For Bills Fans – A Scouting Report On Mario Williams | The Z Report
"I wanted to use this blog space to wish Mario Williams well in Buffalo and to give my honest, unbiased scouting report on Mario Williams so Bills fans will know what they are getting. But first, let me tell you a quick story about Mario."
Williams responded to region's heart and soul - The Buffalo News
"Football is 50 percent of it," Williams told reporters, "but you've got to be comfortable with the other 50, if you don't know anything about the city, if you don't know anything about what goes on or what there is to do or how comfortable you're going to be when you leave the facility."
Mario Williams' addition has Bills talking playoffs - Yahoo! Sports
"I don’t see any way we don’t make the playoffs this year, I really don’t," Buffalo linebacker Nick Barnett said Thursday night from Arizona, where he makes his offseason home. "If we stay healthy, there’s no way you can keep this team out."
Inside The Bills | Kelsay, Williams to work out #90
"You know how that goes," said Brandon. "The vets take care of that. I’m sure Chris and Mario are having some discussions about how that’s going to work out."
Bills utilized cap flexibility in signing Williams - The Buffalo News
"The point is when someone goes out and pays him $15 million (a year), if you paid him that, your team doesn't get better when you do that," said Kraft on the talk show "Squawk Box." "I would say your team maybe gets worse, because you have less money available for other players. And only your personnel people understand the chemistry of how that works. And sometimes our fans get upset. We're faced with a couple decisions like that, too."
Who is the Bills top free agent signing? - BuffaloBills.com
"The acquisition of DE Mario Williams Thursday is considered one of the biggest free agent signings in team history. Williams himself isn’t one to talk. He’d rather prove his worth on the field come September. In the wake of the blockbuster signing we offer up some of the more successful pickups for Buffalo in the last 20 years?"
Fans leave impression on Williams - BuffaloBills.com
"I think the number one thing was coming here and seeing them embrace me and definitely the comfort level of everybody that surrounded me when I got here," said Williams "This is what people bleed, breathe and live, so I am really happy for the opportunity to be part of it. I had to duck and dodge a little bit because there were a lot of people out there and I did not want to get run over by anybody, but that is great. That’s what you want and you want a fan base like that. This great city definitely offers that."
Inside The Bills | Barnett: Unit has to jell and grow
"There is still the chemistry that we have to grow," he said. "That comes in training camp. Obviously there is still depth that we need to get as far as offense. But you can’t be more excited about Mario Williams coming in to Buffalo. It’s going to be awesome."
Inside The Bills | Mario didn’t mind flying private
"It was huge. I had no idea," he said. "I thought I had to get on Continental or something and get my own flights out to places. When I heard they were coming I was ecstatic. I was really excited and then on the plane I was like, ‘What am I going to sit here and say.’ It felt like I was back in college or high school and being recruited, but it felt great to have them there when I got to the airport."
Inside The Bills | Bills ace in the hole
"This mentor is the player development guy at N.C. State. So we got information on the things that were important to (Mario), so we made sure we let him know what we had in those areas here. So when we got back on the plane with him to fly back to Buffalo with Dave Wannstedt, Giff Smith and myself… by the time we got back here he felt pretty good about the football part."
Buffalo Bills may have NFL's top defensive line | Democrat and Chronicle
"Kicking off with thoughts on Mario Williams signing with the Buffalo Bills: I wasn’t surprised. I was astonished. The Bills were long overdue for a bold move and making Williams the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL certainly qualifies."
Williams story a stress test for Bills Country - The Buffalo News
"Like many of us, people inside the Bills' organization followed the week's developments on Twitter. National NFL reporters such as Adam Schefter, Peter King or Chris Mortensen are often fed bits of information by player agents or team representatives who are trying to spin a news story their way. Members of the Buffalo media, of course, were tweeting all week as they followed the Williams saga. Then there are members of the public who saw Williams in town and had their own reporting roles through Twitter."
Wannstedt now has the tools - The Buffalo News
"It was that way in Miami with Jason Taylor and [Adewale] Ogunleye and [Tim] Bowens and [Daryl] Gardener," Wannstedt said. "It was that way in Chicago with [Richard] Dent and [Steve] McMichael and Trace Armstorng. In Dallas, we had Leon Lett and Russell Maryland and Charles Haley. As our guys up front go, so will our defense go. That's why organizationally, we felt that this was such a high priority."
Health vs. Production for Mario Williams - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"Williams hasn't played a full 16-game season since 2009. He's missed 14 games total the past two years, including 11 last season following a pectoral injury. Before that, Williams never missed a game his first five years in the NFL."
Poll Friday: How good is Buffalo? - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"In our latest "Poll Friday," we ask how good is Buffalo after signing defensive end Mario Williams? " Most people think the Bills are going to be in the 9-11 field.
Some Thoughts On Mario Williams - Battle Red Blog
"2. Buffalo is paying him a wage the Texans never could have dreamed of offering. Saying he chose Buffalo over Houston is not comparing apples to apples. He chose a gigantic contract in Buffalo over a significantly lesser contract in Houston. In a profession where you're extraordinarily lucky to still be earning at the age of thirty, I do not blame him one second for that. Get paid while you can."
Break It Down: How Mario Williams can help the Bills – Audibles - SI.com
A nice look with pictures of how the Bills might use Mario Williams and how he made his impact in Houston.
Fed-up fans deserve some of the credit - The Corning Leader
Bob Benz thinks the fans' disappointment finally got to the powers that be at One Bills Drive.
OUR VIEW: Super job by Bills on signing Williams - Tonawanda News
"Rarely do the doings of our local sports teams merit mention in the form of an editorial, but the news emanating from One Bills Drive this week warrants an exception."
Bills shed frugal reputation by signing Williams - Yahoo! Sports
"I didn’t do this to show people I’m not as cheap as they think I am," he said Friday with a big laugh over the phone from his home in suburban Detroit. "I did it to help the community, to help the team, to get back to the playoffs. We need good players."
Bills shock all with addition of Williams - CBSSports.com
"Ultimately, Williams was intrigued that he could be the player to get Buffalo "over the hump." He was particularly wooed by Wannstedt's defense, which is known to favor defensive ends, allowing them to get up field. Last year in Houston, Williams sacrified by switching to outside linebacker in Wade Phillips 3-4 look. He had five sacks in five games until tearing a pectoral muscle and missing the rest of the year."
Williams gives Bills real expectations - Wellsville Daily Reporter
"I’ve played against great quarterbacks and I’m looking forward to playing against these quarterbacks and chasing them down," said Williams. "This is what people bleed and breathe and live. You want a fanbase that's like that and this great city certainly offers that."
Bills, Mario Williams a perfect match - Hornell Evening Tribune
"The Buffalo Bills and Mario Williams are a match made in football heaven, one that immediately gives the Bills legitimacy in the pass rush and at the box office, while providing a potentially game-changing buzz around the league that is already being compared to Green Bay’s landmark signing of Reggie White."
Bills become relevant again with Williams' signing - The Daily News Online
"If the Bills do become an NFL powerhouse again, people will look back at this signing as the start of that resurgence."
Bills sending a message by signing Mario - Olean Times Herald
"BUT THERE’S more to this signing than the acquisition of a quality performer who answers Buffalo’s biggest position of need. There’s that obvious message to the fans."
Inside The Bills | Brandon on lease progress
"We do," Brandon said. "When two parties are motivated and we all have the same vision and we’re working towards that… it’ll take a lot of time and effort, but everybody is on the same page and we looked forward to working on it."
Inside The Bills | Bills likely done in free agency
"If the Bills do anything at a perceived position of need like wide receiver at this stage it’s believed it would be with one of their own free agents, perhaps like a Derek Hagan who showed some flashes late in the season when he got some playing time and is a big target. Bryan Scott and Demetrius Bell are two other Bills free agents to whom Buffalo made offers."
Inside The Bills | Manningham not on radar
"We have made no contact," Bills GM Buddy Nix told Buffalobills.com.
Undrafted players sometimes have the hardest journeys, but it pays off in the end - Mocking The Draft
"Undrafted RB Fred Jackson didn't have an easy path to the NFL, but he is making the best of it now, as he looks forward to another big year as the Buffalo Bills starting Running Back. Undrafted, AFL, CFL, IFL, UFL, NFL Europe, NFL Draft is back. "
Inside The Bills | Fan Friday 3-16
Chris Brown answers fan questions not relating to Mario Williams.