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Matt Millen on Mike Williams (1 Viewer)

Da Guru

Fair & Balanced
I was listening to Matt Millen disuss the Lions draft. Towards the end Millen was asked "What happened with Mike Williams?"

MM said "I really do not know, I wish I did. For some reason Mike would not get into game shape, Mike would not work hard at practice, Mike would not do the extra things needed to succeed in this league" Mike would not work hard for a players coach in Mooch, or for a tough coach in Rod Marinelli.

Millen went on to say how much he liked Mike Williams as a person..saying he is a great kid.

Millen said he talked to him a number of times and everytime Mike would say 'I know I have to work harder, I know I have to get in better shape, I know I need to learn the plays, I know I have to be on time.

But Millen said nothing ever changed " A total enigma" stated Millen

Millen went on to say that Mike has great skills, and he has seen flashes of them in practice, but until he puts forth the effort needed to play in the NFL it will be hard for him.

So maybe a change was needed..as a kick in th ### type of thing.

My feeling is that BMW was lazy at UCS but got away with it, was lazy with the Lions..will the Raiders be able to change his work habits? Only time will tell.

 
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I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways. I'm sure there is someone, but right off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone. I don't see a lazy person succeeding in the NFL, and personally I think the chances are slim to none that he ever amounts to anything.

 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?

 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
A lot, actually.The most obvious answer is: games. The response to that might be that they were losing all their games anyway, and losing games with BMW on the field doesn't count against the team more than losing games with BMW on the sideline. So why not put him on the field?But the counter-response is that you will start to lose the whole team if the guys working hardest and playing best in practice are not the guys who get to play in the game. If you start a total slacker who does nothing in practice over all the hard workers who consistently outperform him in practice, suddenly nobody will be practicing hard anymore. What's the point?
 
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Work Ethic needs to be a standard part of scouting reports as prominent and heavily weighted as 40 time and 225 reps.

 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen, Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
 
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The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen, Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
You could swap some of those names above and it would read the same as any post we would have read every year since Millen was hired. Ford is the real problem...Millen is just example #1.
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways.
Cris Carter?
carter just didn't get along with buddy ryan. wasn't the first or last to do so either.
The main issue was his huge drinking problem at the time. The problems with Ryan were a result of that situation. Carter has said that Buddy Ryan did him a great favor by releasing him and helping him realize what would happen to him if he didn't change his ways.Probably not a great comparison but Carter is an example of a guy who "has issues and later became a real player."
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways.
Cris Carter?
carter just didn't get along with buddy ryan. wasn't the first or last to do so either.
The main issue was his huge drinking problem at the time. The problems with Ryan were a result of that situation. Carter has said that Buddy Ryan did him a great favor by releasing him and helping him realize what would happen to him if he didn't change his ways.Probably not a great comparison but Carter is an example of a guy who "has issues and later became a real player."
:lmao: Buddy took a lot of heat for the "All he does is catch touchdowns" comment. But that was a cover up for Carter's abuse problems. He probably would have been suspended by the league eventually if Buddy hadn't cut him. Buddy Ryan saved Cris Carter's career.
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways.
Cris Carter?
carter just didn't get along with buddy ryan. wasn't the first or last to do so either.
The main issue was his huge drinking problem at the time. The problems with Ryan were a result of that situation. Carter has said that Buddy Ryan did him a great favor by releasing him and helping him realize what would happen to him if he didn't change his ways.Probably not a great comparison but Carter is an example of a guy who "has issues and later became a real player."
:goodposting: Buddy took a lot of heat for the "All he does is catch touchdowns" comment. But that was a cover up for Carter's abuse problems. He probably would have been suspended by the league eventually if Buddy hadn't cut him. Buddy Ryan saved Cris Carter's career.
Agreed. Buddy Ryan is a popular target for criticism - and a lot of it is justified - but he could have BBQ'd Carter and his career publicly and forever stained him with an "alcoholic" label, but opted not only not to do that, but to come up with a line that ironically became very memorable when Carter turned his life around. Buddy Ryan deserves a lot of praise for that.
 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
i thought it was the other way around and Millen wanted Quentin Jammer
 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
i thought it was the other way around and Millen wanted Quentin Jammer
Talk about rock and a hard palce.
 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
i thought it was the other way around and Millen wanted Quentin Jammer
You're right - it was Morningwheg who wanted Harrington and Millen wanted Jammer or a trade down. I stand corrected.The Marty Morningwheg debacle should have been enough to sink him! :lmao:
 
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The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
i thought it was the other way around and Millen wanted Quentin Jammer
You're right - it was Morningwheg who wanted Harrington and Millen wanted Jammer or a trade down. I stand corrected.The Marty Morningwheg debacle should have been enough to sink him! :rolleyes:
The way I remember it is that Millen wanted Jammer and that the demand for Harrington actually came from the top with Ford Sr. or Jr. ...don't think Marty factored in much at all. FWIW.
 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
i thought it was the other way around and Millen wanted Quentin Jammer
You're right - it was Morningwheg who wanted Harrington and Millen wanted Jammer or a trade down. I stand corrected.The Marty Morningwheg debacle should have been enough to sink him! :rolleyes:
The way I remember it is that Millen wanted Jammer and that the demand for Harrington actually came from the top with Ford Sr. or Jr. ...don't think Marty factored in much at all. FWIW.
I got the Marty angle from this articleLink

Not that 5 years ago makes much of a difference, but still

 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
A lot, actually.The most obvious answer is: games. The response to that might be that they were losing all their games anyway, and losing games with BMW on the field doesn't count against the team more than losing games with BMW on the sideline. So why not put him on the field?But the counter-response is that you will start to lose the whole team if the guys working hardest and playing best in practice are not the guys who get to play in the game. If you start a total slacker who does nothing in practice over all the hard workers who consistently outperform him in practice, suddenly nobody will be practicing hard anymore. What's the point?
MT..that is exactly why Marinelli would not play Williams, he would not reward slackers with PT. Twice in the few times that Williams got into games last year he ran the wrong route and Kitna threw the ball for an easy INT.
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
How about the moral of the rest of the team and/or any player busting their butt to make plays. Comments like these always make me laugh. Must be a Lions fan.
 
My feeling is that BMW was lazy at UCS but got away with it, was lazy with the Lions..will the Raiders be able to change his work habits? Only time will tell.
I think the Raiders are the perfect team to try as they did so well with the last lazy WR they had. :mellow:
 
The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen, Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
I agree LHucks,If you hear Millen in a interview he is a joy to listen to, very candid. Millen was forced to take Harrington against his will..that was 4 lost years.Charles Rogers and Mike Williams were both can`t miss..Kiper thought the Lions stole BMW..and Rogers was rated a future stud.Both were the best players on the board at the time.One thing Millen said is that he researched Calvin Johnsons character and work habits more than any player he had ever drafted. Lets be honest..there were some red flags about Rogers and BMW, talent does not always prevail in the NFL.
 
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The real enigma is how Matt Millen still has that job...
F.O.R.D.
In fairness to Millen Rogers and BMW appeared to be can't miss products coming out of college. Both were men amongst boys in college. BMW did have some question marks, but almost everybody agreed that the sky was the limit for Rogers. Also, I think the Marinelli hire and the Martz hire were solid...couple that with a potentially solid draft and he might have a chance to redeem himself.
The Joey Harrington debacle should have been enough to sink him. Wasn't he Millen's handpicked guy and he overruled what Mooch wanted to do with that pick originally? Maybe I have the scenario backwards.
i thought it was the other way around and Millen wanted Quentin Jammer
You're right - it was Morningwheg who wanted Harrington and Millen wanted Jammer or a trade down. I stand corrected.The Marty Morningwheg debacle should have been enough to sink him! :D
The way I remember it is that Millen wanted Jammer and that the demand for Harrington actually came from the top with Ford Sr. or Jr. ...don't think Marty factored in much at all. FWIW.
Correct. The big debate was over Jammer....and we all know what a stud he turned out to be :thumbup:
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways.
Cris Carter?
carter just didn't get along with buddy ryan. wasn't the first or last to do so either.
The main issue was his huge drinking problem at the time. The problems with Ryan were a result of that situation. Carter has said that Buddy Ryan did him a great favor by releasing him and helping him realize what would happen to him if he didn't change his ways.Probably not a great comparison but Carter is an example of a guy who "has issues and later became a real player."
:thumbup: Buddy took a lot of heat for the "All he does is catch touchdowns" comment. But that was a cover up for Carter's abuse problems. He probably would have been suspended by the league eventually if Buddy hadn't cut him. Buddy Ryan saved Cris Carter's career.
What's interesting is that it was Carter who tried to keep BMW in shape during his off year in florida. As things went south in Detroit he later admitted that BMW had a terrible attitude/work ethic and he had doubts that he'd ever amount to much. You'd think that if anyone could get through to him it would be the one guy he most resembles.
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
The Lions did this down the stretch, and he was embarassingly bad. Against the Bears Week 16, Williams had 2 catches for 22 yards and 4 drops, including the potential game-winner.
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
The Lions did this down the stretch, and he was embarassingly bad. Against the Bears Week 16, Williams had 2 catches for 22 yards and 4 drops, including the potential game-winner.
Then caught the game winner the following week. Did you just convienently forget to add that part in?
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
The Lions did this down the stretch, and he was embarassingly bad. Against the Bears Week 16, Williams had 2 catches for 22 yards and 4 drops, including the potential game-winner.
He was horrible. He's a big, slow wide receiver that looks very unsure of his route running. In a word:SloppyHe will look awful again next year.
 
All he managed was the game winning catch against the Cowboys during Week 17. He did leave us Lions fans with that gem. No doubt that clip will be highlighted in the annual NFL Films Detroit Lions 2006 season recap feature.

 
With all seriousness, to call him only an Enigma is a nice thing. It could be a lot worse.

Probably the reason Millen said that (because he's been known to call people worse) is the fact that no matter how bad he says Williams was, he's just as bad at what he does.

 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
A lot, actually.The most obvious answer is: games. The response to that might be that they were losing all their games anyway, and losing games with BMW on the field doesn't count against the team more than losing games with BMW on the sideline. So why not put him on the field?

But the counter-response is that you will start to lose the whole team if the guys working hardest and playing best in practice are not the guys who get to play in the game. If you start a total slacker who does nothing in practice over all the hard workers who consistently outperform him in practice, suddenly nobody will be practicing hard anymore. What's the point?
I agree with your take MT, but what about when the Lions would dress a WR that wasn't even on the team the week before, let alone at practice. Case in point, Az Hakim and Corey Bradford. These scrubs were allowed to dress for games after getting resigned, but BMW is left inactive even after reports of him showing improvement in practice. Talk about a slap in the face. What kind of message does that send? Those types of moves signaled the beginning of the end for BMW. The Lions front office and coaching staff were not exactly straight with BMW either. They held him to a higher standard and didn't deliver with the incentive of increased playing time when he did show improvement. He was stuck in the doghouse and he wasn't getting out. Also consider that many players were lobbying for BMW to get on the field. Players want to win just as much as coaches. Why would Roy Williams lobby for BMW and not any of the other scrub WR's on that roster? Roy and others never lobbied for Charles Rogers but they did for BMW. I find that to be very positive, but also balanced against the fact that BMW did manage to disappoint four former/current NFL head coaches: Mooch, Jauron, Martz, and Marinelli.

Kiffen seems to like him, so hopefully he will get a chance to showcase some of the brief glimpses of talent that even Millen was able to see in practice. I don't think he will fail in Oakland, but he will likely never be great. His upside is a #2 possession/redzone receiver. His downside is out of the league in two years.

 
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Correct. The big debate was over Jammer....and we all know what a stud he turned out to be ;)
The Lions were also trying to trade up to get Peppers, but Carolina wouldn't bite. They also wanted to trade down, but again no takers. 1.03 was a stinker of a draft slot and they knew it.It's not like Harrington and Jammer were sandwiched between a bunch of studs. There was a great safety, but nobody goes safety and 1.02, and two very good OT's, but the highest-rated OT (the one that would have likely gone 1.02 had they gone that way) was a complete bust.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/years/2002

I think the Mike Williams pick was a foolish one (I didn't think so at the time, but in hindsight I recognize all the red flags), but beyond that I think Millen has gotten a very bad rap as far as the draft. Rogers was bad luck, Roy was a great pick (esp. getting a second rounder from CLE out of it). In hindsight I'd rather have Leinart than Sims, but given what was known a year ago, I think the pick was defensible. Most years the "experts" have given the Lions good post-draft grades.

 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
A lot, actually.The most obvious answer is: games. The response to that might be that they were losing all their games anyway, and losing games with BMW on the field doesn't count against the team more than losing games with BMW on the sideline. So why not put him on the field?But the counter-response is that you will start to lose the whole team if the guys working hardest and playing best in practice are not the guys who get to play in the game. If you start a total slacker who does nothing in practice over all the hard workers who consistently outperform him in practice, suddenly nobody will be practicing hard anymore. What's the point?
If i recall the very last Lions TD of the season was caught by BMW
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
A lot, actually.The most obvious answer is: games. The response to that might be that they were losing all their games anyway, and losing games with BMW on the field doesn't count against the team more than losing games with BMW on the sideline. So why not put him on the field?But the counter-response is that you will start to lose the whole team if the guys working hardest and playing best in practice are not the guys who get to play in the game. If you start a total slacker who does nothing in practice over all the hard workers who consistently outperform him in practice, suddenly nobody will be practicing hard anymore. What's the point?
This is a great post. Well stated.
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
A lot, actually.The most obvious answer is: games. The response to that might be that they were losing all their games anyway, and losing games with BMW on the field doesn't count against the team more than losing games with BMW on the sideline. So why not put him on the field?But the counter-response is that you will start to lose the whole team if the guys working hardest and playing best in practice are not the guys who get to play in the game. If you start a total slacker who does nothing in practice over all the hard workers who consistently outperform him in practice, suddenly nobody will be practicing hard anymore. What's the point?
This is a great post. Well stated.
Yes it is. To continue on, allowing BMW to come in, after not busting his ### like the 50 odd 2-bit hacks they signed throughout the season, (those bums had to bust their asses just to try and stay on the team) and win the game for them isn't in Maranelli's plan. Oops. Game 17. Probably pissed off Maranelli to no end that BMW won the game for them. That kinda said to the rest of the team, 'You Bodifords and Bradfords and Ellis' and local 7-11 employees can work twice as hard as BMW but will never be able to make a game winning catch.'
 
Detroit could have just thrown him in the game to see what he could have done. What was there to lose?
The Lions did this down the stretch, and he was embarassingly bad. Against the Bears Week 16, Williams had 2 catches for 22 yards and 4 drops, including the potential game-winner.
Then caught the game winner the following week. Did you just convienently forget to add that part in?
2 catches for 28 yards and a TD. Yeah, that changes everything.Between those two games, BMW's still catching 50% of the balls that him in the hands, when his hands are supposed to be his best asset. He's slower than molasses and his route-running is awful.
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways. I'm sure there is someone, but right off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone. I don't see a lazy person succeeding in the NFL, and personally I think the chances are slim to none that he ever amounts to anything.
Eddie Kennison? :shrug:
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways. I'm sure there is someone, but right off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone. I don't see a lazy person succeeding in the NFL, and personally I think the chances are slim to none that he ever amounts to anything.
Eddie Kennison? :coffee:
That's probably as good of an example as any you can come up with. Unfortunately, he's the very rare exception. The most difficult thing to rehabilitate is someone's heart, their passion for the game.
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways. I'm sure there is someone, but right off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone. I don't see a lazy person succeeding in the NFL, and personally I think the chances are slim to none that he ever amounts to anything.
Eddie Kennison? :blackdot:
I thought Kennison had a big rookie season though?
 
I'm trying to think of someone to compare him to...that actually changed his bad ways.
Cris Carter?
carter just didn't get along with buddy ryan. wasn't the first or last to do so either.
The main issue was his huge drinking problem at the time. The problems with Ryan were a result of that situation. Carter has said that Buddy Ryan did him a great favor by releasing him and helping him realize what would happen to him if he didn't change his ways.Probably not a great comparison but Carter is an example of a guy who "has issues and later became a real player."
I thought Carter had issues with blow ?
 
Heard on Los Angeles radio 570am Petros and Money

Mike Williams is pushing over 250 lbs! And its the ugly kind of 250.

And in College, mike williams was recruited by FSU as a TE. USC accepted him as a WR and the rest is history.

Good Lord! Maybe we picked him up to play TE also. I doubt it.

 
Heard on Los Angeles radio 570am Petros and Money

Mike Williams is pushing over 250 lbs! And its the ugly kind of 250.

And in College, mike williams was recruited by FSU as a TE. USC accepted him as a WR and the rest is history.

Good Lord! Maybe we picked him up to play TE also. I doubt it.
can't block... poor route running... bad TEtoo slow... poor route running... bad WR

not motivated... too fat... bad pro football player period

 

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