New Orleans Saints Safety Marcus Williams
Training Camp Video Call with New Orleans Media
Monday, August 24, 2020

Can you just tell us the defensive viewpoint of the two minute drill today and the competition you had? It seemed like you had a very spirited practice today.
"The situations are what you have to do every year. You have to prepare for situations every week, every game we encounter them. You never know when they're going come up, but two minute is very important, whether it's at the half or at the end of the game. We just have to be ready and so that's what we did today."

Generally you're the first, second or third guy out on the practice field before practice. Is there some ritual you're going through mentally or physically to kind of get yourself ready for practice or, you're just kind of an early bird guy or what?
"I just go out there, get warmed up, get my mental reps going, just imagining making plays on the field, that's just something I do every day, every game just so I'm ready, so my mind is ready, so my body's ready (and) when the time comes, going on the field and just make those plays that I'm imagining in my head."

All the guys you guys have that can play safety and the combination, (D.J.) Swearinger, P.J. (Williams) can do some stuff. Just how crazy is it just kind of to think about all the different ways you guys can line up and disguise and do different things and just the versatility of that group?
"We're a talented group, everybody's out there, everybody knows what to do. It's a versatile group. Everybody's working together. We have that chemistry and (are) trying to create that culture so when we go out there on the field, there's no let up. If somebody goes down, next man up. That's what we do back here and that's what's going to help us when the season comes."

Coach (Payton) mentioned practicing at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, trying to get more live periods. With no preseason games, do you find that helps you with your preparation?
"I think it's beneficial to be able to go to the dome and get some more reps, do some live reps, they're just going to help us, especially without the preseason game. Being able to have that time is just going to help in our preparation, get ready for week one because there's no preseason games so we've got to make the best of our opportunities over there at the dome."

What kind of growth have you seen from Ceedy (Duce aka C.J. Gardner-Johnson) just year one to year two, just his maturity and just coming in and does it feel he's playing faster, more subtle or anything?
"He's definitely growing as a person, as a player, just listening to the coaching and just trying to do every little thing right that he can. He's coming out there every day trying to get better, trying to do the best you can and staying in the playbook, staying on the field, asking questions and the more he does that the better player is going to be. That's just what we preach back here. Everybody listening to everybody. There's no egos back here so that makes it easier for each and every one of us. A younger guy could tell an older guy what's going on and an older guy could tell the young guy what's going on so that's the type of culture we're trying to build over here."

You mentioned the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, how much are you looking forward to going over there I guess and getting a different visual, a different venue, just kind of breaking the monotony?
"I think it's just a good opportunity for us just being able to get under the lights, being able to get that feeling, especially without the fans, so it's going to be pretty much exactly how the game is going to be. Practicing game like situations in a game environment for this year is going to be beneficial for us."