ARTICLE: Jarrett tries to distance himself from Mike Williams

[Angus]

Jarrett tries to distance self from Mike Williams
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/18/2007

Like it or not, Mike Williams probably is hurting Dwayne Jarrett’s draft prospects. Like Williams, Jarrett is big (6-4, 219), was a big-time playmaker at Southern California, has been compared to Keyshawn Johnson . . . and has questionable speed.

Trouble is, after being selected 10th overall in the 2005 draft by Detroit, Williams has done little in the pros. He caught a modest 29 passes as a rookie. In 2006, he didn’t click with new Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz, catching only eight passes for the former Rams head coach.

It’s comes as no surprise, then, that Jarrett reaches for the proverbial 10-foot pole when asked to compare himself with Williams.

"The only thing we have in common is we went to the same school," Jarrett said. "Mike, he did great while he was at USC. But I think we're two opposite players, totally different personalities."

How so?

"I’m just more a humble guy, and Mike is just kind of different," Jarrett said.

When asked if he could draw on Williams’ experience, Jarrett replied: "I don’t really know what he didn’t do (in the NFL), so I can’t answer that question."

In fairness, Williams was hurt by an eligibility dispute that resulted in him sitting out the 2004 season at Southern Cal. Jarrett comes to the pros fresh off a 70-catch, 12-touchdown 2006 season for the Trojans.

Despite his self-professed humility, Jarrett bristled slightly when told that Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson considers himself the best player in the draft.

"He thinks he’s the best, and so be it," Jarrett said. "Let him think he’s the best. . . . Everybody has their own opinion. I think my body of work speaks for itself."

It’s hard to argue with Jarrett’s college production. In just three seasons at USC, he became the Pacific-10 Conference career record-holder with 41 TD catches. He is USC’s career leader in receptions (216), and is the school’s first two-time, first-team all-American at wide receiver.

But Jarrett probably made a tactical error in not running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. A month later, he ran a pedestrian 4.62 at his pro day — that’s the only time NFL teams have to go on before deciding to commit millions of dollars on Jarrett.

Of course, current NFL star Anquan Boldin of Arizona ran a 4.72 at the Combine in 2003. Jarrett must show he’s the next Boldin, rather than the next Mike Williams.


Fresno State’s Williams

Fresno State WR Paul Williams is the younger brother of J.D. Williams, a former first-round draft pick by Buffalo who played in four Super Bowls. Last season, with J.D. working as secondary coach for the University of Washington, Paul caught a 38-yard TD pass against the Huskies. En route to the end zone, Paul passed the No. 25 "shrine" in memory of another brother — Curtis Williams.

Curtis Williams was a Huskies defensive back who was paralyzed making a tackle in a 2000 game against Stanford. He died of complications from that injury in 2002. Following Curtis’ injury, Paul wanted to give up football.

"My senior year (in high school), I wanted to call it quits," Williams said. "And he said, ‘No, I want to watch you play.’ . . .So I’ve been playing ever since.

"I’m the youngest of eight kids. Both my parents are deceased. The older brothers and sister took over the parents’ role. They never really let me run wild. I’m 23 years old, and I still have to ask for permission to do things."

After making the all-Western Athletic Conference team in 2005, with 43 catches for 729 yards and seven TDs, Williams struggled through an injury-plagued ’06. Knee and ankle injuries limited him to seven games and 21 catches. Williams, who has met with Rams officials including coach Scott Linehan, projects as a mid-round draft pick.

"I’ve learned to take everything in stride," Williams said. "You can’t control everything that happens. You just deal with everything as you can."


The next Jerry Rice?

David Ball went to New Hampshire as a high jumper in track. He was a walk-on in football who eventually ran and caught his way into the NCAA Division I-AA record books. Ball, a native of Vermont, broke Jerry Rice’s NCAA mark for career touchdown catches with 58. (Rice had 50 TD catches at Mississippi Valley State in the early 1980s.) Ball also tied Rice’s I-AA career mark with 23 games with 100 yards receiving.

Ball spoke to Rice after breaking the TD record. What did Rice say?

" ‘Why did you break my record?’ " Ball recalled. "So he’s always a competitor, and he always will be. That’s his mentality. But truthfully, he was very respectful, and he was proud of me. I could sense it. And it was a privilege to talk to him.

Ball played for a small school and lacks blazing speed in the 40. (Then again, so did Rice.) But Ball knows he must prove himself all over again at the NFL level.

"It's been an uphill battle the whole time," said Ball, who projects as a late-round pick. "Coming from a small school, a small environment, there's not a lot of TV time or exposure for our university. So it's something that. . .I am used to it."


The eyes have it

LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe always wore contacts. But when the contacts came out in a game, he realized he couldn’t see the ball all that well.

"So I just wanted to get them corrected," Bowe said.

He underwent Lasik eye surgery in July of 2006, just prior to his senior season in college.

"It was a great thing for me," Bowe said. "I’m glad I got it done. I can see the ball clearer. . . .I had a problem, I corrected it, and I’ve been on the roll."

Bowe, a probable first-round pick, established career highs last season with 65 catches for 990 yards, and a school-record 12 receiving TDs.


Draft potpourri

Jason Hill averaged 18.3 yards per catch at Washington State, with 46 of his 148 career catches good for 20 or more yards. . . .Ohio State’s Anthony Gonzalez likes to cook Cuban food, and wants to enter law school once his playing career is over. . . .Southern Cal’s Steve Smith was recruited by several Pacific-10 schools in basketball after averaging 25.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 5 assists a game in 2002 at Taft High in Woodland Hills, Calif.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/spo...9?OpenDocument

[BLT]

this is definately a very deep draft for WR's and they didnt even mention Sidney Rice, Ted Ginn Jr, or Craig Davis..out of these guys im hoping we grab Sidney Rice in the 2nd round.. if he had gone back to school this year he might have been the 1st WR taken next year

[zrinkill]

This has got to be the most unfair thing to have happen to a college player ....

To be labeled a bust because someone who is your size was a bust a few years earlier.

it amazes me.

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by zrinkill

This has got to be the most unfair thing to have happen to a college player ....

To be labeled a bust because someone who is your size was a bust a few years earlier.

it amazes me.

people look for the easy story and like we've seen with the media and TO last year - when it's simply not there, they'll put it there.

[DanTanna]

But can Dwayne Jarrett do this and get away with it every time?????

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by DanTanna

But can Dwayne Jarrett do this and get away with it every time?????

what - dance badly?

i hate 1 second snippettes that are supposed to tell a whole story.

[superpunk]

He should have tried running faster.

[zrinkill]

Originally Posted by DanTanna

But can Dwayne Jarrett do this and get away with it every time?????

Looks to me like the defender has a hold of his Jersey ..... and he was pushing him off of him.

[Chocolate Lab]

Exactly, SP. If Jarrett ran under a 4.5, people would be falling over themselves to show how he's NOT like Williams. (Although the personality thing with Williams probably means something... I hadn't heard that he was "different.")

Anyway... I like Paul Williams. I think he could possibly be as good as anyone in this draft not named Calvin Johnson.

[THUMPER]

I know a lot of USC alumni and my niece attends there now. Everyone I have spoken with who knows both Williams and Jarrett says that they are completely different personalities. My nephew plays volleyball on the same team as Pete Carroll's son. I asked him to ask Carroll about the two and he confirmed (without getting into any details) that they are very different individuals. He said that Jarrett is a very hard worker and left it at that.

I had heard a lot about Mike Williams' attitude when he was still playing and going into the draft a few years ago. He has enormous physical abilities and relied almost solely on that. He didn't work hard, didn't study the playbook, and thought he could get by on that. He could in college but not in the pros.

Jarrett, while physically gifted, relies a lot more on hard work and study. He runs very good routes and has worked hard to learn the nuances of the position. He uses his hands and body much better than Williams did.

The comparisons are based on people not knowing what they are talking about. Same school and similar build must equal same guy. Morons!

[jobberone]

Originally Posted by zrinkill

This has got to be the most unfair thing to have happen to a college player ....

To be labeled a bust because someone who is your size was a bust a few years earlier.

it amazes me.

I hear you. I think most teams see thru all the draft banter though. He's being judged based on his slow time. His production is unquestionable. He's got at least a 50/50 chance of doing well in the NFL. But there's just such a big bust rate with WRs and premium on draft pick success in the first and second rounds that teams look for reasons to shy away from prospects. A slow 40 for a WR is a problem.

[adamknite]

In completely unrelated news Mike Williams tries to distance himself from a donut.

[CrazyCowboy]

23 yrs old and still ask for permission......not bad.

[jobberone]

Originally Posted by CrazyCowboy

23 yrs old and still ask for permission......not bad.

I like it. Kids today have too little respect for their elders.

[da_whiz_kid]

Originally Posted by jobberone

I like it. Kids today have too little respect for their elders.

I agree. Although I must add, kids today have little to no guidance from their elders, which leads to being disrespectful.