FLFan Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 35 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said: "See … in my mind, I didn’t realize that Buffalo wasn’t the problem. I was the problem."This seems to be a recurring issue with our young stars. Same thing happened with Sammy and Dareus, and even Marrone to a lesser extent. And now they've all moved elsewhere and realized it was on them. OBD needs to do something to nip this in the bud, asap. Great article/letter though. Very insightful. I wish nothing but the best for AW. This is not only a Bills issue. Young men mature at different rates, and "the baller life" that Williams describes is how many of these players come to the NFL, with their first taste of money. Every team needs to deal with it. The Bills did do something about it - they hired McDermott. If we have learned anything over the past year he is all about having players who do things the right way, take the game seriously, or they will not be here long. Great article - good for Aaron. I think we all saw dramatic improvement in his third year, and although we did not necessarily know why, he was a different player. Now we know. 1 hour ago, Rubes said: Sure makes you realize how some individuals underperform for immature reasons, yet can turn things around in ways that aren't always clear to us. Even just a change of scenery can do it (*cough* Dareus). Time will tell with Dareus. He has talked the talk before. My bet is he will still show up for training camp 40 pounds overweight, and he is a 2/1 bet on another drug violation. He will never be the player he once was or could have been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billschinatown Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, SaviorPeterman said: AW was a talented player but unfortunately had too many injury issues so this is probably the smart move to give up an hope of a return to the NFL. Also remember, he was hoping to sign with the Bills again or St Doug and the Jags midseason per my source in Houston: Aaron Williams: Tanned, Rested and Ready .... seriously. What the f is wrong with you? Get your life together and stop looking for validation from a sports forum. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 12 minutes ago, MDFan said: This is not only a Bills issue. Young men mature at different rates, and "the baller life" that Williams describes is how many of these players come to the NFL, with their first taste of money. Every team needs to deal with it. The Bills did do something about it - they hired McDermott. If we have learned anything over the past year he is all about having players who do things the right way, take the game seriously, or they will not be here long. This is not only a Bills issue, but it is a bigger issue for the Bills than most. That is mainly due to the 17-year drought, and the perception the Bills are a 2nd rate team in a 2nd rate city. When you are so successful in High School you get a full ride to one of the best programs in College Football. Then are so successful in college you get drafted in the top 50. And then get to the NFL and it doesnt click like it used to. It's real easy to blame "the Bills". "I'm doing my thing like I always have, and the team is losing like it always has, that's their fault". I can see how any 22-year old would think that way. The good news is, the Bills finally got mathematically lucky and backed into the playoffs. However they did it, they got that monkey off their back and have a ledge to stand on now. WRT McD, we'll see. Marv wanted "football character" guys too, and it lead to 5 contract extensions for Chris Kelsay. I'm hoping for the best though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Turk Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Wow that was a great article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cripple Creek Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Best of luck AW. 23 minutes ago, Billschinatown said: .... seriously. What the f is wrong with you? Get your life together and stop looking for validation from a sports forum. Best if ignored. He gets off on every reply he receives. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearLess Price Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 That was awesome. Good luck AW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 2 hours ago, The Dean said: Terrific read. Class act. One day contract with a retirement ceremony would be nice to see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wiz Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 7 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: One day contract with a retirement ceremony would be nice to see. Just hope he doesn't show up an hour late for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, SinatraSinger said: This article should be required reading for all the Bills draft picks this April, heck I'll even go a step further and say that the NFL should make this required reading for all the rookies. In March. And don't even consider drafting anyone who shows an attitude of "But I'm different..." 13 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: One day contract with a retirement ceremony would be nice to see. Or just hire him as "Assistant Coach in charge of teaching rookies to grow the !@#$ up." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) 3 minutes ago, DC Tom said: In March. And don't even consider drafting anyone who shows an attitude of "But I'm different..." Or just hire him as "Assistant Coach in charge of teaching rookies to grow the !@#$ up." That would be beneficial as I have no doubt he could relate well to young players in such a capacity. Edited January 31, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillyG Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 That was about as honest and heartfelt of an announcement/article as I have ever seen. AW, good luck in your future. Would absolutely love to read more of what this young man has to say...just a natural gift for writing IMO. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 4 minutes ago, DC Tom said: In March. And don't even consider drafting anyone who shows an attitude of "But I'm different..." Or just hire him as "Assistant Coach in charge of teaching rookies to grow the !@#$ up." 1 minute ago, 26CornerBlitz said: That would be beneficial as I have no doubt he could relate well to young players in such a capacity. I often wondered if teams had a "Rookie Transitions Manager" or "Community Liaison", and if not, why not? It would be a younger person who could communicate with young players on their level, who also knew the area very well. Help rookies and young players deal with everything from the new schedule and pressures, to finances, to finding places to eat/play in the area. So, when a player is sick of spending 14 nights in a row at Dave & Busters, the person would step in and take them out to dinner on the Elmwood strip. Something along those lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo716 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, berg1029 said: It's nice to hear about someone having the mental strength to endure the criticism and use it as fuel to improve himself. I feel like a lot of people, when put in a similar situation, would hold a grudge against the fan base for calling him out. Not only did he not hold a grudge, but he instead embraced the city for its role in helping him improve. It just goes to show tremendous strength of character, being able to get past that and then come to love everything about Buffalo. Great read, wish AW the best! Another example of his strong character. It would be easy to hate Landry (as much of the Bills fan base does), but he doesn't resent Landry for the hit. Hes a football player. He understands the risks ... of course he doesn't hate Landry like a lot of Bills fans... who hate him because of emotion. Its a risky game and he understands that, even if he thinks it wasn't 100% warranted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 minute ago, DrDawkinstein said: I often wondered if teams had a "Rookie Transitions Manager" or "Community Liaison", and if not, why not? It would be a younger person who could communicate with young players on their level, who also knew the area very well. Help rookies and young players deal with everything from the new schedule and pressures, to finances, to finding places to eat/play in the area. So, when a player is sick of spending 14 nights in a row at Dave & Busters, the person would step in and take them out to dinner on the Elmwood strip. Something along those lines. Or just to give them advice. "Don't buy that $20k diamond tennis bracelet; save your money." "That guy isn't your friend, he's just hanging out with you for chicks and booze. Don't kick him any cash." "Don't hit that jaywalking Canadian broad." "Why are you picking up random chicks at the gas station? There's escort services available, and they're guaranteed not to be underaged, you idiot." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceman_16 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Stay strong man.... life is amazing when we learn to love the present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 3 hours ago, jmc12290 said: I love AW, what a guy. Sammy Watkins and Dareus could've learned a lot from this young man. Unmentioned in the article but I think it helped the maturation process that Williams had bottomed out as a player.........by some measures he was the worst CB in the entire NFL in his second year, which is why he was getting bashed on twitter. Watkins and Dareus never got anywhere near that low in their first few seasons but I often mentioned how AW went from public enemy #1 on Bills social media wrt people saying Watkins couldn't repair his "little jobs" kinda' issues......which were relatively minor compared to the early hate-spew of AW on twitter. Switching to safety wasn't mentioned but without that he probably would have just continued to suck regardless of his attitude.......just didn't have CB chops at that level but had excellent safety skills. And though he mentions it I think he understates his relationship with on-field violence a bit......he was a borderline dirty player who'd draw flags for late hits out of bounds and he LOVED to lead with the helmet. Wish he'd have made it back, I would have liked to see what he looked like if he was bigger, stronger, faster in Houston last year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wsam4031 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Classy Guy wish we had more like him. Tragedy that his career was cut short by that weasel Laundry. Players Tribune article was fantastic read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 26 minutes ago, DC Tom said: In March. And don't even consider drafting anyone who shows an attitude of "But I'm different..." Or just hire him as "Assistant Coach in charge of teaching rookies to grow the !@#$ up." It's actually a little odd teams don't literally have this given how often they waste money on guys who haven't grown the !@#$ up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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