Last week, Melvin Gordon stirred the pot a little bit when he discussed perceived favoritism towards Javonte Williams from the Denver Broncos, but Williams was quick to throw a bucket of cold water on any smoldering embers leftover from Gordon’s statement.
“I just do what I do when I’m called upon,” Williams told the press when asked about his relationship with Gordon and how it’s developed while they compete for the starting job. “Off the field, me and ‘Mel’ (Melvin Gordon) are really good friends. We hang out and do everything. It’s not really a big deal.”
Williams went on to reinforce that point by highlighting how valuable Gordon’s mentorship has been to him since entering the league.
“Really just how to be a pro off the field,” Williams said was the most impactful thing he learned from Gordon, but he didn’t stop there. “He really helped me learn how to manage my time. Last year, I was telling him, ‘I’m trying to focus on learning the playbook, but they keep texting me that I have to do sponsorships.’ He was like, ‘Just slow everything down. It’s all going to come. That’s a part of being a pro.’ [He was] really just holding my hand off the field. That’s really how he has helped me the most.”
Learning the playbook has been especially important this offseason, with a new offensive scheme and overall philosophy being installed, and so far, that transition has gone smoothly for Williams.
“OTAs was a couple of weeks, but I feel like with camp and OTAs put together, it really helped me learn the playbook a lot,” Williams told the media. “Throughout camp, the coaches have been touching on the smaller things and that’s really the hardest part—just the little, small, different details that go in between plays. I feel that was the hardest part for me during OTAs.”
Also, despite much guffawing over how the transition to the outside zone scheme might not play to Williams’ strengths, the second-year back was quick to dismiss those concerns, claiming that the offense didn’t feel overly different from what he’s already been successful with.
“I feel like everything is the same,” Williams said of the transition. “Outside zone—it’s just running the ball and making the cuts. I feel like people try to make it more complex than it is at times, but it’s still just playing football.”
If the transition is as small a deal as Williams makes it sound, the Denver Broncos are certain to have a deadly rushing attack this fall.