Worst Moments In Bills History, No. 18: Drafting Mike Williams
by MattRichWarren on Jul 16, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
in Buffalo Bills History
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PrintThis is part of our countdown of the 25 worst moments in Buffalo Bills History. Check out the complete list, as well as the 25 best moments in team history, right here.
The Buffalo Bills made Mike Williams the fourth overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Tom Donahoe made him the centerpiece of his second draft class, and Williams was supposed to lock down a spot on the left side of Buffalo's offensive line for a decade. That didn't happen.
Let me be clear from the beginning: no Bills draft choice has hurt the team more in the last 25 years than Mike Williams. What about the terrible quarterbacks or a pass rusher that doesn't work out like Aaron Maybin or Erik Flowers, you say? That happens. Those guys bust. Selecting an offensive lineman near the top of the draft is supposed to be a safe bet. If he doesn't become the left tackle of the future, he should be able to play right tackle or guard or somewhere along that line (pun intended). Williams is the only draft choice to make the list of worst moments for that reason.
Williams began his career at right tackle and never made the transition to the left side. He lost his starting spot in 2005, then GM Marv Levy cut the big tackle soon thereafter when he took over the football operations. Williams never lacked the talent. He lacked the desire. When he signed his contract, his waistline ballooned and his effort went the opposite direction.
I hate playing the "what if" game, but three spots later, Pro Bowl left tackle Bryant McKinnie came off the board to the Minnesota Vikings. He's started 131 games at left tackle for the Vikings, and is scheduled to be their opening day left tackle this season.
Williams was cut in the pre-season of the 2006 campaign by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and briefly re-surfaced with the Washington Redskins in 2009. But he's once again out of football.
The Bills have spent the last nine years trying to find an offensive tackle. Until Chris Hairston was drafted in the fourth round in 2011, the team has not spent a pick before the fifth round on an offensive tackle.
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While McKinnie certainly would have been a better selection in hindsight, he is slightly overrated. He’s a solid LT, but not great.
Maximus Dareus Meridius -- Commander of the Buffalo Legion of the far East. Defensive End to a troubled unit. Rookie to a troubled team. And he will have his vengeance, in this season or the next.
by NordicBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 10:09 AM EDT reply actions
Eh if you don’t have to worry about a very important positional group for 10+ years id say that’s far from over-rated imo. I remember being pretty surprised with this pick over mckinney. I remember mckinney doing a fine job against dwight Freeney in college. Really too bad…I remember the excellent charisma and personality that big mike brought to training camp his first year, then it all fell apart. I really hope this new rookie pay scale will force more first round picks to put in the time and effort to fulfill their true potential.
by bizarro bills on Jul 16, 2011 10:33 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
While McKinnie certainly would have been a better selection in hindsight, he is slightly overrated.
Plus, he held out for half of his rookie year.
For that reason alone, I still wouldn’t consider him the better selection . . .
.
Then you’re nuts. After sitting out the first half of his first season, he’s been a starter at the second most important position on the offense for 10 years. Williams busted after three. How does his holdout make him a worse pick than Williams?
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
by stetzwebs on Jul 16, 2011 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Gotta Wonder how we could have such a bad run of luck in missing out
On our early picks like we have. In many cases those team needs are still there so it’s not like the organization was blind to our needs. It begs the questions if it was coaching, untalented players, poor scouting etc… Really has hurt us.
YOU ARE OUT of you kuku fufu mine craker laker Flaber baber FUNKI chunki brain. WE want to winn every year -- abayarde
It begs the questions if it was coaching, untalented players, poor scouting etc…
All of the above.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Your being too obvious and I agree.
IMO it is so much deeper than that. I will never blame Ralph, He is the owner and should have the highest level of control, but I never once will agree that his goal is mediocrity. He may be a master of trying to find gold with mediocrity, but never a total I’m the man guy.
Still, in the past ten years, we have lost Phillips, donahoe, Williams, Mularkey and finally Jaroun. It is my opinion that all of those guys, wanted more control of things that Wilson was willing to relinguish. Those conflicts along with poor drafts choices at critical times has been devestating.
All of these coaches, GM are very reputiable men in the NFL, it is no wonder that we have struggled getting FA to want to come to Buffalo without breaking the bank.
YOU ARE OUT of you kuku fufu mine craker laker Flaber baber FUNKI chunki brain. WE want to winn every year -- abayarde
Yeah it is too obvious
If I had to rank them:
Poor drafting (far and away #1)
Poor coaching (including the inability to develop talent)
Bad luck
Meddling ownership
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions
It doesn’t necessarily have to be “meddling” ownership to be bad ownership. Chuck Knox had some pretty bad things to say about Ralph Wilson in Knox’s memoirs (Hard Knox: The Life of an NFL Coach: Chuck Knox).
Perception is reality; but if your perception is off, you live in your own reality. -- perkispower
by thefourwinds on Jul 16, 2011 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
You’re right, they are not mutually exclusive but I feel that RW has a bit of a track record of getting in the way of football decisions. That’s why I like the hierarchy as it is now. Nix (a football guy) seems be have the final say.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
and I didn’t want to say RW is a bad owner, just that he has definitely made sure he had his way in the past.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 7:23 PM EDT up reply actions
We managed to develop Jason Peters
around the same time as Mike was here. He learnt it all and became a very fine LT indeed. So I do not think poor line coaching can be attributed for Mike Williams flop.
The Buffalo Bills - Drafting for size, speed and destruction since 2011.
While one example hardly qualifies as a trend
I see what you’re saying. It seems like Williams just wasn’t interested in being great and coaching didn’t have a lot to do with it. The above list is just a quick thought as to why the Bills haven’t been any good in 10 years.
I do believe the drafting has been awful but the Bills have a lot of talent on the roster that isn’t developing like it should. McKelvin is hopefully going to get there but what the he’ll is going on with Maybin? He can’t get on the field and I have to believe that part of that is coaching (and I put that more on Juron than Gailey).
For every Williams (Kyle), Johnson (Stevie) and Peters you have McCargo, Hardy and Williams (Pat). The latter high draft picks who seemingly had all the talent in the world and didn’t work out.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Pat Williams? Didn't you mean "Mike"?
Fat Pat was an undrafted college player who took a couple years to develop (much like I hope Jasper does), gave us some awesome years, and then we stupidly let him go.
"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.
by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Jul 16, 2011 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I do not believe
that “stupidly” begins to cover when the Bills let Pat Williams go. By all reports at the time he wanted to stay and was even willing to give the Bills a bit of a home town discount.
Like I said, stupid does not do that move justice :-(
The Buffalo Bills - Drafting for size, speed and destruction since 2011.
Yes, I meant Mike.
Fat Pat was (is) the man!
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 17, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Puke.
I couldnt believe what a waste of talent and money that guy was.
He is the reason there should be a rookie pay scale, him and Dumbarcuss.
Now attending the Univ. of Hockey.
I don’t agree with the sentiment that other positions can and will bust sometimes, but a high draft pick on an O-lineman should be a safe pick because he can be moved around. It’s just not fair to expect that; especially since O-linemen are rarely granted the credit they deserve for a successful offense.
You said it best in the article…this prospect busted because of his lack of desire and not lack of talent. Therefore, he would unlikely succeed at another line position.
This is a good example of fans not understanding just how specialized the O-line roles are. Just because someone is an ideal tackle does NOT mean they can simply plug and play at guard or center.
It's simple, but it aint easy. *2
This is a good example of fans not understanding just how specialized the O-line roles are. Just because someone is an ideal tackle does NOT mean they can simply plug and play at guard or center.
But that’s happened. Repeatedly and in every NFL town. Robert Gallery was a high tackle prospect that was moved to guard. Willie Colon might be moving to guard. Chris Williams with the Bears.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Jul 16, 2011 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, it happens. George Wilson moved from WR to safety, too. Players change positions everywhere on the roster.
The problem I see is that too many football fans assume it’s an automatic transition from tackle to guard, but other position changes are close to impossible. A great example is OLB in a 3-4 and DE in a 4-3. An extremely similar position in theory, but few players are expected to be fine at either spot. That’s in contrast to the weekly commet about signing this or that OLman and saying “well, he can be a guard, swing tackle, and back-up center.”
It happens at all positions, but it’s unfair (IMO) to expect that out of one group more than others. :)
It's simple, but it aint easy. *2
To me Flowers was worse
not only because I had him as a 5th rounder, but because it seemed to symbolize the ‘end’ of a run. Butler & Ralph were done & that pick was the result; satisfying cap issues by bailing on a 1st; big organizational changes coming; etc.. Actually stopped following the draft for a bit.
At least Williams was highly rated, b4 he tanked.
by Blood, sweat & Win on Jul 16, 2011 12:05 PM EDT reply actions
Big money was all he wanted...
In two seasons as his coach (2004, 2005) even offensive line coach Jim “Mouse” McNally couldn’t get production from him. The bright side is Williams’s failure gave Jason Peters a chance to start.
But I wonder if it’s possible to measure desire in college players moving up to the NFL. The awards this guy earned during his college career are impressive. At the end of his senior season Williams was named as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association, along with the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
That same year the kid was also selected as a 2001 second-team All-American by the Associated Press and The Sporting News.
It sure looked like he had game when he came out but I guess the prize for him was the millions in Ralph’s money he managed to boost. The Buffalo News gives a figure of $23 million over four seasons. I guess that’s all Williams needed to be happy.
"It will be the 3-4. We can’t be changing every year." Buddy Nix, Jan 26, 2011
Mike Williams was a good pick at the time
He was a safe pick coming out of college he wasn’t like Maybin because we all knew Maybin would suck. But a lot of people don’t know that Mike Williams was playing pretty well with the Bills early in 2004 then before one of the games he flipped his car on the way to the stadium. He ended up missing that game and hurt his back in the accident. He was never the same player after that. So although he may have lacked some desire he did have a back problem that ended up being a serious issue during his career.
The Maybin pick was pretty highly regarded as I remember.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions
A back problem...?
Hell, Jim Kelly just had surgery on his back for naging injuries he suffered while playing,..So are you saying that Big Mike needed more than a season and a half to get over some back pain?
Williams was at the point where he had become morbidly obese at 400+ lbs. Oh yeah, that’s motivation!
Please, the guy got his bucks and that’s all he wanted back then. In some ways I understand; Why would you want to put your body thru a world of hurt when you’ve already banked $23 million dollars?
I guess you should begin to measure a player’s completive drive right away after he signs his first contract. Williams never had that burn on. Did Maybin have it after he got his bucks?
Here’s a bummer of a thought, C.J Spiller was paid the big dollars last year. Is he going to put out or just sit back on his hinds this year?
"It will be the 3-4. We can’t be changing every year." Buddy Nix, Jan 26, 2011
by Lancelot Link on Jul 16, 2011 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions
With a new rookie wage scale, at least there will be more of an incentive for the guys who are only in it for a payday.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 16, 2011 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with you...
but to be fair I just don’t know how I would’ve responded if at 22 years old I was given MILLIONS!
I guess it would be tempting to just kind of screw off for a while.
"It will be the 3-4. We can’t be changing every year." Buddy Nix, Jan 26, 2011
by Lancelot Link on Jul 16, 2011 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
No doubt, I’d probably be close to dead after about 12 hours.
"It’s like I’ve always said, don’t tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby."
- Buddy Nix
"How can a guy with a name like Melo be such a pain in the ass?"
- George Lopez
by dnvrBillsfan on Jul 17, 2011 8:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Cousineau choice was MUCH worse
Just saw your list today. At least Williams played a few seasons for the Bills. Cousineau was a number one overall draft pick, supposed to be a future HOF’er. How do you draft a player number one without a clue how to sign him?
The Bills apparently offered him a fair deal based on what the other picks around him were signing for. I’m not excusing the Bills because it was their job to sign him.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Jul 16, 2011 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions
At least the Cousineau pick got the Bills Jim Kelly.
"We knew it could get out of hand..." Dick Jauron following 56-10 loss to New England.
Mike #@&*!!!
Miike (lard ass, pizza snorting, sissy man, no heart) Williams should not have been the Bills pick it should have been McKinnie. McKinnie was the top rated OT coming out of college that year, he tossed Freeny around like Boselli threw Bruuuce around in the Bills playoff loss to the Jags. McKinnie didn’t allow a sack in his college career, he was from Jersey and played JUCO in Pennsylvania.
I didn’t agree when the Bills took Williams over McKinnie then and certainly agree with this article that Williams belongs in the worst moments in Bills History. It is still hard to believe what a stiff Williams turned out to be and once Maybin gets the boot those two will go hand & hand as the two biggest flops in the Bills drafting history… So much was needed and so much was expected that their failures seem to intensify each year on how far they set the Bills back.
.
"Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP."
- Joe Namath
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