Tag: Darious Williams

Darious Williams quickly making a name for himself with Rams

Darious Williams has made a big impact for the Rams through four weeks this season.

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Darious Williams wasn’t a recognizable name for most fans prior to this season. He was a lesser-known cornerback who had started just three career games since going undrafted in 2018. The Rams only acquired him after the Ravens waived him two years ago, almost to the day (Oct. 6).

But after four weeks as L.A.’s No. 2 cornerback opposite Jalen Ramsey, Williams has quickly become a household name for Rams fans. For better or worse, he’s found himself at the center of attention in each of the last three weeks with key plays for his defense.

In Week 2, he picked off Carson Wentz with a spectacular diving interception in the end zone, completely flipping the momentum in a game that was closer than the Rams would’ve liked it to be. Last week against the Bills, he was flagged for pass interference, a questionable call that cost the Rams a victory. On Sunday, Williams bounced back with one of his best performances yet, and certainly his top play of the young season.

With the Giants down eight points and all the way at the Rams’ 18-yard line, Williams dove and picked off a Daniel Jones pass near the sideline. He maintained possession all the way through and didn’t allow the ball to hit the ground at all, sealing the win for Los Angeles.

If not for that play, it’s possible the Giants would’ve marched all the way to the end zone and tied the game. But Williams didn’t allow them the chance to. His recovery speed and awareness to look back at the quarterback were something out of the book of an elite cornerback, trusting his instincts and making a perfect break on the ball.

After the game, he told reporters that he wants to be “like a red dot” on the field. He explained what he meant, saying he wants quarterbacks to second-guess themselves when throwing his way.

“At the end of the day, I try to be basically like a red dot, someone that’s dangerous on the field,” he said. “I want every quarterback, I want everybody that ever targets me to know that it’s a 50-50 chance to get the pick, so I just think really it’s just the positions I’m in and capitalizing on them.”

Aaron Donald recognized the play of Williams on the back end and knows he has the potential to be a really good player in the NFL.

He said in his postgame media session that Williams is “playing great” and “making big plays for us.

“I think Darious has been playing great. He’s a young guy, but he has a lot of potential to be a really good player in this league,” Donald said. “He’s a playmaker. He’s stepping up and making big plays for us. He has to continue to do that, continue to get better.”

Sean McVay has been impressed with the young cornerback thus far, particularly for his clutch plays. He certainly showed that on Sunday with the interception, but McVay recognizes that he’s been making plays like that for a while.

“I think he’s just a clutch player. Even he’s been doing that ever since he got an opportunity to play really last year,” McVay said. “He’s a guy that if he gets his hands on the ball, he’s usually going to catch it and be able to get it back to the offense and right there, that was a game-clenching play and a situation that we had to have. He was bumped, they ran kind of a stem in, breakout and for him to be able to make that play was unbelievable. It was a great catch and another great pick for him in a crucial situation, even more important than the Philly game a couple of weeks ago. So big-time play by Darious. Really happy for him.”

For a cornerback playing in the same secondary as Jalen Ramsey, the opportunities and targets are going to come. Quarterbacks shy away from Ramsey in coverage, which leads them to either Williams or Troy Hill more often than not.

If Williams keeps making them pay with interceptions, it’ll be hard for quarterbacks to find someone to pick on in the Rams’ secondary.

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Watch: Darious Williams seals Rams win with spectacular diving INT

Darious Williams called game, picking off Daniel Jones in the final minute.

For the second time in three weeks, Darious Williams came up with a clutch diving interception. But there’s no doubt Sunday’s takeaway against the Giants was bigger than his interception against the Eagles in Week 2.

With the Giants driving down the field and attempting to tie the game at 17, Williams put an end to their comeback effort with a spectacular pick along the sideline.

The throw was slightly behind the receiver, and Williams made Daniel Jones pay with a takeaway. It’s amazing that he was able to hang on and not allow the ball to hit the turf, completing the catch all the way to the ground.

 

Watch: Darious Williams makes spectacular diving INT in end zone

It was maybe the play of the game for the Rams.

Darious Williams wasn’t a well-known player entering the 2020 season, but he’s become a starter at cornerback and has played extremely well in his first two games. Against the Eagles on Sunday, Williams made a game-changing interception to prevent a touchdown.

He undercut a route by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to pick off the pass by Carson Wentz, getting a much-needed turnover for the Rams defense. It was a bad decision by Wentz, but an even better play by the young cornerback.

The Eagles had been building momentum before that interception, scoring a touchdown before the half after Cooper Kupp’s fumble and getting a quick three-and-out on the Rams to open the second half.

Rams CBs coach shares insight on Darious Williams and David Long

Darious Williams and David Long will be competing for the No. 3 cornerback spot this summer.

Cornerback depth has never been more important than it is in today’s NFL. Teams are airing the ball out and offenses are utilizing three-receiver formations a good portion of the time. So to counter these trends, defenses need players who can run and cover.

The Rams have two quality outside cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill, but the No. 3 spot is up for grabs after the team moved on from Nickell Robey-Coleman. Darious Williams and David Long Jr. will probably be the lead candidates for that job, followed by rookie defensive back Terrell Burgess.

Williams and Long both contributed toward the end of last season, stepping in for an injured Jalen Ramsey and as backups in the secondary. Cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant had the chance to develop these two players last season and he’s encouraged by their potential heading into the 2020 campaign.

“Both are two totally different situations as far as what they bring to the table, but they’re both young guys that have been able to progress,” he said, via TheRams.com. “Darious Williams, the way he played those last four weeks, was of starting caliber in the NFL. Not only was he able to make plays, but he was able to get his hands on the ball. And when you can create turnovers in the National Football League, that’s something that separates you from the others.”

Williams fits better in the slot than Long does, given his smaller stature and his style of play. However, both showed the ability to play inside last season, with Pleasant even mentioning that Long went through an “inside-out” course of development as a rookie.

With Brandon Staley now leading the defense, versatility will be paramount. The Rams have big plans for Jalen Ramsey in the secondary, allowing him to move around the formation and play other positions besides boundary corner.

That could help Long, opening the door for him to play outside if Ramsey covers the slot. Pleasant likes Long’s game and says he’ll do anything asked of him on defense.

“You saw as the weeks progressed later on in the season versus Chicago, later on in the season two times versus Arizona, we asked that young man to come and play in several different roles, but just kind of shows you his skill set is so unique, he can do anything that’s asked,” Pleasant said. “And then the final game of the season, he had to play at corner and he stood up and made some plays.”

Training camp will be extremely important for both Long and Williams, particularly with no preseason games being played. This competition will be won in practice, so every rep counts this summer.

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Darious Williams has caught the eye of Rams’ new defensive coordinator

Brandon Staley highlighted Darious Williams as a guy he likes in the Rams’ secondary.

No position group has undergone more changes for the Rams in recent years than the secondary. In Sean McVay’s first season, Kayvon Webster and Trumaine Johnson were the primary corners with Lamarcus Joyner, Maurice Alexander and John Johnson at safety.

In 2018, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib arrived. Last year, both players were traded and replaced by Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill. At safety, Taylor Rapp, Eric Weddle and Johnson all started games.

More changes are on the horizon in 2020 with Nickell Robey-Coleman gone and Weddle retired. David Long Jr. would seem like a logical replacement for Robey-Coleman in the slot, since he was a third-round pick a year ago, but don’t count out Darious Williams.

First-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley singled out Williams on Thursday as a player he really likes.

“I really like this secondary group. I think that Darious Williams is a guy that played really good football for this group in the last couple games,” Staley said. “I think this guy can cover, I think he’s got a really good skill set for corner. He can run, he can change directions, he can play the ball in the deep part of the field, he’s got a good body. Him and David Long – Troy Hill has played a lot of different positions in the NFL, provides a lot of versatility. Those guys really are exciting to be able to work with and we can use those guys in some unique ways, hopefully.”

Staley’s praise isn’t unfounded, either. Williams started three games down the stretch last season, playing the majority of the snaps in the last three weeks. He picked off two passes, made 12 total tackles and broke up four total passes in that stretch

He allowed 11 catches on 17 targets in those three games, which is a respectable rate for a guy who hardly played earlier in the season. And according to Pro Football Focus, no cornerbacks had higher overall grades in the last six weeks than he and Jalen Ramsey.

Williams will have to beat out the likes of Long and Terrell Burgess in order to earn a starting job, but don’t be surprised if he earns playing time early in the year. At the very least, he should be the No. 4 cornerback, which is enough to make the 53-man roster.

As a former undrafted free agent and waiver claim by the Rams in 2018, Williams has clearly made a good first impression on his new defensive coordinator without even taking the practice field for him.

Watch: Darious Williams picks off tip-drill deflection by Jalen Ramsey

Darious Williams pulled down the first interception of his career on Saturday night.

Darious Williams made his first start with the Rams on Saturday night in place of the injured Troy Hill and he made it count with an interception. On the 49ers’ opening drive of the second half, Jalen Ramsey deflected a pass over the middle.

It was batted around a couple times before Williams jumped up and snatched it out of the air for the interception.

The interception was Williams’ first in his NFL career, and it came at a perfect time to set the Rams up with great field position.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t capitalize as Greg Zuerlein missed a 52-yard field goal, keeping the score 24-21 in favor of San Francisco.

Instant analysis of Rams’ 44-21 loss to the Cowboys

The Rams’ season is likely over after a devastating blowout loss in Dallas.

The Los Angeles Rams traveled to Dallas riding a two-game win streak after thrashing the Seattle Seahawks last week. They faced a Cowboys team that had lost four of their last five games and hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record all season. It seemed like we were trending towards an easy victory for the Rams.

Quite the opposite happened. The Rams were lifeless on both sides of the ball and Dallas cruised to an easy 44-21 victory. Dallas totaled nearly 500 total yards on offense and made Jared Goff’s as difficult as possible on defense. The loss makes it nearly impossible for the Rams to make the playoffs and doesn’t mean much for the Cowboys’ playoff implications.

The Rams lost control of the football game in the second quarter and failed to get back into it. They didn’t look like they belonged in the same league as the Cowboys. It was the second time in the Rams’ last four games that they were dismantled on both sides of the ball.

Here’s our analysis of the likely season-ending loss.

Player of the game: Johnny Hekker

It says a lot about a blowout loss when the punter is the player of the game. Hekker felt like the only Ram who was trying on Sunday. Hekker punted five times and averaged over 55 yards per punt. One punt went for 67 yards and another pinned the Cowboys at their own three yard line. He even completed a pass for a first down. Hekker gave both the offense and the defense chances to succeed on Sunday.

Stat of the game: 143

143 was the difference in offensive yards between the Rams and Cowboys in the second quarter. The Cowboys scored a touchdown on all three of their possessions in the quarter. The Rams were lifeless on both sides of the ball after a touchdown early in the quarter, and Goff threw a brutal interception that set the Cowboys up for a touchdown late in the quarter. The game, and the season as a result, fell apart in that second quarter.

Game Notes

  • This has to be the ugliest performance by the Rams all season. The Ravens are the best team in the NFL, and getting manhandled by them could be more of a result of them just being that good. The Cowboys have been lifeless over the past few weeks. it’s embarrassing that the Rams were the ones who looked lifeless in this game.
  • Jared Goff failed to receive much protection from his offensive line and played horrible as a result. Goff has proven that he can play at a high level in this league, but it feels like he needs a perfect offense around him to do so. It is worth noting that Goff suffered a hand injury late in the second quarter and looked visibly affected by it. That being said, he wasn’t playing great before the injury, and he was able to make some solid throws in garbage time.
  • Tyler Higbee’s hot streak continued this week. Higbee set a career high in receptions with 12 and had over 100/yards for the third straight week. If Higbee plays like this for the duration of his recent contract extension, he’ll be worth the money.
  • Former Ram Tavon Austin’s 59 yard touchdown early in the second quarter was a direct result of two mistakes by the Rams. Early in the play, Dante Fowler had a chance to sack Dak Prescott and failed. Down the field, Taylor Rapp collided with Darious Williams and left Austin wide open as a result.
  • The Rams also had a chance to hold the Cowboys to three points after Goff’s second quarter interception, but Michael Brockers was called for illegal use of the hands after a third down stop and the Cowboys scored a touchdown on the next play. The Rams never recovered.
  • Starting cornerback Troy Hill left the game in the first quarter with a thumb injury. Darious Williams stepped in as a result, and didn’t do much to impress at all. It was a disastrous performance by the Rams on defense. Hill’s absence was felt, but it seems unlikely the Rams win this game with him.
  • The stats will look a little deceiving today, as many of the Rams padded their stats in garbage time. The Rams had 135 yards and two touchdowns on their last two drives of the game. They were empty numbers.
  • To make the playoffs, the Rams need to win their remaining games against San Francisco and Arizona while the Minnesota Vikings have to lose their last two games against Green Bay and Chicago. Neither scenario is likely. Barring a miracle, the Rams won’t be playing in January.