FanHouse Jimmy Williams

Jimmy Williams has come a long way since the Falcons selected him in the second-round of the 2006 draft. And by "a long way" I mean "man, he really hit rock bottom in a hurry."

Considered a first-round talent by many evaluators, Williams' lackadaisical approach to practice and attitude concerns saw him drop on draft day. Once Bobby Petrino bolted back to college, new head coach Mike Smith had time to evaluate the roster, and Williams showed up to minicamp in all his chub-tastic glory, his fate was basically sealed.

The Falcons released him on June 17, and he has yet to catch on with another club. And the likelihood of that happening just decreased (if that's possible).

Jimmy Williams, a free agent, has been suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the first five games of the season, Williams' agent, Ethan Lock confirmed Monday. When asked about Williams' future, Lock said he had no further comment.

So there you have it: Goodell has slapped Williams with a five-game ban for unspecified reasons. Seems sorta like overkill to suspend a guy currently unemployed, but assuming another team takes a flier on Williams, he'll still have to sit out five games, even if he's not signed until Week 10 of the regular season.

Remember when Falcons owner Arthur Blank hoped to build the team around a core group of Virginia Tech players? Good times.

The Atlanta Falcons announced today that they have released cornerback Jimmy Williams, their 2006 second-round draft pick.

The release doesn't come as a surprise, considering that Williams never played up to expectations, and that his commitment to the game was questioned when he showed up to workouts weighing more than 230 pounds, or about 20 over his listed weight.

If the release tells us anything, it's that the new regime in Atlanta, headed up by coach Mike Smith and general manager Tom Dimitroff, doesn't think very highly of the players brought in by the old regime, headed up by general manager Rich McKay and coaches Bobby Petrino and Jim Mora.

Note: Two years ago, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he was excited about building a nucleus of players from Virginia Tech. Now all five of the Hokies who were on the Falcons' roster at the time are gone.