Sylvester Williams pulled up a chair and tugged at his beard. He knew the question before it was asked: Can he really deliver as the starting nose tackle in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense?
“It’s a lot on me. But I am taking the pressure on with open arms,” Williams said. “It’s about being stout, about not getting knocked back, and definitely about getting into the backfield. You haven’t seen that from me. I kind of lost that the last two years. I am confident I can be that guy again.”
Williams symbolizes the Broncos’ subtle philosophical shift this offseason. They won’t stop stockpiling stars, but they need a nucleus of young impact players to both balance the payroll and create roster flexibility. With this in mind, general manager John Elway hired Gary Kubiak, who embraces teaching and employs a coaching staff reflecting his mindset.
Williams represents project X on the Broncos’ defense, the wild card who could go a long way in settling the uncertainty on the line. It’s hard to believe this 300-pound human tugboat blended into the background the past two seasons. Williams started last year, but failed to become disruptive, a stark contrast to the weekly havoc chronicles he wrote in his final season at North Carolina.
The explanation lies in the numbers and a passive mindset. Williams logged 435 snaps a season ago, primarily in base defense. He ranked fourth among Broncos defensive linemen behind Derek Wolfe (731), Malik Jackson (578) and Terrance Knighton (435), the man he’s charged with replacing.
Fewer chances created a robotic nature to Williams’ play on rushing downs.
“I am not going to say I didn’t get a chance. I did. But I did not want to make any mistakes. It definitely slowed me down. I was so far down on the defense, I didn’t want to mess up because I felt like I might not get another opportunity,” Williams said. “It’s totally different now. I want to be on the field more. I want to be a guy this team relies on to win games. I want to be a guy like Terrance was.”
Words don’t win jobs or earn trust in the NFL. Williams must prove it, and he began that process in February. He recognized that the Broncos didn’t chase nose tackles in free agency. It spoke of their faith in him, which was amplified by the addition of defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who is charged with turning Williams’ potential into performance.
“I am just hyper, that’s how it is. I am going to ride them. I want to see effort, and if you aren’t going full speed you aren’t going to make the play,” said Kollar, a refrain repeated verbatim by Williams. “I let him know what he has to do. I don’t want to hear about being too tired. Get the (heck) out of here with that.”
Kubiak admitted concern about the nose tackle spot when offseason workouts began. His view has changed based on observation and Phillips’ assessment of Williams, who, on orders, will add 10 pounds to his 310-pound frame over the next month.
“I think ‘Sly’ has done an exceptional job. I feel real good about him. About four of the guys, I think they have move forward really well. I think we’ve got a group that can come in and play and do some good things for us,” Phillips said. “Sly has really taken over the nose guard position. I’m really pleased with where he is.”
Location plays into Williams’ transformation. He remained in Denver for much of the offseason, working on gaining strength. He plans to return to Dove Valley the first week of July to provide a headstart entering training camp.
He knows this is crossroads season. Will he be just another nose tackle or a catalytic force with a nose for the ball in the backfield?
“It’s a big year for me. I am able to stay my most focused when I am here. No distractions, and it allows me to adjust to the altitude,” Williams said. “My goal coming into the offseason was to be the guy at nose. I understand that I have an opportunity to lead the middle of the defense. I have shown the coaches they can believe in me. But I have a long way to go. I promise you that I am going to take what I have done so far and build off it.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or twitter.com/troyrenck