Harrison, 39, shows Williams the way
in team history. He became the franchise’s all-time sacks leader in 2016 and has 81½ entering his 15th NFL season. His place in Super Bowl lore is cemented with his 100-yard interception return against the Arizona Cardinals that turned Super Bowl XLIII in the Steelers’ favor just before halftime.
Williams doesn’t have to be told of Harrison’s accomplishments in the NFL. He has witnessed much of it firsthand the past three seasons, often playing next to him at inside linebacker.
But for Williams it’s not so much about the football as it is the approach to the grind that has allowed Harrison to play in the NFL for a decade and a half after going undrafted out of Kent State in 2002.
“What people don’t really understand is the most impressive part about James is his mentality and his approach to the game,” Williams said. “Most people just see the feats of strength. That’s impressive, but more than that, it’s just his mind.
“‘Deebo’ works out every morning at 5 o’clock. Every single morning. I was making a joke the other day. I was like, ‘Man, if I ever wanted to kidnap you it would be so easy because I always know where you are.’ Just to have that consistency for as long as he has is so impressive.”
Williams has worked his way from backup to starter. After four seasons as the top reserve at inside linebacker, he is the only new starter on a defense that is looking to regain its stature as one of the best in the NFL.
The Steelers were comfortable enough with Williams that they allowed longtime starter Lawrence Timmons to sign with Miami in the offseason. Williams has 17 NFL starts under his belt, but he left nothing to chance this summer.
When the opportunity arose again to train with Harrison he jumped at the chance. It’s something he has done for the past few years. After the Steelers broke minicamp in June, Williams went to Arizona to train for a month.
Harrison has played host to Williams, Ryan Shazier and other young Steelers in hopes his mentoring will help the defense regain the heights it enjoyed when Harrison was in his prime years. Most Steelers fans might be aware of the famous workouts. He posts many of his exercises on his Instagram account.
Williams is as big a fan as anyone of the videos. They’re everything from benching and squatting massive amounts of weight to playing volleyball with a medicine ball, a video in which Williams got to costar in late June.
Harrison’s workouts are so popular among fans that he now has his own YouTube channel where all of his videos are archived.
But for Williams the workouts were only part of the process toward becoming the player he wants to be. The way Williams sees it, the longer he can hang around Harrison the better off he’ll be.
“I think generally working out is working out,” Williams said. “I just want to be around him, learn a little more. How long has he been in the league, 17 years? That’s a lot of experience there. I just like to be as close to him as possible when I can.”