Chris Williams Strange Offseason Preparation; Different

Working out in barn, Williams developed inner strength


Bears left guard pushed body and soul during offseason to prepare for critical season

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By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter8:23 a.m. CDT, August 26, 2011


Down a country road five minutes from his Nashville-area home, Chris Williams made a discovery.

He found his refuge. He found his strength.

The first day Williams pulled his Hummer into the secluded, 195-acre property a few months back, he figured his eyes had deceived him. There were turkeys gobbling. There were deer running.

Then the Bears offensive lineman glanced up to see his new, offseason workout home; a fortress large enough to house an entire 53-man roster yet usually built to accommodate livestock.

"Yes, it's a barn," Williams said. "A barn with weights in it. It's strange, but it's cool."

Saturday's trip to Nashville for the Bears-Titans exhibition might evoke more than old college memories for the former Vanderbilt standout. Williams could have flashbacks of how he stayed in shape working out at such an unusual facility.

The barn and surrounding football and baseball fields share a name. Owner Mickey Mitchell, a Nashville-area entrepreneur who played football at Mississippi State, originally purchased the property with thoughts of training elite athletes from around the country. It evolved into a sports-based summer camp ministry for kids called "The Refuge at Cool Springs."

Mitchell opened his doors to current or former professional athletes willing to share a moment with campers between workouts. He often hosts good friend and former Titans coach Jeff Fisher and recently welcomed troubled-receiver Kenny Britt to speak with the kids.

When Williams heard about the place and came knocking, Mitchell gave him the key to his little village.

Literally.

"I never told Chris this, but he's the only man other than an employee that I've ever given a key to the place," Mitchell said. "After meeting with him just a couple of times, you just get the sense that he is not someone who would take advantage of the situation. He's just a class act. I told him, 'Brother, you are welcomed here any time you want to use it.'"

So Williams came, two times a week at the start. Before he left to rejoin the Bears, he found himself working at the barn exclusively four times a week rather than making the half hour drive to Vanderbilt.

He lifted weights. He worked with sleds. He played basketball with campers.

"No one looks at Chris and doesn't wonder if he's an athlete so, yeah, the kids knew about Chris," Mitchell said. "He made a lot of the kids extremely happy there just by hanging out."

Williams followed his normal workout routine under extreme conditions, with no air conditioning in the facility despite some unbearably hot days. He only hoped enough air circulated through the open 8x12 foot windows and scattered fans.

Bears coach Lovie Smith heard whispers of Williams' rigorous workout regime during the lockout.

"When you have time off, sometimes it's good to go back to your roots, to go in a non-air conditioned place and sweat," Smith said. "A guy like Chris, he knows how to get himself ready. That's why he's in the NFL. He knows how to do things."

But even Williams would admit he needed to do things better after a sub-par first three seasons. He entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick and the Bears' left tackle of the future. As he worked out in secluded surroundings this summer, he realized his future relies heavily on his continued improvement at left guard.

"We all want to play the best we can," Williams said. "We all have something to prove, to an extent."

Based on what happened inside that barn this summer, Williams already has taken his next step. Inside the place they call "The Refuge," he found his strength.

vxmcclure@tribune.com

Twitter @vxmcclure23


Copyright © 2011, Chicago Tribune
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Aside from the fact that it's a nice story it seems to have worked very well for him. There's no doubt that CWill and Carimi have been our two best and most consistent Olineman so far this preseason. From what I can tell he looks a little bigger and a little stronger at the point of attack than he did last year and he's still got that ability to kick out on his pulls and hit guys in the second level.

From what he says and what Tice is doing with him I don't think there's any doubt that his home is gonna be at LG from now on. He's no longer a LT. He's gonna sink or swim as an OG. You can't take away from him the fact that he has the attitude and the will to succeed and if can finally get the mental part down I think he'll prove to be far from a wasted pick.

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Originally Posted by soulman

Aside from the fact that it's a nice story it seems to have worked very well for him. There's no doubt that CWill and Carimi have been our two best and most consistent Olineman so far this preseason. From what I can tell he looks a little bigger and a little stronger at the point of attack than he did last year and he's still got that ability to kick out on his pulls and hit guys in the second level.

From what he says and what Tice is doing with him I don't think there's any doubt that his home is gonna be at LG from now on. He's no longer a LT. He's gonna sink or swim as an OG. You can't take away from him the fact that he has the attitude and the will to succeed and if can finally get the mental part down I think he'll prove to be far from a wasted pick.

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Chris has been head and shoulders above Gabe. Outside of one late pickup on a Canty fake stunt (which I've talked to death at this point), Chris has really been dominant. Gabe's bright spots are VERY bright, and he has had some absolutely astonishing run blocks, no doubt. However, he has not been without his struggles off the edge. It's not even close to a cause for concern and definitely not unexpected for a rookie, but I would say Garza has been better than him, also. All he really needs is to get his work in and keep plugging away, and things will come more naturally to him on the right side. I've said all along that RT is a position I feel he has All-Pro (not just Pro Bowl) potential at, and I for one am glad we are sticking with him there right off the bat so he can achieve that ceiling sooner rather than later.

Speaking of Garza, I think he actually is already a better C than he is a RG. That's not to say I think he sucks as a vet RG, just that he's average at best there while I've seen some things out of him at C that make me think it is a position he can really succeed at. He doesn't have to be a dominant physical or athletic 1-on-1 blocking presence there, rather just a smart and savvy leader who can read Ds and help contain double teams while identifying and picking up the "trouble man" on the interior when he's free. C is all about the head, and while I've criticized the hell out of Roberto for his often weak and unathletic play at RG, he appears to have the intangible skills and intelligence to play the position at a decently high level.

Well I'd hope with 10 years time in that Garza would be a better player but to me Carimi's pass blocking to date has been much better than advertised. At least when I've been watching him. Garza did seem to turn it around this past week and looked more aware and "in charge" than he was against the Bills. That's a good sign only if Louis can continue to improve at RG. He looked a hell of a lot better but I still see him trying to hard to bury guys and leave himself open against counter moves if he can't lock on immediately. Truthfully I really hope that he makes it. I've been a rooter for him ever since we drafted him.

But the big thing to me is that CWill looks like he's finally getting the hang of playing inside. He's just too good an athlete not to be able to play and I think with him, as with Webb, it's a lot more about what's going on between the ears than anything. At least now maybe a lot of guys won't look at him as a wasted pick.