Steve Serby takes time for a Q&A with running back Kyren Williams, whose Rams head to Detroit to take on the Lions on Sunday night.
Q: How did you feel when you weren't drafted until the fifth round?
answer:. It took me through a roller coaster. I was crying, I was all different types. The second day was tough for me when I dropped on the third day because I didn't expect it to go this late. I was blaming myself. I was crying. I was thinking, “Damn, this might really not be for me.” It's like a deep hole I went into.I was in the laundry room of my Airbnb. [in Las Vegas] I was in ~; I was just crying. I was just like, “God help me.” Everything changed for me when I was called on the third day. It lit a spark inside me. I thought, “This is a team that needs me.'' Those are all other teams that passed me. They didn't need me, but this team needs me. This is where I need to be,' and once I figured that out, I was fine. I felt whole again.
Q: Combine didn't help.
A: I ran 4.6, so that's kind of what broke me.
Q: Fill in the blank: I'm proud of myself. because…
A: I overcame something I didn't think I could do.
Q: What did you think you couldn't do?
A: My rookie year, I had two surgeries right away. There's also the thought of, “Damn, am I really cut out for this game?” Is this really where I should be? “I've had two surgeries and still haven't really played real live football in the NFL. That situation was a make-you-or-break-you type of situation, but I didn't let it break me.
Q: What drives you?
A: My motivation to be great. I want to be one of the best players in the history of this game. The will to be great and be able to take care of your family.
Q: What is your mentality on the field?
A: Honestly, it's kill or be killed. I feel like I'm the running back that everyone's trying to get to me, so I'm going to get them before they try to get me. My mentality is either kill or be killed, so I'm not going to get killed. So I just have to stay calm under control, make impact plays, and go into the game.
Q: Your weight is 194 pounds, right?
A: No, not anymore, that's the old me. I'm about 208 years old now.
Q: Why do you think you have been ignored for most of your life?
A: I don't know…maybe it's because of my appearance. Like you just said, I'm a little guy. I feel like a lot of people look at me that way and deviate from how I look rather than how I play.
Q: At first, you couldn't understand why you weren't getting a job offer from the university?
A: Well, it was definitely confusing.
Q: Did you start to feel better about yourself after they started getting together?
A: No, I don't think I feel better about myself. I think it's more like, “What am I doing wrong?” I was training twice a day. I think it was more like, “What do I need to do now?”
Q: What is your running back style?
A: I feel like I'm the type of person who can do anything. If you need a third-and-one or a fourth-and-one, you can run behind the pads and get a first down, but in space someone might miss an explosive, so you have different types of characteristics. It feels like there is when you run the ball. But there is no doubt that decisiveness and efficiency are the two biggest ones.
Q: Did you consider yourself a running back or wide receiver?
A: In high school, I played slot receiver a lot. You can really do both. Going to Notre Dame, I thought they were really going to give me the option to do both until they told me I was a running back. But I still try to bring my learned wide receivers and slot receivers to the running back position.
Q: The declining reputation of running backs in the NFL.
A: I think it's clearly a fake. I think we need a running back (laughs). I would like the team to aim to play the game without a running back. [Christian] If McCaffrey wins MVP, he will definitely break that stigma. I hope that guys like me and guys like him and guys who can be like these all-around backs and all-down backs can get their name back as running backs.
Q: Anything that comes to mind: Matthew Stafford?
A: I think it's a dog. He can overcome and endure anything.
Q: What makes Cooper Kupp unique?
A: I think it's his knowledge and skill of the game. His route running ability, his release, being able to get in and out of the break is what separates him from most receivers, that's the way he runs his routes and he can't tell when he's going to make the next cut etc. . so. If I were a young receiver, I would definitely look at Cooper Kupp.
Q: What makes Puka Nacua unique?
A: I think the other man is a dog. He has a vibe and ability that you can feel.
Q: Why is Aaron Donald a future first-ballot Hall of Famer?
A: We know what AD does on the field and things like that, but we don't know what he does in the weight room or how many times a week he's in the weight room. His work ethic and dog spirit that he doesn't want anyone to deny.
Q: Sean McVay?
answer:. When you have a talented player like Coach McVay, it's not all about the X's and O's. He's able to empathize with the players, he's able to have conversations with the players, he's able to find common ground with his peers and the people on this team, which makes him not just a head, but a member of our team. You can see it as a person. I think Coach McVay maintains a very work-like environment here where it's okay to make mistakes. He’s okay with messing up.
Q: What do you like most about this Rams team?
A: How connected we are and how much fun we have when playing games. It kind of goes back to us just playing soccer in the backyard again.
Q: You still wear 23 during your university days.
A: 23 is a great number. All the greats wear it. When I first arrived at Notre Dame and they gave me that number, my jaw dropped and I was like, “Okay, okay, I got something to stuff my shoe.'' I'm trying to be the next great player to wear number 23.
Q: What was your favorite moment at Notre Dame?
A: hit [No. 1] Clemson [in double OT in 2020].
Q: Ezekiel Elliott was one of your childhood idols.
A: Meeting Zeke and seeing his career and success coming out of St. Louis inspired me to work even harder.
Q: Who is your favorite running back to watch right now?
A: I like Christian McCaffrey. I always liked watching him. To be honest, I really only see him as C-Mac and himself. I like people who are capricious and like to make people feel lonely.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle or challenge you have had to overcome?
A: My parents are divorced.
Q: How old were you?
A: I think I was in middle school.
Q: How did you feel at that time?
answer:. It was difficult.
Q: What is your relationship with your father like now?
answer:. it's good. I still talk to him because we're not as close as we used to be, but that's okay. It's not that it's far away or anything like that. It's getting back to normal.
Q: Describe your mother.
A: The simplest explanation. Have you ever seen someone trying to take a bear cub? That's my mother. The real girl is Mama Bear. You can tell right away by watching the video when she snatches her ball away (from a Giants fan) and stares at the guy like he's crazy. When we were in the mall, my mother would beat up people because people would follow us because they thought we were black and would steal things. All she remembers is that she always had our backs. As her mother, that's what you should be and I think she shows that well to her children.
Q: Do you have a degree (in anthropology)?
A: Not yet. 21 credits left. I said to her mother, “She promises to come back and get it.''
Q: The origin of Siren Kairen.
A: This was something I made up in middle school because I needed an Xbox Live account name, so I first created one that rhymed with my name as I knew it at the time. That was the siren.
Q: “Dora the Explorer” wig.
A: When I was younger on Halloween, my dream was to be in the NFL. That's all I wanted to do and my childhood idol was Stephen Jackson. Because he obviously played for the St. Louis Rams. I'm from St. Louis. My sister, she wore a “Dora the Explorer” wig. I said, “I want that, I need that in my costume,'' and I put on a wig and a Rams uniform and thought I was Stephen Jackson.
Q: What is the key to this game against the Lions?
A: Being who you are, playing with connection, playing as one, and being a great communicator in the environment you're going to be in.
Q: Do you like being the bad guy on the street?
A: Yes. You may not actually realize it, but once you start getting your way, you have a lot of power. Once you start playing the way you play, you will have full control over things like the momentum with which you play the ball. We had a great opportunity to showcase our skills and abilities in front of the world.
Q: This is where legends are born and made.
A: I just hope I can come in there and be the same person I have been for the past 18 weeks. We know this is a higher stakes game, but it's still four quarters and we're still 10 yards from first down. Me and I, we're excited, we're ready. I'm not trying to get too excited because I'm still locked in and I still have to keep the game in mind.
Q: What do you like about big games and pressure?
A: Once you go through the fire and come out of it, you will be able to understand who you really are.
Q: Will there be three dinner guests?
answer:. LeBron James; Ray Lewis. Jay-Z.
Q: Why Ray Lewis?
answer:. That was my favorite player really growing up. That's just the way he played the game. Can't reproduce it. There was a passion and love in his game that came through. I've loved Ray Lewis since I was a kid.
Q: You took safety precautions.
A: I think I got 12 picks when I was a senior. I liked playing up the middle.
question:. Why Jay-Z?
answer:. I want to take him there to get a blueprint for making money.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: “The Shawshank Redemption”
Q: Who is your favorite actor?
A: Denzel Washington.
Q: Who is your favorite actress?
answer:. Sandra Bullock.
Q: Who is your favorite rapper?
answer:. future.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: It's Vietnamese pho soup.
Q: Will your mother come to the game?
A: Yes, she is there.
Q: After the touchdown against the Giants, you handed her the ball in the back of the end zone. What happens when you score a touchdown?
A: She'll probably get a nosebleed, so nothing special. She's just going to celebrate with her teammates.
Q: What are your career goals?
A: All I know is that I want to play for 10 years. I want to do this until I can't do it anymore. This is everything I love, this is what I want to be. I'm going to cherish it as much as I can and live in the moment and be present for what it is.
Q: What do you want your legacy to be?
A: Like I said, one of the greatest players in the game. I'm not doing it for the accolades or the future or the Hall of Fame or anything like that. I really just want to respect you. Like you said, in this game, and all my life, everyone was ignoring me, but now I'm telling people, 'Damn, you're good, you're a dog, you're special. ” I just want you to think. I knew from a young age that I was special in this game. I had a different feeling than many other people I saw playing this game. Growing up, I just knew I was different from other kids because I was better at soccer.
Q: What is it like to be Kyren Williams today?
A: I'm a workaholic, that's for sure. Right now, I'm working with my head down and on a mission to get to where I want to be in life, but I feel like I'm not even close to where I want to be. I am not at all satisfied with the good things and the garden and all that. What do they call when a caterpillar enters a butterfly? That's what I'm doing.
Q: It's a transformation.
A: Yes. I'm still perverting.
