Kyle Williams: Will The 49ers Continue To Increase His Role?
by Tre9er on Nov 22, 2011 12:00 PM PST
in 49ers Roster
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PrintIn last Sunday's game versus the Cardinals, Kyle Williams had what many have dubbed a "breakout game" hauling in five passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. While this was certainly Williams' biggest-game-yet statistically, it's up for debate whether or not it was a true "breakout game".
Still, we were able to see a bit more of the skills that he has for the wide receiver position...and with Braylon Edwards not looking right, Joshua Morgan on injured reserve with a broken leg, it stands to reason that we could see more of Kyle Williams from here on out.
I've been personally banging the drum for this kid all season long. I know DrewK has long felt "KW" (or K-Dub) was a legitimate starting-caliber WR if he only got a chance. From what we've seen on the field, he does appear to have a natural skill-set for the position: He's extremely quick/shifty, runs good, clean routes, has great hands, and is elusive running after the catch.
With the passing game seemingly more "open" the last two games, will we continue to see Williams' role increase in the offense? Should he see more time, perhaps in favor of another player, such as Edwards?
I say, "Yes!" Jump with me to discuss further.
Williams worked with Alex Smith quite a bit this off-season at San Jose State, including the "Camp Alex" time, as well as additional work. He's sure-handed and seems to have a knack for getting open, as well as getting first-downs. Each of his five catches Sunday were for a first-down (or touch down).
He's fast enough to get separation deep down the field and has the hands to haul in those passes, too. He's also a fearless blocker and goes over the middle of the field, as he did in college.
The other factor to consider is that there isn't much NFL tape on Williams. Teams won't have as much to study in order to stop him...and might not dedicate much time to him anyways with his limited production thus-far. He could be a sort of "secret weapon", at first, anyways.
For your enjoyment, here are a few pics of some catches Kyle made in the game Sunday.
This was his first reception (above). Notice the ball was thrown quite a bit in-front and he made a nice grab to pluck it out of the air (then run for another seven yards).
Great job dragging the toes near the sideline here on his third reception. He also had a nice tip-toe catch near the sideline in the third quarter.
So what's the verdict? Will we see more of Williams beginning with the big "HarBowl" showdown on Turkey-Day?
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I see what you did there..
"You have to reinvent yourself each year, ... What helped us was that there was some turnover each year." Bill Walsh...
I like him...
mostly because of his hands. Alex seems to throw a lot of balls that are just a little off. Kyle makes these sort of catches seem fairly routine which makes me think he would be a great safety valve for Alex. If that’s true and Crabtree continues what he’s been doing (getting open) and Braylon heals up, we may have a bona fide arsenal of weapons.
He's a prototype slot receiver
Extremely quick in and out of his breaks with great hands and speed to go along with his agility. This kid can beat any man coverage the NFL can throw at him. We have yet to see if he can find the holes in zone but against the Ravens who are a high pressure man defense we probably won’t see too much zone coverage.
Call me cautiously optimistic....because I know what the Niners do to people who have real optimism (see the last 8 years).
Well stated sir...
Given his quickness, running man against him in the slot could be a good thing for the Niners. I haven’t seen him drop one yet, has anyone else? He’s only had a few targets that I can recall.
I have watched him since he went to ASU... Good hands, quick kid... Have had hi hopes for him for many years
"You have to reinvent yourself each year, ... What helped us was that there was some turnover each year." Bill Walsh...
Great Hands
Good body control. he still seems a little uncomfortable in RAC. it will be his specialty in time, but as of now he’s still a little green in that department.
You know who else Kyle would say has great hands?
Patrick Peterson.
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PP got destroyed yesterday
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Think is was somewhere around 8 catches for 145?
Crabs drank his milkshake and Williams made him look like a linebacker in coverage . We definitely weren’t avoiding him. The only times we targeted him and didn’t get a completion were passes we dropped.
Yes i'm with letting him get more playing time espicially since braylon has turned
back to cleveland braylon that couldn’t catch a beach-ball dude has 2 get it together or he will be walking at the end of the season.
by Jayubb415rebirth on Nov 22, 2011 12:20 PM PST reply actions
when was the last time you tried to catch a beach-ball?
it’s harder than it looks.
When Braylon was with the Jets, he got targeted more than he has here.
Add that to the fact he was injured and is trying to get up to speed with the Playbook,
well then OF COURSE he’s going to struggle.
Throw him the ball more often and you’ll get results.
Should of had more time
After that great TD catch in Dallas or at least as soon as when Morgan went down. He catches everything. Hes the new Ziegler, except better lol
This Is What Was Written About Him at the Combine
“Williams is an undersized wide receiver with good punt-return skills and excellent vertical speed but is very raw when it comes to the finer points of running routes, reading coverages and setting defenders up. He gets to top speed quickly but can struggle trying to get off the line against a good press corner. He tends to telegraph his routes and will round off his breaks on hard cuts, but he has the tools to improve with good coaching. He definitely has something that can’t be coached, and that is speed, which will cause teams to want to jump on him earlier than his production and skill level would dictate”
He's getting great coaching now
Sullivan and now Morton (plus Engram) are all details kind of guys. I’d say he’s putting it all together right now
We're as good as we play each week, no better, no worse.
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The other factor to consider is that there isn’t much NFL tape on Williams. Teams won’t have as much to study in order to stop him…and might not dedicate much time to him anyways with his limited production thus-far. He could be a sort of “secret weapon”, at first, anyways.
This is a great point. Even a great staff like Baltimore’s will probably see Williams as a Welker-lite kind of player and prepare for the kind of underneath and sideline routes he ran against Arizona. Thing is, he’s close to as fast as Ted Ginn, which means he can probably get open enough downfield to make up for the fact that he isn’t that tall.
"We just have to go back and watch the film and look at the things that we need to do and correct and go forward." -- Mike Singletary
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by Bay Area Sports Guy on Nov 22, 2011 12:30 PM PST reply actions
This past week he had 3 catches to the sideline and 2 over the middle, I believe
Nothing was much “in-stride” though such as deep crosses, corner routes, posts, go’s, etc. I’d like to see him on the hitch-n-go after a few deep come-back routes to set-up the DB.
We're as good as we play each week, no better, no worse.
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It almost appears the coaches will only play him when forced to?
Clearly all of us fans see when Kyle is given game opportunity…he produces.
I believe he is the only WR on our team with a T/D or T/D’s.
Certainly makes one wonder WHY the coaches don’t give him more game day time?
I think he's got more "pure WR" tools than anyone on the roster.
He’s quick, fast, good hands, good feet. Height is the only thing he doesn’t have but that never stopped Steve Smith (CAR) or others.
We're as good as we play each week, no better, no worse.
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He’s probably pretty intelligent, too. His dad is Kenny Williams, and while I don’t agree with a lot of the transactions Ken makes as the GM of the White Sox, he’s clearly a really smart guy.
BTW, this is an amazing story that came out today about Ken Williams’ house getting burglarlized. They caught the burglar:
Field not only was wearing articles of Williams’ clothing at the time of arrest, he also had the GM’s World Series ring in his possession, according to Mirabelli.
Among items taken by the 51-year-old male suspect from Chicago were several articles of clothing, a set of keys and jewelry. In a report on nbcchicago.com, Williams said a lobster was defrosted and beer and a frozen pizza were missing. According to the NBC report, Williams also said the man surfed the Internet and kicked his shoes off on the bed.
"We just have to go back and watch the film and look at the things that we need to do and correct and go forward." -- Mike Singletary
Bay Area Sports Guy | SB Nation Bay Area | Twitter
by Bay Area Sports Guy on Nov 22, 2011 12:47 PM PST up reply actions
That was amazing...
Do NOT defrost a man’s lobster!
by David Fucillo on Nov 22, 2011 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
and if you’re going to have the lobster leave me the pizza and beer!
"It's impossible to hide the fire inside" - Bob Seger
He was saving the lobster for later. If you’re going to break into someone’s house and stick around for a while, multiple meals are often required.
"We just have to go back and watch the film and look at the things that we need to do and correct and go forward." -- Mike Singletary
Bay Area Sports Guy | SB Nation Bay Area | Twitter
by Bay Area Sports Guy on Nov 22, 2011 3:21 PM PST up reply actions
Getting a feel
Is it just me or is Patrick Peterson getting alittle more friendly than needed with K-Dub’s rear end in that second picture?
by KolbraKommander on Nov 22, 2011 12:59 PM PST reply actions
bwahahaha good call!
totally grabs his arse!
We're as good as we play each week, no better, no worse.
Follow @Tre9er
You see how quickly he controls the ball there?
That throw was awkwardly over his head, but he controls it in an instant. There isn’t but one other 49er who could make that catch, maybe, and that’s Crabtree. This kid has a pair of hands. He needs to see some serious PT.
Their Q.B. & W.R.'s versus Our Q.B. & W.R.s
In your opinion which overall group is better?
*J.Flacco 6-6 / 240 lbs versus A.Smith 6-4 / 215 lbs
*A. Boldin 6-1 / 217 lbs versus M.Crabtree 6-1 / 215 lbs
*T.Smith 6-0 / 205 lbs versus B.Edwards 6-3 / 215 lbs
*L.Evans 5-10 / 207 lbs versus K.Williams 5-10 / 185 lbs
*D.Reed 6-0 / 190 lbs versus T.Ginn 5-11 / 180 lbs
Tight Ends:
*E.Dickson 6-4 / 250 lbs versus V.Davis 6-3 / 250 lbs
*D.Pitta 6-4 / 250 lbs versus D. Walker 6-0 / 240 lbs
They've got a great receiving corps
Probably better than the Giants, depending on how over the hill you consider Evans.
Is it just me that finds it hard to believe that Boldin isn’t bigger than Crabtree?
Crab is a big dude
He’s not tall but he’s really well put together.
We're as good as we play each week, no better, no worse.
Follow @Tre9er
Great?
Ehhh, they’re solid. The Giants are much better.
by hammystyle on Nov 22, 2011 2:10 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
A group of #2's
I think they have a group of guys that all make really good #2 WR’s. But no true #1. But they are all solid and their speedy rookie has a real ability to stretch the field.
Joe, Jerry, Steve, and....Who is next?
Pretty close
Smith has outplayed Flacco by quite a bit this year, but that’s mostly due to Flacco’s inconsistency. Its tough to pick out an advantage for either side.
Boldin, Smith and Evans are a little better combo than Crab, Braylon, and Williams. Not by much though.
Pitts and Dickson are a pretty good pass catching combo, but VD and Delanie are much more explosive. Solid edge there.
We have the advantage on the OL.
by hammystyle on Nov 22, 2011 2:19 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Alex Smith is 6'-4"
…um…yeah…maybe in high heels.
I think he just needs to keep getting opportunity until he shows he is not capable.
Eventually, if he keeps it up, he deserves a starting spot. If a guy just keeps making the most of every opportunity, how do you NOT get him more involved?
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The Hometown Fan
K-dub
I would love to see more of him, especially since alex is alittle off on his throws and kyle has great hands. Ginn and Edwards seem to drop balls when they have to extend their arms to catch a pass. Kyle and crabs have been great at grabbing balls away from their bodies. VD has been dropping balls here and there too, probably because he doesn’t see as many as he use to. Just when I thought Josh Morgan was going to have a great season with crabs, he got injured. I was really sad about that but the receiver corp is finally starting to show signs of being great in the future.
Heres his highlights from ASU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HzSB804F_Q
"You have to reinvent yourself each year, ... What helped us was that there was some turnover each year." Bill Walsh...
Surprise element
Long been a fan of Kyle and from the interviews I’ve seen he seems a good kid.
I’d be keen to save him for the playoffs – as well as good scheme and the odd trick play I feel relatively unknown impact players can be very useful…
by SurreyNiner on Nov 22, 2011 1:36 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
C'mon Tre , all he did was catch everything that came even remotely close too him ... Harbaugh play the Man ...!!
I'm your " Huckelberry "...it's just my game ..( .AleX ) was asked , what do you think about all the game manager talk ... AleX i guess i just managed myself a VIctory ... Extend the Man ...!!
I like it...
Definitely nice to see some of our lower draft pick receivers shine through. Obviously, Morgan was heading down a good path, but out injured. KW is an interesting player for me. He’s quick, very quick, good range and solid runner. I think he could step in to a Josh Morgan like role, but curious/concerned why he hasn’t already (remember he had a TD against the Cowboys). It will be great to see how they use KW b/c with the stone handed combo of Ginn/VD/Braylon, we definitely need some solid WRs.
Hey Tre!
Thanks for the shout-out to my post!
I mean, why would somebody write a whole article about something when somebody else on the site already wrote a highly-regarded one on the same topic? You wouldn’t…would you? Just saying, it comes across a little weird for you to write a post about Kyle Williams when mine on the same topic is currently sitting in the top recommended fan posts section with 200+ comments and frankly more analysis than yours. Ya know what I’m saying? Peace!
Not a troll
by Riding The F Train on Nov 22, 2011 3:17 PM PST reply actions
I know rite ...!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWo-02Hsab4&ob=av2e
I'm your " Huckelberry "...it's just my game ..( .AleX ) was asked , what do you think about all the game manager talk ... AleX i guess i just managed myself a VIctory ... Extend the Man ...!!
I think
That Kyle Williams showed what he can do. Look for him to have a bigger role next year because I don’t think Braylon Edwards will be coming back.
"Hey, the offensive linemen are the biggest guys on the field, they’re bigger than everybody else, and that’s what makes them the biggest guys on the field." ~ John Madden
by 49erfannm on Nov 22, 2011 3:31 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Tre, nice post.
We all like what we see from Kyle as a receiver, soft hands, quick, fast. He has speed that can create separation… I would like to see him get more snaps and more targeted plays and i think he will against the Ravens.
However, I think size is an issue here, especially in the context of the extremely physical offense we have in which receivers are often expected to block well on run plays. Edwards, Crabtree (and Morgan) are all pretty burly. I think each of them can block much better than any 190 lb guy. Add Delanie to the mix, as a de-facto extra receiver, and you have a lot of competition for playing time from big guys who can block well in play-action situations. (Making the offense very tough to defend since teams don’t know whether to nickel or base and Alex can change the play depending on what they do.)
Where I see Kyle as a pure plus is on 3rd down clear passing situations. Probably he has better hands than Ginn, and, I agree, a big upside.
Next year I would love to see a WR corp consisting of a fast 6'33"-6'5" guy (draftee replacing Edwards), Crabtree, and KW in the slot.
by 49erFanSince1950 on Nov 22, 2011 5:42 PM PST up reply actions
Ah, actually 6'3" to 6'5" guy would be sufficient!!! Save Ginn for returns and "special situations" (flat out go-routes).
by 49erFanSince1950 on Nov 22, 2011 5:45 PM PST up reply actions
What about Josh Morgan?
A big tall guy would be nice but the receiving corps of Morgan, Crabs, and KW in the slot would be pretty awesome. We have Ginn that can stretch the field when needed and VD and DW as big bodies on call. But you can never have too many offensive weapons. I will put my faith in Baalke.
Joe, Jerry, Steve, and....Who is next?
So would I
Problem is if you want a fast 6’3" – 6’5" guy you need to have a top 5 pick the rare year in a decade that one exists. Then, you can get Calvin or Andre.
So if you want the size, you have to settle for slow, even at the top of the draft most years. And the NFL career graveyard is filled with big slow bodies. Everybody likes remembering the big slow guys like Plax but they conveniently forget the 30 or 40 that washed out.
At the NCAA level being big is good enough. At the NFL level most of the big bodies who never learned how to run a route find that they can’t create separation and a safety over the top negates a height advantage.
Blocking is more about attitude than size!!!
Williams is small in size but he’s a tuff lil booger. Check some of those blocks he laid during the pre-season. I think the Niners should make him the #2 right now and let Edwards be the #3 while his health improves. Williams could be the DJax for use if he could get on the field more he’s actually faster as he ran a 4.30 at his pro day. The guy is simply to explosive to be a part-time weapon on offense. He could the guy that makes the whole offense better by doing what Ginn hasn’t and that’s stretch the field. Crabtree for the first time in his career looked dominate, I think Williams makes him better. I remember Rob Ryan saying he was worried about Lelie taking the top off the defense due to his speed. Williams is a threat to take the top off and with V.D. and Crabtree that could be a scary thought for defenses going forward. If I’m JH, I go play-action first play with Williams to make them think twice about stacking the line.
by darkhorse_2000 on Nov 22, 2011 7:15 PM PST up reply actions
Did you not see when he laid out some d-lineman in the preseason?
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"If the 49ers success offends you, so be it." - Jim Harbaugh
Looking ahead to 2012
(hey why not)
I don’t like how the Niners receivers are ‘slotted’. It’s not that any of them are bad players – but I am not sure their skill sets fits with the offense. With all the 2-3TE sets we run, we would be better off having 2 very good WRs and instead we have 4 or 5 kinda decent ones (including Josh Morgan). Edwards is tall possession/jump ball guy. Crabtree is a YAC/hands guy. Ginn and Williams are burners but not great route runners. Morgan was having a great year… but who knows what we will get when he returns from a shattered ankle. Not sure he’s really more than a #2 or #3 guy anyway.
What the niners offense needs is a WR who consistently forces the defense to choose between doubling X and doubling vernon davis. And if they double both – no safety help in the run game.
Maybe Kyle Williams is that guy. I don’t think Crabs or Edwards is… I simply don’t think they are fast enough or dangerous enough to be the #1. They are both good #2s, but kinda redundant in a TE/RB heavy offense.
[Poorly Wrought THING] is what Brian Sabean would have made if he were a [THING-maker] instead of a MLB GM
Crabtree is not a #1 receiver and never will be ...
With further development he could be a great #2 guy. Morgan is a good COP replacement for him when he needs a blow. K-dub can become a very good slot receiver and long ball target. What we DON’T HAVE is a combination of heighth (6’3" – 6’’5"), speed, and hands … someone to accell in the red zone and as a difference from all the 6’1" and less guys on the roster (all WR other than Edwards). Of course Edwards was supposed to be that guy, but he has been a disappointment … not because of his injuries but because of his hands. He has made a few great catches this year, including the one-hander, but he has also dropped at least eight catchable balls this year, including 3 last Sunday. The neat thing is that there are at least 10 draftable (i.e., ranker in the top 225 prospects) wide receivers of 6’3" or more next April, six of whom are at least 6’4". We won’t have a shot at Jeffrey, Floyd, or Hill, but there are some other very good prospects that will be available … Jones, Fuller, Criner, Childs, Randle, Quick.
by 49erFanSince1950 on Nov 22, 2011 6:04 PM PST up reply actions
Wrong!!!
Red Zone TD’s are more about mismatches than size. TE’s by and large get more Red zone Td’s than any other group because they create the biggest mismatches. Also the small quick Wr’s who usually get 1-1 match-ups outside are the other group of pass catches that get quite a few TD receptions as well. In the Red Zone, quickness is king not blazing speed.
by darkhorse_2000 on Nov 22, 2011 7:39 PM PST up reply actions
Boldin ran a 4.68/ D.Bryant ran a 4.68
Both legit #1 Wr’s, to say Crab can’t be one because of speed is nuts. I’ve been critical of Crabtree but when he’s on the guy is a beast. His issue is consistency, but as the pass game has opened up he has produced. Since Morgan has went down Crab has avg. 5.5 catches/ 65.7 yards per clip, had it not been for the NYG game his numbers would be 6.5/ 75.5 . Not world beater but legit #1 numbers in this offense. Yeah his TD’s are low but that’s more due to the offense than him.
by darkhorse_2000 on Nov 22, 2011 7:52 PM PST up reply actions
…as well as getting first-downs. Each of his five catches Sunday were for a first-down (or touch down).
The Niners need this.
The receivers haven’t been exactly stellar on 3rd down (w/ the exception of DW), what with all their; drops, catching the ball out of bounds, and not having awareness of where they are on the field.
Kyle looked really savvy out there. I hope some of that can rub off on the other guys.
Over
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