Ugh! That’s the best way to describe Chicago Bears left tackle Chris Williams in the game against the Oakland Raiders. A game in which Williams gave up four sacks, making Oakland’s defensive end Kamerion Wimbley look like, well, Julius Peppers. You can't call Williams' game good. That's just obvious. But you can't call it bad because it was the pre-season and the team was trying out different scenarios to better prepare their new left tackle for the regular season.
Watching Wimbley run past Williams time after time was frustrating for me to watch. Hence the, Ugh!
I can only imagine how o-line coach Mike Tice felt.
Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz has said that the Bears were experimenting a lot in the game on Saturday, and that Williams was put on an island or given no help at times to see how well he would handle the pressure.
According to Mad Mike and Tice, the Bears have over 37 different protection packages that could, or would, have helped out Williams.
I think Jay Cutler would have liked at least one of those calls.
As the Bears left tackle of the future, Williams is etched in to protect The Franchise Jay Cutler for many years to come. It should be nothing new to the former first round pick, he’s been protecting Cutler for years, dating back to their college playing days together at Vanderbilt.
Two weeks ago I wrote about how the constant battles between Williams and Peppers would greatly improve the young tackle’s game. Even after last Saturday night’s game, I believe Williams will improve and become who we thought he’d be with the 14th overall pick.
On the flip side, Chicago Tribune writer Dan Pompei wrote an article yesterday exploring the possibility that the constant abuse Williams endures in practice, by going up against a five time Pro Bowler, may be messing with the young man’s psyche.
Coming out of college, the biggest knock on Williams, besides his ailing back, was his lack of toughness. It was moreso his mental toughness however, not his physical. Scouts claimed that he did not have a ‘mean streak’ or that he’s not ‘nasty enough’.
Apparently you have to be part bouncer, part 'roid-rage to play o-line.
But could Williams be mentally weak? Could he be questioning his skills this early in his NFL career?
If this is true, the game against the Raiders may have shattered any bit of confidence Williams had left. I know it’s only a pre-season game, but if a guy is mentally weak enough to lose his mojo in practice, live game action may scar him permanently.
What do you think WCG? Are the Williams/Peppers battles in practice good for Williams or is Peppers making the young guy wish he had put his Engineering degree to work instead of playing football?