DeAngelo Williams

[Brentastic]

It seems like everywhere I'm reading hugh expectations for DeAngelo Williams. I'm not sure why. When the Cats got Foster a few years back - he seemed like the more explosive back and a much fresher,better runner than S. Davis (at the time) yet coach Fox stuck with Davis - probably a loyalty thing. Anyways - I didn't see anything last year that convinced me that D-will is all that. He had something like 2 TDs (I think)

 

Like everyone, I'm trying to find value in those middle rounds at RB and I could actuall keep Williams in one league - but DMD has projected D-will for 1500/8 . Seems like a stretch for someone who is not likely to be the starter. I mean judging from coach Fox's past - I don't see Williams starting unless Foster gets hurt. I guess I want to hear from some of you as to why the high expectations. It's not like he tore it up last season like MJD. So why is he only ranked 3 spots lower than R. Bush and ranked near other players that, IMO, have much less risk?

[TDFFFreak]

Williams is the future, and the future is now.

[Brentastic]

Williams is the future, and the future is now.

I won't disagree with your statement - if there was a new coaching staff I might be more convinced that Williams will get the ball more. But again, Fox has proven in the past that the better, more explosivel guy won't get the most carries. Why would he change this year? I mean - Stephen Davis was getting most the touches while only averaging about 3 ypc. Then Foster would come in occasionally and rip off hugh gains then back to 3 yards and a cloud of dust by Davis.

[irish]

Yeah I still think they'll share as well and I don't have my numbers as high as DMD's but they aren't low either. I have him at 1,300 total yards 6 total tds and about 45 rec. Pretty solid.

 

And if I'm not mistaken they're going to a zone-blocking scheme and supposedly it's tailored more towards Williams running style.

Edited August 5, 2007 by irish

[Brentastic]

Yeah I still think they'll share as well and I don't have my numbers as high as DMD's but they aren't low either. I have him at 1,300 total yards 6 total tds and about 45 rec. Pretty solid.

 

And if I'm not mistaken they're going to a zone-blocking scheme and supposedly it's tailored more towards Williams running style.

Even your numbers are high for a part-timer. In DMD's rankings - he has McGahee with 1540/10 and D-Will with 1530/8. Now, I'm certainly not saying that McGahee is the Sega! but at least he is the for-sure starter on a team that will pound the ball and has a very good defense. I can't see how Williams gets anything over 1000/6 - I guess I'm thinking there is some hidden information that is causing all the hype.

[NS UNIT]

Hello Fantasy Footballers.

I will introduce myself as the new guy. I just joined the Huddle a couple of days ago.

I am gun shy when it comes to DeAngelo. Coach Fox has burned me twice ( or I burned myself I guess ). A couple of seasons ago I grabbed Deshaun Foster figuring it was a no brainer that he would be replacing Davis by mid-season. It never happened. Last year, I grabbed DeAngelo as a final RB with the thought that he would get his opportunity to start by late in the season. Wrong again. I starting to believe that whoever Coach Fox decides on as the starter at the beginning of the season stays the starter, no matter how good the back-up looks when they get their chance.

[rebdog]

I don't necessarily disagree. I had Williams last year in my keeper league and traded him because of concerns of how long it would be...if ever....that Williams got to carry the load. And will he ever record double figures in TDs? Doesn't seem like he'll get short-yardage carries for any "easy" scores.

The zone blocking scheme is promising for him but my league is more heavily weighted to TDs over yards. A guy like Brandon Jacobs is more interesting in this type of league than DeAngelo.

But I gotta say, I think Williams can be a very exciting back if they commit to him. Big IF.

[Brentastic]

Hello Fantasy Footballers.

I will introduce myself as the new guy. I just joined the Huddle a couple of days ago.

I am gun shy when it comes to DeAngelo. Coach Fox has burned me twice ( or I burned myself I guess ). A couple of seasons ago I grabbed Deshaun Foster figuring it was a no brainer that he would be replacing Davis by mid-season. It never happened. Last year, I grabbed DeAngelo as a final RB with the thought that he would get his opportunity to start by late in the season. Wrong again. I starting to believe that whoever Coach Fox decides on as the starter at the beginning of the season stays the starter, no matter how good the back-up looks when they get their chance.

Welcom newbie

 

That's exactly what I'm saying. A coach's behavior and pattern has just as much to do with a player's success as the player himself in this case - and I haven't seen anything that leads me to believe this will change. I too have been burned by Fox and his stubborness. Fox and Shanny are the exact opposite in that one (Fox) sticks with his "guy" no matter what his production is - and the other (Shanny) almost pulls the plug too early on guys after one bad game.

Edited August 5, 2007 by Brentastic

[DMD]

I won't disagree with your statement - if there was a new coaching staff I might be more convinced that Williams will get the ball more. But again, Fox has proven in the past that the better, more explosivel guy won't get the most carries. Why would he change this year? I mean - Stephen Davis was getting most the touches while only averaging about 3 ypc. Then Foster would come in occasionally and rip off hugh gains then back to 3 yards and a cloud of dust by Davis.

 

But there is a new coaching staff.

 

Jeff Davidson is installing a new offense and one that already is better suited to Williams. John Fox is the head coach and he was a defensive coordinator/coach for his entire career prior to coming to CAR. The old offense that the players no longer bought into is gone now. This will not be same old same old with a new offense and new offensive coaches. Fox does not have all that much impact on the offense and certainly the coordinator is installing HIS offense that he will direct. Dan Henning was the OC and several of the players publicly groused about the play calling last year including Delhomme and Steve Smith. Henning was there since Fox took over and perhaps Henning had some relationship with Foster which played a bit too heavily.

 

I am no fan of Foster and never have been. He is a below average, brittle RB in my estimation and the offensive play calling last year which did not heavily use Williams is almost impossible to fathom. During training camp I will be watching the Williams/Foster situation closely and if it appears that Foster remains with a significant role then DW drops but it is a whole new offense and direction and I have no faith in Foster and Williams could be very big. Either DW takes the primary and really shines or the rushing game will only provide marginal fantasy value this year. This early I am willing to put my money on DW making good on his draft selection and showing what he can really do without Henning there.

[billay]

I still think that Foster will be given first crack at making it work in the new offense.

[PSULions]

John Davidson is installing a new offense and one that already is better suited to Williams.

John Davidson is not installing anything for the Panthers, but his brother Jeff is!

 

 

I think you are on the mark with the Panthers RB situation though. One of the things that I have been hearing out of TC news is the Panthers are installing more screen passes, slants and misdirection plays. One of DW best games last year against the Eagles he had 7 catches for 101 yds. and made several big plays.... I believe that DW will be used in that type of capacity sort of like a Brian Westbrook lite. I will be at the Panthers vs. Patriots game in a few weeks, when the starters will see the most action, so I will have a much better idea how the DF vs. DW will shake out after that game.

Edited August 5, 2007 by PSULions

[Hat Trick]

I'll pass on both for sure. I was one who thought Foster would shine last year and pretty much "break out". It didn't happen and I'm done with this situation.

[bushwacked]

Deangelo Williams in the 4th round could be the kind of pick that makes fantasy football champions.

[Brentastic]

But there is a new coaching staff.

 

Jeff Davidson is installing a new offense and one that already is better suited to Williams. John Fox is the head coach and he was a defensive coordinator/coach for his entire career prior to coming to CAR. The old offense that the players no longer bought into is gone now. This will not be same old same old with a new offense and new offensive coaches. Fox does not have all that much impact on the offense and certainly the coordinator is installing HIS offense that he will direct. Dan Henning was the OC and several of the players publicly groused about the play calling last year including Delhomme and Steve Smith. Henning was there since Fox took over and perhaps Henning had some relationship with Foster which played a bit too heavily.

 

I am no fan of Foster and never have been. He is a below average, brittle RB in my estimation and the offensive play calling last year which did not heavily use Williams is almost impossible to fathom. During training camp I will be watching the Williams/Foster situation closely and if it appears that Foster remains with a significant role then DW drops but it is a whole new offense and direction and I have no faith in Foster and Williams could be very big. Either DW takes the primary and really shines or the rushing game will only provide marginal fantasy value this year. This early I am willing to put my money on DW making good on his draft selection and showing what he can really do without Henning there.

Thanks for the reply DMD. I did realize that they will have a new O-coord but they still have the same head coach, which is what I was referring to. I guess we will have to wait and see how TC pans out. I will have to see the Fox break his trend of over-loyalty before I can have faith in DW.

[Hat Trick]

Oddly enough, this was written today.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp...&id=2961153

 

Zone-blocking scheme just one idea to get Panthers in end zone

By Len Pasquarelli

ESPN.com

(Archive)

Updated: August 4, 2007, 4:25 PM ET

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SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Leaning back in his office chair, his feet planted on the edge of his desk following a crisp Thursday afternoon practice, punctuated by a goal-line drill in which the Carolina Panthers' defense dominated, coach John Fox insisted that he and his staff are "not trying to reinvent the wheel" in 2007.

 

But in attempting to re-energize an offense which ranked 24th in the league in 2006, didn't knock many opponents off the line of scrimmage, and averaged 7.6 points per game fewer than it had in the previous season, Fox has dramatically overhauled his staff and tweaked some philosophies.

 

Observation deck

With the Panthers' D looking strong as usual, coach John Fox is looking for a No. 2 wideout and just keeping an eye on the health and psyche of the club. Check out what else Len Pasquarelli observed at Panthers camp.

• Observation deck

• Training camp index

Gone is legendary offensive coordinator Dan Henning, who had been calling the shots on that side of the ball since Fox landed the Carolina gig in 2002. Out as well is offensive line coach Mike Maser, who had served in that capacity for all but one season of Fox's tenure. In is new coordinator Jeff Davidson and, with him, a zone-blocking scheme that the Panthers' brass feels is a better fit for the talents of the Carolina offensive linemen and running backs.

 

Unlike the Denver Broncos, the Panthers won't sell out totally to a design in which the blockers "cut" the defenders, particularly on the backside of a play. Davidson has retained some of the power-based and man-to-man blocking techniques, and kept portions of the gap- and counter-style blocking that Carolina used in the past.

 

Still, there is a pretty big dose of cut-blocking being installed here with the hopes that if the Panthers can get into a zone, they'll get more often into the end zone in 2007.

 

"People have made a lot out of it, probably more than it deserves, but really, we just feel it fits better with our linemen and with their strengths," Fox said. "It's not like we're doing it on every play, like some of the teams that live and die with it, and don't know anything but zone-blocking. We're not being (fanatical) with it. But (Davidson) knows it, it's what he likes, and he believes in it."

 

While the transition to the zone-blocking package is very much a work in progress, Carolina players are beginning to believe in it, too.

 

"Backs like it because it gives you a lot more options for reading the hole and finding the 'mesh point.' Linemen seem to like it because, if the back does what he's supposed to do, the offensive linemen always look right, and the defense often looks (silly)," said second-year tailback DeAngelo Williams, the 2006 first-rounder who played in zone-blocking scheme at the University of Memphis, a system that made him the fourth-leading rusher in NCAA history. "So, yeah, if we do it right, it will help us a lot."

 

Coming off a 2006 campaign in which the offense was sporadic, and finished in the bottom half of the league's statistical rankings for a second straight year, the Panthers need some help, it seems, to get back on track.

 

Last season clearly was an enigmatic and confusing one. The Panthers had exactly the same number of first downs (278) as they did in 2005, and their total offensive output in terms of yardage was just 27 yards less than the previous season. They averaged 3.9 yards per run, a half-yard improvement over 2005. But the offense registered 64 fewer rushing plays than in 2005, and the ground attack managed only an anemic 1,079 yards, nearly 600 yards less than in the 2005 season.

 

Part of the disparity can be attributed to game situations, since the Panthers often played from behind, and were forced to throw the ball. Fox, though, isn't using that as a crutch for the shortcomings of his offense.

 

"We just didn't run the ball enough," he said. "And when we did run it, we didn't run it efficiently enough."

 

For the Carolina offense to succeed, Fox and general manager Marty Hurney emphasized, it's imperative the running game get into high gear. Quarterback Jake Delhomme is most effective when bolstered by a strong ground attack. Wide receiver Steve Smith's potential for big, vertical plays is enhanced by a running game that the opposition defense is forced to honor. And there is simply a natural rhythm to the way this team likes to use its personnel that flows better when the ground game is in concert.

 

Thus, the implementation of the zone-blocking scheme, which can be a demanding one to assimilate. The basic zone-blocking tenets force the linemen to work more in tandem on blocks, emphasize getting out to the second level to block linebackers, and stress the need to seal off the backside so that runners can cut back into the void.

 

Standout right tackle Jordan Gross said the changes in the Carolina system have forced the linemen to study harder, take more notes, review considerable video of other zone-blocking teams in the league. But the benefits, he said, are beginning to show, even early in camp.

 

"As a lineman, it allows you to come off the ball hard, full-tilt all the way," Gross said. "And the bootlegs and play-action stuff all looks more real, because it spins off the running game, so that makes pass protection a little easier."

 

Certainly there are ancillary benefits, as well, to the zone-blocking package. Defensive linemen in the league universally detest the blocking design because its emphasis on cut-blocking and chopping players on the backside of plays imperils their knees. And so there is a natural tentativeness on the part of defenders when they play zone-blocking offenses.

 

There has been no hesitancy from Panthers blockers and runners, though, in buying into the new design. Davidson has sold it well, and as the Panthers continue to work out the kinks in camp, it is growing on them.

 

"Myself, I believe in an 'adapt and adopt' philosophy, you know?" said Williams, who rushed for 501 yards in his debut season, and expects more while playing in the time-sharing arrangement with starter DeShaun Foster. "We're adapting pretty well to the changes, and I think guys are really embracing it as something we can be good at, really."

 

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

[Seahawks21]

I will tell you why some of us are very high on Deangelo Williams. We have seen the cat play. It isn't that difficult. If he isn't their horse by week 3, John Fox needs serious mental help. I have taken Deangelo in every draft and mock I have done this season. Eventually, he is going to be a very, very good player, especially in PPR leagues. I am betting on and banking on this happening this upcoming season.

[WaterMan]

Foster sucked. He could never run North and South, couldn't take a hit, and always fumbled.

[Big John]

John Davidson is not installing anything for the Panthers, but his brother Jeff is!

 

That's Incredible!

[tbimm]

Deangelo Williams in the 4th round could be the kind of pick that makes fantasy football champions.

Funny you should say that. Thats exactly where I got him in the Ladder league as my 3rd RB.

[Thews40]

Funny you should say that. Thats exactly where I got him in the Ladder league as my 3rd RB.

Having gone WR/WR/WR/RB, I took DW because of the PPR. Even if it's RBBC all year he'll score some points, which is what I'm banking on. If he breaks out, the gamble paid off.

[TDFFFreak]

Funny you should say that. Thats exactly where I got him in the Ladder league as my 3rd RB.

Same here, except I buy into the DW this season so much that I grabbed him in the 3rd round in HoF Huddle. I so think he is the kind of player who could launch a team into the championship, but it's not without his risks especially with an early preseason draft such as the Ladder.

[Brentastic]

Wow - many of you really think he is the next coming! He had one extraordinary game (Philly) and about two respectable games (Rams/Min). He only scored twice all season. Other than Stephen Davis that one year, the CAR RBs have never scored in the double digits or even close. They do have the new O-coordinator, so maybe things will change. Too much risk for me, good luck with your decisions for those of you who reached for him.

[bushwacked]

Wow - many of you really think he is the next coming! He had one extraordinary game (Philly) and about two respectable games (Rams/Min). He only scored twice all season. Other than Stephen Davis that one year, the CAR RBs have never scored in the double digits or even close. They do have the new O-coordinator, so maybe things will change. Too much risk for me, good luck with your decisions for those of you who reached for him.

 

 

I'm not sure he is the next coming and there is definite risk in drafting him. But he is also one of the several guys going later in drafts that can have extremely good value. In the Huddle 12-team Mock he went at 5.12 (although he seems to be going in round 4 in a lot of the mocks I've seen lately). This thread is full of reasons why people like him. He has shown the ability to catch the ball (key in PPR leagues) and clearly seems to be the best RB on the team.

 

Yea there is risk....but every pick is a risk. The last couple years it seems like there is a relatively high bust rate amongst Tier 2 RBs and that could ruin your season if you draft an under performing back in rounds 1 and 2.

[Brentastic]

I'm not sure he is the next coming and there is definite risk in drafting him. But he is also one of the several guys going later in drafts that can have extremely good value. In the Huddle 12-team Mock he went at 5.12 (although he seems to be going in round 4 in a lot of the mocks I've seen lately). This thread is full of reasons why people like him. He has shown the ability to catch the ball (key in PPR leagues) and clearly seems to be the best RB on the team.

 

Yea there is risk....but every pick is a risk. The last couple years it seems like there is a relatively high bust rate amongst Tier 2 RBs and that could ruin your season if you draft an under performing back in rounds 1 and 2.

On a sidenote, how do you project MJD this year?

[bushwacked]

On a sidenote, how do you project MJD this year?

 

Think he will put some solid numbers up, and has enough upside (F. Taylor will probably break down for some unknown amount of time) to outperform guys getting picked ahead of him. Really like him in PPR leagues.