Why Williams can put it all together in '09
Martz: Cowboys receiver has intelligence, drive and ability to excel
By Albert Breer
In 2008, Roy Williams got what he had long wanted — a return to his home state to play for the Cowboys.
How did it work out? "I don't look at film of last year," Williams said at Cowboys minicamp last month. "Pointless. For me to watch film from last year ... maybe if I watch T.O ... but I'm not going to watch myself block all day long."
And so it was for Williams, who has since become the poster boy for both the half-full and half-empty outlooks on Dallas' 2009 prospects.
The upside: Williams is an athletic, 6-3, 212-pound 27-year-old with a mountain of untapped potential. He's playing in a balanced offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and a three-headed running game. And he has motivation to shed a reputation as a "pampered" player.
The downside: Williams hasn't proved much of anything. He had an 80-catch, 1,310-yard season in 2006. But his offensive coordinator was Mike Martz, whose receivers have posted 17 seasons of 77 catches or more over the last 10 years, as well as 14 1,000-yard campaigns.
Williams has averaged 49.8 catches and 693 yards per game in his other four years — including a second season with Martz in 2007 — and has had three or fewer catches in 36 of 70 career games.
And now he's being counted to serve as the bridge back to the salad days of Tony Romo's nearly three seasons at the helm of the Dallas offense.
That time was the first 12 games of 2007, and it was thanks to a diverse array of skill players headlined by the since-departed Terrell Owens. T.O.'s numbers in that span: 71 catches for 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns, better than 100 yards and a touchdown per contest.
Can Williams be that guy? There are plenty of reasons for doubt, but Williams brings talent, a renewed work ethic and plans to "just be (Romo's) best friend."
To find out what else it'll take to get the most out of Williams, Sporting News enlisted the man who did just that — Martz — and asked him to explain why he believes 2009 is the year the enigmatic wideout will put it all together.
Understanding the offense. Williams played in three different systems in four-plus seasons in Detroit and was thrown into a fourth offense last October in Dallas, with no offseason to learn it. That matters.
"I'm not sure what kind of demands they had on him (last year)," Martz said. "But he's very intelligent, one of those guys who will do what you ask him to, and he really understands the position.
"Because Roy's a pretty intellectual guy, it has to make sense to him what you're doing. He questions a lot of things, but that's all very healthy, very good, as long as you have answers for him. And Jason (offensive coordinator Garrett), with his disposition—he's a bright coach with a good feel—it's a perfect match."
The quarterback understanding him. Williams had his best season with an established starting quarterback (Jon Kitna) who worked with Williams throughout the offseason. Remember what Martz said about Williams having to understand the offense?
Well, conversely, Williams' quarterback, in this case Romo, needs to understand him as well. The fact that Kitna is now Romo's backup should help the quarterback learn.
"Coming in the middle of the season, like Roy did, the timing's gonna be so different, the anticipation's gonna be different," Martz said. "You need an offseason to work. The quarterback has to get a feel for how fast he comes out of his breaks, how he gets off press and where to put the ball on him.
"He's so big, you can just put the ball up, and he'll get it. His 'open' is different than other receiver's 'open,' and the throw doesn't need to be right there."
The games will matter. The Lions went 21-48 in Williams' four-plus seasons in Detroit. Last year was his first playing for a team contending to make the playoffs into the season's final weeks.
"Like all good receivers, he wants the ball, and it was like this with Torry (Holt): You always want to get it to him early to get him in the game," Martz said. "(But) we weren't a good team in Detroit, and the biggest thing now is he doesn't have to be the reason why (the Cowboys) win. They've got a lot of good players.
"Maybe he catches 100 balls, but if he has 65 or 70 and gets those key catches on third down and in the red zone, that where he'll take off and help football teams. When the team's not good, you just get him the ball; that's what we did. I believe he'll excel in more competitive situations."
Talent, period. If Williams is working as hard as he and teammates indicate — after reports surfaced that he wasn't exactly a weight-room regular in Detroit — Martz believes his talent will take over.
"For a big receiver, he can drop his hips and get in out of breaks extremely well—almost like a smaller receiver," Martz said. "And the second thing, when the ball's in the air, he can be in an awkward position, with the ball away and high, and he has an uncanny ability to get it. I've never seen a guy able to convert those third-and-20 clutch situations. He can make that catch."
Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.
By Albert Breer
In 2008, Roy Williams got what he had long wanted — a return to his home state to play for the Cowboys.
How did it work out? "I don't look at film of last year," Williams said at Cowboys minicamp last month. "Pointless. For me to watch film from last year ... maybe if I watch T.O ... but I'm not going to watch myself block all day long."
And so it was for Williams, who has since become the poster boy for both the half-full and half-empty outlooks on Dallas' 2009 prospects.
The upside: Williams is an athletic, 6-3, 212-pound 27-year-old with a mountain of untapped potential. He's playing in a balanced offense with a Pro Bowl quarterback and a three-headed running game. And he has motivation to shed a reputation as a "pampered" player.
The downside: Williams hasn't proved much of anything. He had an 80-catch, 1,310-yard season in 2006. But his offensive coordinator was Mike Martz, whose receivers have posted 17 seasons of 77 catches or more over the last 10 years, as well as 14 1,000-yard campaigns.
Williams has averaged 49.8 catches and 693 yards per game in his other four years — including a second season with Martz in 2007 — and has had three or fewer catches in 36 of 70 career games.
And now he's being counted to serve as the bridge back to the salad days of Tony Romo's nearly three seasons at the helm of the Dallas offense.
That time was the first 12 games of 2007, and it was thanks to a diverse array of skill players headlined by the since-departed Terrell Owens. T.O.'s numbers in that span: 71 catches for 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns, better than 100 yards and a touchdown per contest.
Can Williams be that guy? There are plenty of reasons for doubt, but Williams brings talent, a renewed work ethic and plans to "just be (Romo's) best friend."
To find out what else it'll take to get the most out of Williams, Sporting News enlisted the man who did just that — Martz — and asked him to explain why he believes 2009 is the year the enigmatic wideout will put it all together.
Understanding the offense. Williams played in three different systems in four-plus seasons in Detroit and was thrown into a fourth offense last October in Dallas, with no offseason to learn it. That matters.
"I'm not sure what kind of demands they had on him (last year)," Martz said. "But he's very intelligent, one of those guys who will do what you ask him to, and he really understands the position.
"Because Roy's a pretty intellectual guy, it has to make sense to him what you're doing. He questions a lot of things, but that's all very healthy, very good, as long as you have answers for him. And Jason (offensive coordinator Garrett), with his disposition—he's a bright coach with a good feel—it's a perfect match."
The quarterback understanding him. Williams had his best season with an established starting quarterback (Jon Kitna) who worked with Williams throughout the offseason. Remember what Martz said about Williams having to understand the offense?
Well, conversely, Williams' quarterback, in this case Romo, needs to understand him as well. The fact that Kitna is now Romo's backup should help the quarterback learn.
"Coming in the middle of the season, like Roy did, the timing's gonna be so different, the anticipation's gonna be different," Martz said. "You need an offseason to work. The quarterback has to get a feel for how fast he comes out of his breaks, how he gets off press and where to put the ball on him.
"He's so big, you can just put the ball up, and he'll get it. His 'open' is different than other receiver's 'open,' and the throw doesn't need to be right there."
The games will matter. The Lions went 21-48 in Williams' four-plus seasons in Detroit. Last year was his first playing for a team contending to make the playoffs into the season's final weeks.
"Like all good receivers, he wants the ball, and it was like this with Torry (Holt): You always want to get it to him early to get him in the game," Martz said. "(But) we weren't a good team in Detroit, and the biggest thing now is he doesn't have to be the reason why (the Cowboys) win. They've got a lot of good players.
"Maybe he catches 100 balls, but if he has 65 or 70 and gets those key catches on third down and in the red zone, that where he'll take off and help football teams. When the team's not good, you just get him the ball; that's what we did. I believe he'll excel in more competitive situations."
Talent, period. If Williams is working as hard as he and teammates indicate — after reports surfaced that he wasn't exactly a weight-room regular in Detroit — Martz believes his talent will take over.
"For a big receiver, he can drop his hips and get in out of breaks extremely well—almost like a smaller receiver," Martz said. "And the second thing, when the ball's in the air, he can be in an awkward position, with the ball away and high, and he has an uncanny ability to get it. I've never seen a guy able to convert those third-and-20 clutch situations. He can make that catch."
Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:18 PM
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