Most Washington Redskins’ fans know Doug Williams as the Vice President of Player Personnel for the team, but some veteran fans have been around long enough to know him as something more.
Back in 1978, Williams was a hot-shot QB drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 17th overall pick. After four seasons in Tampa Bay and a year in the USFL, Williams came to Washington where he played for three seasons, where he was the Super Bowl XXII MVP and the first ever African American QB to start in a Super Bowl.
So if Williams was so successful back in the day, what are the chances that he could stack up against the young talent in the league today?
“What a question,” Williams said with a laugh while talking to Gabe Henderson of the Redskins’ ‘Park Drive.’ “I’m going to say what I always told my son — I was born too soon.”
In the Super Bowl victory — a 42-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos — Williams threw for 4 touchdowns and 340 yards in the air. The MVP was an easy award to give him.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that I felt like if I was 21 or 22 years old coming out this year, I feel like I would be able to accomplish whatever any guy who’s got the opportunity now would accomplish,” said Williams. “It just so happens it wasn’t my time — my time was back then, and I enjoyed it then and I enjoy watching these young guys come in.”
Anymore, it seems that Williams name is brought up in the media only to drum up debates about his players or scorn him for an iffy take here or there. But if he were to be playing the game today, there’s a good chance he would be on our TVs a lot more than he currently is.
