Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports via REUTERS
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A protective wall weighing 150 kilograms: Trent Williams (number 71) of the San Francisco 49ers
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■ »Pro Football Focus«, PFF for short, is one of the most prominent websites when it comes to statistical analysis in American football. Your ratings are usually a good yardstick for classifying a player’s performance.
Trent Williams, offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, is currently PFF’s highest rated player in the National Football League (NFL). From a possible value of 100, Williams stands at over 98. It doesn’t really get much better. It seems like a miracle that the 33-year-old Texan can still play football at all.
Williams was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer in 2019. “I felt completely helpless. I felt as vulnerable as any human can imagine. The worst part was not knowing whether you will still be on this earth the next day, “Williams told NFL Network.
As Williams reported in the journalist Adam Schefter’s podcast at the end of November, the doctors initially did not give him a good prognosis regarding the course of the disease. He would never be able to play football again, they told him later. But after several operations, the tumor on the head was successfully removed.
Williams felt insufficiently supported by his club at the time, the Washington Football Team. Further disputes led to Williams going on strike – forcing his move to the 49ers in 2020. There he has now signed a six-year contract and can earn up to 136 million US dollars during this time. No player in his position is paid better than he is.
Since his debut season in the NFL in 2010, Williams has been one of the best players every year. Off the pitch, however, he was not always easy to care for: in 2011 he failed a drug test. In 2013 he missed the Pro Bowl, the annual NFL selection game, due to a fight in a nightclub.
In mid-December Williams published the documentary “Silverback: The Trent Williams Story”, which also deals with the disease and how it is dealt with. Silverback is Williams’ nickname. This relates to his mass – Williams weighs around 150 kilograms at a height of 196 centimeters – and a speed that should not actually be possible with these body dimensions.
As a result, Williams is virtually predestined to be an outstanding player in the so-called offensive line – the grouping of positions that mainly takes care of protecting the quarterback and space for the running game. These players need tremendous strength to block opponents – and quick feet to react to sudden changes in direction.
It’s not exactly a glamorous job to be on the offensive line. These players are usually not in the limelight. Unless they’re as good as Trent Williams.
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