The Redskins Blog

A Little More On Trent "Silverback" Williams

Last night on a conference call with local media, newly drafted offensive tackle Trent Williams gave a quick overview of how he got the nickname Silverback:

“It’s just a little thing me and my teammates kind of went with on the field,” he said. “Just a beast, like, Silverback is one of the strongest beasts so we kind of called ourselves that.” But that didn’t actually explain how Roger Goodell came to announce that the Redskins had selected “Trent ‘Silverback’ Williams” with their pick.

Rick Maese of the Washington Post was at the NFL Draft last night, so he heard Williams’ press conference at Radio City Music Hall and reports this explanation from Williams:
“We had a meeting with [Goodell] in the office and I was just joking around with him,” Williams said, according to Maese. “It was kind of quiet and I just wanted to throw a little joke in. He asked me, did I want him to do it? I said, ‘Go ahead.’ I really didn’t think he would.”

A lot of people thought Goodell set a dangerous precedent with his disciplinary ruling earlier in the week, but I think with that, the commissioner had put a tremendous amount of thought into it and had a strong sense of the potential repurcussions. The decision to announce a nickname … now THAT sets a precedent that I’m not sure he’s considered.

Once you’ve introduced one offensive tackle as “Silverback,” how do you say no to whatever the wide receivers and offensive linemen come up with in future drafts? I hope the Commish is prepared to call out some silly, silly names — or that he has a strong explanation for what makes this one different.

Until then, this at least provides good fodder for the independent bloggy T-shirt markets.