Aaron Williams

[BADOLBILZ]

The "cool" thing to do for the "realistic" Bills fans was to bash Buddy for that draft pick since Aaron didn't immediately become an All-Pro

 

That never happened. Never once saw anyone here lament the draft pick because Williams hadn't become a good safety, let alone an All Pro.

 

There was much disappointment in his play at CB........but when it came to discussing his draft position the Buddy bashing was for passing on Kaepernick and Gronk to take Williams.

 

Passing on Kaep was an epic failure for Buddy. The team needed a young QB and the timing was perfect. They just blew the opportunity. When you don't have a franchise QB, always take the QB.

 

I don't think I saw anyone ever question that Williams could become an excellent safety. There was the issue of how valuable a safety is and how much needs to be invested in that position though. If you use a high second round pick on a player and he turns into an All Pro......and you are flush with cap room..... that should be a no-brainer re-sign......otherwise you don't use a pick that high on that position. Right? Well, obviously it's not.

 

I give Pettine a lot of credit for breathing life into this defense.....but let's not pretend the Williams pick was a HR. The Bills objective was to get a frontline CB when they drafted AWilliams. The problem with that was that it was a bad year for CB's. And everyone knew it. That's why there were none chosen prior to that. This was a trend with Buddy. He reached for Torrell Troupe the year before in a bad year for NT's. Bottom line: Williams was a reach pick who had high upside at another, much less valued and even less NEEDED position. He is reaching his fallback potential and unfortunately all that may end up accomplishing is giving the team reason to let their second team All Pro FS and former second round pick walk for no compensation. A scenario that has played out here many times over the last decade at other positions.

[Omar Little]

Liking country music goes in the negative column.

[eball]

That never happened. Never once saw anyone here lament the draft pick because Williams hadn't become a good safety, let alone an All Pro.

 

There was much disappointment in his play at CB........but when it came to discussing his draft position the Buddy bashing was for passing on Kaepernick and Gronk to take Williams.

 

Passing on Kaep was an epic failure for Buddy. The team needed a young QB and the timing was perfect. They just blew the opportunity. When you don't have a franchise QB, always take the QB.

 

I don't think I saw anyone ever question that Williams could become an excellent safety. There was the issue of how valuable a safety is and how much needs to be invested in that position though. If you use a high second round pick on a player and he turns into an All Pro......and you are flush with cap room..... that should be a no-brainer re-sign......otherwise you don't use a pick that high on that position. Right? Well, obviously it's not.

 

You have a short and selective memory.

[Mark Vader]

It's great to see AW playing at the level he is this year.

 

I hope he is a fixture in our secondary for years and years.

 

Amazing how AW went from potential TBD whipping boy, to TBD favorite.

[Dibs]

You have a short and selective memory.

 

He only joined TBD in January 2013. It's possible he lurked previously.....but his comment has me thinking otherwise.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Dibs

[Stealth]

Country music is like whining nails on a chalkboard to me, to each their own. Aaron Williams has become a much better all around player, playing his natural safety position in a defense that suits his style of play. He was a better safety at Texas than he was a corner. Why he wasn't playing safety from the jump will forever be the question

[DisplacedBillsFan]

Cut him NOW!!! (oh, that was from last year )

 

And why can't players get mad? Fans were terrible to Williams last year. He took a lot of crap on Twitter and he got pissed. Why do fans get a pass for their behavior all the time? I realize it is a small minority of fans, but as bad as Williams was last year, he is the top 1% of his field. I'm glad he turned it around but some fans act like idiots and then don't understand why players don't like interacting with them.

Good thing we don't let the fans run this team. I remember, also last year, that everyone was so upset we cut Tank Carder. Granted, some of that had to do with the Lynch trade, what we got in return, yadda yadda yadda lobster bisque... But anyway... I looked up Tank's stats just for fun. FOUR total tackles this year. Although, 75% of those are solo tackles. Imagine if the fans ran this team. Aaron Williams would be gone, Tank would be starting at LB, and Roscoe would still be returning punts. Oh, and Stevie, our best receiver and a player that absolutely loves this team and city, would be gone.

[GG]

 

 

He only joined TBD in January 2013. It's possible he lurked previously.....but his comment has me thinking otherwise.

 

He has been around far longer than that. Maybe the name is new, but just like Solomon Wilcots, he's a veteran.

[Dibs]

He has been around far longer than that. Maybe the name is new, but just like Solomon Wilcots, he's a veteran.

 

Fair enough. He certainly has memory problems in regards to people's reactions to AW last year on the board though. AW was a TBD whipping boy.

 

It's great to see AW progress as he has......and perhaps a good reminder for people who are quick to abuse young players that, though difficult, patience is the best course of action.

[Fixxxer]

That never happened. Never once saw anyone here lament the draft pick because Williams hadn't become a good safety, let alone an All Pro.

 

There was much disappointment in his play at CB........but when it came to discussing his draft position the Buddy bashing was for passing on Kaepernick and Gronk to take Williams.

 

Passing on Kaep was an epic failure for Buddy. The team needed a young QB and the timing was perfect. They just blew the opportunity. When you don't have a franchise QB, always take the QB.

 

I don't think I saw anyone ever question that Williams could become an excellent safety. There was the issue of how valuable a safety is and how much needs to be invested in that position though. If you use a high second round pick on a player and he turns into an All Pro......and you are flush with cap room..... that should be a no-brainer re-sign......otherwise you don't use a pick that high on that position. Right? Well, obviously it's not.

 

I give Pettine a lot of credit for breathing life into this defense.....but let's not pretend the Williams pick was a HR. The Bills objective was to get a frontline CB when they drafted AWilliams. The problem with that was that it was a bad year for CB's. And everyone knew it. That's why there were none chosen prior to that. This was a trend with Buddy. He reached for Torrell Troupe the year before in a bad year for NT's. Bottom line: Williams was a reach pick who had high upside at another, much less valued and even less NEEDED position. He is reaching his fallback potential and unfortunately all that may end up accomplishing is giving the team reason to let their second team All Pro FS and former second round pick walk for no compensation. A scenario that has played out here many times over the last decade at other positions.

 

Except the little fact that Gronk was taken a year earlier.

 

The Williams pick was much maligned by a vast majority in Bills nation for his play as CB and moreso because Buddy deemed him a first round talent. He was ridiculed by a lot of people in this MB Sometimes players need time to get better, obviously better coaching helps.

[Bill from NYC]

 

 

Fair enough. He certainly has memory problems in regards to people's reactions to AW last year on the board though. AW was a TBD whipping boy.

 

It's great to see AW progress as he has......and perhaps a good reminder for people who are quick to abuse young players that, though difficult, patience is the best course of action.

 

AW was a "whipping boy" because until now he was often injured, and when he was healthy he was an awful corner. And I do mean flat out awful. I am the very first to admit that I blasted that pick and for good reason. Hew was a terrible corner, and this was a continuation of the Bills propensity toward using their best resources on DBs and RBs and all but forsaking the QB position. Now, I praise AW week after week.

This entire board seems happy with the 2013 draft. I know that I am. The difference is that they traded down, went after a qb, and it appears that they clicked big time on their next 3 selections, none of which were dbs or rbs.

 

Badol credits Pettine, and why shouldn't he? Do you think that players such as Robey, Searcy, and perhaps even Hughes would be making great plays with Wanny? I am pretty sure that they would not. Pettine has the defense making big time plays and I credit him with keeping us in games despite our qb problems. Pettine is the best thing that has happened to the Bills defense since Wade Phillips.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Why do I not remember our safety being pressed into action at QB?

 

Well, we've started a lot of different guys at quarterback.

 

To the subject, Aaron Williams has looked like an outstanding safety and I'm very happy that he and Byrd are working next to each other back there.

 

But the amazing thing to me is that Williams looked like a competent starting cornerback when pressed into action there.

 

His improvement at corner is quite dramatic and (again) speaks volumes about the upgrade in the defensive coaching. And I'm not only talking about Pettine over Wannstedt.

 

It's simply amazing that Catavolos coached DBs under Jauron AND Gailey, is it not? Now look at the DBs under Donnie Henderson.

 

For further proof look at the year McKelvin is having. When healthy, he's playing at a Pro Bowl level.

 

The only DB who hasn't improved his play is Byrd and that's understandable as he's just getting back into the groove physically and is learning a new system.

[BADOLBILZ]

Except the little fact that Gronk was taken a year earlier.

 

The Williams pick was much maligned by a vast majority in Bills nation for his play as CB and moreso because Buddy deemed him a first round talent. He was ridiculed by a lot of people in this MB Sometimes players need time to get better, obviously better coaching helps.

 

 

Yes, I know Gronk was picked the prior year. I started to address the consecutive reaches in round 2 and had to step away before I could proofread it. I am about 10,000 posts short of some of the apologist posters here in great part because I have other things to do. Perhaps that is also why I haven't felt the need to pretend the Bills haven't sucked for the past 13 years. Life, get one.

 

If the question is was he a first round talent the answer is a definitive no. In the NFL today, you can't use a first round pick on a safety who takes 3 years to develop. For that matter, if you have needs like the Bills had you shouldn't use a second round pick on that player either. And yet, they did just that. Let me put it this way, if the Bills took an offensive guard at the top of round 2 and he couldn't earn a spot on a bad offensive line for his first two years......would you be lauding that selection when he earned a starting job in year 3? If you would then you deserve every loss this team has dealt you.

 

People forget that Williams was not even a full time starter at Texas, he was a raw talent. It was a reach. Chan Gailey sank his own ship with his choices of DC......but reaching for a DT and CB in round 2......and coming away with NEITHER in the first two drafts of his era did him no favors.

 

I mean let's see, the team plays a 3-4, has Kyle Williams and Dwan Edwards under contract and drafts Torrel Troupe high in the second round expecting him to be the NT anchor of that line......gets nothing from Troupe......and then feels compelled to select Marcel Dareus at the top of the following draft. Hmmm. The following year, they reach for Williams at the top of round 2........get nothing from him......and are compelled to take Gilmore with their very early first round draft pick. Interesting.

 

You can't illustrate the damage of a pointless reach anymore concisely than that Bills fans.

[YoloinOhio]

I will take AW any day over Whitner/Hitner or George Wilson. He is young, talented, and brings it on every play.

[reddogblitz]

I've done a total 180 on Aaron. Last year I thought he was horrible and was hoping he didn't even make the team this year. But starting in pre season and on he has played very well. I'm now an Aaron fan.

 

Pretty cool too that he likes both kinds of music. Country AND Western. Not into Willie or Waylon or Merle, but a lot of new guys I'm going to have to check out. He like Texas BBQ too. Can't argue with that!

 

Go BILLS !!

[Dibs]

AW was a "whipping boy" because until now he was often injured, and when he was healthy he was an awful corner. And I do mean flat out awful. I am the very first to admit that I blasted that pick and for good reason. Hew was a terrible corner, and this was a continuation of the Bills propensity toward using their best resources on DBs and RBs and all but forsaking the QB position. Now, I praise AW week after week.

.....

 

I don't have any problem with anybody pointing out and acknowledging when a player is playing badly. People regularly however call for young players(particularly high draft picks) to be cut, or espouse the view that the draft pick was wasted after only 1.5 seasons. As AW(and many a good player around the league) has shown however, ofttimes young players need a full season or two, and sometimes three to become solid/good/great players.

 

Badol credits Pettine, and why shouldn't he? Do you think that players such as Robey, Searcy, and perhaps even Hughes would be making great plays with Wanny? I am pretty sure that they would not. Pettine has the defense making big time plays and I credit him with keeping us in games despite our qb problems. Pettine is the best thing that has happened to the Bills defense since Wade Phillips.

 

Agreed. But this concept also highlights the point that calling a young player a bust(and wasted draft pick) after only a year or two in the league is premature.

[maddenboy]

The player is in the spotlight, not the fans. Lesson 101 about being a PROFESSIONAL? Don't answer back to critics, ESPECIALLY FANS!. Let your play do the talking and you stats and wallet will be full!

 

Remember that the fans pay your salary.

Remember that without fans, you'd be making the same money a Safety made in 1956. And that job at Bethlehem Steel paid more.

 

This is lesson #1. Or #101 if you prefer. Dont believe me? Ask the coach, the GM, the owner, the PR staff, and his agent.

Edited November 9, 2013 by maddenboy

[Buffalo Barbarian]

The type of music that he listens to and what he does in his free time (unless it is lots of charitable work) really doesn't impact my opinion in the least.

 

With that being said, I am with you on what he has done on the field. I did not think the guy was capable of being a good player in the league last year. I was wrong. He has been really, really good this year. He has supported the run, made picks and been good in coverage. He is a great example of a guy that took criticism and worked harder to become a better player. Congrats to Aaron and let's hope that he continues to improve.

 

Well if he listened to Metal that would move him up a few notches in my book

Edited November 9, 2013 by Buffalo Barbarian

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Liking country music goes in the negative column.

 

most definitely, My dad doesn't understand why I love metal when we grew up on a farm and listened to country music ( ). He liked that really ooooold school stuff and Blue grass ( :sick: God help me). I friggin hate country in all its forms and that really goes for all music that isn't rock to metal.

 

Honestly all I can say is is soon as I heard Metallica it was like OH yea this what I have been waiting for. I didn't care that nobody didn't like it but but the druggies, it was pure awesome power in the form of music. Then I progressed to Death metal which is still my favorite but the over Satanism/anti - God is very unfortunate but as far as music goes it get my motor running.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Buffalo Barbarian

[dave mcbride]

 

 

He only joined TBD in January 2013. It's possible he lurked previously.....but his comment has me thinking otherwise.

Badol has been a strong contributor to this board for over a decade. He was formerly BADOLBILZ (for many years) and then Dick Drawn.