Rating: (0 votes - average)

When New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams returned to Winner Circle Athletics after his rookie season this winter, his longtime trainer didn't notice anything different about him.
"It was just back to business as usual," Eliseo Cabildo said.
Cabildo, 36, has worked with Williams since he was a senior at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Corona. At that time, in February 2014, Williams weighed about 155 pounds. By June, when Williams left for college at Utah, he was closer to 185 pounds and on his way to building an NFL-ready body.
For the past four years, Williams has frequently worked out at Winner Circle Athletics, visiting every time he comes home, whether it was a vacation from college or any off time with the Saints — including the bye week during his rookie season.
Really, the only thing about Williams that went wrong his rookie season with the Saints was that one play, and when Williams came back to train about a week after the costly error, Cabildo said it wasn't something that needed to be discussed.
"The way Marcus is, I just think I knew, for him, it was a fluke thing," Cabildo said.



Spending a few days in Southern California, it's clear Williams is home. At Thursday's joint practice with the Saints and Los Angeles Chargers in Costa Mesa, Williams saw his mother, brother, uncles, cousins and former high school coach, and he was glowing as he left the field with his teammates.
Saints fans everywhere are curious to see how Williams responds this season after being on the wrong end of the "Minnesota Miracle" in last season's playoffs, but in talking to the people close to Williams, that hardly seems like a necessary talking point. They're all so lively, particularly his mother, who was excited to share a story that explains why Williams was destined to play football.
Williams' uncle, Robert "Chip" Boyd, remembers that Williams' parents couldn't settle on a name when he was born, but Marcus was among the options. While looking at the newborn, Boyd said he felt an aura in the room.
"His Uncle Chip said, 'Name that boy Marcus Allen. He's going to play football,'" his mother Franschell Williams said.
The parents went with a variant spelling, naming him Marcus Alan Williams, but the idea remains. Franschell Williams said she had no intentions of letting her children play football, but things have worked out for her son.
This year, though, Williams will face a new challenge. He'll try to take the next step in his career after a rookie season that included four interceptions plus another in the playoffs while trying to avoid the mental pitfalls that could follow such a traumatic play.
"One play doesn't define who you are as an athlete or as a football player, but one play can destroy you mentally if you're not mentally tough" said Mario Mitchell, one of Williams' high school football coaches. "He's a mentally tough kid, always been that way, and I'm guaranteeing a Pro Bowl year this year."




read more on NOLA

SmashMouth

Rugby Saint II

Some people crack under pressure.....others rise to the challenge, man up and get better! That looks like the path he's chosen.

K Major

And only 21 years young.

The Dude

He will be a top 5 safety for years to come.

jeanpierre

It's gonna be tough keeping all these cornerstone franchise players because they all came in one draft, not staggered a couple of years apart...

But THE Marcus Williams is the one you keep...