39 replies to this topic

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I posted this in another thread, but I really thought this topic deserved it's own thread.....

I'm not sure why Aaron Williams seems to be catching so much criticism following last night's game.  He looked pretty solid to me....even on that long (30+yd) reception by Jenkins....Williams was in his hip pocket the entire way, and even got his hand in on the ball and almost knocked it away....just a great play by the WR.  Even the Vikings play-by-play guy acknowledged that Williams maintained excellent coverage.  

He had 2 other completions against him....both by Jerome Simpson.  

The first was a 4 yard reception for which Simpson faked a go-route, stopped and caught a pass from Ponder on a 4 yard out pattern.  Williams respected Simpson's deep speed, adjusted well, and made a good tackle stopping him in his tracks.  

The second reception was a shallow crossing pattern by Simpson for which Williams was screened by another Vikings WR.  Simpson should have been picked up by a linebacker, was not, and went for a decent gain.  Again, I didn't notice any glaring mistakes by Williams in coverage or in run defense.

After the game, the shoutbox was full of people calling for Williams to be replaced by Ron Brooks.  One "shouter" even posted that McKelvin should take his place as the starting CB after his horrendous play.  There were also several posts in "post-game discussion" threads stating that Aaron Williams sucks.....and so on and so forth.

Maybe someone else noticed something I did not which would warrant such harsh criticism?  I watched him pretty closely, but I don't claim to be any kind of expert.  Thoughts??

[Captain Hindsight]

Im with ya, I thought he was very solid

[Billshank Redemption]

I posted in the shoutbox last night that I wasnt sold on him yet and I still am not but I didnt think he was awful.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Bump!!

Do the "haters" have any cogent thoughts on this topic?  You all seemed to be pretty opinionated about Williams last night.

[Kelly the Dog]

By most accounts, Aaron Williams has not had a good camp at all, and has consistently been burnt in practices. He didn't play well in the first game, and he didn't play well last night. I think that is the cause for all the criticism, the overall training camp that he has had, not the game last night that he had. He HAS to make that play on the bomb when he is in perfect position and should have easily tracked the ball in the air, the same way that Leodis had to make a few of those same plays last year on bombs and didn't. It's not like it was only a quick out, it was a bomb, and he cannot let that happen.

So far, AW has been my biggest disappointment of all players this summer, probably because he is likely being counted on to be a starter unless Terrence makes a very quick and full recovery, which doesn't look likely.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Kelly the Dog, on 18 August 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

By most accounts, Aaron Williams has not had a good camp at all, and has consistently been burnt in practices. He didn't play well in the first game, and he didn't play well last night. I think that is the cause for all the criticism, the overall training camp that he has had, not the game last night that he had. He HAS to make that play on the bomb when he is in perfect position and should have easily tracked the ball in the air, the same way that Leodis had to make a few of those same plays last year on bombs and didn't. It's not like it was only a quick out, it was a bomb, and he cannot let that happen.

So far, AW has been my biggest disappointment of all players this summer, probably because he is likely being counted on to be a starter unless Terrence makes a very quick and full recovery, which doesn't look likely.

I remember hearing about Williams' slow start in camp, but remember specifically Wanny talking about how he finished camp strong.  I don't recall him playing poorly against Washington, and I disagree that he played poorly last night.  Do you have some specific examples (other than the Simpson play) where he clearly exhibited poor play?

BTW...I agree that he HAS to make that play on the ball when he gets position.  I will say, however, that it is unfair to compair him to McKelvin in that regard.  Being a young player and making that type of mistake once, is different from being a veteran an continually making the same mistake.  I will maintain that he did make a good play on the ball....the WR Jenkins just made a better play on the ball.

[Mark Vader]

I think everyone is overreacting and I think you are seeing a bunch of knee jerk reactions in regards to Williams' play.

I have not seen the reports that Kelly the Dog has talked about indicating that Williams is struggling in practice.

Williams got thrown to the wolves fairly early last year and he struggled, but as the season went on he got better and looked like he could start.

He is now in his second year and will face many challenges. I think we need to wait and see the big picture with him.

I would not bench him after last night's game.

[Stealth]

Personally I think Aaron Williams should be playing safety not corner. One of the knocks on him as a corner coming out of Texas was that he wasn't all that fluid with his hip movement but when he can keep the play in front of him he can cover a good area of the field.

[Ryan L Billz]

It was only me president of the mckelvin fan club who said Williams looked bad last nite. He gave up a few plays.  Not the best game but all cb's are up and down........I'd rather see mckelvin out there getting one last shot.....if he stinks then yank him......would like to see him on field in some capacity

[K-9]

Ryan L Billz, on 18 August 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

It was only me president of the mckelvin fan club who said Williams looked bad last nite. He gave up a few plays.  Not the best game but all cb's are up and down........I'd rather see mckelvin out there getting one last shot.....if he stinks then yank him......would like to see him on field in some capacity

McKelvin has been our starting nickel back the first two scrimmages.

GO BILLS!!!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I'll paste my response from the other thread here so I don't have to re-type it:

I understand Johnny Hammerstick's questions about the Aaron Williams criticism but it has to be taken in the context of numerous reports of him struggling in practice, and his whiffed tackle last week which turned a routine 2 yard gain into a 9 yard gain.

Also, I don't care if he's in position if he doesn't make the play. A good corner doesn't let a receiver get away with a subtle push in the back because a good corner slows down enough that there's no way the receiver will get anywhere near close to the ball.

Just like a QB has to throw a ball where only his receiver can get it, a cornerback has to position himself where only he can catch it. If Williams is victimized on that play without learning, he'll be victimized many more times. It's like blocking out in basketball… position yourself where either you catch it or it falls to the ground. Leverage 101.

Anyways, I've not given up on Williams but I've not been encouraged.

Starting CB is a very unforgiving position in the NFL. You have to make plays and not give them up.

Aaron Williams bears a pretty heavy burden of proof, IMO.

Especially in the context of passing up Andy Dalton… who the Bills coaches also coached in that Senior Bowl.

[Beerball]

His ball skills last night were McKelvinistic. Coverage was decent on the long completion, just needs to react better when the ball is in the air. IF he's able to clean that up I think his night was decent.

[Cotton Fitzsimmons]

YE OLE is not entirely sold on Williams just yet, but I too thought he was solid last night.

[jeremy2020]

Williams looks about the same as he did last season to me. I think expectations rose for him and he has not elevated his play thus far in the pre-season.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Beerball, on 18 August 2012 - 08:04 PM, said:

His ball skills last night were McKelvinistic. Coverage was decent on the long completion, just needs to react better when the ball is in the air. IF he's able to clean that up I think his night was decent.

Ryan L Billz, on 18 August 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

It was only me president of the mckelvin fan club who said Williams looked bad last nite. He gave up a few plays.  Not the best game but all cb's are up and down........I'd rather see mckelvin out there getting one last shot.....if he stinks then yank him......would like to see him on field in some capacity

It wasn't just you Ryan.  I respect your opinion, but with regard to the bolded above, I ask.....what are you smoking and can I have some?

[Lurker]

Stealth, on 18 August 2012 - 06:53 PM, said:

Personally I think Aaron Williams should be playing safety not corner. One of the knocks on him as a corner coming out of Texas was that he wasn't all that fluid with his hip movement but when he can keep the play in front of him he can cover a good area of the field.

His lack of fluidity is concerning.  He doesn't seem to have cornerback hips, nor quick twitch muscle movement.  Safety might be his future, but if so, he'd be depth right now (rather than a starter at CB)...

[Ryan L Billz]

Johnny Hammersticks, on 18 August 2012 - 09:01 PM, said:

It wasn't just you Ryan.  I respect your opinion, but with regard to the bolded above, I ask.....what are you smoking and can I have some?

Mckelvin rules you'll be with me by week 6 on this.     Real pass rush means cb's can finally make plays.  I like the Gilmore brooks mckelvin package.   Sub in Williams some.  It's a long game.  

[Tcali]

Ryan L Billz, on 18 August 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

Mckelvin rules you'll be with me by week 6 on this. Real pass rush means cb's can finally make plays.  I like the Gilmore brooks mckelvin package.   Sub in Williams some.  It's a long game.  

McKelvins woes werent pass rush related last year(and the year before). His problem was that he would  be right there with the WR(due to his freakish speed)--the ball would be a toss up betw McK and the WR....and the WR came up with it time after time after time after time.--McK will be close to the WR most of the time---so with a better passrush he will still be right w the WR. Stopping the WR from catching the ball is usually next on the agenda.McK constantly fails at that.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Lurker, on 18 August 2012 - 10:15 PM, said:

His lack of fluidity is concerning.  He doesn't seem to have cornerback hips, nor quick twitch muscle movement.  Safety might be his future, but if so, he'd be depth right now (rather than a starter at CB)...

I recall hearing reports (when he was drafted) about the perceived lack of fluidity in his hips, but they hasn't been glaringly obvious to me (again I do not claim to be an expert).  With regard to his lack of "quick twitch muscle movement," I think you just pulled that out of your a**.  He is a big, fast, physical cornerback who has pretty good closing speed when his receiver does get a step on him.  I could see him eventually converting to safety, but for now I think he has the potential to be a very good cornerback in this league.  Only time will tell.

Ryan L Billz, on 18 August 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

Mckelvin rules you'll be with me by week 6 on this. Real pass rush means cb's can finally make plays.  I like the Gilmore brooks mckelvin package.   Sub in Williams some.  It's a long game.  

I highly doubt it Ryan, but I commend your loyalty to Mumbles McLovin.

[Bill from NYC]

Fans will be prone to high expectations for early round picks. Despite being the 5th corner selected, he was the second pick of round 2. Quarterbacks were selected by the two teams that immediately followed the Bills. A pick like this is extremely valueable. Often teams can obtain an extra 1st round pick in the following season in a trade down as part of their compensation for such a deal.
Despite the above, Nix seemed to have been hell-bent on drafting A. Williams, or maybe just a corner. This would indicate that he had very high hopes for Williams, so why wouldn't Bills fans?
Last season, we had zero pass rush. I would give something of a pass to any corner, let alone a rookie. This year, the Bills need, and have a right to expect major production from A. Williams.
Jmo.