dragondawg
07-30-2007, 03:53 AM
D.J. desiring to be like "Mike"
Broncos' Williams has the versatility to make this rather unusual move
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
Now that D.J. Williams has made the sidestep move from outside linebacker to the middle, the illustrious history of the position suggests he bring along more than just his rare combination of size, speed and strength.
Not that such an athletic package hurts. It's just that more than physical talent, the fascination with the middle linebacker position has been about the bulging eyes of Singletary, the pulverizing explosion of Butkus, the toothless, menacing growl of Nitschke and the toothless, limb-crunching tenacity of Lambert.
"I think D.J. can play the middle," Broncos tight end Daniel Graham said. "I think he's mean."
Now, there's an endorsement.
Graham was referring to Williams' on-field toughness, not any off-field flaw.
With apologies to Ray Nitschke, modern offenses have taken some of the wild dog out of the position, which football insiders refer to as the "Mike." Sure, the position will always attract the rip-snorting, Sunday afternoon personalities of a Ray Lewis or Al Wilson in their prime. But against the pass-first, run-second, here-comes- the-agile-300-pound-guard offenses of the 21st century, it's more important that a middle linebacker bench-press 300 while running the 40 in 4.6 seconds.
Still, doesn't the "mean" ingredient remain a necessary evil to middle linebackers?
"I disagree with that. I played with Jonathan Vilma and he's a great middle linebacker, and I know from going to college with him, he's not a mean guy," Williams said about the New York Jets' middle linebacker. "I think you have to be tough between the lines and know your assignment, but you don't have to be mean and cussing guys out and yelling all the time. I'm a man. I can stand up for myself, and I'm going to play hard and play tough."
This is a rare case when a lateral move became a promotion.
Then again, there's not much precedent for what Williams is doing this year. Most historians credit the birth of the middle linebacker position to 1954, when the Chicago Bears dropped back, and stood up, Bill George from the middle guard position of their five- man line.
George was succeeded in the middle by Dick Butkus, who played in the same black- and-blue division as Nitschke, who played in Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs, who in 1967 made Willie Lanier the first African-American middle linebacker in the pros.
The obvious choice
The 11 middle linebackers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame were pretty much "Mikes" from the start. There have been defensive ends who became outside linebackers, such as Joey Porter, and outside linebackers who more resemble defensive ends, like Lawrence Taylor and Shawne Merriman.
But when the Broncos decided to replace the injured Al Wilson in the middle, they went outside the box by moving Williams over from his strongside linebacker position.
"There wasn't any pause at all," Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said. "Why? If you break D.J. down from a personnel standpoint, I think he's a complete-package player. He has the size and physicality to play on the inside. He has the speed and lateral awareness of an outside guy."
Williams' skill set is one reason the Broncos moved him to the middle. The primary motivation behind the switch, though, was for the simplest of reasons - Williams needed to play. As a rookie in 2004,
Williams was at the weakside linebacker, or "Will," a position that, like the Mike, features the freedom to roam and improvise. He made the NFL's all-rookie team.
But after the Broncos brought back the faster and lighter Ian Gold in 2005, Williams was shifted to the strongside, or "Sam" position. Although Williams continued to start, the move was essentially a demotion because the Sam linebacker comes off the field in nickel situations - which is roughly half the time in today's NFL.
"I liked playing Will, but I didn't like playing Sam," Williams said. "You've got the tight end over there and then they usually bring the fullback, so there are two extra guys over there. At Sam you're taking on a lot of blocking; you're never really going downhill. You're playing laterally a lot."
Best 11 must play
Enter Jim Bates as the Broncos' new defensive boss. A few days after he was hired to run Mike Shanahan's defense, Bates called Williams upstairs to his office.
"I think we all had a sense of frustration - and you could understand how it's tough to get on the field when you have Al Wilson and Ian Gold - but I think we all understood the name of this game is to get your best players on the field," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "And I think without question, D.J.'s one of our best 11 defensive players. You understood, but you felt like there had to be some way to play D.J."
The "Mike" became the answer for Williams and Bates' revised defense, while veteran free agent Warrick Holdman has been given the first chance to win Williams' old Sam position.
"I'm happy, though I have more responsibility now," Williams said. "I was kind of a sidekick before. I helped Al out. Now I have to know not only my assignments, but the assignments of everybody else. If somebody's lined up wrong, it's your fault. It's a lot more vocal position."
The thing is, as Williams described his new job requirements, he was real nice about it.
D.J. Williams file
Practically speaking, the move from outside to middle linebacker is nothing more than five big steps over. But for D.J. Williams, it has been a long road from where he was to where he is now. Williams' path to the Broncos' starting middle linebacker:
* Growing up in the Bay Area, he follows a friend to famed football powerhouse De La Salle High School. A star running back and outside linebacker, Williams leads De La Salle to a 36-0 record. At the postseason banquet, guest speaker John Madden reportedly says Williams is the only player he has ever seen who could jump from high school to the NFL.
* Attends another football powerhouse, the University of Miami, left, where he plays as a fullback (18 career carries, 142 yards, 7.9 yards per carry) and linebacker as a freshman. He is a full-time starter at outside linebacker his next three years.
* Selected by Broncos in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2004 draft and finishes third in NFL defensive rookie of the year voting in 2004 after recording 114 tackles at weakside linebacker with two sacks and an interception.
* Broncos reacquire former draft pick Ian Gold, who pushes Williams to strongside linebacker in 2005-06. Williams is removed on passing downs, and his production suffers.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_6496043
Broncos' Williams has the versatility to make this rather unusual move
By Mike Klis
Denver Post Staff Writer
Now that D.J. Williams has made the sidestep move from outside linebacker to the middle, the illustrious history of the position suggests he bring along more than just his rare combination of size, speed and strength.
Not that such an athletic package hurts. It's just that more than physical talent, the fascination with the middle linebacker position has been about the bulging eyes of Singletary, the pulverizing explosion of Butkus, the toothless, menacing growl of Nitschke and the toothless, limb-crunching tenacity of Lambert.
"I think D.J. can play the middle," Broncos tight end Daniel Graham said. "I think he's mean."
Now, there's an endorsement.
Graham was referring to Williams' on-field toughness, not any off-field flaw.
With apologies to Ray Nitschke, modern offenses have taken some of the wild dog out of the position, which football insiders refer to as the "Mike." Sure, the position will always attract the rip-snorting, Sunday afternoon personalities of a Ray Lewis or Al Wilson in their prime. But against the pass-first, run-second, here-comes- the-agile-300-pound-guard offenses of the 21st century, it's more important that a middle linebacker bench-press 300 while running the 40 in 4.6 seconds.
Still, doesn't the "mean" ingredient remain a necessary evil to middle linebackers?
"I disagree with that. I played with Jonathan Vilma and he's a great middle linebacker, and I know from going to college with him, he's not a mean guy," Williams said about the New York Jets' middle linebacker. "I think you have to be tough between the lines and know your assignment, but you don't have to be mean and cussing guys out and yelling all the time. I'm a man. I can stand up for myself, and I'm going to play hard and play tough."
This is a rare case when a lateral move became a promotion.
Then again, there's not much precedent for what Williams is doing this year. Most historians credit the birth of the middle linebacker position to 1954, when the Chicago Bears dropped back, and stood up, Bill George from the middle guard position of their five- man line.
George was succeeded in the middle by Dick Butkus, who played in the same black- and-blue division as Nitschke, who played in Super Bowl I against the Kansas City Chiefs, who in 1967 made Willie Lanier the first African-American middle linebacker in the pros.
The obvious choice
The 11 middle linebackers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame were pretty much "Mikes" from the start. There have been defensive ends who became outside linebackers, such as Joey Porter, and outside linebackers who more resemble defensive ends, like Lawrence Taylor and Shawne Merriman.
But when the Broncos decided to replace the injured Al Wilson in the middle, they went outside the box by moving Williams over from his strongside linebacker position.
"There wasn't any pause at all," Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said. "Why? If you break D.J. down from a personnel standpoint, I think he's a complete-package player. He has the size and physicality to play on the inside. He has the speed and lateral awareness of an outside guy."
Williams' skill set is one reason the Broncos moved him to the middle. The primary motivation behind the switch, though, was for the simplest of reasons - Williams needed to play. As a rookie in 2004,
Williams was at the weakside linebacker, or "Will," a position that, like the Mike, features the freedom to roam and improvise. He made the NFL's all-rookie team.
But after the Broncos brought back the faster and lighter Ian Gold in 2005, Williams was shifted to the strongside, or "Sam" position. Although Williams continued to start, the move was essentially a demotion because the Sam linebacker comes off the field in nickel situations - which is roughly half the time in today's NFL.
"I liked playing Will, but I didn't like playing Sam," Williams said. "You've got the tight end over there and then they usually bring the fullback, so there are two extra guys over there. At Sam you're taking on a lot of blocking; you're never really going downhill. You're playing laterally a lot."
Best 11 must play
Enter Jim Bates as the Broncos' new defensive boss. A few days after he was hired to run Mike Shanahan's defense, Bates called Williams upstairs to his office.
"I think we all had a sense of frustration - and you could understand how it's tough to get on the field when you have Al Wilson and Ian Gold - but I think we all understood the name of this game is to get your best players on the field," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "And I think without question, D.J.'s one of our best 11 defensive players. You understood, but you felt like there had to be some way to play D.J."
The "Mike" became the answer for Williams and Bates' revised defense, while veteran free agent Warrick Holdman has been given the first chance to win Williams' old Sam position.
"I'm happy, though I have more responsibility now," Williams said. "I was kind of a sidekick before. I helped Al out. Now I have to know not only my assignments, but the assignments of everybody else. If somebody's lined up wrong, it's your fault. It's a lot more vocal position."
The thing is, as Williams described his new job requirements, he was real nice about it.
D.J. Williams file
Practically speaking, the move from outside to middle linebacker is nothing more than five big steps over. But for D.J. Williams, it has been a long road from where he was to where he is now. Williams' path to the Broncos' starting middle linebacker:
* Growing up in the Bay Area, he follows a friend to famed football powerhouse De La Salle High School. A star running back and outside linebacker, Williams leads De La Salle to a 36-0 record. At the postseason banquet, guest speaker John Madden reportedly says Williams is the only player he has ever seen who could jump from high school to the NFL.
* Attends another football powerhouse, the University of Miami, left, where he plays as a fullback (18 career carries, 142 yards, 7.9 yards per carry) and linebacker as a freshman. He is a full-time starter at outside linebacker his next three years.
* Selected by Broncos in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2004 draft and finishes third in NFL defensive rookie of the year voting in 2004 after recording 114 tackles at weakside linebacker with two sacks and an interception.
* Broncos reacquire former draft pick Ian Gold, who pushes Williams to strongside linebacker in 2005-06. Williams is removed on passing downs, and his production suffers.
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_6496043