The feel good story between the Seattle Seahawks and Mike Williams is apparently coming to an end. After two years of what appeared to be a miraculous comeback, the Hawks parted ways with the former USC standpoint. Sometimes these happy stories work out for the long term, but other times the player is unable to sustain their performance and stay a viable part of the team. It is too bad that Williams couldn't stay in Seattle, but the NFL is a league that demands productivity. If you don't perform, you won't be around for very long.
Productivity
When Williams caught on with Seattle in 2010, he was a productive receiver and he looked like he might finally live up to his high draft status when he came out of college. In 2010, he caught 65 balls for 751 yards and two touchdowns. He earned a three-year contract and life was good. Unfortunately, 2011 was not a good season for big Mike. He only caught 18 balls for 236 yards and a single touchdown. He did miss four games, but the general performance just wasn't there.
Other options
The Seahawks have a number of options at wide receiver, which is why Mike Williams was ultimately expendable. If Sidney Rice is not able to come back healthy and productive, they may miss Williams on the outside. However, the plan is for Rice to be the top receiver on this team and share balls with Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate, Zach Miller and the newly acquired Kellen Winslow. Williams can probably still play, but the Hawks have a number of young receivers and the coaches apparently thought that they could let Mike go.
Catching on
Williams is still only 28, and there are probably a lot of teams out there that would be interested in a 6'5" receiver that can be a big threat against smaller secondary players. I have a feeling that Mike will get a job somewhere in the NFL this season. It is still early, and he would be an ideal injury replacement for squads that lose a receiver during training camp. Or, there may be a team that finds they need one more veteran set of hands on offense.
We wish you well, Mike.
Sources:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8164420/seattle-seahawks-release-mike-williams-two-seasons
The author lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Seattle and still roots faithfully for the Seahawks. He has been rooting for the Hawks since the old school days of Jim Zorn and Steve Largent. You can follow him on Twitter @tpheifer.
More from this contributor:
Worst #1 NBA Draft Picks of All Time
