Roy Williams (safety)

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Roy Williams

Williams in the 2006 Pro Bowl
Dallas Cowboys — No. 38
Safety
Date of birth: August 14, 1980 (1980-08-14) (age 27)
Place of birth: Redwood City, California
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	Weight: 225 lb (102 kg)
National Football League debut
2002 for the Dallas Cowboys
Career history
College: Oklahoma
NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
Teams: Dallas Cowboys (2002-present)
Current status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (2001) Jim Thorpe Award (2001) 5x Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007) All-Pro selection (2003)
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
Tackles	500
Sacks	6.5
INT	19
Stats at NFL.com

Roy Williams (born August 14, 1980 in Redwood City, California) is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Cowboys eighth overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.

[edit] College career

[edit] Sophomore season

Roy Williams was a starter for the 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team that won 2000 National championship as a sophomore, setting a school record for tackles for loss by a defensive back with 12.^[1]

Nicknamed "Superman" while at OU, Williams is best known at Oklahoma for his actions in the 2001 Red River Shootout. The Sooners led 7-3 with only minutes remaining as the Texas offense took the field, hoping to execute a game-winning drive. With Texas forced to begin their drive inside their own 5-yard line, the Sooners prepared to pressure UT quarterback Chris Simms. It was Williams who came on the blitz, leaping over a Longhorn blocker at the line of scrimmage and colliding with Simms in the backfield, causing the ball to flutter into the hands of Oklahoma linebacker Teddy Lehman, who stepped into the endzone for a touchdown, sealing the game for Oklahoma.

This play has been immortalized on a mural plaque at the Roy Williams Strength and Speed Complex at the University of Oklahoma. The complex is named for Williams both for his athletic achievements and for his donation of approximately $100,000 towards its construction.^[1]

[edit] Junior season

In 2001, his junior season at OU, he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top overall defensive player and also won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back, while leading the team to a 10-2 record and a win over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. He was a unanimous selection to both the All-America and All-Big 12 teams, and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.^[1] Williams decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Dallas Cowboys

Roy Williams was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the eighth overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft after a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is known throughout the league for his hard hitting and his tackling skills during running plays, however he has displayed a weakness in wide receiver coverage. With the arrival of Ken Hamlin from Seattle, Roy Williams has had the luxury to move closer to the line of scrimmage to blitz and cover short passes during nickel or dime situations.

[edit] 2002

As a rookie in 2002, he was moved to free safety in order to play alongside strong safety Darren Woodson. Although it should be noted that the Dallas Cowboys defensive scheme that year allowed both players to interchange positions as to allow confusion for the opposing offenses. Williams was also runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

[edit] 2003

In 2003, Williams with the mentoring of Darren Woodson, enjoyed a stellar season and his first trip to the Pro Bowl as he was part of the Cowboys' number one ranked defense and helped lead the team to its first playoff game since 1999.

[edit] 2004

In 2004, Darren Woodson suffered a herniated disc in training camp and was forced to retire shortly after before ever playing another game. Williams struggles were more apparent as he was forced to play more coverage due to the inexperience and inconsistency of the Dallas cornerback position. After the season, the horse-collar tackle was banned. This action is now referred to as the "Roy Williams Rule", as the rule was introduced the 2004 season, during which Williams used the technique on plays that resulted in three significant injuries.^[2].

Roy Williams is occasionally referred to by fans as "Biscuit", in reference to a statement in a 2004 press conference by former head coach Bill Parcells who, noting Williams' weight, said that he was "a biscuit short of a linebacker."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2005

With the right cornerback position stabilized by the free agent signing of Anthony Henry in 2005, Williams was once again able to play to his best strength by roaming closer to the line of scrimmage. At the end of the 2005 NFL regular season, Williams had 2.5 sacks and three interceptions. He earned his third Pro Bowl berth in 2005 and still remains a dominant force for the Dallas defense.

[edit] 2006

In early August 2006 the Dallas Cowboys signed Williams to a four-year contract extension worth $25.2 million to keep him with the team through the 2010 season.^[3]

[edit] 2007

On December 17, 2007, Williams was issued a one-game suspension without pay from Commissioner Roger Goodell. He recevied it for a repeat offense violating the league's horse-collar tackle rule.^[4]

During the season, Cowboys teammates Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton criticized him for his continued use of the horse-collar tackle.^[5]

After the 2007 season, Williams was named to the Pro Bowl on January 3, 2008 for the fifth straight time, this time as a replacement for the late Sean Taylor.

Williams was named to the 2007 All Keep Choppin' Wood Team by Football Outsiders^[6], an anti-Pro Bowl team consisting of the players who hurt their teams the most in 2007. Williams was the only player to make the team that was also selected to the Pro Bowl. According to Football Outsiders writer Bill Barnwell: "There’s not a more laughable “reputation” pick for the Pro Bowl than Williams, whose utter inability to cover anything was the problem the Cowboys defense had to hide all season. The Cowboys’ weakness in pass defense was their number 28 ranking against tight ends, a direct reflection of Williams, who was often isolated against those tight ends with much flailing ensuing. At this point, Williams is not only not a Pro Bowler, he’s a net negative to the Cowboys defense." So much so that Cowboy coaches often take him out of the game on passing downs.

[edit] 2008

Williams announced that he will be wearing No. 38 at the start of the 2008 season because that was the number he wore in college and also "8" in the bible signifies a new beginning.^[7] Fellow teammate Greg Ellis when speaking on Sirius NFL Radio said that Williams told him he felt like he didn't fit in head coach Wade Phillips' defensive scheme. Ellis also said that he's bothered by the way Williams has been isolating himself from other Cowboys, and Williams "just doesn't fit what's going on here in Dallas right now." ^[8] However, the Cowboys will not release Williams this offseason. The Cowboys have hired new DBs coach Dave Campo to help Williams create more turnovers, after Williams failed to achieve a sack and forced fumble since 2005. ^[9]

[edit] Statistics

• 500 Tackles (410 Solo, 90 Assist)
  
• 6.5 Sacks
  
• 38 Pass Deflections
  
• 19 Interceptions
  
• 307 Int. Yards (Longest 85 Yards)
  
• 3 Defensive Touchdowns
  
• 9 Forced Fumbles
  ^[10]

[edit] Personal

Williams dated and was engaged to R&B vocalist Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, but the wedding was called off. The two stated that they felt they were too young.^{[citation needed]}

Williams played as a quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back at James Logan High School in Union City, Calif.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dallas Cowboys bio