Connor Williams as a Center

Beaker42 · May 18, 2020

ABQCOWBOY said:
I fell like this board is being kinda hard on a kid who is just this year going into his third season and who has been a starter at LG since his rookie year. Most teams would feel pretty good about that. I guess we ain't most teams........

He may have been a starter for that time but that doesn’t mean we didn’t throw him out there too early, at the wrong spot, that he totally sucks, or all three.

I’m leaning toward the last one.

Stash · May 18, 2020

Kaiser said:
At the moment the Eagles made the trade Dallas was on the phone with Williams telling him he was going to be the pick at 50.

People can also go back to my posts then and I said long and loud that OG was the only critical position where the team was going to make a need pick in the early rounds. Dallas had a late first round grade on Williams and that is where he was projected to go, the team was ecstatic he dropped to the middle of the second round.

They liked Williams enough not to trade the pick for Earl Thomas as well.

Stash · May 18, 2020

CowboysFaninHouston said:
the rumors were before the draft as well. why else would eagles trade up ahead of dallas to pick him....if Godert was there there was a high chance dallas would take him.....connor Williams was a consolation given they really didn't need an OL man and could have drafted one in subsequent rounds.....

Not true.

ABQCOWBOY · May 18, 2020

Beaker42 said:
He may have been a starter for that time but that doesn’t mean we didn’t throw him out there too early, at the wrong spot, that he totally sucks, or all three.

I’m leaning toward the last one.

Well, everybody is entitled to an opinion I suppose.

MarcusRock · May 18, 2020

Creeper said:
I see what you are saying and its what I thought at first, but Frederick takes a step upfield as if he thought Williams had the DT, but that is clearly not the case. If Williams had the tackle, Frederick should have headed upfield to take the LB. Williams is looking at the LB the whole way.

But I also see Zeke heading outside the LG as if that was where he was supposed to run. Its possible Williams had the tackle and Frederick did have the MLB. If this is the case its too bad because the DT cut inside Williams which set him up for Williams to simple push him out of the hole. After that Zeke had the 1st down.

In any case, its one play out of an entire season. At the end of the season Frederick retired saying he didn't think he could play at a high level anymore. That says something.

I can see what you're saying here as well. It looks like they BOTH thought the LB was theirs because it does appear that Frederick tried to start up field and pat the DT on the shoulder and you see Willliams look to go around the DT to get to the LB. But I think in either case for Zeke (continue straight or designed cutback) it would call for the DT to be Wililams', especially initially. Even with the way the DT was lined up would have favored Williams taking him since Williams had kickout leverage to the right (or at least hold him until Zeke slips behind him).

Rayman70 · May 18, 2020

nope. Center has to be stout and takes crash down defenders. NO WAY is he ready for that. That position requires huge toughness and nastiness. He hasn't really shown that.

Mr_437 · May 18, 2020

Simply put, I think Badasz is the center.

buybuydandavis · May 18, 2020

blueblood70 said:
because we have Looney, MCgovern and the new draft pick to compete at C sorry it will never happen.. hes a G/T I see him better at RT or possibly a Swing tackle nut if TS retires soon you kick LC out to LT and CWill a try at RT

we have far too many C options now..the best one will emerge and Cwill wont even practice there..he will compete with the loser at C battle for LG..that will be all..

Biadasz and McGovern at C and LG the best case scenario, but we gotta see them play. Having Williams as a backup opens him up as the swing T, or at least backup LT, with Knight as backup RT. Then we're totally set for starters and backups along the oline for the next couple of years.

Williams still might be better at LG than McGovern, though. Leaves us thin at backup T. Maybe we find a vet cap casualty for swing T. Erving looks bad, IMO.

Williams may be ok at C, but he has no experience and we need him elsewhere a lot more, while we have *lots* of other options at C. Biadasz and McGovern are the best long term solutions there.

Scotman · May 18, 2020

stasheroo said:
I'm willing to bet that those comments came before they drafted Tyler Biadasz. I think that's when they did, the talk of Williams at Center stopped.

I'd bet that Williams will be playing 'left handed'. Left guard and left tackle.

That's a bet I'd be willing to make as well. I'm hoping Biadasz steps up in a big way. I don't normally have a pet cat, but I am looking forward to seeing this kid on the field.

CowboysFaninHouston · May 18, 2020

Kaiser said:
OL was the ONLY position they needed to fill in the draft that year. They gambled on Jonathan Cooper the previous year and he got overpaid quite a bit in FA, so they had to have a OG out of that draft. Williams was widely considered a late first round pick but he fell to the middle of the second round.

so witten retiring and no TE worth their penny on the roster wasn't a need!? the Witten retirement came as a surprise to the team, right before the draft.

goedert was also widely considered as a late first round pick who fell to the middle of the second round.

TE was a much bigger need for cowboys than the LG position, given they had 4 out of 5 positions set and no set starter for the TE.

sorry, disagreed then. disagree now.

DanA · May 18, 2020

nalam said:
this is year 3 , put up or shut up time .

Definately.

strength was a big issue in ‘08, he got better in ‘09 but I’d like and expect to see him go up another level whether it’s at guard or Center.

conner01 · May 18, 2020

jazzcat22 said:
Cherry picked? Do you know what the actual assignment was?
Maybe Frederick was too late to get there too block, could have been his assignment. Look how the defense was lined up. Williams had to come out and pick up the LB.

It sure looks like Fred was late getting over there

jnday · May 18, 2020

DanA said:
I think Connor Williams is a natural fit at Center and am surprised it’s not talked about more.

He’s got two years experience as a starter, scored 34 on his wonderlic so should have a good understanding of the blocking assignments for the o-line and you’d think has the intelligence to pick up the subtleties at Center. I also always thought he looked a bit passive as a guard. He was still massively improved last year, so I can understand some wanting to keep him at guard, but I think his footwork, flexibility, and technique make him a better fit at Center where there are less one one one assignments.

Why would it be talked about? He has never played center. Is it his size, which is not ideal for the position or his skills , which lacks the power to anchor? Just because somebody mentioned it from the Cowboys staff a few years ago, doesn’t mean it was realistic.

charron · May 18, 2020

Hopefully we get to see them in camp and MM starts the best player at each position. Williams and Looney at worst are still good players and if they get beat out them I'm all for it. But I'm not gonna pretend they suck to hype a bunch of guys with zero NFL snaps.

fivetwos · May 18, 2020

The guy is pretty much a bust.

The only benefit at all I'll give the guy is the last staff.

I think its extremely possible he was misused, but much more likely he was over drafted. The guy kind of stinks. Just does. This team has no clue in round two. Zero. I'm honestly scared for how Diggs may turn out.

DanA · May 18, 2020

jnday said:
Why would it be talked about? He has never played center. Is it his size, which is not ideal for the position or his skills , which lacks the power to anchor? Just because somebody mentioned it from the Cowboys staff a few years ago, doesn’t mean it was realistic.

It might be talked about because our All-Pro Center retired and we don’t know how the coaching staff view our players.

Many scouts thought Williams best position was Center when drafted, and while he was put at guard his first two seasons, this off-season is different. Also, it was mentioned by Stephen Jones this off-season so not just a few years ago.

There’s a few things guiding my opinion:
1. I think Looney is back up quality
2. It’s difficult to learn Center as a rookie

I get Fredrick came in and did it, but he’s the first guy to play a full season at Center as a rookie in our entire history. I wouldn’t bank on late 4th round Biadasz replicating that, and McGovern was a part time Center, and more of a Guard.

With Williams we know he’s smart, he has two years experience play alongside Frederick and the O-line, and will be familiar with NFL speed and blocking concepts. He has a head start on all but Looney. And with Looney, I just don’t think he’s talented enough to be a starter unless absolutely necessary. I’d like to see how Williams goes a Center before striking it off as an option. He can always move back to guard if he sucks.

BourbonBalz · May 18, 2020

The bottom line is, barring serious injuries, we’re pretty damned stacked on the OL with a lot of flexibility. How many NFL teams have the quality AND depth we have on their OL? Few if any.

kskboys · May 18, 2020

fivetwos said:
The guy is pretty much a bust.

The only benefit at all I'll give the guy is the last staff.

I think its extremely possible he was misused, but much more likely he was over drafted. The guy kind of stinks. Just does. This team has no clue in round two. Zero. I'm honestly scared for how Diggs may turn out.

Honestly, you must add the injury equation into your thinking to get it right. He was not overdrafted, he was actually a steal in the 2nd. Dude has top 10 talent.

Rayman70 · May 19, 2020

Mr_437 said:
Simply put, I think Badasz is the center.

its him or looney. Connor McGovern, if healthy, will be starting at LG at some point.

fivetwos · May 19, 2020

kskboys said:
Honestly, you must add the injury equation into your thinking to get it right. He was not overdrafted, he was actually a steal in the 2nd. Dude has top 10 talent.

Top ten what? Overall draft selection?

Take a look at Williams and compare him to the OTs taken in this past draft at the top of the first?

It's not close.

You have to be elite of the elite to go that high as an interior lineman, and I'm fairly sure he has already proven otherwise.

Maybe he was an effective LT at Texas, but many teams passed on him, some twice, and I can completely see why.

Connor Williams as a Center

Beaker42

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Stash

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ABQCOWBOY

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MarcusRock

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Rayman70

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Mr_437

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buybuydandavis

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