PITTSBURGH (93.7 the Fan) – Even for 29-year-old NFL veterans, there are firsts. Steelers linebacker Vince Williams is going through OTAs dealing with being an underdog in the AFC North.
“People are doubting us,” Williams said. “We know we let a lot of people down not making the playoffs last year. We are hungry. We have an edge to us. We are putting all of the negativity, all the nay-sayers, we are putting all of that stuff to bed as we are focusing on winning a championship and doing it as a complete unit.”
“I wanna win, man. Let’s not be coy about it, we didn’t make the playoffs last year. We feel like we are a championship caliber unit, so everybody is embarrassed and we are pissed off.”
Williams understands the attention around the Cleveland Browns with the trade to get Odell Beckham, Junior and a few free agent signings, and that Baltimore won the division last year. But it’s more about what happened to the Steelers when they didn’t even play that have odds-makers doubting this team.
“We had a tumultuous off-season; that was some crap,” Williams said. “So we are just flushing that, turning the page and going into this season trying to get a championship.”
To do that end the team mostly appears on the same page with a majority of players showing up for the first week of voluntary workouts. Williams is also offering himself as a sounding board for any questions any Steeler might have.
“I want everyone to win,” Williams said. “You win Super Bowls as a team. It’s about everybody. It’s not going to do anybody any good to be selfish. I’m an open well of information. I just want to pour into as many people as I can. If a guy reaches out to me to ask me a question, I’m going to answer to the best of my ability.”
And the Florida native and former Florida State star hopes that his attitude rubs off on all.
“I’m ready to play,” Williams said. “I’m ready to win. My whole objective is just to win. I don’t care about anything else. I don’t listen to anything else.”
“I’ve got a ton of money. I’ve made a lot of plays in this league. I want to win a Super Bowl, that’s the only thing missing from my resume. I’m all about team goals, winning championships and stacking another Lombardi upstairs.”