Tag: Mike Williams (Page 3 of 5)

      Josh Freeman needs more help if the Bucs want to make playoffs

      November 28, 2010 /
      SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 21: Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on November 21, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

      Josh Freeman can beat bad teams by himself. He’s done it all year.

      But when the Bucs play good teams like the Falcons, Saints or their counterparts on Sunday, the Ravens, the second-year quarterback is going to need more help.

      In Tampa Bay’s 17-10 loss to Baltimore, Freeman completed just 17-of-37 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. But those subpar numbers weren’t entirely his fault.

      The Bucs got a couple of good runs out of LeGarrette Blount and Carnell Williams, but they couldn’t move the ball with any consistency on the ground. Rookie receiver Mike Williams was targeted seven times, but he caught just two passes for 20 yards. And yes, Freeman misfired on plenty of passes, several on third down.

      The Bucs gained respect by hanging with the Ravens in Baltimore, but they already had people’s respect. Now what they want is to beat good teams and they just haven’t done that. They’re 7-4 and only two games back of the Falcons in the NFC South, but if they want to contend for a playoff spot (whether it be this year or next), they have to figure out ways to win tough games.

      They’ll get another shot next Sunday when they host the Falcons, who currently own the best record in the NFC.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 11.1 ROY power rankings

      November 28, 2010 /

      Every week, I have to add a new name to this list, and that’s really saying something as players have to make major adjustments to the NFL game their first year.

      1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—Hung in tough against Patriots, racking up another sack and three tackles. Not huge numbers, but it’s more his presence in the middle.

      2. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—Hung tough in Atlanta despite a loss; but who was really expecting Rams to win that or to be still in contention at Thanksgiving?

      3. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks—55 tackles and 5 picks through 10 games after a fine game in a losing effort at New Orleans.

      4. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns—Of all his numbers, the 63.8% completion percentage as a rookie is the most impressive, especially because you probably can’t name more than one of his receivers.

      5. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—He made it clear on Thanksgiving that he wants the ball more, as his 0 catches proves. And maybe he should get the ball more.

      6. Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs—Continues to put points up on a team that might surprise with a postseason berth.

      7. Devin McCourty, New England Patriots—61 tackles, including 30 in his last four games; and 5 picks, most notably two on a national stage this past Thursday.

      8. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs—Don’t look solely at his numbers, just watch the kid play on Sunday.

      9. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals—Slowed recently, but still a bright spot on a crappy team.

      10. Jordan Shipley, Cincinnati Bengals—A tough TD against the Jets on a national stage surely won’t hurt his chances here.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 10 ROY power rankings

      November 21, 2010 /

      This is turning out to be a fine rookie class, isn’t it? There are game-changers on both sides of the ball:

      1. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—On pace for 73 catches, 958 yards, and 9 TDs; but also he’s averaging a ridiculous 14.4 yards on punt returns with 2 scores. Absolutely electrifying.

      2. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—A monster in the middle, and something Detroit has not had in a long, long time.

      3. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—It’s not like he’s throwing to Roddy White or Hakeem Nicks or Antonio Gates. In fact, I don’t know who this kid is throwing to.

      4. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks—47 tackles and 4 picks through 9 games. That’s a full season for many safeties.

      5. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns—If the Browns had beaten the Jets, and they almost did, we’d be talking potentially squeaking into the playoffs. And this kid is a huge reason the Browns are playing with confidence.

      6. Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs—DUI might hurt his chances for the top spot, but still no denying his numbers (40, 627, 5).

      7. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals—Give it a year or two, and this dude will be fawned over the way Jermichael Finley was this year.

      8. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs—He’s going to make life miserable for whoever is quarterbacking the Cardinals these days.

      9. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—Slowed after a fast start and injury, but finally Megatron has defenses paying attention to someone else.

      10, Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs—If he hadn’t hurt his ankle, this Ole Miss product might be higher on this list.

      External Sports, NFL

      Bucs’ rookie Mike Williams arrested on a DUI charge

      November 19, 2010 /
      Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams (19) changes direction on a fast closing Carolina Panthers safety Charles Godfrey (30) during their NFL football game in Tampa, Florida November 14, 2010. REUTERS/Pierre DuCharme (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Bucs’ rookie receiver Mike Williams was arrested on a DUI charge early Friday morning, although there seems to be more to the story.

      Apparently Williams’ blood-alcohol level was .065 and .061, which is below the limit of .08 in Florida. He failed his field sobriety test, however, and was given a urine test to see if he was impaired by a substance other than alcohol.

      If he wasn’t under the influence of any drugs, then it makes you wonder why he failed the field sobriety test. Did the police have it in for him? I don’t play the role of conspiracy theorist too often, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a cop would make an unnecessary arrest. That said, it’s also not a stretch to think that an athlete decided to partake in a substance other than alcohol.

      There are conflicting reports on whether or not Williams will start this Sunday in San Francisco. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after speaking with a team source, reported earlier this morning that Williams would play. But now Schefter is saying that he spoke to someone else with the Bucs, who claims that the rookie wideout will not suit up against the Niners. It’s quite possible that the results of Williams’ urine tests are back and he did test positive for drugs. We’ll just have to wait and see.

      Williams has been one of the many bright stars for the surprising Bucs this season. He’s been the favorite target of second-year quarterback Josh Freeman and at 6-3, Tampa remains in the hunt for not only a Wild Card berth in the NFC, but possibly the South division if they can keep pace with the Falcons and Saints.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 9 ROY power rankings

      November 14, 2010 /

      We know they have offensive and defensive rookie awards, but let’s lump them together for our purposes.

      1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—Not only has he anchored Detroit’s D-line, but the dude can attempt (and almost make) extra points too?

      2. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—With that number 8, reminds some folks of Troy Aikman, and leads on the field even as a rookie.

      3. Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs—On pace for 72 catches, 1112 yards and 10 TDs. As a ROOKIE.

      4. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys—You won’t find a brighter spot on an abysmal team right now, and he’s a game changer.

      5. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—Finally the Lions are making smart draft picks.

      6. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns—He’s actually led the Browns to two wins in a row against Super Bowl contenders.

      7. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals haven’t had a relevant tight end like this in years

      8. Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks—Through a half-season, 4 interceptions and 39 tackles. This is shades of Jairus Byrd last year.

      9. Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs—2 sacks, 2 picks, 45 tackles—and solidifying a much improved defense

      10. Dexter McCluster, Kansas City Chiefs—Averaging an astounding 20.9 yards on punt returns with one TD, and probably more to follow

      External Sports, NFL

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