Connor Williams as a Center

[Verdict]

Williams might start somewhere on the line, be the backup of the entire line at every spot, or I could see him being the surprise cut of the year on the final roster cutdown. Nothing would surprise me.

 

[MarcusRock]

Hopefully, we finally stopped the bad habit of making our second round pick the trip to the roulette wheel. Those gambles should be on Day 3 picks.

For real. The fact that we keep hearing excuses for this guy ("he just needs to get stronger") and now he's going to have to battle it out for a position given he was a 2nd Round pick is showing he might not have been worth that pick to start with. Since we like to rue the Taco pick with TJ Watt, we could have had Sam Hubbard instead of Williams and be set at DE instead of the question mark we now have at RDE. Hubbard has 1 less sack than Lawrence these past 2 seasons (14.5 with 8.5 as a starter last season).

 

[PAPPYDOG]

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.

He's to light and will be tossed around like a rag doll.

 

[MarcusRock]

Dude it was one play, don't get your panties in a wad over my response. Just offering a different viewpoint on ONE play.
You see it one way, I see it another. Thing is neither one of us is probably correct, nor do I care.

And who said he was teflon. Over react much.

And there were many other plays that was screwed up in that game. They had a chance to win, and Moore listen to the stupid RB coach way too much, and called running plays that was not working instead of passing plays that were working

In other words, my assessment is the most plausible. Thanks.

This running play would have worked had Williams done what Frederick clearly expected. Running the ball is safer than passing (see the 4th Down play after this one) so if you have it, you use it. You just need proper blocking to do it is all and Williams did not execute here on a huge play. Even if Williams doesn't disengage and Zeke is one-on-one against the LB with that distance to the 1st Down, you like those odds.

One play can determine a ton of things. Ask the Seahawks and Falcons playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Again, we missed out on the playoffs by 1 game. Not saying that's totally on Williams but this game would have been a good one to have given the crap we produced down the stretch.

 

[InTheZone]

Dak has a hard enough time moving up to throw in the pocket, last thing we need is for our center to force that habit or for him to fall back on Dak because he cant hold his ground.

 

[InTheZone]

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.

Williams definitely screwed up on that play. If that's the case I can't blame Dak. If it wasn't Williams assignment Dak can clearly see the tackle had the outside advantage over Fred and should've made an adjustment.

 

[fivetwos]

Williams doesn't have the nastiness you'd want to see from an interior lineman. He does OK but... we can do better. Biadasz will be our starting center one day and McGovern will be our starting left guard one day. It's only a matter of time.

That's exactly it, and I'm not all that sure I trust Williams as a swing tackle either.

If Tyron goes down for any length of time, and that's not all that far fetched, this guy is the starting LT.

Its entirely possible he could be a very good LT, and just couldnt adjust to other positions easily.

I havent fully given up on the guy, and I wouldnt be surprised if he plays a big role this year, one way or another.

 

[eromeopolk]

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.

Hell to the No! He can't handle big strong/athletic DTs and you want to put him against bigger stronger NTs? No! Three year Landry rule. Either show you can be a OG, LT/RT or move on from him. You will not be able to pay a swing OG/OT a second contract unless he will take less money to stay. This is the put up or shut up year for Connor Williams.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Conner Williams would be out of work in the NFL for maybe a day and then he would have a deal from somebody. Guys, I feel like your missing the boat on this one.

Williams is a starting Guard in the NFL who is under contract for 1.4 mil this year and 1.7 next. You can't get a backup for that kind of money. I mean, wake up people. Are you guys even listening to yourselves here?

 

[Beaker42]

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.

Williams is yet another underwhelming waste of a pick by our worthless GM, Waste McClay.

 

[Beaker42]

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.

He didn’t chip the guy back into Fredbeard enough. That’s correctable but I don’t like Connor in the starting lineup because guys constantly have to help him.

 

[kskboys]

Williams might start somewhere on the line, be the backup of the entire line at every spot, or I could see him being the surprise cut of the year on the final roster cutdown. Nothing would surprise me.

Yup. Right now it's a matter of how long do we wait for him to not be injury prone.

Basically, Connor Williams is a beast of a prospect. Core strength, quick feet, agility, he's got it all. About the only thing he lacks is length, which may predicate a move to OG.

Most of what I see people observing are related to injuries and lack of play time. He does not lack quickness or strength. Or nastiness. He simply can't stay healthy long enough to acclimate to the NFL.

 

[kskboys]

Hell to the No! He can't handle big strong/athletic DTs and you want to put him against bigger stronger NTs? No! Three year Landry rule. Either show you can be a OG, LT/RT or move on from him. You will not be able to pay a swing OG/OT a second contract unless he will take less money to stay. This is the put up or shut up year for Connor Williams.

Yes, he can. But only if he stops getting hurt.

 

[Creeper]

If only his Wonderlic score had helped him on this play. Yes, subtleties like blocking the guy that could blow up the play.

This could have been a mistake on the part of Frederick too. When I saw this play last year I thought maybe Williams was supposed to give a better effort on that chip of the DT. But after watching it a few times it looks like Frederick is late getting over to the DT after Williams let's him go. Its almost as if Frederick forgot he had to get over and block. If Frederick makes that block, Zeke had a huge hole with Williams in front of him. He may have scored, but he surely would have had the 1st down.

 

[kskboys]

In other words, my assessment is the most plausible. Thanks.

This running play would have worked had Williams done what Frederick clearly expected. Running the ball is safer than passing (see the 4th Down play after this one) so if you have it, you use it. You just need proper blocking to do it is all and Williams did not execute here on a huge play. Even if Williams doesn't disengage and Zeke is one-on-one against the LB with that distance to the 1st Down, you like those odds.

One play can determine a ton of things. Ask the Seahawks and Falcons playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Again, we missed out on the playoffs by 1 game. Not saying that's totally on Williams but this game would have been a good one to have given the crap we produced down the stretch.

I agree w/ your assessment. Looks like a young player missing his assignment.

 

[Kolemmitt]

I was wondering about Williams at C, until the draft, now I doubt it.

You already have Looney and McGovern and now Biadasz. Seems like that is enough.

Ideally, Biadasz and McGovern beat out Looney and Williams and we have our C and LG set for the next several years.
That would free up Williams to be the swing tackle. If he does well, then we will have out LT of the future.

I actually wonder if that is the plan.
They signed Erving, who is a terrible LT, but is a decent guard. Maybe they see him a guy that will compete with McGovern for LG? The decision-makers have been pretty smart this offseason seems weird we would sign a really bad OT to be our primary swing, considering Smith has had to miss a few games a year for the last few years.

Its also important to note that after 2022, Smith's contract is very cuttable. No dead money and that is when Williams would be a FA. By then, he probably would have several starts under his belt so we should have a pretty good idea if we want to invest in him as our LT of the future.

This staff also seems willing to fix position issues that the last staff created. Not sure, but just speculation, but I would not be surprised.

 

[Stash]

we just drafted a center to replace Fredrick. McGovern can play center and has. Looney is the back up center.

this is the result of bad draft day maneuvering, Dallas really wanted Dallas Goedert, it looked like he was going to fall to them. it was a position of need as well and looked like it may work out for the cowboys...instead they waited, and could have traded up a couple of spots giving up a 7th or 6th round pick and take GOedert, instead they waited and knowing it was a thin draft, Eagles jumped ahead of dallas one spot and took Goedert…...

False.

 

[America's Cowboy]

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.

Sorry, JC, but it was Connor Williams' job to clamp down hard on the NT long enough to allow Frederick to take over, then Connor could have rubbed off to get the LB which he missed as well. Connor whiffed on both blocks. He was at fault.

 

[Javier]

Still not sold on this guy

 

[AsthmaField]

He didn’t chip the guy back into Fredbeard enough. That’s correctable but I don’t like Connor in the starting lineup because guys constantly have to help him.

Yeah, Williams was supposed to make significantly more contact with the DT before releasing him to Frederick and going on to take on the LB. You can see Frederick taking an angle to a spot where he expected the DT to be, but once Williams runs by the DT and he isn’t shoved Fred’s way, Travis has to adjust his angle. By then, it is too late and the DT is free in the backfield.

It was a mental slip-up by Williams, that, as you said is easily enough correctable.