Raiders give Williams chance to shed bust, trouble tags

Williams had 29 catches for 350 yards and one touchdown as a rookie underSteve Mariucci, who had to fine his receiver for being late to meetings.

Mariucci was fired -- a move Williams said "broke my heart" -- and Williams' situation got worse. Rod Marinelli took over and brought in Mike Martz as his offensive coordinator.

Williams said Martz told him right away that he was not his type of receiver and the two clashed immediately. Williams played sparingly last season, making eight catches for 99 yards and one touchdown.

"You could sit here all day and I could bring up stories and incidents and things like that but the bottom line is at the beginning of last season, I voiced that I wasn't happy, where the coaching staff was going with Coach Martz," Williams said. "Because I voiced it, I think it had something to do with the second year that I had. But it's all behind me. I've got a fresh start. I feel like I've been drafted all over again."

Williams was fined for being heavier than the team's weight targets for him, even though he said they wanted him to be a weight -- 220 pounds -- he hasn't been at since his sophomore year in high school. Kiffin said Williams weighed 242 pounds in his final college game and said he appears to be close to that weight now.

Williams spent most of last season on the scout team, leading to even more frustration. His teammates in Detroit could see it affect his work ethic.

"When a guy doesn't really feel comfortable or doesn't want to be somewhere, this is life in general at any job, people don't work very hard," McCown said. "I think a fresh start for anybody is exciting, so I look for big things from Mike. I think it's a perfect thing for him."

Williams finalized his ticket out of Detroit when he left the offseason workout program and asked for a trade.

"He never showed up," Lions president Matt Millen said after the trade. "So this is the best for him, and it's the best for us. And it's a shame because he has great abilities."

That ability helped him catch 30 touchdown passes in two seasons at USC, including a one-handed grab against Oregon State in 2003 that is still shown on highlight reels.

It's that ability that led the Raiders to take a flyer on Williams in a low-risk deal. They have him locked up for three years at a favorable salary or can cut him with no salary cap hit if he doesn't work out.

"I'm in the position of where it's kind of make or break," Williams said. "I've got a lot prove and I've got to make a statement in this league as a player. I'm glad to have a a fresh start to do that."