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Lions
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: Williams roars after sitting out again
Receiver: 'I've given up on trying to figure out what it is'
September 18, 2006
CHICAGO -- Don't you think the Lions could have used an offensive playmaker Sunday?
Mike Williams sure does.
And he thinks he should have been the guy.
But there he was, on the sideline in street clothes for the second straight week. And after the Bears finished scraping Lions players off of their cleats, Williams sounded off.
"The way the organization is going under (coach Rod) Marinelli, it's going to need a poster boy for what's wrong," Williams said. "Every new beginning needs a poster boy for why the other way didn't work. I know that as well as Charles (Rogers) did. I know how hard he worked coming off his (first collarbone) injury. I know how hard they were on him before he got hurt again. And then he kind of got thrown under the bus.
"They need a poster boy for where this organization is going."
Just call Williams the Poster Boy. Marinelli is all about hard work and discipline. Mike Williams thinks he brings both. The Lions obviously don't think so.
There is no doubt that the Lions have portrayed Williams as lazy and overweight. The only question is whether they are right.
Williams said he respects Marinelli and offensive coordinator Mike Martz. But he also said neither gave him a reason for why he was inactive.
"I've given up on trying to figure out what it is, or what it has been or what it's gonna be," Williams said. "The only thing I look at is coming to practice and putting the maximum effort I can put into it. Y'all go ask the powers that be. I don't know what to say."
Marinelli said Az-Zahir Hakim was active because he gave the Lions a better chance to win. And whatever you think of Williams, this is where he has a legitimate complaint.
Martz volunteered that Williams had a good week of practice. Hakim was just signed this week -- and was awful in his last stint with the team. Yet Hakim was active and Williams was not.
"They're big on what you earn," Williams said of the coaches. "I guess my time here hasn't earned me (a chance) to play and his two days of practice earned him (a chance) to play."
Williams' complaint clearly goes beyond this week or even the coaching staff. There is a fundamental lack of trust between Williams and Matt Millen's organization.
"Sources (leaking) getting fined three times as much as I was fined, and missing a couple of meetings that turns into double or triple (that number), and this, that and the other ..." said Williams, referring to various media reports. "So I respect that that's what I've been labeled: the poster boy for the new regime and what's wrong in Detroit. It's chicken-(bleep), but you keep working. Keep working because I'm a ballplayer. That's what I do. I play ball."
When Williams refers to a chicken's bowel movements, is he referring to the media or the franchise?
Williams thought for a few seconds.
"The situation," he said. "That's where that comment is going. A chicken-(bleep) situation. I don't regret saying that the situation is chicken-(bleep). But you do regret when you put the blame on the wrong person or the wrong people or whatever."
Williams has at least one supporter in the Lions' locker room: Roy Williams, the team's best receiver, who said he was surprised Mike wasn't active.
"I hate it for him," Roy Williams said. "We need him out there on the football field. He made plays against Denver. He made plays against Cleveland. He made plays in all three preseason games that he played. It makes me mad that he's on the bench. He is 6-5. (Bears defensive back) Ricky Manning is 5-7 in the slot. So let's line him up and throw him the ball."
The two Williamses and Charles Rogers, all top-ten picks, were supposed to be symbolize Millen's Lions. Rogers was released for having a lousy attitude, and Mike Williams is constantly lumped in with Rogers.
Does that bother Mike Williams?
"You know what?" he asked. "Who gives a (bleep), really? Who gives a (bleep)? You can compare a guy that's been here one year with a guy going on his fourth year ... the comparison is so good, it's a great comparison the media and fans have put together. I've missed games due to injury. Charles has had problems with his weight. I've gotten myself into off-the-field issues. Charles has been late to meetings."
Of course, Williams was the one who was late and too heavy for the Lions' tastes. Rogers was the one who failed three drug tests and was injured. Which is why Williams then said, "Please detect the sarcasm."
As for his weight: Williams played at 230 pounds at USC. The Lions wanted him at 220. Williams was supposed to be a big possession receiver. Martz's offense is built for quicker guys who can get downfield.
"Twenty-nine balls in my rookie year, that's terrible," Williams said, and it was time to detect the sarcasm again. "Don't get me wrong -- that's terrible. A lot of guys have 15 or 20 in a year. So it's a terrible rookie year I had."
The Lions would surely say this is part of the problem: Williams is (literally) fat and happy after catching 29 passes. Williams insists he just wants to play. He thinks he's earned it, and he isn't ready to give up on Detroit.
"I feel it will get better before it gets worse," he said. "I'll just keep working. That's one thing nobody can deny is how I approach, how I handle situations. As frustrating as it is, and whether it is fair or unfair, there is no room in this game for pissing and moaning."
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG
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Pass it underneath? You know who the **** I am?!? Im Rex Grossman Biatch!!
-Rex Grossman
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!
- Me after the Sopranos series finale
I killed Harry Potter....
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mike williams doesnt understand.....
LETS GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! I think he is kind of right though......Az has done nothing to deserve to play this past Sunday and no I am not saying that BMW has but come on...like Roy said 6'5" with good hands has to account for something for christ sake!!! 
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