of the off-season working out with an Isagenix cleansing program, and is now near the weight he was as a rookie.
"We're in a certain coverage, I'm supposed to be doing one thing and then I try to help out on something and it looks like I'm getting burnt, which it really wasn't my responsibility. Then it's, 'Old Roy can't cover. He's not a cover safety because he's so used to being [close to the line of scrimmage].'"
In the Wade Phillips 3-4 defense, Williams will be closer to the line of scrimmage, much like he was at Oklahoma. He was a linebacker in the dime formation Friday. He'll also be asked to handle his part in man-to-man coverage, too.
"I'll have more responsibility than I did in college. I'm up for it," Williams said. "All over [the field]. Running back, being more verbal, and covering."