Skins Sign O-Lineman Mike Williams

[The Goat]

I can honestly say nothing about Williams impressed me when we signed him. Sure it was nice hearing about his friendship w/ Dock and the families spending time etc., but a few months back this looked like a waste of time and valuable space in the classroom and on the practice field.

Now I'm rethinking the whole situation. Williams' determination has become one of the most impressive off-season stories IMO. Guy lost 100 lbs...he must feel like twinkle toes!!! Obviously conditioning, endurance and propensity for injury are big question marks, but I have to believe it took a lot of conditioning to lose the weight. Less weight means his endurance should rebound nicely and hopefully put less stress on the body toward injury.

Finally I have to wonder if Williams is better suited for RT anyway. I mean the prototypical LT just isn't that big, taking on the best speed rushers in the game requires tremendous agility. At 340+, which is where Williams probably settles, he's gonna have more luck taking on the bigger, heavier bull rush type LDEs.

[skinsnut]

Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule

ok, so I wondered, and googled, and found this on a Dolphins chat site:



Obviously both would be a drop off from Samuels, and this doesn't talk about RunBlocking, but to say Jones would be awful, doesn't seem to match these unofficial stats, even accounting for the difference in games played. Also Cinci faced Baltimore/Pitt two times each, Arizona faced???

Either way both apparently had a better year than Jason Peters who the Eagles took.

My point is Jones is really a backup LT and Gandy should be a RT.
Gandy's stats as a LT are essentially the same as Jones as a LT....and, in my opinion, Gandy is out of position....so yeah...I am not a Levi fan at LT starter...Gandy should be RT....Note...Levi Jones aint old...if he was as good as his "stats" show...than why the hell did the Bungles cut him in favor of a rookie who has never played a down?...he's been on the market how long?
This should tell you a heck of a lot more than stats alone.

[T.O.Killa]

My God. Vinny Cerrato said that Mike Williams is down to 337. Wow, I am thinking that Mike needs to stop losing wieght now. Pretty excited about seeing him play.

[NYCskinfan82]

At the rate MW is going he will be at a WR weight soon.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by T.O.Killa

My God. Vinny Cerrato said that Mike Williams is down to 337. Wow, I am thinking that Mike needs to stop losing wieght now. Pretty excited about seeing him play.

Wow. Really want to see how he does. I can't imagine having the discipline/desire to lose that much weight. I hope it benefits him for the rest of his life regardless of how he does on the Skins. Of course i also want to see him steam role Usi.

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

I've lost 70 pounds in 4 months before so it's definitely possible for him to get his weight down. Only difference was I had help from a drug called adderall (legally of course) and I did virtually no lifting (30 minutes on a stationary bike everyday) so I probably lost a lot of muscle. Still it's easier to lose weight at 410 pounds then it is at 220. However lossing 40 pounds of bad weight (basically fat) by around June or July is a tall order. He can probably lose at his current size 3 or 4 pounds of fat a week, anything else is just muscle and water weight.

I have gone from 275 to 235 in two months but not in an athletic setting. This quote was from April 26th so you figure he has lost 70 pounds in 13 weeks or about 5 1/2 pounds per week. That's a lot but I am betting the first 40 or so came off real quick. When your really overweight, just changing your diet a little can have a big effect. Its those last 10-20 that are really hard.

Regardless, it takes real dedication to lose that much. Although I bet he has been monitored, I hope its all been done in a healthy way.

[ethat001]

Mike Williams solidifying his place with Redskins
Considered a first-round bust as a tackle, Mike Williams has resurrected his career with the Redskins.

Williams has a promising future in the league as a guard, Coach Mike Shanahan says, and Williams is the Redskins' first-team right guard. He has continued to strengthen his standing during the first two days of the second voluntary minicamp.

Things are going well for Williams, who eventually got it figured out.

"I get it now," he said after practice Saturday at Redskins Park. "It took some time for me to get it, but it's just that simple. I know what it takes now. ... I really didn't workout before in the offseason. I was one of those guys.

"But I know what it takes now. I know what it takes to be at this level and to be the best player you can. Now, I spend all my day in the weight room. Why? Because I know what this job requires. It took me some time, but I get it."

The fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft, Williams had been out of football for two seasons and last played in the 2005 regular season when the Redskins signed him as a free agent before the 2009 season. He struggled in pass protection at tackle but provided a physical presence at guard.

Shanahan and his staff liked what they saw on film and General Manager Bruce Allen rewarded Williams with a two-year contract. After weighing about 410 pounds when he joined Washington, Williams said he's down to 332.

Williams is serving as a mentor to rookie left tackle Trent Williams, whom the Redskins selected fourth overall last month. "When you first get drafted, and this is the thing I tell Trent to guard against, there's a lot of stuff going on, there is a lot of stuff on your shoulders and there's a lot of expectations," he said. "You've got to learn to recognize that, and I didn't. That's one of the faults that I had.

"There's a lot of people pulling at you and saying, 'Hey, you've got to be this.' And if you let that get in your head, you'll start getting frustrated and discouraged. You'll stop thinking about football. You start thinking about, 'Ah, man. I'm doing this wrong. Or I'm not doing this.' Then it's really hard."

The key, Williams said, is to remain focused on playing at the highest level you can.

"You're just supposed to be the best player you can be," he said. "There's going to be a lot of people who talk about you. There's going to be people who talk good about you and bad about you. But you've got to learn what you need to do to be the best football player you can be. And that comes with being a high draft pick or a free agent."
By Jason Reid | May 9, 2010; 9:00 AM ET

Redskins Insider - Mike Williams solidifying his place with Redskins

Just felt like this was a feel-good bump for this old thread. There was a lot of doubt last year about this dude, but he's shaped up & is training.. He's even kept his weight down to 330, which is a stick figure compared to the Michelin Man he was this time last year.

Good for him -- now the presumed starting RG for the Redskins.

[GridIron26]

Kinda surprised that Shanahan believes BMW has potentials to be good guard.. This is definitely a good story, though..

[Longtimefan]

Mike Williams is a real success story. I've been rooting for him since day-one. The guy really worked hard to get his weight down and his game back. I hope he has a good season, especially since so many people had written him off.

[The Goat]

If he can stay healthy BMW should be an interior force to be reckoned with. Being lighter, stronger and in overall better shape should help him stay healthy too.