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Soon after came the crazy Larry Fitzgerald love affair. Then that ended.
Now, fueled by the same baseless speculation a new love affair has begun with Detroit Lions WR Roy Williams. Unfortunately, it appears that Williams is just as likely to be an Eagle as Fitzgerald and Johnson were....
Roy Williams not on Lions' trading block
I go back to what coach Rod Marinelli said Feb. 24 at the NFL scouting combine. He doesn't want to trade Williams. He wants Williams to team with Calvin Johnson at wide receiver.
"I know the rumors are out there, but no," Marinelli said. "Those two guys together, I want to see those guys where they can really impact the game."
Marinelli doesn't see a scenario where Williams is not back with the Lions?
"I don't," Marinelli said. "I'm very confident he's here. Very confident."
Rod Marinelli sounds a lot like Joe Banner did earlier this offseason when he said he couldn't envision a scenario where McNabb wouldn't be here next year.
The Detroit media as a whole seems pretty convinced that Roy Williams will be a Lion next year
Chances of Roy Williams getting traded? One percent
Millen: Lions aren't planning to trade Williams
So it would seem pretty clear that there's no indication that the Lions are looking to trade Williams. In fact, the only reason there's any speculation is that some people have surmised that since Williams is in the final year of his contract and since the Lions have a bunch of WRs that he could be considered expendable. He's not unhappy, they're not unhappy with him, he's not making too much money, they aren't in cap trouble... To think Matt Millen would spend top 10 pick after top 10 pick trying to build a great WR corps and then trade one when he's finally got that corps is pretty nuts. Then again, so is Matt Millen...
Besides the fact that he's not available, there's another issue with Roy Williams that bothers me. He's not actually all that productive... Now, let me first qualify that by saying that I think Williams is a very talented guy. He's got prototypical size, a great pedigree, and a knack for making plays.... when he's healthy. Williams' constant injuries have been what's held him back for most of his NFL career. He's only played a full 16 games schedule once, and when he's not too injured to play he's often banged up and less effective.
For instance... 2007. Here are Roy Williams' numbers contrasted with our current starters'. Keep in mind that many Eagles fans feel we need a guy like Roy Williams because Reggie Brown isn't good enough.
Roy Williams - 63 rec 836 yds 5 TDs
Reggie Brown - 61 rec 780 yds 4 TDs
Kevin Curtis - 77 rec 1110 yds 6 TDs
Of course, Williams only played in 12 games last year... but that's just the problem. If Roy Williams was always healthy and productive, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Over his 4 year career Roy has averaged 61 rec, 912 yds, & 7 TDs a year. Not bad numbers, but also not dramatically better than Kevin Curtis or Reggie Brown. Certainly not the numbers of a "true #1."
Like I said before though, it's not for lack of talent. Williams does have "#1" talent. Look no further than 2006, the only year he's played a full season, and his stat line of 82/1310/7 is impressive. Obviously if we ever traded for or signed Roy Williams, we'd be hoping to see the 2006 version rather than the 04, 05, or 07 version... Roy Williams has the potential to be great, but he's nowhere near the slam dunk that TO was, or Moss, Chad Johnson, or Larry Fitzgerald would have been.