Williams may play himself off Lions’ roster

By Joel Schout  |   Friday, July 21, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Detroit Lions
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With news coming out of Detroit this week detailing the laundry list of Mike Williams' rookie transgressions, it remains to be seen what sort of impact it will have on his early NFL career. And with only one season under his belt, Williams has made it clear that his intention to compete in the league doesn't necessarily coincide with his efforts to make that desire a reality.

The number that is being reported in terms of fines last year is $400,000 for the wideout. That is chump change for some professional athletes, but representative of Williams' entire base salary during his first two seasons in the league. While he still has $9.5 million guaranteed from his original rookie deal, one has to wonder how long the Lions are going to put up with a guy who is as equally talented as he is frustrating.

While general manager Matt Millen took a risk from a positional standpoint by drafting a receiver with a first-round pick for three straight years, it's quite plausible that he didn't envision his problems developing from half-hearted efforts from two of those picks. Charles Rogers spent his first two seasons on injured reserve, and last season spent time in the NFL's drug suspension program. He still has a chance to make this team yet, as head coach Rod Marinelli seems intent on giving him at least one more chance to get things right.

Williams, on the other hand, might not even make the roster. While being late for meetings and being out of shape has been his main problem in one-plus year with the Lions, his other problem right now stems from the fact that Detroit has the players capable of taking over his spot. Scottie Vines showed flashes last year, and signing Corey Bradford to be the No. 2 guy behind Roy Williams was a shrewd move on the part of Millen.

Furthering the complication, Williams didn't necessarily set the world on fire last year, often looking confused and not aware of the play being called at the time. Having Roy Williams and Bradford as the first two options lessens the pressure of the Lions to come up with a third receiver right away. Roy Williams has shown he has the ability to be a top receiver in this league, while Bradford has flown under the radar in Houston over the past four seasons.

Bradford can play, providing a deep threat that the Lions have been looking for since the beginning of time. The nine-year veteran fell victim to a coaching staff in Houston that seemed too often conflicted with itself, and as a result, he and Andre Johnson failed to have the seasons that most expected of them. In Detroit, with coordinator Mike Martz running the offense, Bradford can show that he still has some life left in those 30-year-old legs.

What Mike Williams does with his Detroit Lions career is completely up to him. Whether he decides to make a name for himself is his call, and there is nothing the coaches can do for the young man, short of hooking him up with a wake-up service. He must get into shape this camp, and needs to show that he has every intention of being involved with the Lions' plans for many years to come. Failing to do these things will lead to his dismissal from the team, and force him to wear the tag of first-round bust until he can turn his career around.

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