Lions trade Chris Williams to Montreal for Gabe Knapton

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

Dusty
Champion
Posts: 555
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 8:31 pm

Sir Purrcival wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 6:46 pm
As for Williams performance as a Lion, it is easy to forget that he didn't start until almost half way through the season after coming off a serious injury. And even then, the Lions were too busy imploding in other areas for anyone to say that he was a disappointment. Is there any part of this team that couldn't be considered some kind of disappointment?
The QB'ing, Oline, Dline, Secondary, Special Teams, Receiving core? Which part of this team performed above expectation? Maybe the running game when we were using it. I'm glad that we were able to translate his departure into something coming back but it is difficult to say that based on the body of work, the time frame, the injury, the state of the team as a whole, that Williams was less successful than that any other receiver who could have played at that position. Nobody played that well this year and most didn't have the excuse of coming off major injury and having missed training camp and half a season. I wish him well. I hope that he has a better fate with his new team than what he did here.
I don't recall us using William's speed on deep routes at all.... I think his time with BC will be viewed as a complete missed opportunity.... I wish him well in Montreal and I hope that he has a creative offensive coordinator to better use his talents....
User avatar
David
Team Captain
Posts: 9364
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 10:23 am
Location: Vancouver (Kitsilano)

Giulio Caravatta‏ @caravatta2

I love this trade!!!@BCLions
FYI.


DH :cool:
Roar, You Lions, Roar
User avatar
Hambone
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8175
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:25 pm
Location: Living in PG when not at BC Place, Grey Cup or Mazatlan.

Dusty wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:56 pm
Sir Purrcival wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 6:46 pm
As for Williams performance as a Lion, it is easy to forget that he didn't start until almost half way through the season after coming off a serious injury. And even then, the Lions were too busy imploding in other areas for anyone to say that he was a disappointment. Is there any part of this team that couldn't be considered some kind of disappointment?
The QB'ing, Oline, Dline, Secondary, Special Teams, Receiving core? Which part of this team performed above expectation? Maybe the running game when we were using it. I'm glad that we were able to translate his departure into something coming back but it is difficult to say that based on the body of work, the time frame, the injury, the state of the team as a whole, that Williams was less successful than that any other receiver who could have played at that position. Nobody played that well this year and most didn't have the excuse of coming off major injury and having missed training camp and half a season. I wish him well. I hope that he has a better fate with his new team than what he did here.
I don't recall us using William's speed on deep routes at all.... I think his time with BC will be viewed as a complete missed opportunity.... I wish him well in Montreal and I hope that he has a creative offensive coordinator to better use his talents....
I can think of a couple of times for sure where Williams had his man cleanly beat on a straight fly pattern down the middle........and Jennings overthrew him or at least put in a place where only a circus catch would've hauled it in.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
User avatar
pennw
Legend
Posts: 1921
Joined: Sat Nov 17, 2007 7:50 am
Location: Chilliwack

Hambone wrote:
Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:46 am
Dusty wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:56 pm
Sir Purrcival wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 6:46 pm
As for Williams performance as a Lion, it is easy to forget that he didn't start until almost half way through the season after coming off a serious injury. And even then, the Lions were too busy imploding in other areas for anyone to say that he was a disappointment. Is there any part of this team that couldn't be considered some kind of disappointment?
The QB'ing, Oline, Dline, Secondary, Special Teams, Receiving core? Which part of this team performed above expectation? Maybe the running game when we were using it. I'm glad that we were able to translate his departure into something coming back but it is difficult to say that based on the body of work, the time frame, the injury, the state of the team as a whole, that Williams was less successful than that any other receiver who could have played at that position. Nobody played that well this year and most didn't have the excuse of coming off major injury and having missed training camp and half a season. I wish him well. I hope that he has a better fate with his new team than what he did here.
I don't recall us using William's speed on deep routes at all.... I think his time with BC will be viewed as a complete missed opportunity.... I wish him well in Montreal and I hope that he has a creative offensive coordinator to better use his talents....
I can think of a couple of times for sure where Williams had his man cleanly beat on a straight fly pattern down the middle........and Jennings overthrew him or at least put in a place where only a circus catch would've hauled it in.
I can I can also think of a few times that every thing was in place and Williams just dropped the ball because it hit him on the hands .
Dusty
Champion
Posts: 555
Joined: Thu May 12, 2011 8:31 pm

pennw wrote:
Wed Dec 13, 2017 5:08 pm
Hambone wrote:
Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:46 am
Dusty wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:56 pm


I don't recall us using William's speed on deep routes at all.... I think his time with BC will be viewed as a complete missed opportunity.... I wish him well in Montreal and I hope that he has a creative offensive coordinator to better use his talents....
I can think of a couple of times for sure where Williams had his man cleanly beat on a straight fly pattern down the middle........and Jennings overthrew him or at least put in a place where only a circus catch would've hauled it in.
I can I can also think of a few times that every thing was in place and Williams just dropped the ball because it hit him on the hands .
You guys have better memory than I.... All I recall is CW lining up on the LOS and running crossing routes.... I think the plan was to get the ball to him quickly and hope he outran everyone.... oh well......
dairelet20
prospect
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:10 am

Hi everyone, question for all of you: do teams hold rights for the following year on players drafted then released (either by choice to play 5th year CIS eligibility or simply released) ?
User avatar
Hambone
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8175
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:25 pm
Location: Living in PG when not at BC Place, Grey Cup or Mazatlan.

Sir Purrcival wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 6:46 pm
As for Williams performance as a Lion, it is easy to forget that he didn't start until almost half way through the season after coming off a serious injury.
There is that aspect for sure. It's not a given that all players will pick things up exactly where they left off after a serious injury. I think it's an even bigger challenge when the player gets to restart halfway through a season versus being medically cleared for full everything on day 1 of training camp. Despite Elimimian having the benefit of a full training camp he still didn't start playing like his old self until 6 or 7 games into the season after his achilles injury. For many even though they have physically recovered from a serious injury I believe mental aspects linger to the point it can take a full season to put that injury behind them both physically and mentally. Some never do get back to being the player they were before the injury. With being able to start the 2018 season fresh with a full training camp Williams may bounce back to be that player we hoped for when BC signed him.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
User avatar
Hambone
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8175
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:25 pm
Location: Living in PG when not at BC Place, Grey Cup or Mazatlan.

Dusty wrote:
Wed Dec 13, 2017 6:59 pm

You guys have better memory than I.... All I recall is CW lining up on the LOS and running crossing routes.... I think the plan was to get the ball to him quickly and hope he outran everyone.... oh well......
The idea of the crossing routes is to get the ball to receivers in space and let them pick up the YAC yards. BC ran a lot of routes last year with the idea of getting the ball to the receiver quickly in space where they could turn a short play into a bigger one with their legs. Sometimes they were crossing routes. They ran a lot where they tried to quickly swing the ball out wide near the line of scrimmage. It wasn't just to Williams either. Often it was Arceneaux or Burnham on the other end. I don't know if it was that those plays were easy to read or they were slow in releasing the ball but such plays rarely led to anything more than a 2 or 3 yard gain because the defence had already taken away the space by the time the ball got there.
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12580
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

Williams ran a lot of slants from the wideout position in Ottawa. They were designed to get the ball to him quickly and let him use his speed to either turn upfield or run across field. They were much quicker passes than the crossing routes that B.C. runs. He was much more successful in that offence.

The Lions didn't use Williams well, and when they did try to go deep Jennings usually missed him. Williams had only 2 catches of over 30 yards. Burnham, Arceneaux, Rainey and Shaq Johnson all had more. And Williams' average catch of 10.7 yards was the shortest of any slotback or wide receiver on the team. Burnham averaged 15.3 yards and Arceneaux averaged 14.8.
User avatar
Sir Purrcival
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4621
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:48 am
Location: Comox Valley

Hambone wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2017 10:08 am
Sir Purrcival wrote:
Tue Dec 12, 2017 6:46 pm
As for Williams performance as a Lion, it is easy to forget that he didn't start until almost half way through the season after coming off a serious injury.
There is that aspect for sure. It's not a given that all players will pick things up exactly where they left off after a serious injury. I think it's an even bigger challenge when the player gets to restart halfway through a season versus being medically cleared for full everything on day 1 of training camp. Despite Elimimian having the benefit of a full training camp he still didn't start playing like his old self until 6 or 7 games into the season after his achilles injury. For many even though they have physically recovered from a serious injury I believe mental aspects linger to the point it can take a full season to put that injury behind them both physically and mentally. Some never do get back to being the player they were before the injury. With being able to start the 2018 season fresh with a full training camp Williams may bounce back to be that player we hoped for when BC signed him.
It also bears mentioning that not only was he returning after a long period of inactivity, he was working with a different team, coaches and teammates. Complete novelty from top to bottom so little wonder in my mind why a player working under those circumstances might be less than game breaker.
Tell me how long must a fan be strong? Ans. Always.
User avatar
KnightofCydonia
Starter
Posts: 138
Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2017 1:03 pm
Location: Vancouverite living in Boston, USA

Happy with this trade. CW never impressed me much and it'll be nice to get some more intensity on the D!
User avatar
Toppy Vann
Hall of Famer
Posts: 9789
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 12:56 pm

dairelet20 wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2017 9:15 am
Hi everyone, question for all of you: do teams hold rights for the following year on players drafted then released (either by choice to play 5th year CIS eligibility or simply released) ?
This might not be current rules so if it's a question that you really need an answer to that's 100% accurate, best to ask the CFL directly.

Your question suggests the player is "drafted then released" and my sense is that they're not released, they're just not offered a contract either by mutual agreement or the player or the team not wanting to sign. I'm no expert on these rules btw.

This shows up in CFL Draft for Dummies:

https://www.cfl.ca/2007/05/02/cfl_canad ... r_dummies/
12. How long does a club hold a drafted player’s rights for?

A club holds a player’s rights for as long as he is in school or playing in another professional football league. Once a player is no longer in school or playing professional football, a team loses his rights one full calendar year following his graduation. For example, a player who graduates in April, 2008 and doesn’t remain in school or play professional football would become a free agent January 1, 2010.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
Blitz
Team Captain
Posts: 9094
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 8:44 am

I never agreed with the Chris Williams signing and especially the cost to our Leos because Wally signed Williams as a free agent- the cost was the trade of Olifioye to Montreal.

However, in terms of Williams as a B.C. Lion there were a lot of factors that impacted his play including 1) he was coming off a serious injury 2) our quarterbacks didn't get a full training camp with him 3) Khari Jones did not integrate Williams properly into our offence 4) Williams, coning off injury, did not begin the season as a starter 5) he was playing in a new offence and a new team.

Williams will be fine in Montreal. But we needed to go in a different direction. This trade will be good for Montreal and our Leos..

Buono's signing of Williams has been costly but the good is that we didn't stick with a decision that should not have been made in the first place. Its interesting that Williams and Olifoye both end up in Montreal, as Olifioye would still be here if we had not signed Williams.

Knapton will help us. We are starting this season focused on our areas of greatest need. That is a good start.
"When I went to Catholic high school in Philadelphia, we just had one coach for football and basketball. He took all of us who turned out and had us run through a forest. The ones who ran into the trees were on the football team". (George Raveling)
Post Reply