|
The Lions ignored their defensive needs and drafted Mike Williams – which was the right move
May 1, 2005
By: Christopher Shryock
Last Saturday, April 23rd, was the NFL draft. In other words, for a Detroit Lions fan, it was a combination of Christmas and birthday, only better. After all, this weekend in late April is the only time of the calendar year that the Lions are in the same position as the Patriots and Eagles. Undefeated and optimistic. Naturally, I wasn’t watching. Instead I was in Minneapolis, attempting to navigate my way from downtown to the airport, while simultaneously trying to decipher a convoluted rental car map of the city and find a radio station that was broadcasting the draft. After cutting across three lanes of traffic to avoiding missing my exit, I finally stumbled across a station that came in clearly. I tuned in right after the Titans selected Adam Jones with the sixth pick. The Vikings were on the clock and in the market to find an heir apparent to Randy Moss. “Well Mike Williams is the obvious choice here,” said the hometown broadcaster. I pulled into the parking garage. The radio turned to fuzz.
Twenty minutes later I had made my way to the closest airport bar. Across the bottom of the television screen scrolled “Pick 7 – Minnesota, Troy Williamson.” “What?!” I thought, “the Vikings passed on Mike Williams. The same Mike Williams that is 6’5” 229lbs? The same Mike Williams who caught 30 touchdown passes in 26 games at USC? The same Mike Williams who had 2,579 receiving yards in the same span? They passed on that Mike Williams?”
This unexpected turn of events immediately forced me to think two things: A. The Vikings submitted the wrong name to the commissioner and the state of Minnesota was about to reinstate public hangings for the employee in error, or B. Mike Williams had been spotted receiving tips from Ryan Leaf on how to make it in the NFL. Either way, I thought he should fall to the Lions with the tenth overall selection. He did. And the Lions did exactly what they should have done. They remembered the fruitless drafts of years gone by and selected the best player available.
When I arrived back in New York, there were four messages on the phone from my friend John (who was at the draft) giving me a play by play of the Lions first round selection. “The Lions are submitting their pick. Tags is walking to the podium, ‘With the tenth selection in the 2005 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select Mike Williams from the University of Southern California.’” Paul Tagliabue’s voice immediately segued back to John’s commentary, which was something along the lines of “OH MY GOSH, THEY TOOK MIKE WILLIAMS! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!” The message ended abruptly.
Apparently, not everyone could see the benefits to the Lions’ selection. Then again, not everyone realizes that wide receiver Charles Rogers hasn’t played four full games in his career and didn’t even make it through four plays last season. Nor was the general football viewing public subjected to the Lions’ nonsensical drafts of the nineties. Had they been, everyone would see the logic with this selection.
Remember in 1996 when the Lions needed help on the offensive line and drafted Jeff Hartings in the first round? Me either. I looked it up on Google. That’s the point. After all, how did drafting by positional need work out when they selected Andre Ware in 1990 or Aaron Gibson in 1999? Want more evidence? Let’s go back the Jeff Hartings example; if the Lions had drafted the best player available that year, they could have had a guy named Ray Lewis. Ever heard of him? Me too. Sadly, I could go on, and I will. In 1999, Chris Claiborne was the round one selection. The Lions could have had Dante Culpepper or Jevon Kearse. I guess that would have solved the quarterback or pass rushing problem. But hey, at least Claiborne proved to be a Hall of Fame caliber player for the Lions. Wait, no he didn’t.
I am not saying that the NFL Draft is a place where selecting players by need has no place, but what I am saying is that if you are going to guarantee a player – that has never stepped foot in an NFL stadium – an amount of money rivaling the Rockefeller fortune, you better be awfully sure everything is going to work out according to plan. So if a team thinks it’s too early to draft a player for the position currently devoid of talent, it probably is. Pick someone who has a better chance of succeeding instead.
Even with that said, apparently it takes a Lions fan to see the reasoning with the teams drafting of Mike Williams. Everyone from Mel Kiper to Pete Prisco of CBS Sportsline, questioned the Lions’ neglecting to spend the pick on defense and namely on linebacker Derrick Johnson. I guess they didn’t get the memo that the Lions’ linebacking core of Teddy Lehman, Alex Lewis, and James Davis was one of the team’s few bright spots. Or that their best linebacker, Boss Bailey will be back next year. Moreover, the Lions were still able to address their defensive issues with Mike Williams’ USC brethren, defensive end Shaun Cody, Stanford’s cornerback Stanley Wilson, and Oregon States’ Bill Swancutt, who was a steal in round six. Besides, sometimes the best defense is a great offense (unless you are the Colts) and don’t look now, but the Lions’ could have a juggernaut of an offense on their hands next year. With Marcus Pollard at tight end, Kevin Jones in the backfield, Roy Williams and Charles Rogers lined up at the outside receiver positions, and Mike Williams in the slot, what can you say except “wow.”
And I am not one to be easily impressed by anything that Lions’ GM Matt Millen does.
So let the pundits criticize the Lions and why not, they’re an easy target. They have only won a single playoff game since the Eisenhower administration. But Mike Williams, the man with baseball mitts for hands, should help increase that dismal number this year. He catches everything thrown within a 5-yard radius and is a nightmare personified for defensive coordinators because he is too big to be covered by a cornerback, and too quick for a linebacker. If the opposition attempts to cover him with a safety, the field will open up for Roy Williams and Charles Rogers (hopefully).
Mike Williams was an easy choice for the Lions because he will cement their playmaking ability; he fits the west coast offense, and will certainly be a success (by comparison to Az-Zahir Hakim if nothing else.) Williams’ ability as a slot receiver is exponentially greater than Az-Hakim’s. Williams is bigger, stronger, faster, and one other thing; he can catch a football, a requisite receiving skill Az-Hakim lost in his transition from St. Louis to Detroit. This slot receiver upgrade was a no-brainer. Like dumping Bea Arthur for Penelope Cruz.
Mike Williams was the right choice for the Lions, no matter what anyone says. The player with the greatest chance of NFL success was selected, the defense was addressed coherently in later rounds, and the offensive weapons are finally in place. The excuses are gone for the Lions this year except for one: quarterback Joey Harrington.
Without a significant production increase this season with his new supporting cast, Harrington’s fourth season as a Lion could be his last. Then again, that’s what the San Diego Chargers were saying about Drew Brees last year. Remember what he did in his fourth season as a pro?
Me too.
Hopefully someone sent Joey Harrington last season’s Drew Brees game film and a notepad, because as of now, his ability to throw the football is the only thing standing between Mike Williams and the Rookie of the Year trophy. But more importantly, Joey Harrington’s ability to throw a football is also the only thing standing between the Lions and the playoffs.
Matt Millen ignored the criticism and drafted bona-fide receiving weapons each of the last three drafts, culminating with Mike Williams this year. Now, the time has come for Harrington to hold up his end of the bargain, and for the Lions’ faithful to see a winner on the field on Sunday afternoons.
|
|
|
No comments yet - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
