Lovie: No Plans To Cut Mike Williams
March 25th, 2014
Reasoned, religious, sensible, non-reactionary Lovie Smith has no plans to fire Mike Williams for being the victim of a stabbing on Sunday.
Imagine that.
Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer Roy Cummings shared, via Twitter, word from the Bucs head coach at the NFL Owners meetings in Orlando.
@RcummingsTBO – Bucs coach Lovie Smith says there are no plans to kick Mike Williams off the team. Says that as far as he knows, Williams was a victim of an incident and that’s “not going to get you kicked off the football team.”
Joe’s not the least bit surprised. Lovie hasn’t even gotten in front of his team yet to lay out the rules and expectations of the new regime. And what exactly has Williams done, other than show he’s got some questionable judgment and friends and family that don’t always act in his best interest?
Williams is a good football player, which is why there was no detectable moaning when former rockstar general manager gave him a fat contract last summer.
Williams will get a clean slate from Lovie and tight leash, which seems fair and wise to Joe. And for those wondering, Williams and Lovie has spoken, reports Dave Wirth of WTSP-TV, Ch. 10.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:05 pm
Geez, a guy has to get shot to get cut from this team.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:08 pm
not like the real world. i get cut if i fart too loud in my office chair.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
ahh, the offense had such promise that game against the giants. The defense on the other hand, couldnt stop squat, #talibgettintoastedbynicks
March 25th, 2014 at 2:14 pm
wasn’t there reports though, saying they’re trying to trade him?
March 25th, 2014 at 2:14 pm
no reason to cut him. See what kind of camp he has 1st then decide.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:16 pm
Hah!
Serves are the idiots right.
Note: if that offends you, you probably fit in the category.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:16 pm
Maybe we should try and get the kid some help (Father Dungy ?) before thinking about kicking him to the curb. GO BUCS !!!!!!!
March 25th, 2014 at 2:16 pm
‘Serves are the idiots right.”
Serves the idiots right.
(I fit the category too)
March 25th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
Wow! I agree with Joe on something! MW19 may not be the best #2 in the league, but he can play well. I think with the right coach(hope Lovie is), he can get his career straight. IMO
March 25th, 2014 at 2:17 pm
Heard the same about Revis lol
March 25th, 2014 at 2:18 pm
Lovie Smith also said he wanted Darrelle Revis on his roster.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:18 pm
In this case it didn’t matter whether the first cut was the deepest. Lovie gives him a reprieve. But rest assured MW19 has been put on notice and his next proverbial cut could be fatal.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
Very good point lightning
March 25th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
Why should he
March 25th, 2014 at 2:22 pm
IMO this offense by itself does not warrant strong action but the theme is what would concern me. Think if he didn’t count so much against the cap a different decision may have been made. But then again we are very thin @ WR.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:23 pm
He’s caught 60 plus passes each year the past couple years so he is a productive player. Let’s see if he can get his life turned around this year and then if not trade or cut him.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Agreed wholeheartedly.
Cutting Williams would be a mega-stupid football move.
He’s not a criminal just a kid with too much money and time
on his hands who gets in trouble for silly stuff.
I hope he realizes that if it gets worse he could indeed be cut
though. He’s fresh out of mulligans and do-overs.
He needs to be aware that his millionaire days could
end abruptly with one more legal hassle.
I think getting back on the field will help immensely.
He was pretty much trouble free before the hammy injury.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:26 pm
Burg nailed it, we heard a lot of nice things about Revis and we all saw how that worked out. I still think he ultimately gets released (I’m trying to stop using the word “cut” because its not specific enough anymore)
March 25th, 2014 at 2:27 pm
Lol….like Justin Bieber
March 25th, 2014 at 2:28 pm
Just wait until the next incident – im sure joe will flop.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:33 pm
I think his location is his biggest problem now. He needs to find a house away from all the whiny rich people and he can party however he wants. If his brother honors the injunction there won’t be anymore trouble from him.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:39 pm
But he ever outright said he wouldn’t cut Revis 😉
March 25th, 2014 at 2:39 pm
never*
March 25th, 2014 at 2:40 pm
Translates to we need a good #2 wide out this season. 12 month of tolerance.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Smoke and mirrors. Williams is out the door. They’re probably hoping they can salvage a low round draft choice for him.
Tom Jones nailed it in this morning’s paper. Williams is trouble. And while he’s a good player he’s not great. He’s a less talented version of VJax. We already have one possession receiver we need some speed.
Either bit the bullet and dump Williams for another cancer DeSean Jackson or draft Watkins with the 7. We have NO speed on this team.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:44 pm
I think he knows Williams is very talented, and we already need a 3rd WR. So my bet is they’ll draft one, and Mike will be demoted to the slot.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Good thing this was an isolated incident. Easy sailing now.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:45 pm
You people say “draft Sammy @7” as if he will be there lol.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:46 pm
Wow, that statement is the kiss of death for Mike (house-party) Williams. Just ask Penn. We all know that once they start draft receivers in the draft, Williams will get the boot like a bad Left tackle with a bloated contract.
The open day 2015 roster will only have 2-4 players from the “Dominick Flunkie years” !!!!
March 25th, 2014 at 2:46 pm
@Espo
the whiny rich people Are you kidding me? I’m not rich but I’d be totally hacked if my neighbors behaved like Williams. He was a rude, arrogant, spoiled rotten, self important jerk.
If he wants to behave that way he needs to grab about 100 acres down in Wimauma. He can be a jerk among the palmetto plants all he wants but not in civilization. That’s the deal. If you want to live in “civilization” you have to act civilized. Something Williams has not. He’s an idiot.
And less anybody think this is racist let me be clear. Mike Williams and the other pro black athletes who do this kind of stuff are no different than WHITE rock stars like Joe Walsh and other rock heroes who trashed hotel rooms and tossed TV’s out the windows.
Boys will be boys…white or black…but at some point you gotta put down the drugs..or at least manage them better…and freaking GROW UP!!!
March 25th, 2014 at 2:46 pm
Funny how long has he been on this team with no trouble whatsoever?
He has a spurt and now all the other “years” are offset lolz
March 25th, 2014 at 2:49 pm
Hopefully Mike is walking on eggshells now and won’t give Lovie a GOOD reason to release him. Bucs will draft a receiver since they didn’t pick any up in FA and let Underwood walk. After Williams we have the great Skye Dawson and the amazing Eric Page. And our depth would be even thinner with Mike gone.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:51 pm
Lovie is a wise man.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:52 pm
Mike isn’t going anywhere unless it’s through a trade, and I don’t see any teams trading for him. DeSean is a Pro Bowl player and teams don’t even want to give up a 3rd!! That’s a Dom kind of trade so it isn’t going to happen. They trimmed enough fat off the roster so emptying out they already dry receiving corp wouldn’t make sense.
DeSean Jackson isn’t going to happen. He is making 10 million this year and wants a pay raise. That’s like picking up another Revis. To Licht that’s not a “value” type of player. That’s a cap destroyer, that’s why the Eagles are trying to dump him.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:54 pm
Its salary is fully guaranteed this season so Lovie can tolerate it this time because he’s the “””victim””” but i’m pretty sure unless he rework its contract its the last season with the bucs
March 25th, 2014 at 2:58 pm
Watkins was suspended for two games at Clemson for drugs in his car.
Sounds familiar.
March 25th, 2014 at 2:59 pm
For now. Until the next episode. Stay tuned.
March 25th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Vindication! So happy Lovie sees things like this. And I’m really glad some of the people on here don’t run things at OBP
March 25th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Isn’t Akeem Spence still on team. It’s about the talent also, because the other back up RB, (the Hill guy), got arrested and he is history
March 25th, 2014 at 3:01 pm
@Eric
Now we can’t draft him. He is Mike Williams 2.0. lol
March 25th, 2014 at 3:05 pm
“Williams was a victim of an incident and that’s “not going to get you kicked off the football team.”
Might get you traded though.
March 25th, 2014 at 3:07 pm
Jason La Canfora @JasonLaCanfora Mar 24
Tampa has been open to dealing WR Mike Williams from what I’ve heard, but this stabbing and off-field issues limit any outside interest
Who you gonna believe?
March 25th, 2014 at 3:15 pm
Of course they aren’t going to cut him now. That would make them look terrible, because he is still the victim. You don’t cut someone 2 days after he gets stabbed. However, as they have said, they are still gathering information. Hopefully that information leads them to the conclusion that he was minding his own business and the brother attacked him. We all know that’s fairly unlikely, but for the team’s sake, I hope it’s true. The comments from the Glazers today don’t sound too promising, he seems like a dead man walking. It would serve Williams well to return a phone call, that’s for sure (assuming he hasn’t yet).
March 25th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
he’s an asset, just like Revis was
March 25th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
theDON Says, “not like the real world. i get cut if i fart too loud in my office chair.”
Dude, you gotta’ perfect the one cheek squeak if your office is that up tight. Not to mention I would hate to work somewhere where ordinary body functions get you fired. I mean I wouldn’t advise to lettin’ them rip any ol’ time ya want, but if one slips out then what’s a person to do? Oh, I guess you could crop dust and blame it on someone else…..maybe that douche down the hall? You know who I’m talking about, fake tan (in FL even) and laughs at their own jokes…yes that’s the one.
Lets hope the leader of the Caveman Gang (CMG) can give up the antics and show something on the field this season. Go Bucs!
March 25th, 2014 at 4:01 pm
I hope he’s training his a55 off for a big year, and he’s ready to be committed to football. Maybe a leader like Lovie and some added competition at the WR position can light a fire under him. He’s a very good player when he’s motivated. He’s going to need to have a huge year to hang around to see that 5 million 2015 salary.
March 25th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
StPeteBucsFan Said:
“And less anybody think this is racist let me be clear.”
When people start a paragraph with that…………. 😉
March 25th, 2014 at 5:53 pm
You see. Lovie and Licht are far smarter than many of you. Keep Williams. No-brainer at this point.
March 25th, 2014 at 6:34 pm
Everyone supporting Mike, I wish he kicked in your door!! How would you feel? That woman was terrified!! I wish it was your home he did 50k in damages!! How would you feel? That much damage is done on purpose. I don’t give a crap, attitude. You should read the owners comments to all of this, it will open your eyes!!
March 25th, 2014 at 7:20 pm
Parting ways with Williams would be a huge blunder. Lovie knows that. I look for a bounce back to the good player I remember.
March 25th, 2014 at 8:48 pm
The only reason Williams gets a second chance is because they’re already committed to him money wise. Do you think they’d keep him if next week he was guaranteed another $5mil bonus? I don’t think so.
By the way, this is a great site joe. Thanks for all the Bucs updates throughout the off season.