Roy Williams being shopped. Should Texans be interested?

[Bag0b0y]

I know the Texans have been looking for a safety for what seems like eternity, so I was wondering if they should give him a shot? He's still 28 and he wants to get away from a 3-4 defense.

Fox sports (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9269274/Source:-Cowboys-trying-to-trade-S-Roy-Williams?MSNHPHMA)

[Bogey]

Wait till they release him, then I'm fine picking him up assuming he passes a physical.

[nWo34Life]

Can hit, but can't cover. I'll pass.

[couple of d's]

What happened to this dude? I don't follow pro football as much as college, but didnt he used to be a pro-bowler?

[gucci888]

What happened to this dude? I don't follow pro football as much as college, but didnt he used to be a pro-bowler?

Like any all-star game, it's all about popularity and Roy was dishing out huge hits that made him a fan favorite. However, it wasn't long until everyone in the league figured out he couldn't cover worth anything.

We already have enough issues with our secondary IMO. The last thing we need on this team is a Safety who cannot cover.

[Joe Joe]

No. As said before....lacks the coverage skills needed.

[Naija Texan]

Only for a very low minimum. Old boy hasn't shown himself to be worth that much from what I have seen of him in the Cowboys line up.

[Bag0b0y]

No. As said before....lacks the coverage skills needed.

Doesn't he play Strong as opposed to Free? I understand all safeties need to be able to cover but the strong safety's primary job is too stop the run. He can't possibly be that bad in coverage can he?

[baller4life315]

It's kind of a shame how he's seemingly plateaud as a pro considering he was one of the best defensive players I have ever seen in college. He's been an okay pro but as others have eluded to he gets exposed on coverage plays fairly easily. He's basically a LB in a safety's body.

[gucci888]

Doesn't he play Strong as opposed to Free? I understand all safeties need to be able to cover but the strong safety's primary job is too stop the run. He can't possibly be that bad in coverage can he?

You haven't seen him play much have you? He cannot cover, it wasn't his m.o. coming out of college but he's really been exposed in the NFL. He's a good tackler and is good for a big hit every now and then, but that's about it.

[H-Town Info]

Rather have C.C Brown over Roy Williams and thats not saying much...

[rezdawg]

I wouldnt trade a 7th round pick for him...I just dont want him on the field when my team is playing defense.

[A_3PO]

A serious question for Cowboys fans: What was the reasoning behind giving such a limited player like Williams the big contract? His limitations have been on full display since he's been in the NFL. Was it the highlight hits? Did the Cowboys think his intimidation factor would overcome his glaring lack of coverage skills? Is he a great lockerroom guy? Does he have a close relationship with Jerry Jones?

Like B4L said, Roy Williams was a great college player but since the NFL operates at a higher speed and skill level, his flaws were on display from the beginning. I don't think it was hard to see he was going to plateau early in his career.

[leroy420]

Abso-freaking-lutely NO! He's a sooner, a cowboy, and, most importantly, he sucks. I'm not sure it actually gets worse than that.

[DonnyMost]

Williams used to be pretty quick when he was younger, which made up for some of his terrible pass coverage skills.

Now that he's getting slower it's painfully obvious he can't find the ball.

He can still blow people up, but putting him in guarantees at least one home run ball per game on our D... no thanks

[Republic]

I don't really know too many SS's in the league who are great 1 on 1 cover men. It isn't their primary role. Their job is to flop between the tight end (their primary cover target) and assisting with stopping the running game.

Roy Williams in this capacity is great, and perhaps still one of the best in the league. He is NOT a shutdown corner. It seems you people are comparing apples to oranges in here. If you look at his position, consider his position, and compare him to others at his position, he's one of the top players. If you take him out of position and compare him to shutdown corners, he sucks (almost all safetys would). But that type of comparison makes no sense. This would be like evaluating free safeties on their ability to stop the run.

/shrug

[Joe Joe]

I'm surprised the Boys never tried him at LB as that is the only position I would give a look.

[Republic]

A serious question for Cowboys fans: What was the reasoning behind giving such a limited player like Williams the big contract? His limitations have been on full display since he's been in the NFL. Was it the highlight hits? Did the Cowboys think his intimidation factor would overcome his glaring lack of coverage skills? Is he a great lockerroom guy? Does he have a close relationship with Jerry Jones?

Like B4L said, Roy Williams was a great college player but since the NFL operates at a higher speed and skill level, his flaws were on display from the beginning. I don't think it was hard to see he was going to plateau early in his career.

Because he's one of the stop strong safeties in the game. If the Dallas secondary is healthy and Roy plays his natural position (SS), he's one of the tops in the game. However, when guys are injured and he's shifted to playing cover, it goes without saying that's a weakness to exploit.

In my opinion, there are only a handful of safeties in the league that I consider to be great cover men. The strange thing is, none of them line up on the strong side (typically). It simply isn't the role of a strong safety to be a cover man.

Most strong safeties get burned when forced into single coverage. It isn't just Roy or the Cowboys. Look around the league.

[Fulgore]

I'm surprised the Boys never tried him at LB as that is the only position I would give a look.Samething I was thinking. Seems like he would be better off at OLB than SS this point of his career.

[Republic]

I'm surprised the Boys never tried him at LB as that is the only position I would give a look.

While I agree that sometimes sounds good because of his skill set, I think it would be doomed to fail. He isn't used to the pounding linebackers take. He wouldn't last for half a season let alone an entire one.

[david_rocket]

he cant cover the WR, if the WR gets deep, he is always beat, he cant cover long passes.
All he knows to do is big hits and injuring players (see the "Roy williams" horsecollar tackle rule)

[leroy420]

Because he's one of the stop strong safeties in the game. If the Dallas secondary is healthy and Roy plays his natural position (SS), he's one of the tops in the game. However, when guys are injured and he's shifted to playing cover, it goes without saying that's a weakness to exploit.

In my opinion, there are only a handful of safeties in the league that I consider to be great cover men. The strange thing is, none of them line up on the strong side (typically). It simply isn't the role of a strong safety to be a cover man.

Most strong safeties get burned when forced into single coverage. It isn't just Roy or the Cowboys. Look around the league.

All safeties have to cover. SS or FS, it doesn't matter. The reason they're typically safeties is because they don't cover quite as well as CB's. That said, I'd have more confidence in Travis Johnson covering a RB or TE than I would Williams. He absolutely cannot perform one of the essential skills his position requires. It's not just single coverage either. He's completely incompetent when it comes to help coverage as well. The cover corner might as well be on his own.

My other complaint about him is the fact that even though the NFL created the Roy Williams rule (horse collar tackles), he's just dumb enough to continue doing it...costing his team 15 yards every time. He can't even grasp a rule that was created because of him?

Not no, but HELL NO.

[Legend Killer]

I would rather have Matt Stevens back.

[Wooderson]

I might take a chance on him if he came on the cheap - very, very cheap. I wouldn't look at him if it hurt our ability to fill other needs, tho. His tendency to get flagged for those damned horsecollar tackles, as leroy420 pointed out, is, is a huge concern. He's too big of a penalty risk.

[Fulgore]

I would rather have Matt Stevens back.LOL I wouldnt go that far. May have been the worst starting safety in NFL history

[nWo34Life]

I would rather have Matt Stevens back.

Whoa, son. Stop smoking the crackpipe and step away from the bad weed.

[redgoose]

I would rather have Matt Stevens back.

Funny how his jersey was never available unless custom ordered. :confused: At the time it would of been a great joke to give someone for their birthday. It's kinda like seeing someone still wearing a David Carr jersey they got at WalMart. :(

[CriscoKidd]

Roy Williams first two years in the league were awesome, but it's been all downhill from there.

And for those wanting to sign him because of those intimidating highlight reel tackles ... he doesn't really do those anymore. If he did, the cowboys wouldn't be looking to get rid of him.

As for the horsecollar issue ... it's partly because he takes horrible angles when he chasing down someone(kind of like his coverage skills). I don't know whether it's because he's actually avoiding contact or he really is just that clueless wrt where he's supposed to be.

Anyway, I personally think he still has the physical tools to be great, but that means squat if they can't get his head and heart into it.

[redgoose]

I'd take him if the Cowboys threw someone else we could use or a nice draft pick because of his salary. It's not like he'd be a downgrade to our secondary. As long as he played his natural position.

[rezdawg]

Matt Stevens is paralyzed now...

Anyways, I still think Stevens was better in coverage than Roy...but his tackling ability, yikes...probably the worst the league has ever seen.

[DrewP]

A serious question for Cowboys fans: What was the reasoning behind giving such a limited player like Williams the big contract? His limitations have been on full display since he's been in the NFL. Was it the highlight hits? Did the Cowboys think his intimidation factor would overcome his glaring lack of coverage skills? Is he a great lockerroom guy? Does he have a close relationship with Jerry Jones?

Like B4L said, Roy Williams was a great college player but since the NFL operates at a higher speed and skill level, his flaws were on display from the beginning. I don't think it was hard to see he was going to plateau early in his career.

The first 2-3 years of Roy Williams' career were very encouraging. When there was nothing else for Cowboys fans to look forward to, he would at least make the game interesting by blowing someone up behind the line or trying to decapitate a tight end going over the middle. Sure, his coverage skills were questionable, but they could often be excused by youth and how terrible the rest of our secondary was.

After this honeymoon period everything went down hill. He no longer made big hits or helped much in the run game. It just seemed like he didn't care anymore. He blamed the system, the coaches, teammates blah blah blah the fact is he no longer made plays. He got his contract because he was popular with the fans, was still the best safety we had and .... who knows why else it was a retarded contract from the moment it was signed.

You have to also look at it from Roy Williams' point of view. His confidence already in tatters, he signed a fat deal giving him a huge bonus and made him one of the highest payed safeties in the NFL. Dude knows at the rate he's going he will be in a wheel chair when he is 45.... so why should he sacrifice his body anymore if he's already paid?

[tigereye]

Wait till they release him, then I'm fine picking him up assuming he passes a physical.

ESPN & The Dallas Morning News is reporting he was just released.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3954441

[Chuck 4]

I'd take him. But not for what some idiot owner out there is probably going to pay him...

[Bogey]

Now will see what anyone is willing to pay him.

[rocketfan83]

Matt Stevens is paralyzed now...

Anyways, I still think Stevens was better in coverage than Roy...but his tackling ability, yikes...probably the worst the league has ever seen.


Really? I haven't heard that he's paralyzed...

I think he was the first whipping boy for fans in Texan History

[Franchise2001]

Really? I haven't heard that he's paralyzed...

I think he was the first whipping boy for fans in Texan History

Motorcycle accident

http://www.texanstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44298

[DFWRocket]

Williams flourished under a 4-3 defense..but when the Cowgirls changed their defensive scheme..he couldn't adjust.

[rrj_gamz]

Williams flourished under a 4-3 defense..but when the Cowgirls changed their defensive scheme..he couldn't adjust.

4 real...no roy, no t.o. Romo better step up...

Should the Texans bring him in...absolutely...Roy can't cover like he use to, but is still an upgrade IMHO...

[Chuck 4]

Should the Texans bring him in...absolutely...Roy can't cover like he use to, but is still an upgrade IMHO...

Exactly what I was saying on TexansTalk. Yeah, he isnt spectacular, but he beats what we have currently.

[redgoose]

Isn't he pretty good at stopping the run? Something we we're horrible at last year. If you combine that with the quality of our secondary i'd definantly bring him in if he renogiated his contract to his actual value.