The beatin' goes on for Cowboys' Roy Williams
By Jaime Aron
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, May 30, 2008
IRVING — Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams is used to dealing out big hits. Lately, his reputation has been taking its share.
Williams has gone from fan favorite to fans' favorite punching bag in recent years, mostly because of how often touchdown passes are thrown with him in the vicinity.
He hasn't helped himself, in or out of the locker room, by blaming others, from reporters he accused of not understanding what was happening to teammates he claimed to be bailing out. At least, that's what he would say the few times he was willing to be interviewed.
Coaches keep insisting the big hitter is just fine as a cover guy, even though last season they began sending him to the sideline in obvious passing situations.
All that is merely background to set up how things have gotten worse in recent weeks.
It started with Williams going on a local radio station and admitting there were times last season when he lined up against someone he knew he couldn't cover, leaving him hoping the quarterback wouldn't throw his way.
Then longtime teammate Greg Ellis said in a radio interview that Williams grumbled about not fitting into coach Wade Phillips' defense. He also accused Williams of avoiding teammates by working out early in the mornings, leaving before anyone else arrives.
Soon, coaches invited Williams in for a heart-to-heart chat.
The first week of organized team activities would have been a great time for Williams to step forward and clear the air, with teammates and fans, via the media.
Instead, he took his family to Mexico.
He was probably back in time to hear cornerback Terence Newman tell a local television station Sunday that there were times last season that Williams came into the huddle with the "deer in the headlights" look.
When Williams returned to work Tuesday, he was greeted by a local newspaper column headlined, "Status of Dallas Cowboys' Roy Williams slowly sinking."
On Wednesday, when the locker room was open to media, Williams had another chance to voice his side of the story.
He never showed up at his locker.
So much for the changes he talked about in January, when he said he was switching from No. 31 to 38 as a way of reinventing himself.
By staying away from the cameras, Williams left others to talk about him again. Predictably, coaches and team owner Jerry Jones came to his defense, and Newman was forced to break down his buzzworthy quote.
"I think every DB in the league has looked like a deer in the headlights at times," Newman said, adding he heard the same thing from then-coach Bill Parcells early in his own career. Of course, Parcells chided Williams by saying he's "a biscuit short of a linebacker.''
"It wasn't like I said during the whole season last year Roy was looking like a deer in the headlights. I said 'at times.' It happens. I stick behind it,'' Newman said.
Phillips is living up to his reputation as a player's coach, insisting that Williams "did not give up a deep pass last year, not one," and giving him credit by association: "He was on a 13-3 team that, pass-defense wise was in the top five."
"He can do better, but he was voted into the Pro Bowl. He was our second-leading tackler missing two games, so he had a lot of positive last year that I think people are overlooking."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, May 30, 2008
IRVING — Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams is used to dealing out big hits. Lately, his reputation has been taking its share.
Williams has gone from fan favorite to fans' favorite punching bag in recent years, mostly because of how often touchdown passes are thrown with him in the vicinity.
He hasn't helped himself, in or out of the locker room, by blaming others, from reporters he accused of not understanding what was happening to teammates he claimed to be bailing out. At least, that's what he would say the few times he was willing to be interviewed.
Coaches keep insisting the big hitter is just fine as a cover guy, even though last season they began sending him to the sideline in obvious passing situations.
All that is merely background to set up how things have gotten worse in recent weeks.
It started with Williams going on a local radio station and admitting there were times last season when he lined up against someone he knew he couldn't cover, leaving him hoping the quarterback wouldn't throw his way.
Then longtime teammate Greg Ellis said in a radio interview that Williams grumbled about not fitting into coach Wade Phillips' defense. He also accused Williams of avoiding teammates by working out early in the mornings, leaving before anyone else arrives.
Soon, coaches invited Williams in for a heart-to-heart chat.
The first week of organized team activities would have been a great time for Williams to step forward and clear the air, with teammates and fans, via the media.
Instead, he took his family to Mexico.
He was probably back in time to hear cornerback Terence Newman tell a local television station Sunday that there were times last season that Williams came into the huddle with the "deer in the headlights" look.
When Williams returned to work Tuesday, he was greeted by a local newspaper column headlined, "Status of Dallas Cowboys' Roy Williams slowly sinking."
On Wednesday, when the locker room was open to media, Williams had another chance to voice his side of the story.
He never showed up at his locker.
So much for the changes he talked about in January, when he said he was switching from No. 31 to 38 as a way of reinventing himself.
By staying away from the cameras, Williams left others to talk about him again. Predictably, coaches and team owner Jerry Jones came to his defense, and Newman was forced to break down his buzzworthy quote.
"I think every DB in the league has looked like a deer in the headlights at times," Newman said, adding he heard the same thing from then-coach Bill Parcells early in his own career. Of course, Parcells chided Williams by saying he's "a biscuit short of a linebacker.''
"It wasn't like I said during the whole season last year Roy was looking like a deer in the headlights. I said 'at times.' It happens. I stick behind it,'' Newman said.
Phillips is living up to his reputation as a player's coach, insisting that Williams "did not give up a deep pass last year, not one," and giving him credit by association: "He was on a 13-3 team that, pass-defense wise was in the top five."
"He can do better, but he was voted into the Pro Bowl. He was our second-leading tackler missing two games, so he had a lot of positive last year that I think people are overlooking."
posted by The Gryphon at 11:13 PM
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