BUFFALO BILLS FOURTH ROUND DRAFT SELECTION (105th Overall)
Defensive Back Duke Williams Conference Call
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Q: Where would you say your coaching staff had you lining up most, free or strong (safety)?
A: We had interchangeable safeties and mostly strong safety though. I played about…it was like 50-50. I lined up towards the line of scrimmage a little bit more than other safeties did.
Q: Can you speak to how competitive it is at Nevada?
A: It's real competitive. These last couple years we've had some great football players come out, make an impact and contribute in the next level. These last couple years we had (Colin) Kaepernick , a lot of guys know him, we had James-Michael Johnson come in and make an impact. We have a lot of talent up there in Nevada.
Q: Can you comment on some of the week-in and week-out coverage assignments that you usually had in the scope of the game plan?
A: In our scheme I was able to match up on slot receivers and X receivers. I did a lot of things; I was real versatile in the scheme. There wasn't one thing we liked to focus on. We liked to mix it up a little, a little mixture of everything.
Q: What level of contact did you have with Bills scouts or coaches in the pre-draft process?
A: I met with them twice. My first time meeting with the Bills was at the East-West Shrine game. I had an interview with the scout. He was real impressed with my film. He loved me as a player. That was the first time I met with them. I think I had a brief sit-down with the Bills also. It was one of the teams that they told me if I'm up on the board they were going to take a chance on me, so they did.
Q: How did you explain your off the field issues to the team?
A: I went through some ups and downs through my college career. And earlier in my college career I had a few minor incidents that occurred. As soon as I made that it wasn't the right decision. I ended up getting suspended for three games and it's just something you learn from as a person growing up. One thing about life is you learn from your mistakes. One thing is I became a better person from those mistakes that I made. It's a great outcome. I'm still on the team, made it to get drafted and help the organization win a championship.
Q: Can you talk about having good run-pass recognition skills?
A: It's something you develop over time. It's all instincts. It becomes easier over time. The game starts slowing down and it's easier to make reads and it's easier to play football. That just comes from watching film and being a student of the game.
