Williams could be steal for Bucs

TAMPA Everyone sees the red flags that come with Mike Williams, but Tony Truilizio sees the man. He has some words for anyone concerned about the character of the most intriguing player the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Saturday.

"I'll be dead honest - he doesn't have a character issue at all," Truilizio said. "He is probably one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in your life. He's a compassionate young man, devoted to his family. He is not a discipline problem. The kid doesn't even swear or use profanity.

"He is not a punk kid, not an urban city gangster. His mother brought him up the right way and he has respect for authority. Mike is a steal."

He is also a dynamic wide receiver out of Syracuse University, a 6-foot-1 target with good hands, toughness, and a competitive streak. We know how badly the Bucs need help at that position.

So while he had many problems in college and ultimately quit the team with three games remaining last season, the Bucs are gambling it was all knucklehead stuff and not indicators of a serious character flaw. If they're right, the Bucs got the equivalent of a first- or early second-round talent with a middle-round pick.

It seems like a reasonable risk, even if it's worth asking what makes them so right and every other team so wrong?

For perspective on that, we go back to Truilizio.

He was Williams' football coach for four years at Riverside High School in Buffalo and remained close to him after Williams went to Syracuse and immediately became one of the top receivers in the Big East. That's where the red flags began fluttering, though.

Williams missed one season because of academic issues. Upon returning, he was suspended one game last season for a violation of team rules before leaving the team for good with three games to play. He had been involved in a car accident with three teammates after curfew and knew he'd face another suspension, so he quit.

Truilizio says you have to look at the whole picture, though.

"Tampa Bay did their homework," he said, and part of that homework was an extensive interview with Truilizio about Williams' history, attitude and work habits. On Saturday, he repeated to me basically the same stuff he told the Bucs.

He told them of a player who joined his team as a freshman. Riverside went 0-9 that season, but won the city championship just two years later. Williams was a leader and playmaker, he said.

"Athletically, he was a man among boys," Truilizio said.

He was an average student with decent SAT scores but quickly fell behind in the more challenging academic atmosphere at Syracuse.

"He didn't just give up though," Truilizio said. "He put in a lot of time at the study tables at Syracuse, and he got better. He is loyal."

Indeed, Williams went to a junior college and got his grades back in order. He could have transferred to any other school at that point, but returned to Syracuse. That's worth a point or two on the plus side of the character column.

The minus side has points too, though. He was accused of trying to cheat on a test (he says it was a misunderstanding). There were the repeated rules violations that led to a suspension and, ultimately, his departure from the team. These can't be ignored, even if - as Bucs General Manager Mark Dominik - there are no major violations of the law or things like that in his background.

There sure is a lot of drama, though.

"Unfortunately, he has to pay for his mistakes financially - but Mike never had any money anyway," Truilizio said. "What he does have is a passion for football. He'll prove that he would have been worth a first- or second-round pick.

"I'll give you a little something to look forward to. Throw him the ball inside the 20 and watch what happens. He'll outleap anyone for that ball. He'll make plays."

We know quarterback Josh Freeman needs weapons and Williams is a potentially dynamic one. We know this is the type of judgment NFL teams have to make, particularly one banking as heavily on the draft as the Bucs. Everyone concedes the potential payoff is huge.

Truilizio says Williams has heard the wake-up call.

"He has a lot to prove to a lot of people but he has embraced the situation," Truilizio said. "Tampa Bay should be very excited by this pick. Mike has accepted responsibility for what happened. I don't want to say he dropped the ball - he rarely does that - but he accepts that he dropped the ball at Syracuse."

It's up to Williams now to prove that things have changed. While it's intriguing to imagine that the Bucs potentially got the steal of the entire draft, it's best to keep the red flags flying for the time being.

Just in case they're wrong.