Duke Williams: Excellent video piece by Bleacher Report

[MJS]

Well if there's a locker room that can help guys grow and mature and really feel like they are part of something bigger, it's the Bills locker room. Great group of guys. The coaches have fostered a great culture.

 

Guys like Duke who need structure, support, and motivation to keep on the straight and narrow can thrive in this system, because that's exactly what they'll get here.

[fansince88]

AND HE IS A BILL!!!!

[CSBill]

I hope there's a follow-up video soon, his years since the Auburn incident.

Edited October 11, 2019 by CSBill

[Chandler#81]

Thanks @Alphadawg7 & @Margarita. We may just have our OBJ/AJ/LarryF..

[billsredneck1]

i watched his cfl highlights the day they signed him and the two words,  eric moulds popped into my head.  one thing i noticed about him sunday is that he gets open.

he seems to have great instincts on when to cut and/or comeback to the qb.....give him an open target.  i hope to see him catch a half dozen a game.

[ProcessTruster]

in the NFL ,as long as you stay clean and don't become antonio brown, if you can play you can play, so he will get his shot.  Gotta love a big WR with great hands.   we shall see

[CLTbills]

Wow. GREAT watch. 

He just seems like the kind of guy you want on your football team. Raw talent, but a desire to bust his *** and do whatever it takes.

[Shaw66]

Thanks.  That was fun to watch.  Guy is intense.

 

Like someone else said, I've been a Duke fan since I saw the video of him catching the ball in Canada.   He just looked special.

 

The very best thing I've seen about is Lee Smith being interviewed by John Murphy and Tasker on Monday, I think.  Now, Smith has been around the league a lot, and the Bills brought him back because he's a leader.  Smith couldn't find the words talking about Duke.   He said something like this:  "Every once in a while you run into a guy who is just different.  You get to know him and you know that you just want to be around him.  You want him on your team.  Duke is one of those."  I mean, Smith could have just said "yeah, we all were really happy for him because he worked so hard to get here," sort of like what a guy would say about a kid brother.   But, no, he essentially said he looks UP to Duke, because he has a special kind of intensity that is rare.   

 

Quite cool. 

[Purplebulldog]

Glad to see him last Sunday finally make his dream. My kids attended  Auburn while he was there at Auburn, Daughter tutored some of the football player's.  Duke was an absolute train wreck. I hope he stays focused and makes the most on his second chance. Go Bills

[Solomon Grundy]

Hopefully Josh gains the trust in him and start throwing the one on one balls to him. I saw one, in particular, in the Tennessee game where Duke may have had another TD or at least a big play. I want Josh to be smart playing QB not cautious 

[thenorthremembers]

11 hours ago, StHustle said:

Him turning to God is what really saved him. Some won't understand that but I'm a product of it myself. Duke is officially my new favorite Bill.

I understand.  I am still a giant work in process, but had I not found God and been saved I would have been dead by now.

 

I am glad Duke is where he is.  Even if he just becomes a role player, its a huge victory for Jesus and Duke both.

[dollars 2 donuts]

18 hours ago, 3rdand12 said:

I want to be sure everyone knows i have been a Duke Williams Fan since we picked him up.

Once i read his background and story i had to watch him during preseason and any quotes or comments in regard to him..
 I really like players/people like him. the One who pull their socks up after life does not go so well , and get after it. Do the best they can. and then some.

Last preseason game he said he left it all on the field and up to Coaches to decide if they can use him.

They did. and still made him work hard  to get on the field last Sunday. and what did he do? he again left it all on the field.
My boy right there.

Keep after it Duke ! 

 

 

He's hungry, 3rd.

 

...and the Bills have a nice table of choice meats meats and treats for him to feast on in the next few weeks.

 

I can't imagine how happy this young man is, I mean are you kidding me?  kicked out of Auburn, through the CFL and then finally on an nfl roster, cut, practice squad, called up and produces in his first game and with his first touchdown, on a team that is now 4-1, no less.

 

Keep flying straight, young man, and I know it is not as much as others make, but enjoy those hundreds of thousand of dollars you'll be making for the rest of this year.  Your hard work and dedication and ability to bounce back has earned it!

Edited October 11, 2019 by dollars 2 donuts

[Hapless Bills Fan]

18 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

This is a great piece for those who don't know a lot about Dukes backstory, pedigree, and potential.  Might help some understand why some of us were so high on Duke from the get go.  

 

 

The salt shaker I have about this is it's a 2016 video, the season of Duke's Auburn dismissal and draft fall, including praise quotes from a pro-day trainer Duke worked with and good words from Duke about how he wants to put it in the past and give his all.  By Duke's own words recently, he was demoralized after his Auburn dismissal and didn't work very hard to train for his pro day or when he was an UDFA, and he still needed a wake-up call from the QB when he signed in the CFL.

 

I wish Duke the best, for his own sake and for the Bills, but the video seems a bit hype-y with that in mind.  Hopefully it is genuinely "all in the past" now and the "attitude of gratitude" and work ethic he has expressed recently/evident liking of all his teammates on the Bills, will be a lasting thing.

 

Hopefully 4 catches for 29 yds is just the beginning.

[Rocket94]

Duke Williams has come too far to turn back now. I like how he dug deep and just said to himself, OK, I can see where this is going, I will have to prove them wrong.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Just now, Rocket94 said:

Duke Williams has come too far to turn back now. I like how he dug deep and just said to himself, OK, I can see where this is going, I will have to prove them wrong.

 

 

....he's smart enough to know this is probably his ONLY shot at the NFL.......carpe diem lad....NFL pays a tad better than the CFL.......

[Rocket94]

Just now, OldTimeAFLGuy said:

 

 

....he's smart enough to know this is probably his ONLY shot at the NFL.......carpe diem lad....NFL pays a tad better than the CFL.......

Yes...and the man is on high alert...has to play with some fire.

[John from Riverside]

2 minutes ago, Rocket94 said:

Yes...and the man is on high alert...has to play with some fire.

I am sure that this all comes into play....hopefully there is also a chance that he has just matured as a person and will end up being a great success story.

 

 

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 minute ago, John from Riverside said:

I am sure that this all comes into play....hopefully there is also a chance that he has just matured as a person and will end up being a great success story.

 

 

 

...think he is working hard at it.......sure he had some collegiate days screw ups and a couple of NFL tryouts that went nowhere......so instead of throwing in the towel, he went North to work on his craft, attitude and maturity.....McBeane said in an interview, "the Duke Williams signing made drafting a WR early not a top priority".....translation Duke: you have been handed the opportunity of a lifetime.....do NOT blow it.....

 

[Rocket94]

Just now, John from Riverside said:

I am sure that this all comes into play....hopefully there is also a chance that he has just matured as a person and will end up being a great success story.

 

 

I believe that he has matured already. As we know, some young men actually benefit later from hardship and mistakes. At this point, Williams has redeemed himself well. These are also good leadership qualities.

[benderbender]

Good piece. Well done. I think many were behind him just based on flashes of skill. Now I’m rooting for him on a personal level.