Quincy Williams wants Browns defense to turn offenses into 'dog food'
BEREA There's a relative sereneness that descends over the practice field as the Browns transition into their latest 11-on-11 drills. You can hear the ambient sounds of the afternoon, or the final words of instruction from the coaches, wafting through the breeze.Then, almost like a starter's pistol, you hear the voice of Quincy Williams bellow out from the field."Dog food, dog food," the Browns linebacker will yell punctuating it with a bark, with his defensive teammates echoing it back.Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletterIt's the signal that the defense is ready to do what it's on the field to do. And the mission is pretty simple."Dog food, man," Williams said prior to the fifth training camp practice Aug. 3. "When we looking at the offense, man, we call them dog food and everybody barking on one. Let everybody know we ready. And then thats really big for me just because you might have a play where something happens where we get a completion or something like that. Mightve got a first down or something."So its like basically making sure we all on the same page, letting know yall ready to eat. Dog food, dog food, everybody barks and its one big bark. So we all on the same page. So no matter what happened the last play, lets let the last play be the last play and we all on the same page."Williams isn't the first Browns linebacker to do such a thing. Former Browns linebacker Christian Kirksey, taking the inspiration from his then-teammate Jamie Collins, famously made "Dawg Check" popular among the team and its fans during his playing days.That was before Williams' time in Cleveland, which dates all the way back to March when he signed a free-agent contract with the Browns after five season with the New York Jets. It obviously has some connection to the Dawgs moniker the Browns have embraced as an organization since the 1980s, but it really ties in to a much difference source of inspiration for him.Williams was brought to Cleveland as the behest of the Browns' new defensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg, for whom he played four season with in New York. Rutenberg's message, the linebacker believes, is conveyed through the simple chant."It was really just that heart, mind, fist thing that my defensive coordinator teach," Williams said. "So I was like, all right, the heart is really like being on the same page, having accountability for everybody. The fist is the physical, hitting people and then also the knowledge on finishing now. And then the mind is making sure youre in the right place, making sure youre key to your assignments."So then I was like, how can I bring this all together on the field? I cant keep saying heart, mind, fist, heart, mind, fist. Yeah, next play, next play. And I was like, all right, yall, we all on the same page, let me get one big bark. So when I hear that bark go down a little bit, I have to make sure, hey yall, last play over with. Lets get it again. So that bark is going to let me know my defense ready."If there's been one thing that been a constant over the first five full-squad practices, it's that the defense has been ready. It was obvious, really, all the way back in the spring, when they were flying around the field making plays and disrupting things.Since camp has started, though, that defense has only amplified the frenetic energy with which they play. It hasn't hurt to have five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward and safety Grant Delpit back in the mix after they didn't participate in offseason team drills, as well as two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Verse in place after being acquired in the Myles Garrett trade."I love it," Williams said. "Very energetic. Thespring, reallycouldn't tell youfar as howyour team's going to be just because we're just now putting in the playbook. Everyone's new to everyone. Pieces that aren't there and stuff, but training camp, getting to see it full circle, getting to see the speed on the field, getting to see the front line, what we call our engine and stuff, moving and stuff, moving people. It's amazing. It's a beautiful thing to play behind too."Sure, it may be making things exponentially more difficult on their offensive teammates to accomplish anything. That frustration has shown a few times in camp, most notably when the two sides clashed in a camp skirmish during the fourth practice Aug. 1.Buy Cleveland Browns ticketsWilliams understand their frustration. It's not personal for him, it's just the only way he knows how to play when the whistle blows and someone's lining up across from the defense he's on."Dog eat dog," Williams said. "Dog versus dog. I'm going to be honest with you. We're coming back also as far as now the pads are on now. So now we're really going to see, all right, are these really sacks right here? All right, did you really complete this ball right here? Do you really thinkyou fixingto get through this hole when I'm standing right in front of you? So pads are on now, so we reallyfinna getto see today."Not that you won't hear Williams first. He'll be calling for some dog food, and it isn't Purina or Alpo he yelling for at that point.For now in practice, it's someone like Quinshon Judkins, who's the running back who's trying to "get through this hole" Williams is standing in, waiting for him. Practice or not, a Dawg's gotta eat."Anybody who got the ball, Im trying to get," Williams said. "Its like a cheetah chasing the gazelle. Im hungry today. Im hungry."Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter athttps://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Quincy Williams wants Browns defense to turn offenses into 'dog food'
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