cphil006 Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 If you can't click this... http://sports.espn.go.com/nfldraft/draft04/columns/story?columnist=feldman_bruce&id=1771789 read this... DULUTH, Ga. -- A few hundred yards from an elementary school in a genteel Atlanta suburb, eight men-rigged up to body harnesses with specialized bungee cord attachments run sprints on a spectacular spring morning. The training session that lasts an hour involves a variety of bizarre pulleys, harnesses and even an electronic reaction machine. On some sprints, the men run with a partner in tow, where they blast out 10 yards and then the partner squeezes a handle releasing the resistance, uncorking the sprinter for the next 20 yards. On other runs their partner pulls them forward at the end of a longer sprint. It's all done in the spirit of super-charging the athletes bodies and nervous systems. Mike Williams works out at Competitive Edge Sports in preparation for the NFL draft. The eight men are a mixture of established NFL vets, like the Stinchcomb brothers, Matt and Jon, and some free-agent longshots like one-time Bloomsburg (PA) University returnman B.J. Thomas, an eye-popping 6-foot-3, 215-pound specimen capable of blazing a 4.3 40. The most talkative-and youngest-guy in the workout is the towering wideout wearing an UnderArmour skullcap. This is Mike Williams, who by some accounts had vanished from the face of the Earth after his announcement almost two months ago that he was bolting USC after two years to go to the NFL. Because he had been keeping such a low profile, rumors had spread that Williams might have pulled a Clarett, blowing off any conditioning programs and would show up for pro scouts overweight and out of shape. Instead though, the Trojan all-American has actually been doing just the opposite. Williams relocated here to northern Georgia to undergo a boot camp of sorts known as Competitive Edge Sports run by performance specialist Chip Smith, a one-time small college running back who was one of the first Americans to study Soviet speed training after the Iron Curtain fell. Over the last decade, Smith has established himself as the combine guru, having trained 15 first-rounders in the past five years, including three of the top six picks in last April's draft. Williams enlisted Smith because he knew rumors had been circulating that he'd probably run a 4.75 at his "pro day" (April 8) or that he'd weigh 245. Williams concedes he was "heavy as hell" when he left California. He weighed 238 when he arrived in Georgia. Sarah Harris, the wife of Ken Harris, one of Williams' agents at AHS Management, even moved up to Duluth from Tampa to help with the specialized meals prepared by Smith's nutritionist for the big receiver so he could focus solely on his conditioning. The new strict diet was a drastic change for a guy who practically lived off McDonalds, Wendy's and late-night runs to Del Taco. So were the workouts, but Williams knew all about Smith's success stories. (One of the more recent ones was Florida State wide receiver P.K. Sam who went from being a guy who ran in the mid 4.5s to clocking a 4.40 at FSU's "pro day" after two months with Smith.) "It's been balls to the wall every day," Williams said. "That first week I couldn't even sit down my body was cramping up so much. My body had never trained so hard without the junk. "That first week was going to mentally make me or break me. It got to the point, where I was like, 'Maybe I should go down to Boca Raton or New Orleans (sites of other prominent speed camps) where they aren't as intense.' But the more I thought about it, I was like 'Hold on, I have a short period of time so it's gotta be intense. I need this." Williams winces as he details his diet: "I get up and eat oatmeal with fat-free soy milk and throw in a few blueberries to give it some flavor, because if you don't, it's like eating damp dirt. Then, I have 12 egg whites with some magical seasoning that you don't taste. "After working out, I come home and have some chicken unseasoned with potatoes with no butter. My snacks are green peas fresh out of the can. For dinner fish or chicken again. And that's it. Seven days a week." Seeing results Williams' drive has been revved up now that he's seen the results. He said he didn't have any specific goals when he started this program, only to get better, but it's clear the numbers Larry Fitzgerald put up at his "pro day" last week may have changed that. In fact, even after Friday's workout-featuring the hour of running and an additional hour of lower body weight training, Williams easily eclipsed Fitzgerald's mark of 35 inches in the vertical jump. "I can't wait for that day," he said of his audition for teams. "I'm gonna run a million times faster than people think." In truth, Williams' real diet has consisted of the skepticism he feels is out there about him. The greeting on his cellphone burns with it: "They think I can't do it... HA HA AH ... we'll see." Williams' departure from Los Angeles wasn't a smooth one. A February story in the Daily Trojan, the student newspaper at USC, quoted him ripping his teammates' work ethic. Williams said the article "got mixed up." "I wasn't bad-mouthing my teammates. I just said, 'the difference between the team I'm on now and the team I was on, is the guys just don't burn.' And it was totally different. Troy (Polamalu), (Justin) Fargas, BKU (Kenechi Udeze), if you had any ounce of get-over-on-them, they went nuts. But with this past season, the mindset was 'Guys, we won a national championship, we're up here (raising his hand above his head.) You don't have to work as hard,' And was it me? Hell yeah, you could throw me right in that group. I was getting heavier. I was a fat, lazy guy who wasn't committed to playing top level. We had guys weaseling around the work." Then, Williams shocked many, especially around USC when word leaked out that he was thinking about entering the draft. He said the seed was planted after hearing Fitzgerald was planning on coming out. But it was just an idle thought until a high school friend back home in Tampa told Williams he'd be "an idiot" if he didn't consider it because he had come close twice to breaking his ankle while at USC. "And he was right," Williams says, "I had two bad sprains, and I was like, it might not be a bad idea to start calling some people away from school, people who cared about me way before I was 'something.' They carry way more weight than people who have something invested in me. Am I doubting people at USC cared about me? No, I feel like they cared about me. But was my best interest their best interest?" Many factors went into the decision. On one hand, Williams wanted to stick around to help nurture the young receivers that USC had stockpiled. On the other hand, it was troubling to know that Will Poole and Marcell Allmond, the Trojans rugged cornerback tandem that Williams battled with everyday, were off to the NFL. And perhaps that challenge on the practice field that had dragged the best out of him wouldn't be as great. Williams also did feel indebted to USC because the Trojans had given him the chance to play wide receiver. Of course, he did help them win a national title. "The best advice I got was from (veteran NFL personnel man) Rich McKay," Williams said. "My mom's good friends with his wife and I know he shoots straight. He said you could be anywhere from the 12th to the 15th pick overall." McKay told Williams he based that on his film, his age and reports out of L.A. that the 6-5 receiver weighed around 245 and would run, at best, a 4.65. "I figured, 'Alright, my floor is 12-15, and 12 is not that far from 10. And that's if I show up at 240, and obviously that's not happening." Smith, Williams' trainer, agrees, saying he expects him to vertical jump between 36 and 38 inches and possibly run in the 4.5s. "He has been extremely focused," Smith says, "especially after Larry Fitzgerald gave us a gauge to shoot for." Williams, who weighed in at 229 on March 27, still speaks to many of his former teammates, especially the young wide receivers. "Me and Mike talk every night," says sophomore Whitney Lewis, the wideout being counted on to replace Williams. "He's always encouraging me about stepping up and how this is my time." It is Williams' time too. And for a while that made some of this jump-to-the-NFL so delicate. He has heard about people ripping him on call-in shows and around town for not showing up at USC's "pro day" last week. "BK (Udeze) and Keary (Colbert) told me people out there are saying 'see, that's even more proof that Mike has animosity towards his teammates.' Are you kidding me? What the hell are they talking about? Who is gonna be ready in 20 days if I'm flying around? Nobody. You can't win." Williams pauses for a few moments, and then breaks into a big grin. "You know, I just can't wait till April 8 so people can see me run," he says. "I'm gonna look down at the finish line of that 40-yard dash and I won't see any faces. I'll just picture of bunch of question marks standing there." And if things go well, surely those question marks will turn into a bunch of dollar signs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The President Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I think Mike Williams should be a top 15 pick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 This article is from last year. I'd like to find out what he's been doing this year. Hopefully, he's been working just as hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Now I really hope that Leinert comes out today. This kid may not make it to #9.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-Dog Night Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 No way he drops to #9. Not gonna happen, especially if he runs anything south of a 4.6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntotoro Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Judge Mike Williams, but read this first... This was from before the '04 draft. Maybe he has been keeping up this regimen, maybe not. Who knows... Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da#1skinsfan Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 If Williams is available at 9, it will be a message from above to take him, and I dont think we'll ignore it. Williams or Edwards would be a GREAT pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachTaylor Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by gibby56 I think Mike Williams should be a top 15 pick I think that Mike Williams should be a number 9 pick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Master Jay Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 The draft is a crap shot and you never know about any draft pick. Mike will be a weapon in the NFL we need a big target especially if Coles has toe surgery. We have speed in Jacobs, Coles, Thrash. Mike wouldn't be dropping them like Gardner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphil006 Posted January 13, 2005 Author Share Posted January 13, 2005 Mike Williams can catch better one-handed than Rod Gardner can two-handed... Hopefully this article puts to rest any questions about whether he got along with his teammates or not, his speed, vertical numbers, his weight. I know it was last year, but at least he knows HOW to get himself ready for the next level... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 You know what's kind of dumb? They put in all this work to put in a fast time or perform some workout when for the rest of their career they will not be near as austere in diet. Plus, seasoning on chicken is hardly going to hurt you(if it's spice or pepper) so that's just a stupid requirement they made of him. Soviet speed training where they probably broke the spirit of the athlete and didn't even have pepper to put on the damn chicken lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 The draft on the whole, even early in the first round, is a crapshoot. Remember that Michael Westbrook was drafted #4 in the first round and we all know how good he turned out to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdarugar Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin You know what's kind of dumb? They put in all this work to put in a fast time or perform some workout when for the rest of their career they will not be near as austere in diet. Plus, seasoning on chicken is hardly going to hurt you(if it's spice or pepper) so that's just a stupid requirement they made of him. Soviet speed training where they probably broke the spirit of the athlete and didn't even have pepper to put on the damn chicken lol The non seasoned chicken is probly cuz of salt, salt makes you retain water. I hope he runs a 4.6 exactly, so other teams will be turned off by his slow speed we can pick him up at #9, hopefully. With the 9th selection in the 2005 draft the Washington Redskins select...Mike Williams, Wide Reciever, USC. HTTR.:logo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimster Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin You know what's kind of dumb? They put in all this work to put in a fast time or perform some workout when for the rest of their career they will not be near as austere in diet. Plus, seasoning on chicken is hardly going to hurt you(if it's spice or pepper) so that's just a stupid requirement they made of him. Soviet speed training where they probably broke the spirit of the athlete and didn't even have pepper to put on the damn chicken lol I saw a piece on Shannon Sharpe a few years back, and he trained and ate like that 11 months out of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feeshta Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin You know what's kind of dumb? They put in all this work to put in a fast time or perform some workout when for the rest of their career they will not be near as austere in diet. Plus, seasoning on chicken is hardly going to hurt you(if it's spice or pepper) so that's just a stupid requirement they made of him. Soviet speed training where they probably broke the spirit of the athlete and didn't even have pepper to put on the damn chicken lol Not giving them pepper was not to break their spirit, it was simply because they didn't have pepper! LOL! I have read a few comment made my Williams in the past and I liked everything he said. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and he has not let all of the hype get to his head as far as i can see. All of the stuff about him not being a good teamate came out after his decision to leave for the draft, and most of it seems to have been fueled by the media rather than his teamates themselves anyways. Even if they had said something it probably had more to do with their feeling that he abandoned them than anything. They were counting on him to be there at the time. I'm sure now they feel differently because they were able to make do just fine without him. If fact, maybe his statements that were misconstrued helped to fire some of his teamates up. Maybe they looked at what they were doing and said "you know what, he's right". Or maybe they just got offended and worked even harder to prove his statements wrong, who knows. In any case, I believe he would be a tremendous aquisition for this team, and if he is there at #9, we have to take him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by jimster I saw a piece on Shannon Sharpe a few years back, and he trained and ate like that 11 months out of the year. Yeah he's an exception. It's one thing to stop eating McDs and the like, another to be uncreative in one's nutrition. There are several tasty and nutritious meals out there. As for fdarugar talking about salt--sure, no salt. Not all seasoning(as far as I know) is salt. I mean, put some italian spice on that joint. Come on. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking Deadman Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Williams or Edwards would be great, Or a DE or a OL. Whatever is best on the board at #9 we should get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdarugar Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by Ghost of Nibbs McPimpin Yeah he's an exception. It's one thing to stop eating McDs and the like, another to be uncreative in one's nutrition. There are several tasty and nutritious meals out there. As for fdarugar talking about salt--sure, no salt. Not all seasoning(as far as I know) is salt. I mean, put some italian spice on that joint. Come on. :laugh: Yea man I feel you with the Italian spice I was just trying to put some reasoning to the no seasoning thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[[ghost]] Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Originally posted by CoachTaylor I think that Mike Williams should be a number 9 pick! :yikes:thats exactly what i was thinkin :paranoid: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[[ghost]] Posted January 13, 2005 Share Posted January 13, 2005 with the 9th pick overall, the Washington Redskins select...Mike Williams, wide reciever out of USC that sounds soooo sexay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins11 Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 Originally posted by cphil006 Mike Williams can catch better one-handed than Rod Gardner can two-handed... This may be true... But Rod Gardner can catch better one-handed than Rod Gardner can catch two handed.... :laugh: Just want to put this disclaimer, since I am not a Gardner hater or anything: Seriously though, ALL of our WRs had the dropsies this year, some due to confusion about the playbook/routes, and a lot due to switching from lefthanded balls dying in the air thrown by Brunell to righthanded sniper shots thrown by Ramsey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphil006 Posted January 14, 2005 Author Share Posted January 14, 2005 Originally posted by ramseyskins This may be true... But Rod Gardner can catch better one-handed than Rod Gardner can catch two handed.... :laugh: Just want to put this disclaimer, since I am not a Gardner hater or anything: Seriously though, ALL of our WRs had the dropsies this year, some due to confusion about the playbook/routes, and a lot due to switching from lefthanded balls dying in the air thrown by Brunell to righthanded sniper shots thrown by Ramsey. That is true, they switched from a slow moving left handed spiral, to a high velocity right-handed spiral. The routes may have been outdated leading to their inability to get open. Gardner has been the consistent one dropping passes his whole career. Thrash isn't getting any younger, and I don't see Jacobs being a number one receiver, ever, maybe number two, but he would make a fine number three. Mike Williams would be a great pick-up and we don't know how Coles' toe is going to shape up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtyler42 Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 This definately should be the 9th pick in the draft! IMHO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MumboSauce Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 nice read, hope he stayed with it ...who knows what will happen. im not really for or against him right now @ #9, just hope the crew(skins coaches) do what best benifits the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pr11fan Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Definetly wouldn't mind mike williams here, he could be the posession guy that just keeps moving the chains, Coles can be our deep threat and Jacobs is decent enough to do either imo, but just not great at anything, still a solid #3 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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