RVJ

Williams Brings Size And Savvy By Tim Yotter Date: May 14, 2005 Pat Williams was the first free agent to sign with the Vikings in March, and the team is hoping his impact on a young defensive line is nearly as quick. He brings size, experience and a Pro Bowl anchor to the middle of the defensive line, even if he didn’t feel appreciated in Buffalo. Pat Williams signed with the Vikings less than 24 hours into this year’s free-agent signing period, and his acquisition is a key component to the Vikings’ continuing theme to build their defense from the front back. Besides back-to-back double-digit sack seasons for Lance Johnstone and Kevin Williams – and the latter going to the Pro Bowl after 2004 – the Vikings’ defensive line hasn’t had a consistent presence, one that puts fear in offenses. But around the league, from sports-talk radio shows to print journalists, NFL observers are talking up the newest version of the purple’s front four. Johnstone has put in his time in the league, but Kevin Williams is entering his third NFL season, Kenechi Udeze, Spencer Johnson and Darrion Scott their second and Erasmus James his first. Yes, the Vikings’ defensive line is generally one of great hope and promise – and not as much experience. Besides Johnstone and Pat Williams. “I’ll teach them all the small stuff – the technique, how to line up right, how to get off the ball and then most of all, win,” Pat Williams said of working with the younger players. Winning is a common theme when Williams talks about coming to Minnesota. The recruiting process was easy, as evidenced by his prompt signing. “Eight years in football and I haven’t gotten over the hump yet. I know the Vikings have a good offense. They were just missing this part and this part on defense – it was easy. I came here for one reason – to win. “Houston was trying to get me, and Cincinnati, but I already knew I wanted to come here. It’s the right place for me and the right situation.” That wasn’t the case in Buffalo, where he was apparently perennially frustrated. When asked if Buffalo was concerned about him putting on too much weight (his 317-pound listing on the roster seems like part of a pound-shaving scandal), Williams isn’t shy about his opinion on the Bills. “(Buffalo general manager Tom Donahoe) doesn’t know what he’s doing down there. I want to play every snap. I don’t have no weight problem, that’s the other guys. I’m good.” “I guess they don’t want to win. I’d been there eight years and had no problems. I didn’t cause any problems.” Williams sounded downright frustrated with the situation in Buffalo, repeatedly saying he didn’t know what the problem was there but that he didn’t think they wanted to win. It’s that last part that has him looking forward to his time in Minnesota, where he, like many in NFL circles, feels the Vikings have a chance to do well in the playoffs. “I want to win some games first, and I want to win our division and get home-field advantage. I’ve been in football eight years and I’ve been to the playoffs twice,” he said. “I want to see how it feels to get there and I want to get to the next level. I think the Vikings got it.” Another thing the Vikings have is defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who also coached Williams in Buffalo. “I love Ted. He’s laid back. He’s wants all his guys to play every snap,” Williams said. Williams says he still would have come to Minnesota if it weren’t for Cottrell. But having a familiar face is as big a bonus to Cottrell as it is to Williams, who will be one of five or six new starters on defense but one of the few that has extended experience with Cottrell’s system. However intricate Cottrell’s system may be, Williams’ philosophy of how he plays is downright simply … and very old-school. “I just love to work out. I love to beat centers up,” he said. What Williams bring to the Vikings, according to pro personnel director Paul Wiggin, a former NFL defensive lineman and defensive line coach, is the ability to occupy two offensive linemen without giving away the line of scrimmage. He plays with leverage and savvy, Wiggin says. Williams may be great at technique, but even the casual observer can’t help but notice his girth. His workout is lifting, treadmills and stepmasters, he said. But surprisingly, his diet isn’t close to what some might imagine. “Breakfast and lunch and nothing else,” he said. “I was born big. I was like nine pounds (at birth). I was 240 in high school, and then when I went to junior college I was 265 and ended at 305.” Now he is listed – listed – at 317, but size aside, he also brings a mental edge to a young defensive line. “It’s all natural to me now. I can read offensive linemen quick,” he said. It didn’t hurt having some of the best nose tackle mentors in the business, as Williams played alongside Ted Washington and Sam Adams. He still sees Washington often and says he’s like a big brother. Now that role of Pro Bowl talent playing mentor to young linemen falls to Williams.

There's one guy faster in this years draft...Troy Williamson...he is a burner. But in a twenty yard dash Roscoe wins.

Its the one postion that can't wear a red jeresy at training camp. Time is on are side. I still say keep him for insurance in case Willis goes down.

Anyone know who the artist of that song is. And the name. Thanks !!!

Wow he has some serious wrinkles on his forehead. He could play a character on Star Trek.

Thanks...........Thank God for mute though.

Happy birthday to Dennis Rodman and Joe Louis.

Yea I need new glasses

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Makes me hunger the upcoming season even more. http://multimedia.realcities.com:8080/ramg...ts/nolan_768.rm 49ers' Nolan, caught on tape, proves quite a catch What?" linebacker Ray Lewis bellowed, incredulously, when he saw Nolan's call. Then he skulked back to the huddle and reluctantly relayed it to his teammates. What happened next is one of the many revealing moments during the NFL Network's landmark broadcast. A dozen players and coaches wore microphones for the duration of that Week 10 game, but few grabbed as much airtime as Nolan, who was forced to deal with a rebellious superstar, several injured players and a pivotal goal-line stand at the end of regulation. For fans thirsting for a glimpse of the new 49ers coach, the three-day mini-camp that begins today is of no use. Practices are closed to the public. But the NFL Network's rebroadcasts of the Jets-Ravens game May 15 at 4 p.m. and May 19 at 9 p.m. are must-see TV, since they show how Nolan conducts himself during a day at the office. How revealing is the one-hour show? During the 49ers' search for a new coach, owner John York called Sports Illustrated writer Peter King to pick his brain about Nolan. Just get your hands on a copy of that game, King told him, and that will tell you all you need to know. Nolan, sitting in his office this week at the team's Santa Clara headquarters, chuckled at his starring role in the broadcast that earned two Emmy Award nominations. When the NFL Network first approached him, his only request was that he be allowed to approve the footage involving him. "Sometimes my language gets out of hand," Nolan said. As it turned out, Nolan never got a chance to edit his performance. Coach Brian Billick did, and assured Nolan he had nothing to worry about. "Mike, it's good," Billick told him. For Nolan, it was good enough to enhance his reputation as a potential head coach. When Lewis objected to the play call in overtime, Nolan stuck with his plan and the Ravens held the Jets to a three-and-out. Then Nolan radioed down to assistant Mike Singletary. "Mike! Mike! Mike Singletary!" Nolan said into his headset. "Tell Ray to have confidence in the calls and to quit it with the looks. Chew him out, somewhat, Mike. You can do it." When Lewis reached the sideline, Singletary grabbed him by the uniform. "Look at me. Look at me," Singletary said. "When Coach Nolan sends down a call, you don't send a message that isn't positive. When we give you a call out there, Ray, you have to give a look that says, `That's going to work!' " With each of the last four words, Singletary rapped Lewis on the left shoulder pad for emphasis. "I'm with you," Lewis said. "I'm with you." And, with that, the dust-up between the coaches and the superstar was defused. But what the broadcast does not make clear is the back story. Nolan, behind the desk of his 49ers office, said that he has so much respect for Lewis as a player, as a leader and as a football mind that he gave him the right to shake off a call, the way a pitcher might with a catcher. His objection was not to Lewis questioning the call, but to the way he carried himself in the huddle. It was something they had talked about before. "In that game, he had shaken off two or three calls," Nolan said. "At one point, I was getting a little tired of it because there was a purpose in what I was doing. "When other players see that he doesn't really want to call it, they can sense that. Ray knows better than to do that. Ray is a great leader. He understands all the dynamics of how, when he does that, it would influence the other guys. We just needed to bring him to reality." Nolan laughs when it is pointed out that his directive to Singletary was no small bit of delegation. He had asked him to chew out Ray Lewis. Nolan said Singletary, who followed him to the 49ers as an assistant head coach/linebackers, was the only assistant capable of doing it. "If I had sent that down to one of the other coaches, Ray would have looked at him like, `Who are you?' " Nolan said. There are other compelling scenes during the NFL Network broadcast, which originally aired in November. Midway through the third quarter, the Ravens sent a blitz from the left side at quarterback Quincy Carter. Carter beat it by completing a pass to Santana Moss for an 11-yard gain. The camera cuts to Nolan deep in thought. He begins thinking out loud. "We can go Chrebet Fire Zone and get a better pressure," he says, referring to Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet. When the idea comes out of his mouth, he likes it even better. "Hey, that's what we do." He snaps his fingers and his face lights up. "Screw the left! It will be Fox Chrebet Fire Zone. If Chrebet is in the No. 3 spot when he comes out, he's getting the ball hot." On third-and-eight from the Jets' 41, Chrebet comes out as the slot receiver as anticipated. As soon as he catches the ball, several Ravens tackle him immediately to hold him to a 3-yard gain. The Jets have to punt. Nolan proved prescient again with about 30 seconds to go in regulation. The Jets trailed 17-14 with a second-and-goal from the 3. Everybody on the Ravens seemed to know that Carter was about to attempt a bootleg, including Nolan, who says into the headset, "Boot alert on the three wides everybody. Watch the boot. It's going to be a boot." Billick apparently believed him. "Boot!" he yelled to the players. "Boot! Boot! Boot! Boot! Boot! Boot! Boot! It's a boot. Boot!" On cue, Carter ran right on a designed rollout, got swarmed immediately and threw the ball out of bounds. It was one of several times during the game that Nolan correctly predicted what Jets play would come next. "After that game aired, I had people saying, `I had no idea that much stuff goes on during the game,' " Nolan said. The broadcast captures a sense that the assistant coaches talk and act with the urgency of air-traffic controllers. Nolan, though, looks as if he's having a blast. He stands while the others in his booth sit -- although all of them frolic like cheerleaders after every Ravens score. "Oh, yeah. It's exciting," Nolan said. "But I have my worst headaches after games. It takes me about an hour or two to get over it. My head just hurts. It's like a good exam. In college, if you really studied for something, you would come out of the exam and your head would be hurting." Nolan might get more TV exposure this year. The NFL Network is planning a similar show, and Nolan and the 49ers might be candidates. Nolan is open to the idea, since he believes in giving exposure to the organization. The NFL Network, after all, has 26 million subscribers. One viewer, however, watched himself only once. "When they told me I was OK, I figured, well, good, I'm not on it much," Nolan said. "Then I saw it, and I'm like, `Oh, my goodness. Let's get rid of the guy in the booth.' "

Does that mean there thinking about caving in . On paying T.O.$$$$$.

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

Just keep this guy away from Losman...We don't need any over zealous rookies taking a late hit on our QBs.

Finally some football talk. Thanks for posting it. Average strength for an NFL player but above average for a QB IMHO. I think their assessment was fair enough and very objective.

Since we have every other forum...guess it's time for a TV and Movie one.

It does...

No Draft pick would ever attend another mini camp again...without a signed contract.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2051653

http://www.fsukxaz.com/MultiMedia/FSUSamuelsParrishHit.wmv

For those who do not believe...please go to the Bills atheist board and re-register.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...eople_tom_brady

The administrators here are terrible 324380[/snapback] No..they believe in freedom of speech....unless they don't like it. No backbone to stand up to the majority.

Does that mean we get the bigger font feature back ? So I don't have to use the Lo-Fi.

Im waiting for you..see you soon

Deleting the other thread but not this one ? Very sad !!!