Could R Willams be our secret weapon?

[mattjames2010]

Sounds like you're talking about things you can't possibly know enough about. His mental state? Come on. The guys idol is Walter Payton. He runs like him too. He's not timid with the ball in his hands. The coaching staff knows more about his mental state than any of us. He's the best pure runner on this team imo there's a lot to look forward to with him. I don't care what happened in Arizona and idk why anyone else would either. Don't need stats to tell me this kid can play. It's evident when you watch him run.

I'm going by quotes that came directly from Williams himself. This isn't me observing some on the field behavior, if he never said anything I would have never said anything. There was also a lot of issues between he and the Arizona coaching staff during the 2013 season, and it started during the 2013 preseason.

I care about his issues in Arizona because that's what we have to go by. And I will in no way make a comparison to Payton, he looks nothing like him to me.

 

[Zekeats]

Ryan Williams is the best pure runner on this team by a longshot

I love how things get labeled

 

[CyberB0b]

By the numbers:

Played in 5 games in 4 NFL seasons.
58 attempts for 164 yards
2.8 ypc
0 TDs

Secret Weapon? I think not.

 

[Zekeats]

he was healthy all season

Ok.......and he wasn't even on the team and now he is the week one starter, correct?

 

[TrailBlazer]

Right now he has a total of 164 yards since 2012. I'm not going to say he has no potential but potential means nothing if you can't crack the 53 man roster and actually do something. What any of these guys did in college is meaningless. Don't mean to sound cold hearted towards him but it is hard to jump on the coat tails of a player who has been in the NFL this long and nothing to show for it.

I understand that.

It's all about the eye test for me. And Williams passes it. He showed a ton of ability. People should be excited about him. He's the one with the most upside imo.

 

[Idgit]

Thomas Jones was drafted by the Cards in 2000, played in 30 games his first two seasons before his injury in his third season. He also wasn't injury plagued in college.

If there is a comparison out there to Williams, I'm not finding it. Even if there is, it's an exception and I'm not seeing a reason to think this guy will overcome the odds and produce for us. It would be a nice story though.

And when a player admits he was self-conscious after his knee injury and was scared to run with the ball or take on tackles and then has a mysterious knee injury in TC, I think injuries has got to his head completely. Maybe his confidence is back, but what happens if his knee flares up again? We are a playoff team, I don't want a guy like that having the ball in key moments in the game where players are playing harder and faster due to what is on the line.

You started with an inaccurate representation of Ryan Williams, since he was neither injury not confidence plague from his sophomore year in college, and you went from there. Thomas Jones, though, is actually a reasonable comparison for what Williams upside might be. He didn't have the significant single injury that Williams has dealt with, but he did come into the league in AZ, very highly regarded, was plagued with injury problems, bounced around before he got to the Bears where his career really took hold. That's pretty much the high water mark for what we might expect for Williams, if we're lucky.

I realize you've got a lot emotionally invested in none of the backs on this current roster being capable of carrying a full workload. The reality is, they each have significant question marks, and I'm not sold on any of them, either. But you've leapt to some really unsupported conclusions about Ryan Williams, and you're trying to spread it from thread to thread. He doesn't have confidence problems. He did have a very significant injury which took him a long time to overcome and put an end to the high potential he had coming out at Arizona. His pass protection has not been good enough, and he has had to work on STs because he gave nothing in that area coming out of college. That's the book on Williams. The stuff you're trying to project about his confidence or his injury history is unnecessary, and it's not accurate.

“I’ve been good for three years now,” Williams said. “I’ve had some major injuries, for sure, and statistically having those injuries is kind of like ‘X this guy out.’ But I’ve always been one to never put myself in that box of those statistics. I always thought of myself that I can overcome anything I’ve ever wanted to overcome. That patellar tendon was that thing for me. It changed my life. But I’m still here, and I honestly feel like I’m better than I was before. I believe in my product, and we’ll see what happens with that.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports...orner-blog/article21019311.html#storylink=cpy

“Our bellcow ringer left. He cashed out in Philly – really cashed out in Philly. So we’ll see how it plays out. We have a very talented backfield – a very, very talented backfield. I don’t know if it’ll be like the best man wins; I don’t know if it’ll be like everybody is sharing. I don’t know how the situation will go. I’m not really worried about it. The only thing I’m worried about is going out there and showing these coaches and everybody what I’m capable of doing and showing them what they brought me to do.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/sports...orner-blog/article21019311.html#storylink=cpy

“It was a lot of sleepless nights, a lot of tears, on my own – ‘cause I don’t like people seeing me cry. I had to really figure out who I was and how bad I really wanted this, because a lot of people, I think, play this game for the wrong reasons. Very few really play because they love it. Can’t nobody question my love for this game.”

I love the coaches. I look forward to hearing Coach Garrett with his speeches. I look forward to hearing Coach Bisaccia go crazy in the morning. It makes me want to play for these guys. We have a great team built around, and from, great coaches. If the opportunity is given, I can take it and run with it. That’s why I stayed, hoping for that chance.

And, my personal favorite:

I got foreign objects in my knee. I got metal in my arm. People say, you know, “God will choose your path” and things of that sort.

If this ain’t the path that He chose…me and Him are gonna bump heads on this one.

I've told you in other threads on this topic. You really need to do more homework on this player, because he's not what you're characterizing him to be. If he doesn't make it in the league, it's not going to be because of a confidence problem. If you haven't seen it yet, just listen to him talk. You can hear in his voice that he believes in himself and that he believes in the opportunity he's got in Dallas.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/03/20/blitz-ryan-williams-beyond-gridiron

 

[Doomsday101]

By the numbers:

Played in 5 games in 4 NFL seasons.
58 attempts for 164 yards
2.8 ypc
0 TDs

Secret Weapon? I think not.

You left out his 2 fumbles

 

[xwalker]

Ryan Williams injured his knee in preseason of 2011, he had a year to heal from his injury that is typically 4-6 months of recovery time. He was pushed? I'm sure the medical staff at Arizona gave him the okay to play, which was a year of healing time. If he was still having issues after a year, his knee is in far worse shape. The fact that he injured his shoulder, and then had a knee flare in the opposite knee that ended his time in Arizona is far more of a knock on him. Take all of that and then factor in his mental state and there is nothing to look forward to with him.

It is not a 6 month injury. You're making things up. It is 6 months before they can attempt to jog.

He had cleanup surgery in Jan 2013. Maybe you missed the part about removing sutures and screws. He says it never felt right until after that final surgery.

 

[TrailBlazer]

Ok.......and he wasn't even on the team and now he is the week one starter, correct?

Doubtful. I think McFadden will start week one. Don't have to be the starter to be an effective weapon.

 

[Zekeats]

Doubtful. I think McFadden will start week one. Don't have to be the starter to be an effective weapon.

lol.....I don't think either will start and there is a good chance both won't be on the roster.

 

[HellCrowe]

Frankly I'm more concerned about guys like Randle, Dunbar and Williams ability to pick up a blitz, I don't want to see Romo getting pounded because a RB can't figure out who to pick up or is shying away from doing his job. Running is one aspect of the position but helping ensure the QB stays up right it major. There are many plays were the RB must step up and take on the LB or safety who is coming free. People focus on one aspect yet there is a lot that goes into that position

Last preseason, I thought Williams won the RB battle between him and Randle based on production alone. I understand the reason he didn't was of course his pass injury concerns but also inexperience at pass protection and special teams. With another year, I am hoping he has learned to do both. Then and only then will he have a chance at beating out Randle. As far as running style goes, I prefer Williams over Randle but as I stated in my other post, we will need 3 capable starters because we are all not sure what to expect. We need insurance (not named Dunbar) for our insurance.

 

[CyberB0b]

I understand that.

It's all about the eye test for me. And Williams passes it. He showed a ton of ability. People should be excited about him. He's the one with the most upside imo.

He showed so much ability that he didn't even make the team last year.

 

[mattjames2010]

It is not a 6 month injury. You're making things up. It is 6 months before they can attempt to jog.

He had cleanup surgery in Jan 2013. Maybe you missed the part about removing sutures and screws. He says it never felt right until after that final surgery.

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/..._how_serious_is_it_what_is_the_treatment.html

I'm not making anything up (Look at their source, not the site this was posted on)

 

[Doomsday101]

I understand that.

It's all about the eye test for me. And Williams passes it. He showed a ton of ability. People should be excited about him. He's the one with the most upside imo.

He has 58 NFL carries what eye test? I kind of expect a RB who was drafted in 2011 to have done something worth while before I get excited about it. If he was as good as some feel then there was no reason under the sun he should not have been able to beat out Randle or Dunbar. His running in college may have been very good but that is been the case for other RB who just failed in the NFL.

Again not trying to be cold hearted towards this guy but potential is not enough not after this length of time.

 

[tyke1doe]

He's on the PS, hasn't even cracked his way into the lineup. And it really doesn't matter if one specific injury is career-ending or not, it's the fact that he has a number of injuries since 09 that have plagued him. And that knee injury he suffered is no joke, the fact that his other knee has also had issues is another red flag. And with this teams track record with RBs since Smith left, I'm going to say them liking Williams doesn't say much to me.

But if all of what you said is true, why would the Cowboys even have him on the roster?

Based on your description, he will in no way play for the Cowboys. So the million dollar question is why is he still on the roster?

The answer has to be that the Cowboys think he can overcome his injuries and contribute to the team.

I understand what you're saying, but the Cowboys' actions in paying him to stay with the team and not drafting another running back suggest they don't think the injuries are something that can't be overcome.

 

[Doomsday101]

Last preseason, I thought Williams won the RB battle between him and Randle based on production alone. I understand the reason he didn't was of course his pass injury concerns but also inexperience at pass protection and special teams. With another year, I am hoping he has learned to do both. Then and only then will he have a chance at beating out Randle. As far as running style goes, I prefer Williams over Randle but as I stated in my other post, we will need 3 capable starters because we are all not sure what to expect. We need insurance (not named Dunbar) for our insurance.

I will say this I hope it is the last year he has been in the NFL since 2011 and what has he done? Hell we may as well be talking about Matt Johnson, a guy who coaches felt had potential but never did anything. Sooner or later a player must show something. Pre season football vs 2nd and 3rd string players many who are now flipping burgers is not that impressive

 

[mattjames2010]

You started with an inaccurate representation of Ryan Williams, since he was neither injury not confidence plague from his sophomore year in college, and you went from there. Thomas Jones, though, is actually a reasonable comparison for what Williams upside might be. He didn't have the significant single injury that Williams has dealt with, but he did come into the league in AZ, very highly regarded, was plagued with injury problems, bounced around before he got to the Bears where his career really took hold. That's pretty much the high water mark for what we might expect for Williams, if we're lucky.

I realize you've got a lot emotionally invested in none of the backs on this current roster being capable of carrying a full workload. The reality is, they each have significant question marks, and I'm not sold on any of them, either. But you've leapt to some really unsupported conclusions about Ryan Williams, and you're trying to spread it from thread to thread. He doesn't have confidence problems. He did have a very significant injury which took him a long time to overcome and put an end to the high potential he had coming out at Arizona. His pass protection has not been good enough, and he has had to work on STs because he gave nothing in that area coming out of college. That's the book on Williams. The stuff you're trying to project about his confidence or his injury history is unnecessary, and it's not accurate.









And, my personal favorite:



I've told you in other threads on this topic. You really need to do more homework on this player, because he's not what you're characterizing him to be. If he doesn't make it in the league, it's not going to be because of a confidence problem. If you haven't seen it yet, just listen to him talk. You can hear in his voice that he believes in himself and that he believes in the opportunity he's got in Dallas.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2015/03/20/blitz-ryan-williams-beyond-gridiron

No, I said he was injury plagued since sophomore year, not that his confidence issue was from his sophomore year. He was injured his sophomore year in college, had the knee injury his rookie season, had a shoulder injury in his sophomore year while still having knee trouble, then had a knee flare up and an unclear issue with the Arizona coaching staff.

Everything I have said here is based on quotes directly from Williams himself or from known injuries. That is all. When a guy, who has been in the league for 5 years and very little playing time, says that he is scared; that IS a red flag.

 

[Idgit]

Yes and I think he will. I think he already started to do that last year. Jerry paid him more than usual to sit on the PS. I think they have a plan for him to help this team.

From Stephen, re: how they compared him to some of the backs in the draft.

“His name actually came up quite a bit (during the draft),” Jones said. “Many times we were looking at backs later in the draft that we compared to Ryan and didn’t feel like they were as good as he was.”

Or, you can follow the money. His contract has more guaranteed money than Darren McFadden's.

Williams was not on the active roster last season because we carry three backs, his pass protection of a QB coming back from an injury was sub-par, and because the third back needs to contribute on special teams. It was the right choice to expose him once Randle beat him out. Randle's a more complete player, in that he's good at ST coverage and decent in pass protection. And we've seen that he can run the ball effectively, too. Murray did everything Williams can do, and then some. There's no shame in that for Williams.

But in terms of just pure running the football and running it hard, you're right that Williams is maybe the best back on the roster right now at that. If he's been able to fill out the rest of his game, he's got a legitimate shot to contribute or even start. He's a dark horse right now, but people are wrong to just dismiss his ability. He's a guy who can play in this league if he can earn his chance.

 

[dragon_mikal]

This is the question Jerry Jones asked himself after he had his fill of "secret sauce".

Yes you'd have to be drunk to truly think this never was is going to be anything other than a camp body.

 

[xwalker]

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/..._how_serious_is_it_what_is_the_treatment.html

I'm not making anything up (Look at their source, not the site this was posted on)

Read the tweet by the Doctor in that article. He says "start running in 6 months" which is exactly what I said.