Upon learning of DJ Williams‘ DUI on Friday, I had the following immediate reactions:
1. Of course our starting middle linebacker got a DUI. This is your 2010 Denver Broncos.
2. Is this his first offense? Should be fine suspension-wise if it is.
3. Of course it’s not his first offense. Mike Shannahan drafted him, he’s from ‘The U‘, and this is your 2010 Denver Broncos.
4. What the hell was DJ doing driving drunk just a few hours before practice two days before a must-win game against a division rival?
5. Wait a second. Are we really any worse off without DJ on the field? Has he really accomplished anything since we drafted him?
Let’s think about that last question for a minute. Do we really have any evidence that DJ is anything more than a decent starting NFL linebacker? After a solid rookie year, everyone just assumed that DJ was going to be a great linebacker. DJ has been lauded for his versatility and consistency, but has he done anything to distinguish himself as a star? There are lots of versatile and consistent players in the league.
I know DJ makes a lot of tackles, but that may have more to do with his position and the overall quality of this defense than anything else. I can’t remember DJ ever taking over a game. I’ve never turned to one of my friends and said ‘thank God for DJ Williams’ after a play. DJ has certainly never led a playoff-caliber defense since being drafted. He made a good sidekick for Al Wilson, but has never established himself as the man since Wilson’s untimely retirement.
We excuse DJs lack of dominance because he’s changed positions so many times and has so much potential. You just know that a player with his size and physical tools will dominate once he settles into a defensive scheme and position.
Well, it’s been 6 or 7 years now, and I’m still waiting for DJ to settle in and become a dominant force. He’s had plenty of time to master all of the linebacker positions, and you can’t point to changes in coordinators because change is constant in the NFL.
The fact is that after 6.5 seasons in the NFL, DJ Williams has more DUIs than Pro Bowl appearances.
Look, I’m not trying to take shots at DJ during a difficult time in his life – even if he does deserve ridicule for embarrassing his team and letting down his fans at the worst possible time. I’m just saying that we might need to reexamine the way we look at DJ’s career. He’s been one of the better starters on a very mediocre defense. Nothing more, nothing less.
DJ Williams is probably closer to Antonio McDyess than Dikembe Mutombo. We all knew that McDyess was supposed to be really good at some point, but it never did the Nuggets any good. In retrospect, its easy to see that we over-valued McDyess, and that the Nuggets were never going contend for the title with McDyess being their best player. It just wasn’t in his DNA.
I’m beginning to think that winning isn’t in DJ’s DNA either, and I’m going to make a proposal for a team with plenty of holes on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe you should trade DJ this off-season, before the rest of the league discovers how overhyped he is. You can probably get some nice picks/players in return. You can’t really say that losing DJ will bring the defense down, because it’s already plenty far down with DJ.
Maybe DJ will prove me wrong by unleashing his inner Al Wilson over the next few games and showing the team that he is worth his $6MM 2010 salary.
But I kind of doubt it.
