a case for DeAngelo Williams

[Remix 6]

could of been cuz of injury..not the fear. you cant be 100% sure unless he admits it. an injury is an injury..did corey dillon play bad last year simply because age or was it the injury? You cant tell because he hasnt admit he played bad last year and he hasnt admit those darn injuries messed with him when he actually played

 

[Murphys95]

There are obviously some fans here that don't particularly like the prospect of drafting Williams, while others do. The interesting part, I think, is how the case for DeAngelo was originally couched. In the original post, all of the negatives (size, blocking, shiftiness) were put on the table, and even with all of those - I agree that Williams is good "value" at the #21 spot.

I'm honestly a bit amused (in a good way) at the level of debate over Williams. On our latest internet show we discussed the prospects of TE Leonard Pope or RB LenDale White landing in the Patriots lap at #21. I figure those players would cause a whole lot more stir than DeAngelo (if you wanna hear, just follow the link below) - cannot imagine the reaction if one of them is drafted.

 

[PATSNUTme]

I don't think that most people are trying to trash Williams. They are just reporting what they have heard or read.

If the Patriots do draft him, I have every confidence that they have checked all of this out. They know one hell of a lot more than anyone of us do. They should because they are the professionals and they have a proven track record.

It's not like we are dealing with Bobby Grier.

 

[spacecrime]

theres no evidence proving he didnt play because its tenn.

Actually according to the PFW Draft Guide...there is. "Decided to sit out with a mild injury vs Tennessee, the best defense he would face all year and would not play hurt or show the heart of a champion."

That isn't evidence. It is an opinion of PFW why he didn't play. THey might be right or wrong, but they are merely guessing.

 

[TedShow]

I was interested in seeing what NE fans had to say about DeAngelo and I stumbled across this board. Let me give you my two cents from a Memphian.

DeAngelo is without a doubt the nicest, most genuine guy who is a football star. He is not arrogant, but instead, very humble about his abilities. He always insisted an OL be interviewed with him after Memphis games. He also has already established a charity foundation for breast cancer research to battle the disease that took two of his aunts and his mom battled and won last year. He stayed at fan day last year four two hours after the event signing autographs for children even though he didn't have to. He has made trips to St. Jude Children's hospital without the press coverage to visit and encourage sick and dying children. If you are lucky enough to get DeAngelo, you will gain an awesome ambassador for your city as well as a future Pro-Bowler.

As to his football abilities, he's one of a kind. Yes, he played in CUSA. But ask SEC fans down here if they think DeAngelo is a good player. They will tell you that he definitely would have played and been a star on any team in the SEC the past several years.

He's the fastest player I've ever seen from the backfield through the hole. I wouldn't call him shifty, as I've seen some describe him here. Barry Sanders would often retreat to gain an advantage to get positive yardage. DeAngelo is not that type of runner. He will get the yardage he can, then take the hit or go out of bounds. But truly his biggest attribute is hitting the holes at the right time.

I would be very happy if DeAngelo was drafted by the Patriots as I believe you're only a few pieces away from getting back in the Super Bowl. He definitely would help your team right off the bat.

Good luck this weekend!

 

[Murphys95]

He's the fastest player I've ever seen from the backfield through the hole. I wouldn't call him shifty, as I've seen some describe him here. Barry Sanders would often retreat to gain an advantage to get positive yardage. DeAngelo is not that type of runner. He will get the yardage he can, then take the hit or go out of bounds. But truly his biggest attribute is hitting the holes at the right time.
Good luck this weekend!

Thanks for your post. From the many videos I've watched, Williams seems to hit the hole quickly. It's interesting, I've read a lot of comparisons of him to Sanders, but I haven't quite seen the "shiftiness" that some have mentioned (not saying it isn't there). Like the article said at the outset of this thread, Williams would be one heck of a value if he landed in New England at 21.

 

[DaBruinz]

Williams had 200 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries as Memphis lost to Louisville 56-49 Thursday.

idk how good Louisville D but anyways since you know soooo much you look http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/playerDetail.jsp?yr=2005&org=404&player=20 and tell us whos a good D that he beat

Man, you seriously suffer from rectal cranial inversion, don't you.

Why would I be the one to do the homework? I was asking because I didn't know for certain. But, obviously you don't either and YOU are the one touting Williams as the next coming. If you are going to be so high on a player, wouldn't it be a good idea for you to do some research so you can support your opinion?

The Louisville game you referred to occured in 2004 when Louisville ended up being ranked 7th over-all in the nation. Doesn't say what their defense was ranked at the time. However, I did see that Louisville gave up over 100 yards rushing to Army, Miami, South Florids, TCU, and Cinncinnati, though that is deceiving. Now, Army has a good RB in Carlton Jones. Miami had Frank Gore, though he only put up 67 yards. Cinncinnati, South Florida, and TCU were able to break the 100 yard mark because of the shear number of rushes they had. Over 40 each.

So, Williams faced one good rushing D and did well. That's not enough to convince me he's worth the #21 pick.

BTW, someone else in another thread put up the rankings of teams he faced this year and I believe it was shown that the highest rated defense that Williams would have faced this year was Tennessee and he didn't play. There were rumors about him milking an injury because he didn't want to hurt his draft status. And his coach protected him after the fact.

http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/natlRank.jsp?year=2005&div=4&rpt=IA_teamrushdef&site=org
Mississippi - 64 - 153 YPG allowed - 3.69 YPC
UT- Chattanooga - Not ranked in the NCAA top 117
Tulsa - 77 - 165 YPG allowed - 4.28 YPC
UTEP - 72 - 160.7 YPG allowed - 3.86 YPC
Central Florida - Not ranked in the NCAA top 117
Houston - 87 - 177.3 YPG allowed - 4.62 YPC
East Carolina - 112 - 217.6 YPG allowed - 4.85 YPC
UAB - 59 - 148.1 YPG allowed - 3.9 YPC
Tennessee - #2 - 82.5 YPG allowed - 2.55 YPC
Southern Miss - 73 - 160.8 YPG allowed - 3.91 YPC
Marshall - 75 - 161.8 YPG allowed - 3.96 YPC
Akron - 71 - 159 YPG allowed - 3.91 YPC


So, Williams didn't exactly face the cream of the crop.

 

[mgteich]

I don't want a running back in the first five rounds. However, if bb made this pick, we should all be rightfully excited about the great value we got. If Williams passes bb and pioli's character interviews, then he's fine with me. If he is on bb's value board, he may be the pick. He easily could be the last left of a value grouping. Running backs may not be on bb's board. They're not on mine.

 

[SamBamsFan]

So, Williams didn't exactly face the cream of the crop.

Hey, Belichick went to Wesleyan. They didn't play anyone either.:rocker:

 

[DaBruinz]

I don't want a running back in the first five rounds. However, if bb made this pick, we should all be rightfully excited about the great value we got. If Williams passes bb and pioli's character interviews, then he's fine with me. If he is on bb's value board, he may be the pick. He easily could be the last left of a value grouping. Running backs may not be on bb's board. They're not on mine.

MG -
I want a RB somewhere in rounds 2-4. I think that its needed and can provide good value to the Pats.

 

[DaBruinz]

So, Williams didn't exactly face the cream of the crop.

Hey, Belichick went to Wesleyan. They didn't play anyone either.:rocker:

That's why Belichick is a COACH and never played in the NFL

 

[shirtsleeve]

I think attitude is a big factor for any potential draftee.

But what is exactly does that mean, sound like a Patriot player? What exactly does a Patriots player sound like?

A Patriots player sounds like Will Blackmon from BC. Gave up playing DB in his senior year which has dropped his stock at least by 2 rounds, because the TEAM needed help at WR. He put the team ahead of his own financial future. He can play CB, WR and could be a threat in the return game.

And thats what the Patriots are all about.

 

[Murphys95]

A Patriots player sounds like Will Blackmon from BC. Gave up playing DB in his senior year which has dropped his stock at least by 2 rounds, because the TEAM needed help at WR. He put the team ahead of his own financial future. He can play CB, WR and could be a threat in the return game.

And thats what the Patriots are all about.

Oh, I think most of us believe we know what a Patriots player "sounds" like; but is that player a Patriot because he fits the mold, or is it because that's the way Belichick molds him? I guess it comes down to that age old question about the chicken and the egg.

 

[RayClay]

From our latest mock draft - http://www.murphysfans.com/scott.htm

21. New England - DeAngelo Williams, RB (Memphis)

Williams could go much higher but running backs seem to have a tendency to slip in the draft. Could Williams be this year's Vince Wilfork, a player rated higher but who falls to the Patriots at #21? That is the kind of value you look for in the draft. Personally, I have a lot of questions regarding Williams. First, he is short at 5-9 and while he weighed-in at 214 pounds during the Combine, his playing weight throughout his career was closer to 208. Second, he is not a polished blocker in the passing game, which is a critical skill to keep one's QB healthy. Third, he is often compared to Barry Sanders for his incredible shiftiness but what I see when I watch him run is someone who would prefer to juke and dance rather than plow ahead for the critical yards. Still, he has feature-back potential. Williams put up huge numbers in four years at Memphis (5,661 rushing yards, 726 receiving yards, and 55 TDs), and although he has a lot of wear already for a young running back, his production is simply phenomenal. Personally, I think Corey Dillon is still a great running back with a couple of good years left in him and I wonder what the addition of Williams would do for team chemistry. Williams would be instant insurance, but would the team spend a first round pick on a guy who projects to start only if Dillon get hurts? Let's look at it this way: Coach Belichick told a story just this week about taking linebacker Carl Banks in the draft when he was with the Giants and they already had solid 'backers including Lawrence Taylor. Belichick said that all the "experts" reacted as though it was a wasted pick, but the team took Banks because of the value of the player, period. The good players find a way to play. Williams could well be the future in New England, if for no other reason than that he represents the best value on the board at this spot.

First round pick. Small, avoids contact, no power. Why?

 

[RayClay]

That's an interesting quote to say the least. That is the first I've heard of any attitude surrounding Williams, especially considering he won the ARA Sportsmanship Award and has been consistently praised as a "good person" by his Memphis coach. As a fan, and an outsider to the draft process, I like Williams - and I judge that on the totality of the information, not just one publication's opinion. I know there are other draft sources that focus on DeAngelo's negatives too. But on the whole, Williams appears to be great value.

As for Patriots players, they are treated like royalty in New England. Again, with no first-hand knowledge here, I'd venture to guess that the Patriots team as a whole is no less arrogant than any other NFL team (these are pro athletes we're talking about, one has to expect a certain amount of ego0.

By the way here's a quote from Memphis Coach, Tommy West: "DeAngelo is the type of athlete that coaches love to coach. He does everything asked of him on the field and off the field and he always carries himself in a classy way."

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-21-2005/0004238189&EDATE=

You'll notice **** MacPherson praising Williams in this article as well.

One more quote from NFL.com's draft prospect section: "he consistently has shown a willingness to fight through ankle sprains to stay in the game."

Just my 2 cents.

Damn, **** MacPherson's still kicking?

 

[Pats726]

IIf the Patriots do draft him, I have every confidence that they have checked all of this out. They know one hell of a lot more than anyone of us do. They should because they are the professionals and they have a proven track record.

I agree if they DO draft him, obviously BB/SP would have looked at his background in detail..of course. It's certainly up to them to look at the picks from every angle. I agree with you.

 

[Bostonian1962]

DeAngelo equals lousy hands

O.K. I will admit up front that I have not seen alot of the man running the ball. However, I did see the Cap. One Challenge this weekend. DeAngelo looked to have less than great hands. On the ob. course drills where they are thrown balls, he was 3 out of 5 catching the ball, and bobbled another. Chad Jackson won, followed by TE Jones, followed by Moss, and Williams bringing up the rear. Then on the hands drill where 4 juggs machines fires balls at them, Chad Jackson again was the star, even making a great one handed catch. He won that too, followed by Moss (who showed excellent hands by the way), followed by Jones with Williams again coming in last.

I know hands are only a small part of the equation, but watching him totally turned me off to him. On the flip side I became a believer in Jackson, and even liked what I saw of Moss.

P.S. - The kicker from Memphis (who's name I'm not going to look up right now) dominated. He won the accuracy contest, and the long distance kicking. He didn't miss a kick in either event.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

MG -
I want a RB somewhere in rounds 2-4. I think that its needed and can provide good value to the Pats.

The only RB falling into those rounds I have an interest in is Maurice Drew for his return skills and potential as another change of pace back in the offense - I also think he'd be a decent gunner. After that, pick through the leftovers in the 6th and see if you can find a spark to fan on the Practice Squad.

 

[RyeMan]

I think the Pats will definetly take a RB this draft weekend. We saw last year what can happen when Dillon and Faulk are out for a game or four.

However, I think that they will pass on a 1st round RB and instead nab one in the 3rd through 5th round.

I think it very well could be Jerome Harrison.

Now, if they were to take a RB at #21, I would want Laurence Maroney. He reminds me a lot of Dillon. He is a underated, well-rounded RB.

 

[bakes781]

Now, if they were to take a RB at #21, I would want Laurence Maroney. He reminds me a lot of Dillon. He is a underated, well-rounded RB.

I was just going to say he's the one top rated RB nobody is really talking about.