Status of Dallas Cowboys' Roy Williams slowly sinking
Ever since Darren Hambrick infamously asked, "What do voluntary mean?", the necessity of attending the NFL's voluntary off-season workouts has been called into question.
Here's your answer: Depends on the player or the circumstances or both.
Brian Uhrlacher can miss organized team activities (OTAs) in Chicago because he's a feared player and unquestioned leader in an established system.
Jason Taylor's case is tenuous because of a new regime in Miami, and Bill Parcells wants him to take charge.
Tony Romo withdrew from the Colonial Pro-Am last week so he could make OTAs and avoid another flap like his Mexico getaway.
In 2007, Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams had more tackles than he had in the two previous seasons, but fewer interceptions and passes defended.
Meanwhile, Roy Williams went cruising with the family while his ship in Dallas slowly sinks.
Straight up: As a proponent of family bonding, let me congratulate Williams on his vacation companions. Many successful men pass on quality time. A cruise is a wonderful way to show you care. And besides, it's a big boat.
Anyway, Williams met his family obligations head-on, which is how he once encountered men bearing footballs.
The decline of the latter is one of the reasons Williams should have made other plans last week.
If you think the local media always seems to be bashing Williams for his coverage skills or horse-collar tackles or a lack of insight that passing up the OTAs demonstrates, you're right. Trust me, it's not personal. If we were critical of everyone we don't like or doesn't like us, the paper would look like some of our reader blogs.
Williams is a constant topic of scrutiny because of the inexplicable slide his career has taken in Dallas, and his woeful response.
From the days we watched him in awe in the Cotton Bowl, when the other Roy Williams referred to him as "Superman," he's been a source of fascination. Maybe you recall that I recommended him to the Cowboys. And it was great fun after a Cowboys win against Washington in 2003 to write of "one particularly frightening collision where Roy Williams appeared to be coming from an exit ramp off Highway 183."
Greg Ellis talked of what it meant when Williams made a devastating hit, how it "elevated" everyone's play.
But it's been years since Williams regularly made that kind of impact on opponents or his teammates. Wade Phillips' 3-4 was supposed to enable him, but it never panned out.
In fact, what you got instead was an emergency meeting with Phillips' staff after Williams went on Michael Irvin's radio show this spring and said he sometimes wishes that opponents wouldn't throw his way.
A side note: Considering Williams' comments and Josh Howard's ill-fated decision to call just hours before tip-off, maybe the PR directors of the local franchises should monitor Irvin's guest lists.
So what's gone wrong with Williams? Don't be fooled by the fact that he keeps making Pro Bowls. A player's reputation can carry him for years in Hawaii, if not on the mainland.
Darren Woodson once told me that Roy Williams was the greatest football player he'd ever been around, and he played with some of the best.
But let me ask you: When was the last time Williams made any plays to earn that type of accolade?
ESPN.com's Matt Mosley, a SportsDay alum who's been around the Cowboys for years, offered some interesting insights last week. He reports that the organization was divided on drafting Williams. Some questioned his ability to decipher offenses. Playing alongside Woodson disguised his weaknesses and allowed him to play to his strengths.
But Ken Hamlin had a Pro Bowl season, and it didn't make Williams look any better.
The problem goes deeper than just Woodson's absence. Even when he was a terror on the field, Williams lacked leadership skills. He'd vanish after bad games, forcing teammates to answer for him. He wouldn't take ownership in the secondary. He's worked out on his own this spring, away from teammates, drawing well-meaning concern from Ellis.
And while his teammates practice at Valley Ranch, putting the rest of their lives on hold, Williams hits the deck chairs.
Participating in the OTAs probably wouldn't have made Williams any better, but it would have showed his teammates he's one of them. Even if he can't be Even if he can't be what he was, he owes them that much, and not just a postcard.
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