Buffalo Bills: Karlos Williams Admits He’s Disappointed in Himself
By Paul Taylor
Karlos Williams admits he put his family and the Buffalo Bills in a very bad situation, and is now focused on learning from his mistakes.
It’s fair to say things went very well for Karlos Williams during his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills. He was second on the team in rushing and tied for the lead in touchdowns, as he helped them finish with the NFL’s number one ground attack.
By comparison, Williams’ offseason was a disaster, starting with him being held out of minicamp, after turning up 20-25 pounds overweight and looking out of shape in side-field conditioning drills. He then compounded this by being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 regular season, for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
However, while it’s fair to assume the 23-year old is probably in Rex Ryan’s doghouse, suggestions he may not make the team are slightly far-fetched. Yes, he’s not done himself any favors, but he will get a second chance and his roster spot is safe, at least in this writer’s humble opinion.
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As you can imagine, all eyes were on Williams, when he turned up for training camp at Rochester. The good news is that, while he’s on the non-football illness list, he’s not too far away from his playing weight.
Speaking to Jack Goods of The Buffalo News and the rest of the media, the Davenport, Florida native said he’s making progress: “It’s nothing but work.
“Heavy conditioning, hitting the weight room hard again as usual. It’s just about getting my body back where it’s supposed to be, at top peak shape.”
Of more importance, Williams expressed remorse for what happened during the offseason, and wants to do everything possible to regain the trust of those around him: “I’m very disappointed in myself.
“I put the organization, my teammates, my family in a very bad situation. I only can learn from my mistakes this offseason and get ready to get back in shape, get ready to play football and move forward.”
While the 2015 fifth round draft pick’s place on the roster is probably safe, the same can’t be said about his position as LeSean McCoy‘s main backup. As Ryan told Goods: “You never know – opportunity comes.
“Sometimes adversity comes with opportunities for other people. We’ll see what happens.”
Certainly, Mike Gillislee, Dan “Boom” Herron, James Wilder, Jr. and Jonathan Williams will all get a chance to make their claim. You imagine those first four weeks of the regular season will feel like an eternity to Williams.
First things first though, the three-time ACC Champion, has to concentrate on getting back onto the practice field. This process will be helped by his now having a better understanding of what happened and why.
Williams said: “I think (it) happens to a lot of people coming into the NFL. They have good success, then you just kind of go off the rails just a little bit.”
Overall, while this all sounds good, the former Florida State Seminole knows actions speak louder than words: “I’m not a big person about talking about changing. It’s all about showing people.”
Next: Cardale Jones get his shot at backup QB job
What are you expecting from Williams, when he returns from suspension? Do think he will have a similar campaign to last season, or take a step back in 2016? Let us know in the comments section below.