Why is Daryl Williams Still a Free Agent?

[AuntieEm]

39 minutes ago, hemma said:

Why is Daryl Williams Still a Free Agent?

 

I think it’s because even if he was available, the weakest teams like Carolina, Pittsburg, Houston think he would be total waste of time and money.

Same for the CFL.

 

 

 

    

         Simple and correct answer here us he's still a free agent because he has decided he doesn't want to play pro football any longer.  Just because he can play at a high level to be a capable pro player does not mean he wants to play any longer.  He certainly, can earn a somewhat comparable living if he is successful at teaching the techniques that have given him success to play at the pro level.  Much like Jordan Palmer who understands the game well from the x and o standpoint of the qb position and has the talent to teach that to other players while not having the desire to be playing the game himself, still manages to earn a decent amount with his qb skills without having to take the punishment that the nfl defenders bring.  

 

   Andrew Luck retired once all the injuries and rehab he had to do robbed him of his love of playing the game.  He certainly would command a nice franchise level qb paycheck if he decided he wanted to play again.  He doesn't need the money apparently and good for him to be happy with what he has earned and decidng his health was more important than padding a bit more into his new worth.  When Josh Allen decides his love of playing football doesn't warrant the toll he takes physically then I certainly want him to move on and be content with what he did accomplish in the NFL.  

Edited October 21, 2022 by AuntieEm

[Big Turk]

2 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

I think you're onto something.

 

I've noticed Josh makes his pass protection look better than it is. Not only is he getting the ball out more quickly than ever before, he also moves in ways that strengthen the pocket instead of weakening it like many unaware quarterbacks do.

 

Josh rarely moves into a sack and he has that "up and down the ladder" move which seems to help his blockers.

 

 

Allen has progressed in his pocket awareness to a stunning degree from where he was as a rookie.  He often times would move into the pressure or would try and escape to the wrong side and would drift backwards a lot trying to escape.  Often led to a lot of long sacks, especially on 3rd down and I remember screaming more than once at the TV as he took one of them that moved us out of FG range, or ended up being a fumble when he got hit because he would try and stiff arm the guy while holding the ball behind him.

 

He is very savvy in the pocket and forces guys into the blockers with movement at times, like he did in the endzone against KC on the 3rd and 13 strike to Davis...he basically moved outside to run the DE into his blocker and then ducked inside and threw a strike.  It was like he was toying with the KC DE on that play and tricked him into doing exactly what he wanted.

 

May not have the creativity in the pocket like Mahomes does or even Wilson at times still has(although he has been brutal at almost everything else), but he is very very good at moving around enough to get the throw off, avoid pressure or give himself escape lanes if need be.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Big Turk

[Saxum]

Blocking scheme appeared to change each of Daryl Williams' years with Bills which may have affected his desire.

He was doing a very good job at RT, well enough to get a new contract, and suddenly he was not performing well and moved to guard with spot work at RT.

Some of his performance grade may have been curved based on his new pay check.

 

I had same thing happen to me (of course not in NFL) and my attitude changed and when they gave me a poor performance rating in my review I signed my review and then added giving them notice I was leaving to my signed review something they did not expect.

 

 

[st pete gogolak]

15 minutes ago, AuntieEm said:

 

 

    

         Simple and correct answer here us he's still a free agent because he has decided he doesn't want to play pro football any longer.  Just because he can play at a high level to be a capable pro player does not mean he wants to play any longer.  He certainly, can earn a somewhat comparable living if he is successful at teaching the techniques that have given him success to play at the pro level.  Much like Jordan Palmer who understands the game well from the x and o standpoint of the qb position and has the talent to teach that to other players while not having the desire to be playing the game himself, still manages to earn a decent amount with his qb skills without having to take the punishment that the nfl defenders bring.  

 

   Andrew Luck retired once all the injuries and rehab he had to do robbed him of his love of playing the game.  He certainly would command a nice franchise level qb paycheck if he decided he wanted to play again.  He doesn't need the money apparently and good for him to be happy with what he has earned and decidng his health was more important than padding a bit more into his new worth.  When Josh Allen decides his love of playing football doesn't warrant the toll he takes physically then I certainly want him to move on and be content with what he did accomplish in the NFL.  

I didn't mean to imply that just because he CAN still play that he MUST play.  Didn't realize he retired.  Good for him.  Wouldn't begrudge any NFL player a dime of their salary or making a decision to quit when still healthy or if they simply decided that they had had enough and didn't enjoy playing the game anymore.  Still would like a little more depth on the interior OL however.

[AuntieEm]

45 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said:

I didn't mean to imply that just because he CAN still play that he MUST play.  Didn't realize he retired.  Good for him.  Wouldn't begrudge any NFL player a dime of their salary or making a decision to quit when still healthy or if they simply decided that they had had enough and didn't enjoy playing the game anymore.  Still would like a little more depth on the interior OL however.

 

 

     There are 32 teams in the NFL and I'd bet each one would love better quality depth players.  Until there are more athletic players that choose to master oline play we gotta make due with what's available.

 

    Certainly ithere s a big demand for quality olinemen leaguewide.  It would be beneficial if any elite olinemen had the knack for teaching their positions.  Any that are good at the teaching aspect no doubt follow coaching paths after retirement if they choose to remain involved in football.  The NFL should consider setting up some types of position specific training centers for and positions that aren't currently filled via college draft with sufficient talents.  These centers could salvage dreams of athletic players who failed to be good enough at their current positions but have the abilities that could make them elite olinemen.  College programs don't put in the effort to develop oline talent for NFL teams, and rightfully so.  They focus on developing a winning program for their schools.

Edited October 21, 2022 by AuntieEm

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, YattaOkasan said:

lol at STILL calling it cherry picking, i literally did every pass rush metric.  How is using ALL the data cherry picking. 

 

i have focused entirely on pass pro so not sure what your 2nd and third lines are saying

 

Agree Allen is playing at a different level.  So is Tremaine (I know your favorite).  For both I think the play of the line in front of them is part of the story.  

 

From you I think this is as much of an agreement as I'll get when your priors are not immediately confirmed.  

 

 

I responded to your premature victory lap of a take that the OL had so clearly improved over the one they finished last season with.    Funny that prior to Sunday it was universally held as the teams biggest weakness.  Your focus is pass blocking stats because by the same metrics that made them one of the better pass blocking units they were the worst run blocking unit this season.............so that doesn't fit your narrative.     

 

You can do a bad job as an individual blocker..........see Rodger Saffold...........but if the QB gets the ball out quick or vacates the pocket before it can impact the stat sheet as a team gaffe then it doesn't register statistically.   What I am saying is Allen is playing at that level where he makes the OL look better than the actual sum of its parts on a given play.    He's not playing like vintage Dan Marino getting sacked only 6 times in 600 pass attempts while living exclusively in the pocket...........but he's instead using all of his athleticism in addition to the improved pocket presence to prevent negative plays behind the LOS.   

 

Personally I think they were weaker at two spots on the OL.........both guards.   Bates hasn't been as good on the right and Saffold has been pretty awful.   Where they are stronger is with improved health at Center and the tackle spots.    Dawkins is healthy after a twice covid stricken 2021 and Brown and Quessenberry are basically interchangeable as good run blockers with a very similar propensity for whiffs in pass pro.

 

[Sierra Foothills]

55 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

Allen has progressed in his pocket awareness to a stunning degree from where he was as a rookie.  He often times would move into the pressure or would try and escape to the wrong side and would drift backwards a lot trying to escape.  Often led to a lot of long sacks, especially on 3rd down and I remember screaming more than once at the TV as he took one of them that moved us out of FG range, or ended up being a fumble when he got hit because he would try and stiff arm the guy while holding the ball behind him.

 

He is very savvy in the pocket and forces guys into the blockers with movement at times, like he did in the endzone against KC on the 3rd and 13 strike to Davis...he basically moved outside to run the DE into his blocker and then ducked inside and threw a strike.  It was like he was toying with the KC DE on that play and tricked him into doing exactly what he wanted.

 

May not have the creativity in the pocket like Mahomes does or even Wilson at times still has(although he has been brutal at almost everything else), but he is very very good at moving around enough to get the throw off, avoid pressure or give himself escape lanes if need be.

 

Spot on.

 

Josh has gone from a QB who didn't help his blockers (and often hurt them) with ill-advised movements into a QB who is one of the best in the league at helping his blockers through his pocket movements.

 

As you said, the progression is stunning but Josh has a crazy capacity for improvement that is very rare for a QB.

 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, JoPoy88 said:

Only time I really saw pass pro having some real struggles this year was against the blitz in Miami in the heat.

 

 

If you re-watch the first half of the Rams game you will see intense pass rush pressure.........the degree of difficulty on some of the quick throws that were needed to be made to prevent Allen from getting hit was amazing.    The Bills turned the ball over to negate a herculean effort from Allen in that first half but you could argue that the Rams did a great job with their pressure forcing Allen to make some amazing throws.     

[BADOLBILZ]

9 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Unfortunately Brown is still absolutely awful in pass protection.

 

I don’t think people realize how much Josh covers for this bad offensive line… even an athletic guy like Keenum would take a beating behind this line. 

 

 

I agree.........but I also think there are so many bad offensive lines that it's hard to keep it in perspective.

 

For instance, for all the money and early picks the Chiefs have expended to put their OL together their two lousy pass blocking OT's really undermine the operation.    I guess you gotta' grade the disjointed early season OL's by how many of their OL are actually individually good.    Right now the Chiefs have 3 good ones........their interior OL.........and the Bills have just 2(Dawkins and Morse) but being that one is a left tackle that probably evens the score.

 

It's a good time to be a pass rushing defensive lineman in the NFL.

 

I'd assume that some units will start to separate themselves from the pack as they gel later in the season but the early returns on NFL OL play might be another all-time low.   The NFL might just have to go back to 2020 officiating of holding.    I'm sure Tua wouldn't mind.

[BarleyNY]

6 hours ago, Sierra Foothills said:

Legit question.

 

It was a bit mysterious that he had an excellent 2020 season at tackle, to the point the team gave him a 3 year contract.

 

Then he played poorly at tackle in 2021 but still salvaged the season by playing deccently at guard.

 

I have two theories... the Bills were unhappy with his physical condition after he signed the new contract and/or Aaron Kromer doesn't view him as a system fit.

 

This is pure speculation. Sometimes players retire when they can’t or don’t want to keep doing what they’ve been doing to stay in peak shape. He retired right after he got paid, but with two seasons left on his 3yr/$24M deal. He made $9.4M that first season. So it could be that he wasn’t motivated after seeing that cash and got out of shape. Or maybe he got into PEDs so he could get that contract, got caught by the league (1st violation is a warning and not made public) and he retired because he couldn’t be effective without them. Dunno. Both are plausible. As is injuries taking their toll. We likely wont ever know.

[Saxum]

1 hour ago, Sierra Foothills said:

Josh has gone from a QB who didn't help his blockers (and often hurt them) with ill-advised movements into a QB who is one of the best in the league at helping his blockers through his pocket movements.

 

As you said, the progression is stunning but Josh has a crazy capacity for improvement that is very rare for a QB.

 

I think for most NFL QBs they were at top of the heap in college and then those that could adjusted to NFL game.

Josh was underdeveloped in college both due to level of training (and Josh had none of the football camps most NFL QBs had) in college and level of competition.

When he was signed to Bills he had top of the line physical development training, below average QB coaching and OC who was learning on the job.  Fortunately Josh did not depend upon Bills coaches provided and had worked with his QB to correct his performance.  Ken Dorsey came in as QB coach and this helped Josh greatly.

 

 

[Don Otreply]

5 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Saffold has been pretty terrible this season.  

To be expected early on, coming off a shoulder injury at the beginning of the season iirc, according to some post or another here a day or two ago, he seems to have done well in the KC game, some one did a every snap he played and he appears to have graded out well, 

[ArtVandalay]

7 hours ago, st pete gogolak said:

The reason I like Daryl Williams is that he ended the seemingly never-ending nightmare of Jordan Mills being our starting RT.  Granted he was not great last year and fully expected him to be a cap casualty but I'm surprised he is still on the market.  For the right price, I think he would be a nice fit as backup guard/tackle, especially with Spencer Brown missing some time.  What's the deal?  Is he out of shape?  No longer interested in playing football?  There's got to be a reason he is unsigned.  

Because he absolutely sucks, that's why. He's horrible. 

 

Some posters got mad when i pointed that out last year and that he would be cut. 

 

Well look at this, not only cut but not a single team had interest..  why? Because he sucks. 

[YattaOkasan]

3 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

I responded to your premature victory lap of a take that the OL had so clearly improved over the one they finished last season with.    Funny that prior to Sunday it was universally held as the teams biggest weakness.  Your focus is pass blocking stats because by the same metrics that made them one of the better pass blocking units they were the worst run blocking unit this season.............so that doesn't fit your narrative.     

 

You can do a bad job as an individual blocker..........see Rodger Saffold...........but if the QB gets the ball out quick or vacates the pocket before it can impact the stat sheet as a team gaffe then it doesn't register statistically.   What I am saying is Allen is playing at that level where he makes the OL look better than the actual sum of its parts on a given play.    He's not playing like vintage Dan Marino getting sacked only 6 times in 600 pass attempts while living exclusively in the pocket...........but he's instead using all of his athleticism in addition to the improved pocket presence to prevent negative plays behind the LOS.   

 

Personally I think they were weaker at two spots on the OL.........both guards.   Bates hasn't been as good on the right and Saffold has been pretty awful.   Where they are stronger is with improved health at Center and the tackle spots.    Dawkins is healthy after a twice covid stricken 2021 and Brown and Quessenberry are basically interchangeable as good run blockers with a very similar propensity for whiffs in pass pro.

 

So much stuff. During off-season I was very explicit that we would be much better than what we were ALL season. I fought the position by position comparison of the end of the season while talking season long stats. For this discussion I’ve clearly focused on pass pro after some ambiguity in my first post. 
 

I think you’re wrong assigning all the pass pro improvement to Allen. He has helped them but he’s not number 1 in time to release so their ability to be number 1 in pressure rate is a sign of improvement.  
 

Morse has not had good health with an elbow injury compared to last year so I don’t understand that argument.  And you were pretty neg on Quessenberry this off-season so not sure why you say RT is better if him and brown are interchangeable. 
 

you say so many nonsensical things. I’m still laughing at blitz rate being a sign that our pass pro is viewed as weak. 

 

I’ve heard your arguments. Data and logic suggests you’re wrong. 
 

go bills

[QLBillsFan]

While Williams did not play particularly well last year, imho he would be on a roster If he was interested. Can play RT or guard just year or two removed from a decent year. OL play is part of scoring issues for many teams this year.