ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It's not often that a defensive tackle makes the play of the day. On Friday during practice, Sylvester Williams did just that.
He saw that quarterback Peyton Manning was getting ready to throw the ball. So he put his arms up and jumped, tipped the ball and intercepted it. His teammates in white on the sideline went crazy.
"It felt good," Williams said. "It was just one of those things where it was like, 'Wow, it was right there' and I jumped up and tipped it and then I was able to intercept it."
Unfortunately, Williams attempted to pitch it to safety Quinton Carter, who couldn't control it. But Williams recovered the fumble.
"I was the one that pitched it," Williams said laughing. "I had to go get it back."
Though the lateral wasn't well-executed and Williams admits he likely threw it too hard, the impressive interception exemplified William's mindset going into his second year in the NFL. He feels more comfortable with the defense and in his understanding of what the offense is running.
He feels that he is better both mentally and physically than he was last season. During camp thus far he feels more aware and at last year's camp he "didn't have a very good understanding of what was going on."
"I'm able to work through the kinks and able to read my keys," Williams said. "Pre-snap I'm able to get off the ball and I'm able to read blocks better than I did last year."
Not only does Williams have more experience on his side, but he also has linemates who "all fit together." He uses them to help him as he develops.
"You talk about guys that are big time playmakers in this league," Williams said. "Terrance Knighton, DeMarcus Ware. Those guys are big time playmakers so I learn from those guys a lot to help me get through the hard times and if I don't know something I just ask them because they pretty much have the answer to everything."
Specifically, Williams said Ware is a future Hall of Famer who keeps the defense motivated and teaches them. While Williams is more confident in his individual potential than he was last year, he is also excited about the defense's potential.
Williams' only interception of his career was in 2011 when he was in college at North Carolina. He's hoping he can get some NFL interceptions under his belt this season. For now, he said he is just focused on improving now and not looking to the season. But, he certainly did enjoy his pick during practice.
According to teammate T.J. Ward, "That was a SportsCenter Top Ten."
