Joe Williams - RB, Utah

The fact that Shanahan said he'd be sick if he didn't get him is all I really need to hear.

Barring injury he'll be RB2 and give us a nice dual runner attack.

Originally posted by 49erphan:

Originally posted by gold49digger:
Not gonna lie, im a little nervous about Williams mental health. I really hope we give him a fantastic support system because what happened to him is understandable. Seeing your sister, someone who is supposed to grow up with you, die in your care, is something I dont think I ever want to experience. Putting myself in that situation with my sister gets me teary eyed so hopefully as a fan base, we give him our full support!

edit: also nice to see him be the first rookie to agree to terms. Man even as a 4th rounder, he gets more money in his signing bonus that some will make in 10 years

If he really is suffering from bipolar disorder then there will be the possibility, even with medication and good medical support, that he can slip into a fairly severe down mood. He may not have any problems that way but I won't be surprised if there is a time or two when he needs to step back from the game for awhile to get himself squared up again. That doesn't mean he won't be a great addition to the team overall, still, though.

I haven't had time to follow all the way through this thread, so help me out if you will; what is the basis for this bipolar discussion?

Has he been diagnosed as such or is this speculation?

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by 49erphan:

Originally posted by gold49digger:
Not gonna lie, im a little nervous about Williams mental health. I really hope we give him a fantastic support system because what happened to him is understandable. Seeing your sister, someone who is supposed to grow up with you, die in your care, is something I dont think I ever want to experience. Putting myself in that situation with my sister gets me teary eyed so hopefully as a fan base, we give him our full support!

edit: also nice to see him be the first rookie to agree to terms. Man even as a 4th rounder, he gets more money in his signing bonus that some will make in 10 years

If he really is suffering from bipolar disorder then there will be the possibility, even with medication and good medical support, that he can slip into a fairly severe down mood. He may not have any problems that way but I won't be surprised if there is a time or two when he needs to step back from the game for awhile to get himself squared up again. That doesn't mean he won't be a great addition to the team overall, still, though.

I haven't had time to follow all the way through this thread, so help me out if you will; what is the basis for this bipolar discussion?

Has he been diagnosed as such or is this speculation?

I don't know about the bi polar stuff but its been well documented that his sisters death took a huge toll on his mental health, which explains his brief "retirement".

Originally posted by pd24:

Originally posted by GoldenJoe:

Didn't ever have a heavy work load so there should be plenty of tread on his tires. Another positive note is that none of the other RBs on the roster had close to his success running behind the same o-line, he wasn't just a product of his line.

Didn't like 4 of their O linemen get drafted?

The point was that the other RBs on the team put up far worse numbers behind the same line. Unlike Fournette at LSU with Guice putting up better averages.

Originally posted by thl408:

Everyone will watch film in their own way, but when watching a RB, try not to put too much stock into their explosive plays. Watch the 2-5 yard gains and see how they got those yards. Are they slippery and fall forward for additional yards? Did they miss the opportunity for more yards whether it be picking the wrong hole, too much hesitation, not enough patience?

Frank Gore comes to mind. He rarely lost yardage because of his vision in the hole.

Originally posted by gold49digger:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by 49erphan:

Originally posted by gold49digger:
Not gonna lie, im a little nervous about Williams mental health. I really hope we give him a fantastic support system because what happened to him is understandable. Seeing your sister, someone who is supposed to grow up with you, die in your care, is something I dont think I ever want to experience. Putting myself in that situation with my sister gets me teary eyed so hopefully as a fan base, we give him our full support!

edit: also nice to see him be the first rookie to agree to terms. Man even as a 4th rounder, he gets more money in his signing bonus that some will make in 10 years

If he really is suffering from bipolar disorder then there will be the possibility, even with medication and good medical support, that he can slip into a fairly severe down mood. He may not have any problems that way but I won't be surprised if there is a time or two when he needs to step back from the game for awhile to get himself squared up again. That doesn't mean he won't be a great addition to the team overall, still, though.

I haven't had time to follow all the way through this thread, so help me out if you will; what is the basis for this bipolar discussion?

Has he been diagnosed as such or is this speculation?

I don't know about the bi polar stuff but its been well documented that his sisters death took a huge toll on his mental health, which explains his brief "retirement".

OK. Thanks.

I heard about the sister's death and his taking time away. I had not heard anyone saying he was bipolar.

I know a good bit about depression and bipolar disorders. My wife's family has a generations deep history of it, even involving multiple suicides.

A person can become depressed, even deeply depressed by certain situations and not be clinically depressive. Even when those things are suppressed for years, as appears to be the case with Williams, it does not make one depressive and certainly not bipolar. Let's hope Joe is not afflicted with any of that. Even if he is, they can be controlled well if a person is willing to follow doctor's orders.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Willisfn4life:

Originally posted by Lobo49er:

Originally posted by miked1978:

The only thing that scares me is he ran though some huge holes in college. Didnt 2 OL get drafted and another 2 were draft eligible?

4 got drafted. So he definitely had a talented line. But check out thl's post:

Originally posted by thl408:

Checked him out on film. Excellent ability to find and fit through small holes. Burst is there. He got a lot of earned yards, meaning runs were not mainly from huge holes where vision is not needed. Knows how to set up blocks. Fumbles a bit it seems.
Where would he have gone if it wasn't for the off field stuff?

I overlooked thl's post but he's spot on. I saw the exact same thing. The burst, the breakaway speed, the patience, lateral quickness, ability to squeeze through small holes. This guy has a chance to be an absolute monster in the outside zone scheme. Fits it to a T. For anyone doubting that, pull up the tape on any game from Oregon State on and you'll see everyone of those traits.

When JW came back from "retirement", he had lost his Center to a broken leg. And while he did run behind OLmen that got drafted, I'd urge anyone to check out the film for themselves to see what I mean. And if anyone only feels like watching one game, make it the Washington game. It's not easy to get a gauge for how big the holes are from a broadcast view, much prefer endzone camera for analyzing the run game, but you can tell he was squeezing through holes that weren't gaping in size. He has a Gore-like ability to hide behind his OLmen, get lost, then re-appear at the second level. Holes will appear and disappear faster in the NFL so it's impossible to know if he can adapt to NFL speed until he hits the field.

I made a similar point but you summarized it really well. If his line was so great, all the guys who stepped in would have been able to produce. Guice put up better averages than Fournette behind LSU's line. Williams was far and away the best RB on his team for good reason and it wasn't just his line.

Originally posted by dj43:
OK. Thanks.

I heard about the sister's death and his taking time away. I had not heard anyone saying he was bipolar.

I know a good bit about depression and bipolar disorders. My wife's family has a generations deep history of it, even involving multiple suicides.

A person can become depressed, even deeply depressed by certain situations and not be clinically depressive. Even when those things are suppressed for years, as appears to be the case with Williams, it does not make one depressive and certainly not bipolar. Let's hope Joe is not afflicted with any of that. Even if he is, they can be controlled well if a person is willing to follow doctor's orders.

Reading into him you'll find his fiancé played a huge role in his recovery and return. It's good to know he has a solid support system that will be following him here.

Originally posted by GoldenJoe:

Originally posted by pd24:

Originally posted by GoldenJoe:

Didn't ever have a heavy work load so there should be plenty of tread on his tires. Another positive note is that none of the other RBs on the roster had close to his success running behind the same o-line, he wasn't just a product of his line.

Didn't like 4 of their O linemen get drafted?

The point was that the other RBs on the team put up far worse numbers behind the same line. Unlike Fournette at LSU with Guice putting up better averages.

Boom! I like the sound of that.

Originally posted by gold49digger:
I don't know about the bi polar stuff but its been well documented that his sisters death took a huge toll on his mental health, which explains his brief "retirement".

I've heard and seen a few references to it. Here is one I Googled (notice this is an nfl.com site):
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000786363/article/utah-rb-joe-williams-explains-midseason-leave-from-team

"Williams never truly recovered from the traumatic event [his sister's death] and eventually had problems ranging from behavioral issues to a diagnosis of manic depression..."

Manic depression is another name for bipolar disorder.

Took time off to get that thc in him to get his mind and body right then came back with a vengeance

Originally posted by SmokeCrabtrees:

Took time off to get that thc in him to get his mind and body right then came back with a vengeance

Which should garner respect, not criticism.

Matt Maiocco‏Verified account @MaioccoNBCS 2m2 minutes agoMore

How much pre-draft contact did Joe Williams have with #49ers RBs coach Bobby Turner? "Woo, I thought he was my uncle."

lol

great quote lol

Originally posted by slowriot:

Matt Maiocco‏Verified account @MaioccoNBCS 2m2 minutes agoMore

How much pre-draft contact did Joe Williams have with #49ers RBs coach Bobby Turner? "Woo, I thought he was my uncle."

lol

Haha nice