Can Pete Carroll and The Seahawks Help Mike Williams Regain His Mojo?

According to Devon Pollard with the "Trojan Wire," Pete Carroll, in his quest to return the Seattle Seahawks to glory, has begun the massive undertaking with a minicamp tryout to see if there were any "hidden gems" to help Seattle and Carroll get to where they want to go.

Of the 17 players to attend the tryout, only two were signed and both of these players should be very familiar to Trojan fans.

One was Ryan Powdrell, the versatile fullback who was last seen in the cardinal and gold early in the 2006 season before he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the majority of that season.

Since then, Powdrell has bounced around the NFL, signing and being released by the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The other player has carried the mantle of failure with him since he left the Trojans in 2003.

Mike Williams, who became the face of Detroit Lion futility when he was drafted with the 10th overall pick of the 2005 draft, also became a poster boy for bad decisions when he, along with Ohio State's Maurice Clarrett, declared early for the 2004 draft.

After a court of appeals ruled in favor of Clarrett to enter the draft early, Williams followed suit and tossed his name into the draft hat as well.

Later, a change of heart prompted Williams to remove his name from consideration for the draft, but by then it was too late since Williams had already hired an agent.

This began a series of unfortunate decisions that soon found Mike Williams, despite his marvellous talent, on the outside of the NFL glass looking in.

Among these poor decisions was allowing his weight to balloon.

Accompanying Mike Williams' decision to allow his weight to go was a bad attitude which precluded any hope for a return to his potential in the NFL.

The result?

Mike Williams bounced (literally) around the NFL, making stops in the aforementioned Detroit, along with brief looks at Oakland and Tennessee.

What NFL teams saw in those disappointing looks was an out of shape Mike Williams, whose ample girth topped 270 pounds.

Overweight for a tight end, and absolutely beyond the limit for a wide receiver, Williams dropped off the NFL map and out of the professional football landscape.

Fast forward to April of 2010.

A slimmed down Mike Williams is reunited with his former head coach, Pete Carroll, as he tries to resurrect a proud, albeit underachieving franchise.

This is appropriate for Mike Williams as he too tries to find his old college glory in Seattle.

Will a return to the coach that helped Mike Williams snare 176 passes for almost 2,600 yards in his two seasons with the Trojans also help Williams find his potential in the NFL?

Only time will tell, but a slimmed down Mike Williams is a good start on that road to redemption.

Certainly Pete Carroll knows better than anyone else how good Mike Williams was for the Trojans and he must have saw enough to extend Williams that contract yesterday.

And Mike Williams attitude seems to have changed as well.

Saying all the right things, including that he would like to shed even more bulk than the 235 pounds he weighed in at yesterday, Mike Williams is giving Seahawk fans hope for a better season in 2010.

So will Williams be a force for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks?

It is far too early to tell, but if the Seahawks get the Trojan version of Mike Williams, it certainly will have been a risk well worth the taking.