Redskins rookie thankful for beating odds

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By David Elfin

Thanksgiving was a bleak day for the Williams family on Lee Street in Northeast Washington two decades ago.

Cheron and her husband, Edwin, both were habitual users of cocaine. The drug problem left them unable to tend to their two young children, who instead were placed in the care of her parents.

One of those children was a toddler, nicknamed "Ham" for his huge legs that resembled ham hocks. Edwin Jr. wasn't just big, he was too big - he wasn't allowed to play youth football because he weighed almost twice the 75-pound limit.

The odds of that child, emerging from those circumstances, one day starting in the National Football League were astronomical.

On Sunday, Edwin Williams Jr. will beat those odds. Williams, now 22 and a rookie free agent, is expected to start on the offensive line for the Washington Redskins when they face the Philadelphia Eagles.

Williams' ability to play both guard and center, where he started for three years for the Maryland Terrapins, won him one of the final 53 roster spots with the Redskins coming out of training camp this summer.

But a roster spot doesn't guarantee playing time: Williams was placed on the inactive list for each of the Redskins' first five games and suited up the next four games without ever stepping onto the field.

Williams' moment finally arrived on Sunday in Dallas, where a struggling Redskins team faced its bitter rival in the Cowboys.

Starting guard Chad Rinehart suffered a season-ending broken leg on the first series of the second half, but coach Jim Zorn didn't insert the more seasoned Will Montgomery in his place.

Zorn instead chose the 6-foot-3, 315-pound D.C. native with the ready smile and the bachelor's degree in communications.