Getty ImagesIn the wake of their NFC Championship Game loss to the Giants, the 49ers were very supportive of Kyle Williams.
Williams fumbled a pair of punts, leading to a Giants touchdown in the fourth quarter and the game-winning field goal in overtime, as a fill-in for the injured Ted Ginn and picked up a healthy amount of criticism from outside the organization. The Niners’ support for Williams hasn’t faded over time. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com points out that team CEO Jed York answered a Twitter question with another show of support for the receiver.
Hoping it is @KyleWilliams_10 RT:@jjohl: @JedYork Who do you think will be the breakout player on the team this season?
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Jed York (@JedYork) July 16, 2012It’s heartening to see the 49ers remaining behind Williams, but a lack of support from management isn’t going to be his biggest problem.
The problem for Williams is going to be getting a chance to break out. The additions of Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and A.J. Jenkins plus the return of Ted Ginn and Michael Crabtree makes for a crowded depth chart at receiver. Ginn will be handling the returns, which means that Williams will have to both force his way onto the roster and the lineup to fulfill York’s wish.
Kyle Williams doesnt even make the team book it…….We dont need Mr. Muffed punt on our team
cool story bro (Jed York) i hope Kyle Williams does somethin to make me forget that moment too! but i doubt that will happen, i just hope the niners didnt miss their best chance at a SB beacuase he cant remember if he touched the ball or has a problem calling fair catch, honestly though i blame coaching for the last fumble just as much as kyle. It was raining, he fumbled once, its overtime, each team has got the ball so a fg wins, he should have been instructed to signal fair catch and play the feild position game..best punter in the league and best defense….but thats just me…
I just rewatched that game a few days ago (Giants fan, obviously) and was struck by how reckless Williams was with the ball all day. First, he fumbled an end around that Osi nearly recovered. Then he misjudged a punt and successfully made a very difficult diving catch of it–very lucky not to fumble. On the muff that went off his knee, he never should have been anywhere near the ball. And in OT, even after all this, he didn’t tuck the ball away even though he took 3-4 steps before being hit. I felt bad for the kid, but amazing how loose he was with the ball in key situations of such a big game.
He wants him to have a breakout season?
He may be the only person in SF who wants him on the team.
kyle williams is going to have a break out season…….Buffalos Kyle Williams…
Williams was a big part of the loss, but make no mistake — this was a 49ers offensive failure all the way around. All the big play they got from Alex and the rest of the O against the Saints was not present.
So yes, KW was technically the bottom line cause, but it should have never been that close.
What’s scary is the 49ers still almost won. I bet you could safely wager the Giants would say the 49ers gave them more problems than either the Packers or Pats.
Most coaches can live with physical or effort type mistakes. The mental mistakes are the ones they take issue with. His mistakes that day were mental and, whether you like it or not, if he hadn’t made those mistakes, the 49ers would have won that game.
I know, “Win as a team, lose as a team,” but when you are put on an island and you are the only one returning a punt on a given play, and you blow it, it is hard not to blame you. We’ll see how and if he responds.
@dwins –
I’m a Giant fan too and have rewatched the NFCCG at least 50 times (it’s what I fall asleep to). If you watch closer, you should see that w/o Williams, the Giants win that game by 20. He had 2 great returns that flipped the field. As for the reverse, that play should have never been called in a slop field, rain storm with yards at a premium and with the Giants DL consistently in the 9ers backfield. If anything, I credit Williams for stripping Osi on the recovered fumble. Finally, Williams was the only player (besides V. Davis) that was open for good periods of the game. He opened the field up for Gore which Harbaugh got away from for no good reason. Smith missed KW wide open for what would have been a 70 yd TD bomb. That game had approx 20 punts. In that weather, it’s a miracle that the Giants did not botch one. Their perfect punt fielding only amplified Williams two fumbles. Any other time, an opposing team would have likely fumbled at least one of those punts. All in all, I don’t think he was THE reason that SF lost if you look at the game as a whole.
The Giants targeted his head early and often, knowing he had a history of concussions, and the players laughed about it in the post-game interview. Headhunting goes on all the time in the NFL and Kyle will be a target again if he gets on the field.
Fans have short memories. Rookies often make awful mistakes. Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens both had very bad cases of dropsies. Jerry Rice used to be in tears after hearing all the boos at the Stick. QBs have had terrible rookie years as well: Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, John Elway, etc.
Give this kid a break. He will be stronger for this mistake.
AJ Jenkins will improve his play on the field when camp starts and surpass jim at the WR spot. And he wont be needed on special teams because LaMichael James will replace him. Sorry mr. Kyle Williams but your career in SF is over. #Fact
Kyle Williams is going to be a really good football player.
He’s got speed, quickness and a great set of hands. He’s going to be better than Wes Welker. I think he would start before Manningham if politics weren’t involved. If you went just by ability, I believe it would be Williams over Mario.
Those were two huge bonehead plays he made. But I blame it on him just trying too hard. Trying too hard to make a play.
I’m curious to see him this year.
He sucked in college at ASU I was stunned to even see him in the nfl he’ll be lucky to hold on especially with San Fran bringing in multiple receivers