Roy Williams

[SoCal]

I read this on SI.com....

Cowboys safety Roy Williams' declining work ethic, centers on diminishing pass-coverage skills over the last two seasons. "Roy has gone from being acceptable in coverage, to a joke," said one voice. "It's like he thinks he's an entertainer now, looking to make SportsCenter with his hits, while blowing off what he needs to be concentrating on."
-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/scorecard/01/15/truth.rumors.nfl/index.html?cnn=yes

[goingoneight]

Roy would be better at LB. He's too big to be all alone in the defensive backfield, since Henry and what's his face sure as hell can't cover anyone. Dallas should move Roy to LB and either coach their DB's to stick to their assignments or draft/trade for others... Just my $.02

[SoonerGM]

thats a shame. i cant understand why he gets the blame for blown coverages... hes the safety, not the CB. the secondary for dallas is pretty much a joke. thats what they get for spending so much money on another teams reject.

i was watching the ravens in the playoffs game the other night. ed reed was making plays like crazy. but something else i noticed, thier corners were on the wide recievers like glue. in my opinion, this frees the safety up to make plays on the ball, and not the man.

unfortunalty for TRRW, he doesnt have that luxury, because the corners for dallas are too busy wondering wtf just happened. since roy happens to be there, he gets the blame.

of course the media down there in texas says stuff like this about him all the time, but what do they say about the rest of the secondary? "well, of course db's are going to get beat from time to time".

[Ruuuuuufus]

Newman is one of the best corners in the NFL. They are moving Henry to FS... if they can pick up a guy like Samuel in free agency I think it would help alot.

[boomersooner28]

IMO, they use TRRW all wrong. Dallas can't get pressure on anybody with the front four, which in turn puts your entire secondary on islands. When an NFL QB has all day to throw, and NFL receivers have all day to run around, NO secondary can cover them. When they do blitz TRRW, the send him on a sorry blitz package, he gets picked up easily and the QB has all day to find the open WR. Dallas' blitz schemes are from the 6th grade. Yes, losing Greg Ellis hurt Dallas a lot over the past 7 weeks of the season, but you have to formulate a way to get pressure on the QB. Leaving TRRW back to cover is a coaching mistake. He needs to be closer to the line of scrimmage stopping the run and smacking the slanting WR's and TE's.


But then again, what do I know.

[SoonerGM]

i think you know what the rest of us know. TRRW dominated here at OU, and if dallas wants to see a similar performance, then they should try utilizing him in the same fashion.

i will give newman some credit. i wasnt really referring to him earlier, even though i did make a blanket statement. i dont know, dallas has a lot of problems on the D side of the ball... its like they could be good, but they arent.

[DustySooner]

What a joke. He sucks so bad that he was elected to the Pro Bowl yet again. That's what, four out five year now? Give me a break.

He's a linebacker at safety. He's not as fast as other safteys, but they can compensate for that. They just give him too much area to try and cover, in my opinion.

[Scott D]

What a joke. He sucks so bad that he was elected to the Pro Bowl yet again. That's what, four out five year now? Give me a break.

He's a linebacker at safety. He's not as fast as other safteys, but they can compensate for that. They just give him too much area to try and cover, in my opinion.

the pro bowl is a joke.

[Snrfn4ever08]

What a joke. He sucks so bad that he was elected to the Pro Bowl yet again. That's what, four out five year now? Give me a break.

He's a linebacker at safety. He's not as fast as other safteys, but they can compensate for that. They just give him too much area to try and cover, in my opinion.

Well, you know most Pro Bowler's are complete jokes :rolleyes: They're just still ****ed about the whole Chrissy Simms situation. They should start asking him to blitz and jump the line, that'll get results. :D

[tulsaoilerfan]

the pro bowl is a joke.
Agreed; once you make some of the positions once , especially on the O-line, it's like a lifetime pass to Hawaii:D

[TMcGee86]

IMO, they use TRRW all wrong. Dallas can't get pressure on anybody with the front four, which in turn puts your entire secondary on islands. When an NFL QB has all day to throw, and NFL receivers have all day to run around, NO secondary can cover them. When they do blitz TRRW, the send him on a sorry blitz package, he gets picked up easily and the QB has all day to find the open WR. Dallas' blitz schemes are from the 6th grade. Yes, losing Greg Ellis hurt Dallas a lot over the past 7 weeks of the season, but you have to formulate a way to get pressure on the QB. Leaving TRRW back to cover is a coaching mistake. He needs to be closer to the line of scrimmage stopping the run and smacking the slanting WR's and TE's.


But then again, what do I know.

This is a great post. You are exactly right.

I have taken up for Roy for the past five years but this year I just cant keep making excuses. His skills are seriously declining.

I have no idea if it really is from poor work ethic or what but he simply cannot read routes or cover in space.

Many times he is forced to compensate for a defect at another secondary position, but there are times where he just flat out gets beat and gets beat bad. The seattle game was a good example, the TE just owned him on that first touchdown and on the second he had over the top protection and because Bradie James got beat so bad Roy couldn't get over in time and got beat there as well. The first was totally his fault, the second was only partially his fault but it was a play he should have made.


He started out the season well, but at the end was just poor in all aspects including hitting.


But Dallas does misuse him and the blitzes they send him on are just pathetic.

I love Roy and always will, but he needs to step it up. I just hope Dallas pulls their heads out and gets him a real FS and starts using him in a more hybrid role.

[47straight]

Any truth to the accusation that any problems are because of "declining work ethic"? Otherwise it's strong words for sports writers who sit behind a desk for 4 hours a day.

[sooner94]

First of all, why isn't the source of the comment on Roy Williams' work ethic named? Probably because its a fatass sportwriter that has never played football. If the source was credible, they would say who it was.

Also, its funny how everyone mentions Ed Reed as the best safety in the NFL. It probably helps that Baltimore is in the top 4 in sacks this year at 60 (or 61?), and Dallas is tied for 19th at 34. Dallas had no pass rush this year, especially after Greg Ellis was lost for the season. No matter how good your DB's are, they can't cover all day without a pass rush.

And CB Henry looks like he doesn't know where he is half the time. Newman is pretty solid at CB. And Dallas has had the worst FS's in the league for the last few years.

True, TRRW is not the best pass cover safety in the league, but the man has been put on an island this year.

OK, I'm done now.

[picasso]

he's not too big to play safety and he still has good speed. it's all about the technique.

[colleyvillesooner]

Agreed; once you make some of the positions once , especially on the O-line, it's like a lifetime pass to Hawaii:D

*cough* Larry Allen *cough*

[colleyvillesooner]

Roy is also about 20-30 pounds too light to play LB in Dallas's system. How will he handle all that weight? Something tells me that won't help in coverage as an LB either. He'll just get burnt there too.

He needs a great cover safety. Bottom line. That will make him a great Strong Safety again. Look at his numbers before and after Darren Woodson. Only number that is up is his passes defended, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

[batonrougesooner]

Ed Reed. 5 int, 5 pass deflections this year.

Roy Williams, 5 int, 9 pass deflections.

Roy is a stud. Would have had six interceptions and an touchdown if not for the penalty early in the game against Detroit.

When is the last time we say Roy blitz up the middle? They always bring him from the corner to get cut by the back.

Roy still brings the wood and makes plays. His busts are magnified because he is TRRW.

You judge work ethic on results. He is still getting results.

[colleyvillesooner]

When is the last time we say Roy blitz up the middle? They always bring him from the corner to get cut by the back.

Maybe cause he's not as good at shedding an offensive lineman? He has a better shot at getting through the back or tight end.

[boomersooner28]

You can't really compare TRRW to Ed Reed people. Ed Reed has 7 Pro Bowlers playing in front of and beside him. The Ravens corners are second to none, and the front 7 are the best in the NFL. The front 4 can get pressure on the QB and I think we all know about the LB's, ahem, Ray Lewis. Ed Reed gets to roam where ever the hell he pleases and smack people. TRRW actually has to TRY and contain his section, and everbody elses section of the field, while the opposing QB and WR's have all day to run around.

[SoonerTerry]

unfortunalty for TRRW, he doesnt have that luxury, because the corners for dallas are too busy wondering wtf just happened.
.

That mde me laugh...:D

[SouthCarolinaSooner]

the pro bowl is a joke.
No kidding man.

[Scott D]

Ed Reed. 5 int, 5 pass deflections this year.

Roy Williams, 5 int, 9 pass deflections.

Roy is a stud. Would have had six interceptions and an touchdown if not for the penalty early in the game against Detroit.

When is the last time we say Roy blitz up the middle? They always bring him from the corner to get cut by the back.

Roy still brings the wood and makes plays. His busts are magnified because he is TRRW.

You judge work ethic on results. He is still getting results.

Brian Dawkins 4 int, 9 pass deflections.

Dawkins is a better all around safety than TRRW.

This is where the vehement cowboys defender points out that Dawkins plays behind a better defense....or that he plays free safety instead of strong safety.

[tbl]

The one thing that cannot be overlooked is that usually if he was getting beat by receivers, he'd make them (or somebody else) pay for it. I can't remember one time this season (especially later on) that he punished anybody except for kickoffs. We all know he's not the best cover safety, but he needs to be laying hits, and for whatever reason he ain't doing it.

[TripleOption14]

I tend to agree that he is being used wrong. It seems to me that if one was to use TRRW the way the Steelers use Polamalu the Cowboys would be a lot better off. The defensive scheme is the exact same. It seems like the Steelers use their 3-4 just a bit different and more effective.

[FourKings]

Roy is also about 20-30 pounds too light to play LB in Dallas's system. How will he handle all that weight? Something tells me that won't help in coverage as an LB either. He'll just get burnt there too.

He needs a great cover safety. Bottom line. That will make him a great Strong Safety again. Look at his numbers before and after Darren Woodson. Only number that is up is his passes defended, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

This is it right here IMO, I was looking for a post along these lines, no one seems to remember how dominant the secondary was when DW was back there. I go to a few games every year, and since he retired, they have looked clueless, if nothing else they need to sign him as a secondary coach, the guy knows the game. But, then again, we are talking about the worst coached team in the NFL, and besides, I despise Parcells fat a** anway, the guy is just a freakin bully and I dont think he's a very good coach. (record is showing that, the great fat tuna man is .500 lmao)
Roy has got to have help back there, and Jones knows that, he has said as much recently, so look for them to make a move for a solid free safety before camp starts! Had they had the guy THIS year who knows.....?

[Big Red Ron]

You can't really compare TRRW to Ed Reed people. Ed Reed has 7 Pro Bowlers playing in front of and beside him. The Ravens corners are second to none, and the front 7 are the best in the NFL. The front 4 can get pressure on the QB and I think we all know about the LB's, ahem, Ray Lewis. Ed Reed gets to roam where ever the hell he pleases and smack people. TRRW actually has to TRY and contain his section, and everbody elses section of the field, while the opposing QB and WR's have all day to run around.:twinkies:

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Everytime I see him get beat is when he is covering the Deep Third of the field, where he shouldn't be anyway. He should be punishing people coming across the middle of the field. If he gets beat by a wide reciever, that isn't necessarily his fault since about 95% of safeties can't cover good wide receivers. As for tight ends, their value to offensive systems continue to rise every year as they can be faster than linebackers but bigger and stronger than corners and safeties.