Is Marcus Williams ready to take over for Antonio Cromartie?
Marcus Williams cornerback is a key defensive player for the New York Jets. Wherever he lines up on the field, he has a lasting impact for the team.
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Marcus Williams says Jets ‘knew what they had in me’ | NJ.com Is he ready to take the next step? |
| Source: www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/06/marcus_williams_says_jets_knew_what_they_had_in_me.html | |
Marcus Williams was the 4th cornerback after Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine, playing in the dime package and in passing situations. He was the cleanup guy for the defense, benefitting from the front seven. As Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams pressured the quarterback, either the QB got sacked or he threw the ball away from Revis and Cromartie and in the direction of Marcus. That is why he had a career year with 6 interceptions and 10 pass deflections.
It was not just his talent that allowed him to make all those plays. There were numerous times when Williams swatted the ball away because he jumped the route of the receiver or he read the eyes of the QB correctly. He knew that under duress, the QB was going to avoid Revis so he prepared himself because the ball was coming his way. He also knew that the way that head coach Todd Bowles blitz 40% of the time (leading the NFL) that the football was going to leave the hands of the QB quickly. His study of the game film translated onto the field.
Taking over for Antonio Cromartie will be a seamless transition for Marcus. At 31 years old, Antonio’s age showed against opposing quarterbacks. Receivers constantly beat him on the deep routes and he had no lateral movement covering the inside routes. Because of his stiffness, he kept on falling for their double moves and he was a major liability on the Jets secondary. Williams can’t be any worse than him. If anything, Marcus will bring youth, fresh legs and playmaking ability. Entering his 3rd season with Gang Green, there is a huge upside with this DB who is beginning to make his mark on this team.
