Tahlequah Daily Press

Sports

July 31, 2010

Redskins sign top pick Trent Williams

By JOSEPH WHITE

Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. — Trent Williams never got to sleep Thursday night as he waited to hear from his agent. The No. 4 overall pick in the draft had already missed one day of Washington Redskins training camp and wanted to be a holdout no longer.

At 4:30 a.m. Friday, the call came. Williams would get a six-year, $60 million contract that includes $36.75 million in guaranteed money. The team's new starting left tackle needed to be at Redskins Park by 6 a.m. to sign the deal and suit up for the 8:30 a.m. practice.

By the team the 2 1/2-hour workout was done, Williams was running purely on adrenaline.

"I'm going to try to get me a nice little nap here in a couple of minutes," he said.

Williams became the first top-five draft pick to report to camp in a year in which first-rounders have been especially slow to sign. He was determined to have a deal done quickly, even changing agents at one point because he wanted a representative who would get him to camp on time — or close to it.

"If I'm going to be plugged in at a key position, I can't be out too many days," Williams said. "This is a new offense, and we need chemistry."

Williams worked with the starting unit right away, taking the spot held for much of the past decade by retired six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels. Williams was taken aback by the speed of NFL practices when he came to minicamp in the spring, but this time he was more in the flow.

"I didn't get off to a slow start like I did last time," he said. "I realize, hey, they're paying me a nice bit of change. I can't be no little rookie trying to get things together."

Perhaps because of his lack of sleep, Williams created new metaphors by botching his cliches. He said he had been "nipping at the bit" to get to camp and credited teammate Brian Orakpo for giving advice on "the loopholes that all rookies face."

Williams said he's going to buy a car and a house and try to save the rest of the money, although he realizes the veterans will run up the traditional mammoth restaurant bill in his name at some point during training camp.

He also had no qualms about toting veterans' gear off the field after practice. Fellow first-round pick Dez Bryant caused a stir at Dallas Cowboys camp earlier this week when he refused to carry Roy Williams' shoulder pads.

"I understand everybody's a rookie one day," Trent Williams said. "You've got to pay your rookie dues. It could be a lot worse than carrying shoulder pads."

Text Only
Sports
Poll

This question is not for people who have never attended church, nor those who still attend the same church they always did. It's for those who no longer attend their original church of choice. Why did you stop attending your original church?

No longer believe in that church's teachings (either stopped altogether or attend different church).
Boring sermons or music, or too many disruptions during service (crying infants, etc.)
Work schedule, lack of transportation, chronic illness or other personal issues.
Personal disputes with the pastor or other church members.
Lack of meaningful programs for youth, young adults, etc.
Moved away.
Combination of the above.
None of the above.
     View Results
Press Sports Twitter Updates
Follow us on twitter
Follow me on Twitter
AP Video
Foreclosures Rise Only Slightly, More Expected Old Friends, New Mission: China VP Visits Iowa Chinese Leader Builds Relationships on Iowa Trip Jeremy Lin a Slam-dunk for Knicks and Fans Defense Begins in UVA Player Murder Trial More Than 350 Die in Honduran Prison Fire Defiant Iran Loads Own Fuel Rods Into Reactor Lawmakers Move to Cusp of Payroll Tax Cut Deal Raw Video: Syrian Army, Rebels Battle in Homs Video Essay: Saving the Miami Blue Butterfly NYPD Officer Shot During Subway Confrontation Obama's Valentine's Advice: 'Go Big' San Francisco's Valentine's Gift to Tony Bennett Iranian Boats Shadow US Aircraft Carrier in Gulf Hundreds Rally Against Alabama Immigration Law Whitney Houston Funeral to Be Invitation Only New Details in Search for Missing Utah Mom Raw Video: Protesters, Security Clash in Bahrain Obama: Good US-China Ties Help the Whole World School Pays Students to Attend Class
Stocks
Bedlam