Connor Williams Perception vs Reality

[817Gill]

Connor Williams hasn’t always played well and he had some growing pains, literally and figuratively, in his first years in the league. Injuries and multiple line combinations haven’t helped either.

But this season C-Will has quietly been a rock. Passed being healthy all year, he’s performed admirably well and a lot better than fans give him credit for. Dude is an above average LG right now and has been most of this season.

Williams has the best pass-blocking efficiency rating, basically pressures per snaps with sacks weighted. In 505 pass blocking reps this season he’s only given up 22 pressures. Dude’s been able to anchor like he hasn’t previously as opposed to leaning into contact due to a lack of confidence in his strength. This has also improved his run blocking as he’s been able to move guys in ways he never could. Blitz pick-up has also improved.

What’s encouraging is he was able to gain strength in an offseason where he was rehabbing a torn-ACL. If he finishes this season healthy and Sewell isn’t on the roster he’s going to continue into being an above average LG.

 

[Proof]

Connor Williams hasn’t always played well and he had some growing pains, literally and figuratively, in his first years in the league. Injuries and multiple line combinations haven’t helped either.

But this season C-Will has quietly been a rock. Passed being healthy all year, he’s performed admirably well and a lot better than fans give him credit for. Dude is an above average LG right now and has been most of this season.

Williams has the best pass-blocking efficiency rating, basically pressures per snaps with sacks weighted. In 505 pass blocking reps this season he’s only given up 22 pressures. Dude’s been able to anchor like he hasn’t previously as opposed to leaning into contact due to a lack of confidence in his strength. This has also improved his run blocking as he’s been able to move guys in ways he never could. Blitz pick-up has also improved.

What’s encouraging is he was able to gain strength in an offseason where he was rehabbing a torn-ACL. If he finishes this season healthy and Sewell isn’t on the roster he’s going to continue into being an above average LG.

Nice post. O line performance is most difficult for me to really evaluate.

 

[817Gill]

Nice post. O line performance is most difficult for me to really evaluate.

Appreciate it

 

[RonnieT24]

Nice post. O line performance is most difficult for me to really evaluate.

Yeah it's so difficult because we have no way of knowing what each guy's assignment was on a given play. A guy could get caught off balance and steamrolled because he saw the guy next to him losing and he tried to help out. To the uninitiated it just looks like he got rolled on a play when in fact he did his job but got put in a bad situation by the guy next to him. We as fans just don't know. And as I always maintain, neither does Pro Football Focus, or Pro Football Talk or Pro Football internet blowhard .. That's why I typically try to hear what the coaches have to say about a guy vs what the mediots say. Coaches typically won't just throw a guy under the bus but if you listen carefully they will tell you if a guy is or is not doing his job. I think Williams has been mostly okay this year but I never expected him to take that next step coming off knee surgery. That just wasn't realistic IMHO.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

When people say Conner is bad...its usually nothing to back it up but the dreaded "eye test" from people who are as blind as a bat.

 

[gimmesix]

I have been defending Williams against some of the outlandish attacks against him, but he's always going to struggle with power players at guard and give up a few hits on the QB per game against good DTs, which overshadows the majority of the players where he does his job. He's only got a year left here and I can't see us giving him a second contract, especially with McGovern on the roster as a replacement.

Because he's got only one year left and we've got McGovern, I'd like to see Williams shifted to tackle this offseason. He has good feet/movement skills and primarily just has the power struggles. Both of those things make him a better fit at tackle, where we might end up needing a replacement for Smith sooner rather than later. IMO, the only way he stands a chance at a second contract is if he shows he can be a starter at tackle.

 

[T-RO]

PFF likes Connor Williams:
70.2

I don't see him getting moved to tackle. Doesn't have the long arms for it. Smith and La'El are tackle studs, we have Knight as backup. They should move Martin out tackle if longterm injury occurs next season.

 

[kumizi]

Nice post.

He gets bum rushed every once in a while and it looks bad on TV so all the casual fans get on his case. He's a solid starting guard like you said.

 

[cern]

Connor Williams hasn’t always played well and he had some growing pains, literally and figuratively, in his first years in the league. Injuries and multiple line combinations haven’t helped either.

But this season C-Will has quietly been a rock. Passed being healthy all year, he’s performed admirably well and a lot better than fans give him credit for. Dude is an above average LG right now and has been most of this season.

Williams has the best pass-blocking efficiency rating, basically pressures per snaps with sacks weighted. In 505 pass blocking reps this season he’s only given up 22 pressures. Dude’s been able to anchor like he hasn’t previously as opposed to leaning into contact due to a lack of confidence in his strength. This has also improved his run blocking as he’s been able to move guys in ways he never could. Blitz pick-up has also improved.

What’s encouraging is he was able to gain strength in an offseason where he was rehabbing a torn-ACL. If he finishes this season healthy and Sewell isn’t on the roster he’s going to continue into being an above average LG.

Great post. He gets unjustly vilified a lot. But he's been solid. Definite upside.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It seems that he struggled against the Steelers and Hayward and people have been allowing that performance to form their opinion on how he's been doing this year.

The context is that everyone has been struggling against that man.

His power is underrated and his technique is a work in progress but he's a young player that's clearly getting better.

 

[John813]

Yeah it's so difficult because we have no way of knowing what each guy's assignment was on a given play. A guy could get caught off balance and steamrolled because he saw the guy next to him losing and he tried to help out. To the uninitiated it just looks like he got rolled on a play when in fact he did his job but got put in a bad situation by the guy next to him. We as fans just don't know. And as I always maintain, neither does Pro Football Focus, or Pro Football Talk or Pro Football internet blowhard .. That's why I typically try to hear what the coaches have to say about a guy vs what the mediots say. Coaches typically won't just throw a guy under the bus but if you listen carefully they will tell you if a guy is or is not doing his job. I think Williams has been mostly okay this year but I never expected him to take that next step coming off knee surgery. That just wasn't realistic IMHO.

Think the best play for that example is the Vikings game last year where the line blew the blocking on that 3rd or 4th down play where Zeke got stuffed at the LOS.

Fingers were pointed at both Williams and Frederick, but it was impossible to say who messed up when we don't know the assignments or read presnap. It just became a, "It's Williams fault cause he sucks" or "It's Fredericks fault, told you he would suck after GBS"

 

[DandyDon52]

Well they should trade him soon, or be prepared to extend him, does anyone think he is worth big money to extend him ???????????
If they wait no one will take him knowing his contract will be up.
Might be better to trade him and get a draft pick for him.

 

[Future]

Nice post.

He gets bum rushed every once in a while and it looks bad on TV so all the casual fans get on his case. He's a solid starting guard like you said.

This is basically it.

His bad reps are...really bad lol

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Connor Williams hasn’t always played well and he had some growing pains, literally and figuratively, in his first years in the league. Injuries and multiple line combinations haven’t helped either.

But this season C-Will has quietly been a rock. Passed being healthy all year, he’s performed admirably well and a lot better than fans give him credit for. Dude is an above average LG right now and has been most of this season.

Williams has the best pass-blocking efficiency rating, basically pressures per snaps with sacks weighted. In 505 pass blocking reps this season he’s only given up 22 pressures. Dude’s been able to anchor like he hasn’t previously as opposed to leaning into contact due to a lack of confidence in his strength. This has also improved his run blocking as he’s been able to move guys in ways he never could. Blitz pick-up has also improved.

What’s encouraging is he was able to gain strength in an offseason where he was rehabbing a torn-ACL. If he finishes this season healthy and Sewell isn’t on the roster he’s going to continue into being an above average LG.

Love to tell you that this will change minds but it won't. Been trying to explain to people that Williams is a really good traditional LG but nobody wants to hear it.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Yeah, he is generally decent but his bad ones are really bad as Future said. I can remember several whiffs on his part but mostly pretty decent play. Honestly, with as patchwork as the OL has been, they have performed better than I expected.

 

[MarcusRock]

Think the best play for that example is the Vikings game last year where the line blew the blocking on that 3rd or 4th down play where Zeke got stuffed at the LOS.

Fingers were pointed at both Williams and Frederick, but it was impossible to say who messed up when we don't know the assignments or read presnap. It just became a, "It's Williams fault cause he sucks" or "It's Fredericks fault, told you he would suck after GBS"

It was Williams because he sucks.

 

[blueblood70]

It was Williams because he sucks.

your perception and could be wrong i say both are wrong..hes not anywhere near as bad as fans around here make him out to be..

 

[blueblood70]

Well they should trade him soon, or be prepared to extend him, does anyone think he is worth big money to extend him ???????????
If they wait no one will take him knowing his contract will be up.
Might be better to trade him and get a draft pick for him.

he doesnt seem in postion to ask for a big deal, its up to him, what he asking for..????? he not in line for that mega deal some of our all pro linemen got and we have leverage like say hey take this or Mcgovern is next up..

every players not next man up for market deal..LC TS Tfred, and martin deserved theirs, this is not the same situation..hes serviceable starter. Look around the league even those are hard to come by. Depth is important hes the only player not to get hurt on our line this season, its crazy

both our starters and backups were all hurt at least once some twice..

think about that

TC , LC, Biadsz, Looney, Knight. steele, Martin twice, Ervin twice

last man standing Cwill with a new acl..

 

[texbumthelife]

Well they should trade him soon, or be prepared to extend him, does anyone think he is worth big money to extend him ???????????
If they wait no one will take him knowing his contract will be up.
Might be better to trade him and get a draft pick for him.

He's not going to get a huge extension. Not even with Jerry at the helm. He'll get middle of the road money, is my guess. With McGovern on the roster and the Cowboys having good depth (when healthy) on the Oline, he has very little leverage. What I do like about Connor, and why I would re-sign him, is that he's gotten better every year. You give a guy a second contract based on how you expect him to perform during it. If Connor contiwto improve, he'll be more than worth the money.

 

[Plankton]

Connor Williams is a solid player. He will always be underpowered, because he doesn't have the power in his lower body to hold up against wide bodies. Where he excels is in pulling and utilizing his quickness to execute reach blocks in the zone game. Where he has shown some improvement, but needs to do more, is to not duck his head from time to time when engaging tackles who have more power than him. When he does this, he has a tendency to whiff at the point of attack. He has improved his positioning against power guys in general, though. Williams will play 10 years in the league at a solid level barring injury.