The implication was that such questions were trite, if not ridiculous. On display in that moment was a trait that friends, rivals, and former colleagues all say is Williams' Achilles' heel, the blind spot that set in motion his staggering fall from grace. Every time Williams' decision-making came under critical examination -- whether by peers or the media -- he recoiled and blamed his problems on outside forces that were surely conspiring against him. "He just didn't understand the stage that he was on," said one former high-ranking city prosecutor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "He always felt that the scrutiny was undeserved."