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We’re convinced it’s virtually impossible to interact with “Big” Mike Williams and not become a fan of the guy.
By now everyone in town knows Williams’ story – after nearly eating himself out of football, he dropped more than 100 lbs. in pursuit of a second chance. Once he landed on the Washington Redskins a year ago, he became one of the few constants on a patchwork offensive line. Even as times got tough during a 4-12 season, Williams was always willing to stand up and be held accountable for the team’s shortcomings.
A year later, he no longer has to worry about changing his body or any other off-the-field distractions. These days, he’s able to simply focus his attention on playing football and helping his team win games. Williams is currently slated to be the team’s starting right guard and he couldn’t be happier.
But what stands out most about Williams is that he’s the ultimate team player. He knows he made mistakes in the past and he’s willing to do anything the coaches ask of him to keep his roster spot. Unlike some players, he’s not content looking out for only himself. Instead of putting in his time and heading home, Williams goes out of his way to work with rookies (and even the occasional blogger) to share his knowledge.
We had the chance to check in with Williams during minicamp and, as usual, were thoroughly impressed with the six-foot-seven, 337 lb. lineman.
How the hell are you these days?
“I’m feeling great,” Williams said.
A year ago, everyone was focused on your weight loss and seeing if you’d even be able to earn a place on the team. How nice is it to just show up and play football this year and not have to worry about all that other stuff?
“That stuff comes with the territory,” he said. “I’m not worried about any of that. I’m out here having fun. I don’t have to worry about my weight or anything like that, so I’m genuinely having a great time. I’m learning the new plays, focusing on minicamp and everything like that.”
The only downer is we no longer get to hear any stories of you crashing on Derrick Dockery’s couch anymore.
(Laughs.) “That was only for a short time because we didn’t know we were going to be up here that long,” Williams said. “But that’s what a good friend does. They come through for you.”
At this point you’ve basically played every position on that offensive line …
(Laughs.) “Not every position,” he said.
Okay, maybe not center. But I think we can all agree you’ve been moved around a few times since you came to town. Where do you feel most comfortable?
“Right now I’m at right guard and I feel real comfortable,” Williams said. “I think I’m a good fit there. Last year, I was here, here and here, so it was kind of hard to adjust. Now, I’ve really got an opportunity to focus on guard alone and not worry about other positions. It allows me to really focus on the skills that are needed at guard, like footwork, my hands and how defenses are lined up.”
We openly admit that most fans have no clue what subtle differences go into playing guard as opposed to tackle or vice versa. Can you dumb it down so we can get an idea of some of the differences?
We’re not going to lie. We were genuinely excited when the Washington Redskins drafted UCLA receiver/returner “Stone Cold” Terrence Austin with the 219th pick in the 2010 draft.
Sure, it’s completely foolish to get your hopes up on a seventh-round pick, but that wasn’t stopping us. Generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 172 lbs., Austin isn’t the biggest dog in the fight. But his arrival to Ashburn represented a new chapter and yet another reason for hope of brighter days.
We won’t say anything negative about Rock Cartwright, who was let go after spending eight seasons in Washington. He was a stand-up guy, who was always willing to answer tough questions after a loss. Even though he was never anything more than a third-string runningback, Cartwright was well respected by his peers. And as a kick returner, Cartwright was dependable. He wasn’t flashy. Simply put, he was solid, but unspectacular.
As for our thoughts on punt returner Antwaan Randle El; we’d rather not go down that road again. When the Redskins released him this offseason, many wondered why countless fans were waving goodbye as he cleaned out his locker for the last time. They weren’t being rude; they were simply mimicking Randle El’s time as a punt returner by signaling for a fair catch.
With both Cartwright and Randle El gone, the Redskins are clearly in need of a return specialist. Our hope, as soon as Austin was drafted, was that he would be the first Redskins returner to strike fear in opponents since Brian Mitchell.
We caught up with Austin during the team’s second minicamp to learn more about the Redskins’ most exciting UCLA seventh-round pick since safety Chris “The Predator” Horton.
If you could, take a moment to tell ‘Skins fans a little bit about yourself.
“I’m a playmaker,” Austin said, immediately separating himself from Randle El. “I’m a really tough guy for my size and I’m someone who is really passionate about the game. I just want to be that guy out there making plays for my team.”
There are some highlight videos out there of you on kick returns, so we’ve at least seen that side of things. What can we expect from you on offense?
“I believe that I’m a good, shifty guy, who can play in the slot,” he said. “I can even play a little bit on the outside. I think I can be used to create some mismatches because that’s what I’ve been doing all my career. I love playing on the inside. If there’s any possible way for me to get on the field and make something happen, I’d jump at the chance.”
What conversation, if any, have you had with the coaches about your role on this team?
If you’re looking for the one player on the Washington Redskins who might turn in a career year during the 2010 season, then take a good look at tight end Fred Davis.
Davis was one of the lone bright spots for the ‘Skins last season while filling in for injured Pro Bowler Chris Cooley,with 48 catches for 509 yards and six touchdowns. While those numbers were solid, anyone familiar with the 24-year-old is convinced bigger an better days are ahead.
We caught up with Davis to talk about his expectations heading into his third season, the change in mindset at Redskins Park and why ‘Skins fans should be genuinely excited to see the burgundy and gold take the field in 2010. Oh, and just for the hell of it, we offer our unsolicited advice to Davis on the one area we’d like to see him improve on this season. Good times.
We double checked and it appears the NHL has declined our request to reinstate the Washington Capitals back in the playoffs. Although we’re devastated, we figure it would be more constructive if we turned our attention to the five biggest questions facing the franchise as they head into the offseason.
1. Does Alex Ovechkin need to change?
It’s safe to say this last year hasn’t gone according to plan for Ovechkin. Team Russia was an utter disaster. And then he caught flack for pushing a video camera away during some down time in Vancouver during the Olympic break. And there were the two suspensions. Finally, there was a first-round exit by his Capitals, who were leaps and bounds better than anyone else during the regular season.
So yeah, not good times for Ovechkin. If that’s not enough, now there’s talk that the reason the Montreal Canadiens did such a solid job defending Ovechkin is because he became predictable.
“Generally, you know what’s coming,” Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges said in an interview with Elliotte Friedman. “When he comes in on the off-wing, he’ll try to step to the middle and shoot through you. You can bait him into that.”
“If you do go to the middle, he will try to go to the outside,” Montreal defenseman Hal Gill added.
Okay, for starters, Gill is an idiot. He’s basically admitting he shouldn’t have been part of the interview. A teammate says Ovechkin likes to come into the offensive zone by rushing down the wing with the puck, cuts towards the center and tries to fire the puck on net while using a defenseman as a screen.
We all know that to be true because Ovechkin has scored a thousand goals doing exactly what Jorges described. Gill jumps in and says, “Yeah. Or if you’re in his way, then he’ll go the other way.”
Of course he will. Where did you expect him to go? Backwards? Sideways? Just because Alexander Semin loves to curl back 40 times a game doesn’t mean Ovechkin will too. Not all Russians are the same, Hal. That’s profiling, and profiling is wrong.
Ovechkin skates fast and hard towards the net. If he can use a defenseman’s positioning to his advantage, he’s going to do so. The biggest knock we can put on Ovechkin is his lack of patience. There are times when nothing is there and he’s going to try to force a play anyway. But the guy is supremely talented and there are times when that’s enough to make something out of nothing. He’s got confidence in his abilities, so it’s nothing surprising that he’s trying to carry the team on his shoulders.
Boudreau needs to take a good, hard look at the footage of the Montreal series and decide if, indeed, his best player became predictable. If that’s the case, then he can determine if maybe it’s better for another player, such as Nicklas Backstrom should bring the puck into the zone.
Boudreau said that Ovechkin played four different positions on the powerplay during the series, so he’s obviously willing to tinker with things until he finds what works. There’s no reason to think he won’t be able to do the same with this.
2. Is Semin part of the problem or part of the solution? Ditto for Mike Green.
If we were running the show (and be thankful that’s not the case), Semin would be gone. At this point, you know what you’re getting with him. Dude’s got mad skills, but he’s a head case. He finished seventh in the NHL with 40 goals, but his other hobbies include taking ill-advised offensive-zone penalties and a steadfast refusal to go anywhere near the net.
We chatted with one Capitals player last season who seemed convinced that Semin ignores his coach’s pleas to go to the net simply because he’s afraid of the physical abuse opposing defenders dish out. If that’s the case, then really, how can the Caps pay him $6 million next season?
Moving Semin and spending a portion of the newly-available salary cap space on free-agent defenseman Anton Volchenkov would absolutely be a dream come true (which is why neither will happen).
As far as Green, much of what plagues him is off the ice or between his ears. Why do you think he skipped out on the team’s final media session, only to have a change of heart five days later? He’s young. He’s emotional. He knows a section of the hockey-viewing world is overly critical of him and thinks he should play the game a different way.
Critics say Green should be moved to forward because he’s basically playing the position anyway. Or he should take skating lessons because he only skates hard in bursts. Or he should stop trying to score and focus only on defense. Seriously, you can say he’s a millionaire athlete and with that comes a price, but damn.
We’re not sure how anyone could focus on playing hockey when every “expert” with an XBox 360 thinks they know the game better than Green or Boudreau. And of course, they all feel obligated to share their opinion.
It’s funny, because now that the Washington Redskins have mercifully parted ways with quarterback Jason Campbell, Green is probably the most polarizing player in D.C.
Many love him and many more love to hate on him. At this point, the best thing Green could do is just tune all of the white noise out and focus solely on what his coach asks of him. He’s in the NHL because he’s an above-average offensive threat, so why change that? Sure, he can refine some of his positioning and technique in the defensive zone, but anyone who thinks Green should turn into Rod Langway is delusional.
Let’s all take a moment to remember he’s only 24 and that the Capitals are much better with him than without him.
Now that the Washington Capitals’ season has come to an abrupt end and the locals have begun to settle down as the shock of the disappointing opening-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens fades away, it’s time to look ahead to next year and beyond.
The beautiful thing about the Capitals is that the core of this franchise is young – with 13 players on the final roster 26 or younger. And because Capitals general manager George McPhee and owner Ted Leonsis are smart, the bulk of the players on the roster are signed to short-term deals.
In fact, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin still has a decade or so on his current contract and fourth-line center David Steckel is signed through 2012-13. Everyone else currently on the roster is signed for two years or less, giving the team tremendous financial flexibility moving forward.
Today we’re taking a look at which players are set to become free agents and taking a stab at who should be back and who might want to contact their preferred real estate agent this summer.
Restricted free agents
Name: Nicklas Backstrom
Position: center
Age: 22
‘09-10 stats: 82 games played, 33 goals, 68 assists, 101 points
3-year average: 82 games played, 23 goals, 63 assists, 86 points Outlook: Backstrom was one of just four players in the NHL this season to eclipse the 100-point mark. Since the other three players in that category (Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin, Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Ovechkin) are all finalists for the Hart Trophy, as the league’s most valuable player, it’s safe to say the 22-year-old Swede has reached elite status (even if the rest of the NHL continues to underrate Backstrom).
Backstrom has never missed a game since joining the Caps and his goals, assists, points, plus/minus and shooting percentage have improved each of his three seasons. Basically, the Capitals would be insane to let Backstrom go anywhere and they know it, so expect news of a new contract to be announced in the not-too-distant future.
No one knows for sure what kind of contract Backstrom will net, but it’s safe to assume it’ll be somewhere between $7-7.5 million per year. But if that’s what it takes to lock up this top-line center for at least five or six years, then so be it. He’s clearly a superbly talented kid who the front office can feel comfortable building the franchise around.
Name: Eric Fehr
Position: right wing
Age: 24
‘09-10 stats: 69 games played, 21 goals, 18 assists, 39 points
3-year average: 51 games played, 11 goals, 12 assists, 23 points Outlook: We’ve got a confession to make. Two or three years ago, we didn’t care much for Fehr. The Capitals used the 18th overall pick in the 2003 NHL draft on him and we felt he should be more of an impact player like Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf, Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler and Philadelphia’s Mike Richards – all players the Caps passed up to draft Fehr.
We saw two 50-goal seasons during Fehr’s time in the minors and couldn’t wait for his arrival in Washington. Sadly, he scored a grand total of six goals in his first three seasons in D.C. and we nearly gave up on the pride of Winkler, Manitoba. Thankfully, McPhee has more patience than we do.
Fehr’s salary this season was $771,750, which would seem to be a bargain for a 24-year-old who scores 20 goals a year. Let’s say through arbitration, Fehr’s salary were to double. He’d still only make $1.5 million (which is what Brendan Morrison earned this year). Something in the range of $1.5-2.5 million sounds fair to us.
