Say Goodbye to Roy Williams

According to various sources Roy Williams has requested to be released or traded by the end of the day today. Barring a minor miracle he will not be with the Dallas Cowboys next season. It is now early evening so it looks like he might have to wait for another day to get his walking papers. I have mixed emotions about seeing him leave. My head tells me that he is no longer the player that he was in his first few years in the league and remembers how he has been exposed over the last few years. My heart only wants to remember the great plays he made as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

My favorite memory of Roy Williams will always be the interception returned for a touchdown late in the game against the Eagles in 2005. With less than three minutes remaining and the Cowboys trailing 20-14 Roy intercepted a pass from Donovan McNabb and returned it 46 yards for the game winning touchdown. That may well have been his last great play as a Dallas Cowboy. Sadly it was also a gift interception from Donovan McNabb but it was still a great memory.

My worst memories all involve the embarrassing performances he had against the Giants and Redskins over the last couple of years. Somehow Jeremy Shockey and Chris Cooley always performed like hall of famers against the Cowboys when they were able to isolate Roy Williams in coverage. It was heartbreaking to see him exposed as a one dimensional player but the truth always hurts. He is a great hitter but that appears to be all he can do and now he even seems to have lost that ability.

I wish him all the best of luck in the rest of his NFL career if he does go as expected (except when he is playing the Cowboys, of course). I hope he can rediscover what made him great in his first few years in the league. Maybe a new defensive scheme will be the answer but that seems unlikely. I hope he proves me wrong. He always seemed like a good guy, but something changed in his demeanor a few years ago and he seems to have lost the swagger he played with at Oklahoma and early in his career with Dallas. Goodbye and good luck, Roy Williams!