Madieu Williams hasn't changed his surname to reflect his Minnesota Vikings jersey number, 20. He doesn't star in a reality television show circling around his life. He doesn't even tweet.
He is the anti-Ochocinco, the mirror opposite of T.O., the quietude in the cacophonous world of the modern professional athlete.
But Williams' refreshing persona is not what is most remarkable about him. Instead, it is that he is a pro athlete -- no, make that member of the human race rather than sell him so short -- who actually has something worth sharing about his life, from which all of us can learn and our neighbors can prosper, and chooses not to pound his chest to the world.
To be sure, this is how Williams spent the Vikings' bye week last week:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- In a game of inches, none may mean more to Mike Locksley than the ones he didn't take Sept. 20. The first-year New Mexico coach was all but out the door following a heated altercation with wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald, when, he said, he "sort of lost it."
Those inches may wind up costing him everything.
"If I had that moment back ... ," Locksley said to FanHouse in his office Tuesday night. "I was literally walking out the door because I knew I was getting heated and it kept going back and forth. I'm walking out the door and I look over and another word was said and it was set off."
In that moment, he grabbed Gerald, an assistant who had followed him halfway across the country from Illinois. An altercation ensued. When the dust cleared all that was certain was that Gerald had a split lip. And two coaching careers were beginning to unravel, the coda to an argument from earlier in the day, an argument with a decade of history.
This is the kind of game the Vikings dreamed of when they were tweaking the roster during the offseason.
The Vikings won by seven thanks to free agent acquisitions Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams with an assist from Jared Allen, who they picked up in an offseason trade.
Berrian, the high-priced free agent wide receiver, caught a 55-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage and snagged a 49-yard touchdown later in the first half. While it may have been the only two passes he caught all day, the threat of Berrian going deep was enough to back off the Texans safeties. In the first half, the Texans' focused on shutting down Adrian Peterson, and it worked as Peterson was held to 15 carries for 36 yards.
The Vikings have had a pretty successful off-season, signing wide receiver Bernard Berrian and safety Madieu Williams. But the recent news that Gus Frerotte will join the team as Tarvaris Jackson's backup has been met with "WTF?" incredulity from a relatively tolerant fanbase.
"I think people valued another position obviously more,'' Childress said. "There was some common thinking if he got past Miami there [at No. 9], as you looked at the teams that were after, they weren't really lined up to take a quarterback. That's probably the biggest reason.''
Not all that insightful, but it's not like a coach makes it a habit of spilling his guts to the media about the organization's draft philosophy. Fair enough. One reason the Vikings may have shied away from Quinn last year is because Jackson had just one season in the league. There's plenty of upside for a guy long on athleticism and short on experience. Plus, with other needs (like, say, running back), Minnesota could address the quarterback position at some point in the future.
Now, though, I wonder what the Vikings would do if they had the seventh-overall pick this April. There's a change Matt Ryan could be on the board, and while Jackson showed glimpses of ability in 2007, I think it would be much tougher for the organization to pass on a potential franchise quarterback twice in as many drafts.
Generally, the idea is to get better in the off-season. It doesn't always happen, of course -- salary-cap constraints, seller's free-agency market, poor front-office decisions -- but it's something to strive for.
The Vikings have taken strides to be more competitive in 2008 -- Bernard Berrian and Madieu Williams are the two most obvious examples -- but there's still some trepidation about the quarterback position. Tarvaris Jackson is penciled in as the starter but his career to date can best be described as inconsistent.
Ideally, Minnesota would be able to work a deal for a solid veteran back-up, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Sage Rosenfels was apparently the front-runner, but the Texans, in no uncertain terms, ain't interested.
With the Houston Texans apparently intent on keeping QB Sage Rosenfels, indications are strong this morning that the Vikings are nearing an agreement with free agent QB Gus Frerotte.
Oh, yeah, feel the Gus-mentum. Or something equally as lame. It's hard to say just how bad Frerotte is because he played on a hapless Rams team last year, but according to Football Outsiders, he finished 46th among 49 quarterbacks in terms of value per play (Jackson was 35th).
Maybe Frerotte would be marginally better behind Minnesota's offensive line, but here's the question: is he any better than Brooks Bollinger? If not, why even sign him?
All Friday afternoon there was glee over the Bengals acquiring Shaun Rogers from the Lions for a 3rd and 5th round pick. I live in the 'Nati area and fans were shocked ... completely shocked ... that the team did anything this drastic to improve the roster. Sure, it is only Shaun Rogers, but that was quite a move for a team that really takes the word "free" in "free agency" to heart.
Of course, a few hours later came word that the trade was voided by the league and that Rogers would be sent to the rival Cleveland Browns. Ouch! Not only did the trade not go through, but he got dealt inside the division.
It is par for the course in Cincinnati. It has been about 24 hours later and no one in the Bengals organization has said much of anything about any of this. Local radio host Lance McAlister was a little bent about the silence from the organization:
A Bengals trade dominates the airwaves Friday...and has the fanbase excited. Then it all falls apart and the player goes to a division rival. Fans wonder. Fans fume. Fans blame the Bengals for botching it. It's noon Saturday and the Bengals have yet to say anything? Hey Bengals, way to get out in front of the story and frame it to your advantage. Typical.
No one knows what in the world happened to screw up the deal. Something about wording in the deal and salary cap or something. Cincy has a ton of salary cap room ... so this makes no sense.
The Minnesota Vikings and safety Madieu Williams have come to a contract agreement.
The four-year veteran safety has agreed on parameters on a six-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings and is on a plane now headed to Minneapolis, agent Kenny Zuckerman said late this morning.
The contract with worth a total of $33 million.
The Vikings current defensive coordinator is Leslie Frazer. Frazer was the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals ... the team Williams has played for since his rookie season of 2004 ... in 2003-2004. Madieu respects Frazer as a coach and gave the team an advantage in signing him.
As for the Bengals, they kinda/sorta wanted Madieu back because of his experience. Cincy has their starting secondary in place (Marvin White, Chinedum Ndukwe), but both just completed their first NFL seasons. What could be interesting is what happens to veteran safety Dexter Jackson, who was though to become a salary cap casulty.
It looks like Bengals' defensive end Justin Smith is headed for free agency. Cincinnati franchised their fourth-overall selection of the 2001 draft last season -- at a cost of $8.6 million -- but doesn't seem likely to do so again. For starters, that's a lot of money to devote to one position, particularly when the Bengals' defense has plenty of holes.
So now the question becomes: where will Smith sign this off-season? The Dayton Daily News' Carlos Holmes thinks the Steelers could be a potential destination:
Smith would draw some interest on the open market and the one team who could come calling is Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm told that Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is a big fan of Smith and has always thought that he would be a better pass-rusher in a 3-4 defense which they run in Blitzburgh.
I'm not surprised LeBeau's a fan -- he drafted the guy -- but I'm pretty certain it still ain't happening. First, Smith is going to want to be paid like one of the league's best defensive ends. Second, the Steelers don't need a starter along the defensive line; they need depth.
Perhaps it's inevitable that Chad Johnson would rub off on his teammates.
Madieu Williams is asking fans for suggestions on what to name his celebratory dance, which the Enquirer calls an "arms-extended, swooping dance punctuated sometimes by a leg kick."
That sounds almost as bad as Kelley Washington's "Squirrel". You really haven't lived until you've see the "Squirrel". Hi-larious. Kelley also extends his arm in a first down motion EVERY SINGLE TIME he moves the chains, which makes every Bengals fan I've ever met feel a little embarassed inside, but what can you do?
Anyway, back to Madieu. The Cincinnati Enquirer is taking suggestions for names, which they will then collect and duly pass along to Madieu. He'll pick his favorite and go from there. He also makes a good point about celebratory actions:
"I don't care what anybody says; a lot of times they tell you to act like you've been there before, but I don't really care," Williams said. "Every time I make a play is the first time. You never know, it might be your last time. Every time I make a play is a time for me to celebrate because I work hard to get to that point and showcase my skills and talent."
I've never heard it put that way (might be your last time), but I think it's a good point. I'm only 25 so I don't identify very well with the act like you've been there philosophy, and I think this is why. I want to see guys having a good time, and that's one of the many reasons why I love this Bengals team so much.
The Bengals were a trendy pick to make the playoffs last season, but this season has seen a complete reversal from national pundits. Most are citing the Bengals tough schedule and the uncertainty surrounding Carson Palmer as reasons why the Bengals aren't going to make another playoff run. Many national publications have even picked the Bengals to finish third in the AFC North, behind the Steelers and the Ravens. I think this is something of an overreaction, and here are three reasons why:
The question with Carson Palmer isn't if he'll play, it's when he'll play. Sure if something goes wrong he might miss the first game or two. If worst came to worst he could even conceivably miss the first four games before the bye, although it's tough to see that happening with him playing tonight. But let's say he does. The Bengals would definitely miss him, and the schedule looks awfully tough at the beginning (kc, CLE, pit, NE), but I think the Bengals would manage at least a 2-2 record with Anthony Wright at the helm. The Browns game is at home, and there's no reason to expect the Bengals to lose to Cleveland at home, backup QB or not. That leaves three games, only one of which would need to be won to ensure the Bengals of a .500 record at the bye. I think both the Kansas City game and the home game against New England would be potential wins with Anthony Wright, but the point is that the Bengals wouldn't have to pull off any superhuman feats to stay in contention through week 6.
Anthony Wright finally has a supporting cast. He started seven games for the Ravens in 2005, and his best receiver was probably Todd Heap, his tight end. His best wide receivers were Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton, and his running game was virtually non-existant. Contrast that with his situation in Cincinnati. He has one of the NFL's best groups of receivers, a top notch offensive line, and a very solid running game with which to work. None of that is going to put him on Carson Palmer's level, but I don't think there's any doubt that any QB would look better with all the tools Wright will have in Cincinnati.
The Bengals defense is significantly upgraded. Madieu Williams missed nearly all of 2005 and he's completely healthy. The Bengals signed two solid players in Sam Adams and safety Dexter Jackson. They used four of their first five draft picks on defense, and also picked up Ahmed Brooks, a player rated as having first round talent, in the supplemental draft. The Bengals defense probably still won't be a top 10 unit, but barring injury it will be much improved from 2005.
So as you watch Carson Palmer make his 2006 debut tonight, take comfort in knowing that this Bengals team isn't dead in the water if he gets nicked up a bit. For all of the reasons outlined above I think they'll be legitimate playoff contenders as long as Palmer makes it back by week 6. If he makes it back by week one, well, even better.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- In a game of inches, none may mean more to 
This is the kind of game the Vikings dreamed of when they were tweaking the roster during the offseason.
Generally, the idea is to get better in the off-season. It doesn't always happen, of course -- salary-cap constraints, seller's free-agency market, poor front-office decisions -- but it's something to strive for. 
All Friday afternoon there was glee over the Bengals 
The Minnesota Vikings and safety 
Perhaps it's inevitable that Chad Johnson would rub off on his teammates.
The Bengals were a trendy pick to make the playoffs last season, but this season has seen a complete reversal from national pundits. Most are citing the Bengals tough schedule and the uncertainty surrounding Carson Palmer as reasons why the Bengals aren't going to make another playoff run. Many national publications have even picked the Bengals to finish third in the AFC North, behind the Steelers and the Ravens. I think this is something of an overreaction, and here are three reasons why:
