What troubles Williams in assessing a year in which he earned his third Pro Bowl selection is how little of a dent he made in the Bills' overall success. Buffalo went 6-10. That's the same record Buffalo had in Williams' first season, when the defensive end created an expectation-raising stir in free agency by signing a six-year, $100 million contract.
"It really is the sum of all parts, but he's a big part of it," Kyle Williams said of Mario. "We'd rather have him than most anybody else out there. And we're glad to have him."
Dominant as Williams and Co. were in pressuring the quarterback and finishing second in the NFL with 23 interceptions, the defense still sagged against the run.
"Mario's got a lot of the same in him. He's so damn big, and he's such an explosive player. Even if you move him around, they're still going to account for him," Schwartz said. "We can use that to our advantage. I don't want to stretch it into saying we'll use him as a decoy. But a great player that gets a lot of attention can create some other things for his teammates."
The itch to be part of a winner has not changed.
The inconsistencies and lack of finish on offense didn't help either. Buffalo scored three or more touchdowns in just five games, which put more pressure on the defense.
"I'm as confident as we're sitting right here talking,
Wholesale Jerseys Authentic," Williams said. "I mean, anything's possible if we come out and we all perform together and we all play together as a team."
The defense returns mostly intact. Though coordinator Mike Pettine left to take over in Cleveland, the Bills filled the job with former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz, who has a respected track record in getting production out of his defensive linemen.
"I don't hold on to anything from last year,
Wholesale Jerseys China," Williams said,
Authentic Jerseys Wholesale, a few days into training camp. "I've just got to come out here and get better."
That was evident last season.
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP)