Kasen Williams -- Why He May Have Been Cut ...

[Hawkscanner]

I didn't want this to get buried among all the comments of the cutdown thread, so thought I would make this its own thread and post this here as well. Shout out to AdeltaY for finding and sharing this.

So, the following is from a fellow 12 who shared some very insightful thoughts on reddit regarding Kasen Williams. He did a huge play by play in depth analysis of the Game Tape of Kasen Williams and the Week 4 Preseason Game against the Raiders. The piece speaks for itself ...

I was shocked Williams didn't make the team, and as I'd forgotten about my Gamepass subscription and it auto-renewed, this seemed like a great time to put that fallacious sunk cost to work. I remember distinctly watching Williams where I could once he started to ball out: I was hoping he could make the team, and he made some huge plays. However the first big thing that worried me came on this touchdown in week two: http://www.seahawks.com/video/2017/08/18/mike-davis-flips-end-zone-22-yard-touchdown. Williams completely misses out on blocking, or even knowing where people are on the field. It was bad.

So, here's a brief rewatch of the condensed game, skipping to all Williams plays that I can spot. Sorry, no All-22 in the preseason for Gamepass, because ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

The TL;DR is Williams looks great on his two receptions, but fails to really beat man coverage effectively most of the time. His blocking looks half-hearted and weak, especially compared to the effort the other receivers are putting in. He straight up just doesn't make an effort to get in front of his man when off the play, and even in some cases where he potentially could have had an impact.

My pitchforks are lowered.

And he continues with an in depth play by play analysis that continues below for those who are interested (very good stuff) ...

Source:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Seahawks/comments/6xq5jb/kasen_williams_vs_the_raiders_preseason_week_4_a/

 

[Siouxhawk]

Good stuff! Our receivers need to know how to block.

 

[Hawkscanner]

Good stuff! Our receivers need to know how to block.

And how to consistently get open I would add.

 

[RockinHawks]

Great find...and it all makes a lot of sense. Maybe he makes it back to our practice squad; however, Lawler, Moore and Grayson are hopefully going to get continued work in our system and be ready eventually.

 

[Natethegreat]

His length and ability to go up and get the ball is what makes him unique. Having Kasen and Graham near the goal line presents some tough problems for an opposing defense.
He may not be the most complete receiver but he has an ability no one else matches on this team that gets us 6 points and its also an area we have struggled.

 

[Bobblehead]

Yeah, he's gotta be able to block cause, you know, some one on the team has to block, might as well be our receivers. I guess that's why we got rid of Kearse.

 

[cymatica]

Richard Sherman should read the article

 

[Trenchbroom]

His length and ability to go up and get the ball is what makes him unique. Having Kasen and Graham near the goal line presents some tough problems for an opposing defense.
He may not be the most complete receiver but he has an ability no one else matches on this team that gets us 6 points and its also an area we have struggled.

McEvoy may not be able to leap Williams, but he is 6'5" and is a big presence. McEvoy can also block.

Pete wants the total package at WR, and with our emphasis on running the ball, being a fearless blocker is required. Williams has had three years to figure out that blocking is almost as important as catching the ball with this team, and yet he hasn't worked enough to do what needs to be done.

For everyone moaning about how "comPETE" has been ignored to keep Darboh over Williams--what about this? Why throw away a 3rd round pick by cutting a WR who is barely getting started in the league (WR being a very tough position to pick up and learn in your first year--Doug Baldwin being the rare exception to the rule) over someone who can or will not do what the team requires of him in three years as a Seahawk?

 

[Natethegreat]

His length and ability to go up and get the ball is what makes him unique. Having Kasen and Graham near the goal line presents some tough problems for an opposing defense.
He may not be the most complete receiver but he has an ability no one else matches on this team that gets us 6 points and its also an area we have struggled.

McEvoy may not be able to leap Williams, but he is 6'5" and is a big presence. McEvoy can also block.

Pete wants the total package at WR, and with our emphasis on running the ball, being a fearless blocker is required. Williams has had three years to figure out that blocking is almost as important as catching the ball with this team, and yet he hasn't worked enough to do what needs to be done.

For everyone moaning about how "comPETE" has been ignored to keep Darboh over Williams--what about this? Why throw away a 3rd round pick by cutting a WR who is barely getting started in the league (WR being a very tough position to pick up and learn in your first year--Doug Baldwin being the rare exception to the rule) over someone who can or will not do what the team requires of him in three years as a Seahawk?

Its a good point that McEvoy is also tall and I thought about that but he doesn't seem nearly as capable of going up and making a play on the ball. To be clear I like McEvoy and I am glad he made this team, he deserves it, and I think he can be a great player for us. He is definitely a better special teams player and more accomplished/capable/willing blocker.

My only point is that Kasen truly brings a unique athletic ability not matched by many in the league to go up with that frame and take that ball away from DB's. I do believe he can be a difference maker in the red zone.

 

[XxXdragonXxX]

Blocking ability should be a tie breaker between 2 equal pass catchers. Not the reason you cut a guy who has shown he has the ability to contribute as a receiver.

My biggest problem with his cut is that they kept Mckissic over him. The guy dropped at least 2 kickoffs in preseason and I believe fumbled on a pass? I was not impressed.

 

[Jville]

Nice find. Fans typically do not have the time to go to that much trouble. Thanks for sharing.

It's a subtle reminder that most fan impressions are embedded by telecasts of entertainment productions. NFL clubs have staffed systems that provide detailed film studies customized for specific players, coaches, and staff. Fans do not have access to such detailed products and services. Nor do we have daily access to VMAC. We see virtually nothing of that.

 

[Hawkscanner]

Something this fan mentioned brought this to mind. One of the most important things I look for in a WR is -- how does he play when He's clearly NOT the primary receiver on a given route? Does he give max effort even when in all likelihood the ball isn't coming to him? If a receiver doesn't give 100% all the time, the opposing DB knows He's not the primary receiver either and the play isn't going to work.

 

[FidelisHawk]

I will pile on with this from SB nation;

https://www.sbnation.com/a/nfl-preview- ... fitzgerald

It’s the attention to the little details that make the difference between being good to being great. Whether you’re talking about a single player or an entire team.

 

[sutz]

Look at tape of long plays, runs and blocks. In any play downfield, there will almost always be a block by a WR that springs the ball carrier for extra yards.

Yeah, blocking matters, especially in a team like ours that is geared toward creating those explosive plays of 15+ yards. We like to think that RBs just run over DBs, and sometimes they do, but give them an extra blocker out there and they can expand the play by 5-10 yards at a pop.

 

[Rat]

This guy watched the video looking for reasons to rip on Kasen, and he found them. Things are much easier to find when you're looking for them.

 

[Blitzer88]

Starting to think it was mckissic over kasen and I guess mckissics versatility won out. However, still would have liked to have seen kasen make it as a big part of our offense are those vertical routes down the sideline and he was very good at those this preseason.

 

[FlyingGreg]

Kasen claimed by Cleveland.

 

[Jville]

This guy watched the video looking for reasons to rip on Kasen, and he found them. Things are much easier to find when you're looking for them.

That would seem to be a false portrait of the study's motivation ......

I was shocked Williams didn't make the team, and as I'd forgotten about my Gamepass subscription and it auto-renewed, this seemed like a great time to put that fallacious sunk cost to work. I remember distinctly watching Williams where I could once he started to ball out: I was hoping he could make the team, and he made some huge plays. However .......

 

[Russ Willstrong]

Coaches are always studying film, recounting practices, weighing in history/injuries to decide on the roster.
Some fans feel it is unfair unless all receivers get the same opportunities in their mind so just have all the receivers run to the endzone at the same time and Wilson lob them a pass. Whoever comes down with it stays right? Not...

Trust in JS and PC...

 

[Jville]

Kasen claimed by Cleveland.

Cleveland loves Seahawks.

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