A few weeks ago, Nick Wright of 610 Sports earned the nickname "Derrick Johnson question guy" when he asked Chiefs head coach Todd Haley, 'What is the deal with Derrick Johnson not starting?' Haley, in a somewhat spirited exchange, turned the focus to Demorrio Williams, the six year veteran who's currently perched directly above DJ on the depth chart.
Haley has, on numerous occasions, preferred to focus on the positives coming from Williams instead of explaining why No. 56 hasn't been on the field as often. In the offseason, Zach Thomas said this would be DJ's best position and he would flourish. Like Johnson, Williams was new to the 3-4 defense.
"At first I had a little doubt about it because i'd never played in a 3-4," Williams told Soren Petro on the Red Zone. "I was always a 4-3 guy but after getting in the system these last few games, I really like it a lot."
Williams says the 4-3 made him feel like "you have to be perfect all the time" but in the 3-4, he's given some freedoms.
"I know what's in front of me and what's coming at me," he said. "I really like it a lot because it gives you an opportunity to make a lot of plays."
He's relatively undersized at 6'1", 230 pounds but, because of the 3-4, he can use that to his advantage.
"When I'm dealing with the big guys," he explained, "I need to attack the big guys before they attack me. That's why I'm successful in a 3-4, is to attack guys."
Williams battled injuries during training camp and said he "was a little worried" about being cut in the first week of September.