Does Anyone Know Whats With The Chris Williams BACK Issue

[Guest TerraTor]

It wouldnt surprise me since Angelo wanted him the whole time, but it seems we picked a guy with injuries or offfield issues at every pick?

[AZ54]

As I heard it the rumor was he had issues with his neck but there's no evidence of any injuries like that. Bears basically said they felt it was two teams spreading that rumor hoping Williams would fall to them and that they felt they knew which teams.

[nfoligno]

I bet Houston would be team one. They were so locked in on OT they reached for Brown when the top 7 were gone.

 

Atlanta could be team two. I think Cle made it popular for a lot of team to try and get their OT and QB. Atlant went the opposite route of Cle, but that is what they did too. After taking Ryan, they traded up to get Baker in the 1st (at 21). I think Atlanta may have planned all along on going QB/OT, and had hoped Williams might fall enough to be the guy they move up for.

[HoofHearted]

Straight from the horses mouth...

 

LINKY

 

 

 

 

The Bears' first-round pick in the NFL draft, the No. 14 selection overall, chuckled about an NFL Network report that teams backed off him because of a neck injury.

 

"I don't have any neck issues," Williams said during a conference call with the Chicago media Saturday. "I really don't know where that came from.".................

 

"It doesn't anger me. I know this sometimes can be a shady business," he said. "I know sometimes things like this can be planted. In the end, I'm just glad to be a Chicago Bear."

 

 

 

This totally sounds like some team with a hidden agenda slipped this out to a source knowing guys like Mayock would eat it up. With all the physicals and exams these guys go through, there is no way he could honestly say I have no neck injury, and Chris Williams is very much a stand-up guy with great character, so I absolutely believe him over word that happened to come out a few days before the draft.

[dawhizz]

Pro Football Weekly seems to be only one who reported it, and seem to also be the only ones continuing to reference it (check out their review of the Bears draft). But there's been no report or confirmation of where it came from or why anyone's giving it more credence than the people who said there was a team in the teens who wanted Chad Henne.

 

You can also dispute the who "short arms" argument PFW is also trying to keep alive. His arms are short than some others (32 7/8), but they're the EXACT SAME LENGTH as Jake Long's. For anyone to think that concerns about short arms would never arise until the week before the draft is silly, considering most prospects, especially offensive linemen, have had their arms measured probably 5 times in the last three months.

 

Not sure what PFW's deal is, but they need to get over it.

[DABEARSDABOMB]

It wouldnt surprise me since Angelo wanted him the whole time, but it seems we picked a guy with injuries or offfield issues at every pick?

The rumors of Williams having any serious injury are just that, rumors. The Bears have denied him and there has been nothing even relatively close to credible with information which substantiates such rumors. Bottom line, some team tried to leak false information to get him to slide and it didn't work.

[nfoligno]

Maybe it did work. Just for the hell of it, I'll throw it out there. What if we leaked the info because Williams was at the top of our board, ahead of Clady. There was a lot of talk that Denver could be looking at Williams over Clady. Maybe, we wanted Clady, and leaked the rumor so Denver would take Clady and Williams would fall to us.

 

Just throwing it out there.

[Lucky Luciano]

Maybe it did work. Just for the hell of it, I'll throw it out there. What if we leaked the info because Williams was at the top of our board, ahead of Clady. There was a lot of talk that Denver could be looking at Williams over Clady. Maybe, we wanted Clady, and leaked the rumor so Denver would take Clady and Williams would fall to us.

 

Just throwing it out there.

 

here is the crux of drafting williams...

 

first of all, and i don't have the knowledge to say one way or other as i have not watched either player in college, if clady IS a better prospect at the LOT spot then in my opinion we screwed up again by not moving up and trading with buffalo to get him. if that IS the case it's another failure by our gm to put the best player in the second most important position on offense - offensive left tackle.

 

even giving up our 2nd 3rd round pick and any junk in the 7th round would have been a huge bargain if clady projects as the franchise player at that position.

[adam]

here is the crux of drafting williams...

 

first of all, and i don't have the knowledge to say one way or other as i have not watched either player in college, if clady IS a better prospect at the LOT spot then in my opinion we screwed up again by not moving up and trading with buffalo to get him. if that IS the case it's another failure by our gm to put the best player in the second most important position on offense - offensive left tackle.

 

even giving up our 2nd 3rd round pick and any junk in the 7th round would have been a huge bargain if clady projects as the franchise player at that position.

 

There is not that much difference between Clady and Williams that would warrant trading up. It is a crapshoot. So you are going to take a risk on a gamble? The drop off was from Long to Clady, Williams, Otah. Those 3 are almost interchangeable at this point.

[Connorbear]

There is not that much difference between Clady and Williams that would warrant trading up. It is a crapshoot. So you are going to take a risk on a gamble? The drop off was from Long to Clady, Williams, Otah. Those 3 are almost interchangeable at this point.

I agree adding that Williams being the most complete tackle at this point (compared to Clady and Williams).

 

Peace

[nfoligno]

There is not that much difference between Clady and Williams that would warrant trading up. It is a crapshoot. So you are going to take a risk on a gamble? The drop off was from Long to Clady, Williams, Otah. Those 3 are almost interchangeable at this point.

 

There isn't? Maybe you are right, and I just have to assume it depends on individual teams boards. For example, Right after we picked, Carolina traded up a couple spots to get Albert. They could have had Otah, but saw enough difference to warrant the move up for Albert.

 

Your right that it is all a crapshoot, but that is true of the entire draft. McFadden, Ryan, Dorsey, Long & Long are all crapshoots. Maybe those picks are better odds, but they are gambles just the same as the 14th pick or the 144th pick.

 

For the record, I believe the OL you left off your list (Albert) will prove to be the best OL taken in this draft, and that includes Long.

[AZ54]

IIRC someone posted an article about the wonderlic scores of various positions on an NFL team. LT was very high. Clady scored a 13, Williams a 31 (or something like that). Clady also said to need at least a year to get the strength to play the position, no real surprise he came out as a junior. Not that he won't start this year but he has work to do. Athletically I don't think there's any doubt that Clady is better than Williams but who will be better at reading blitzes? Who will be better at understanding his opponent's strengths and weaknesses and taking advantage of them?

[Mongo3451]

IIRC someone posted an article about the wonderlic scores of various positions on an NFL team. LT was very high. Clady scored a 13, Williams a 31 (or something like that). Clady also said to need at least a year to get the strength to play the position, no real surprise he came out as a junior. Not that he won't start this year but he has work to do. Athletically I don't think there's any doubt that Clady is better than Williams but who will be better at reading blitzes? Who will be better at understanding his opponent's strengths and weaknesses and taking advantage of them?

I caught draft recap with Dan Pompeii and he was saying the same thing regarding intelligence. He also went to say he had Williams as the #2 OT in the draft. He said, Williams won't be the physical specimen you go crazy over, but his technique and ability to play are superior.

[adam]

There isn't? Maybe you are right, and I just have to assume it depends on individual teams boards. For example, Right after we picked, Carolina traded up a couple spots to get Albert. They could have had Otah, but saw enough difference to warrant the move up for Albert.

 

Your right that it is all a crapshoot, but that is true of the entire draft. McFadden, Ryan, Dorsey, Long & Long are all crapshoots. Maybe those picks are better odds, but they are gambles just the same as the 14th pick or the 144th pick.

 

For the record, I believe the OL you left off your list (Albert) will prove to be the best OL taken in this draft, and that includes Long.

I didn't include Albert because he was a Guard. He only started two games at Tackle. There is no way you can project him to be an NFL Tackle this early. Also, a good portion of Tackles actually move inside from College to the NFL, not the other way around. So he has less of a chance to become a dominant Tackle than the others that have already played the position. Physically, he may have the best traits, but being a Tackle, especially a Left Tackle requires a lot more than that.

 

I also don't see how he can be better than Long, especially when you are comparing Guard play to Tackle play. What are you basing your assessment off of?

[nfoligno]

When you listen to all the draft guys, and read the prospect reports, and they tell you an OT doesn't have the athleticism to play OT in the NFL, and will have to move inside to OG, you listen and likely believe it, right? Well, the same/opposite is true w/ Albert.

 

Every report I read projects him to OT. That is why he was drafting top 15, and also why he was considered at one time as high as #5. Not due to his potential to play OG, but due to his potential to play OT.

 

So while the norm may be college OTs moving inside, and and OG moving to OT in the NFL may be the exception, it can happen, and the opinion here seems very consistent. Everyone seems to project him outside.

 

I look at it like this. He has the skill and game to be not just an OT, not just a LT, but a dominant LT. He does not have the experience on that side, which is why he was avialable at 15. IMHO, if Albert played LT more in college, he very well could have been the pick over Long. But here is the kicker w/ Albert. If he can not play LT, he downside is considered pro bowl OG. So in Albert, you get a player who you believe is a lock pro bowl OG, w/ the potential of being a pro bowl LT. That is a win/win situation in my book.

 

That also touched on my one concern w/ Williams. I am not knocking the pick, and very much like Williams, but if Williams does not cut it at LT, I am not sure where he then fits. He is a finesse LT who does not play w/ anything resembling a mean streak. I question whether he would be able to play inside our RT, thus Williams seems more boom/bust to me, which is a touch concerning considering Angelo success rate of drafting OL.

 

Back to Long v Albert. You may view Albert as an OG, but are looking at him as a LT. The is no question both Long and Williams are more ready to start their rookie year at LT, but I believe Albert will eventually not only be playing there, but will be playing LT in Hawaii.

 

Let me throw this question out to you also. While I view Long as a very good LT prospect, I do not think he will be a pro bowler. Just my opinion. He will be a damn good LT, but not pro bowl. For the sake of argument, go w/ this. And further, assume for a moment Albert is a perennial all-pro OG, like maybe Hutch or Ruben Brown (in his prime). Which is bigger? Most say LT, and I might agree, but I do not think it is cut and dry. An all-pro OG may in fact be equal in value to a solid LT.

[adam]

Let me throw this question out to you also. While I view Long as a very good LT prospect, I do not think he will be a pro bowler. Just my opinion. He will be a damn good LT, but not pro bowl. For the sake of argument, go w/ this. And further, assume for a moment Albert is a perennial all-pro OG, like maybe Hutch or Ruben Brown (in his prime). Which is bigger? Most say LT, and I might agree, but I do not think it is cut and dry. An all-pro OG may in fact be equal in value to a solid LT.

I am completely tracking with you on this. The only concern I had about Albert was that he was not even on the radar until the combine. He wasn't even listed in the First Round until recently. Teams assessed him and said they believe he can be really good at OT, and that is when his stock soared. My question is if he was so good, why was he playing OG in college? There was too much inflation there for me. Guys like Clady, Williams, and Otah had been there in the first round forever.

 

Check out these career notes from NFL.com:

 

Williams: Williams has registered 181 knockdowns with 21 touchdown-resulting blocks while averaging 84.9% blocking consistency over the last two seasons as the team's full-time starter at left tackle...Allowed just two quarterback sacks over a span of 1,558 offensive snaps.

 

Albert: During his final two seasons, Albert registered 94 knockdowns, coming up with key blocks on 21 touchdown drives...Graded 83.23% for blocking consistency over his last 25 games, as he allowed 6.5 quarterback sacks, but no pressures on 773 pass plays.

 

Seem pretty close, but Williams was doing it at OT.

 

Also, everyone was concerned about Williams BP reps of 21, Albert only did 23. Williams scored 32 on the Wonderlic, Albert scored 23. So I just don't see how Albert can be considered better than Jake Long, when he doesn't even look better than Williams.

[nfoligno]

You understand that when I say Albert will be the better OT, I am not talking right away. I have said from the get go that he would not be the most NFL ready, immediate starting LT. That is why I easily understood our taking Williams over him. But what a player is as a rookie and down the road are two different things.

 

You say he was not even on the radar until after the combine, but that is not true. He was on the radar. He was considered a late 1st round pick, with some like Kiper and Mayock singing his praises from the start.

 

Yes, it was after the combine and after talk of his moving to LT his draft value rose, but it isn't like he was an unknown prior to that.

 

Call it a gut feeling. Call it whatever you want. But I simply believe that when all is said and done, Albert will turn out to be the best OL in this draft. Does that mean we made a mistake not taking him? No. I wanted him, but as I said, I absolutely understand taking Williams. We had an immediate need to move Tait to RT, and Williams gives us the best opportunity to do that now.

 

As for Williams and strength, it isn't just about his reps. Every review considers him a finesse player. He does not play w/ power. That simply isn't his style. I believe his power is fine at LT because of his athleticism and use of leverage. The only thing I have questioned is whether he has the power to play elsewhere on the OL if he can't cut it at LT, which is far from unheard of in the NFL. I see him as a bit more of a boom or bust. Either he is a LT, or he may end up as a backup because he may not have the game to play RT or inside.

[adam]

As for Williams and strength, it isn't just about his reps. Every review considers him a finesse player. He does not play w/ power. That simply isn't his style. I believe his power is fine at LT because of his athleticism and use of leverage. The only thing I have questioned is whether he has the power to play elsewhere on the OL if he can't cut it at LT, which is far from unheard of in the NFL. I see him as a bit more of a boom or bust. Either he is a LT, or he may end up as a backup because he may not have the game to play RT or inside.

I see your point about Albert, but even down the line I don't see him being the best of this draft. I am sure he has the ability to be a Pro Bowler, but the same gut feeling you have is telling me he is going to disappoint some people. He just feels like too much hype for me. It could be completely warranted, but more times than not players do not live up to their hype.

 

Check this out, again from the NFL.com page, this is talking about Albert:

Could do a better job playing with true aggression and too often tries to finesse rather than maul.

Sounds a lot like what everyone was saying about Williams, yet you never hear this about Albert.

[AZ54]

If Jake Long doesn't cut it at LT he will be a Pro Bowl RT IMO. He's not the most mobile guy so I can see his career starting out on the left side but after about 5-7 years seeing him switch to the right side.

 

I liked Albert and wouldn't have been upset at all if he was our pick but as stated Williams fits our needs now and that's critical to me because I still feel our D is Superbowl ready. So is our special teams.