Photo: blog.houstontexans.com
- Adam Parker
Mario Williams landed in Buffalo late Tuesday afternoon, a very good sign for long-suffering Bills fans.
Normally, the Bills stay at home and aren't usually a big participant in the free agency frenzy, so if you're Williams, and you set down in Buffalo for your first visit, this could be heading toward something enormous.
This doesn't mean the deal is done, but Buffalo has boatloads of cash to spend, and appears ready to spend it to help shore up their abysmal pass rush which ranked an abhorred 27th in the league. Adding a player of Williams' talent would jolt the Bills' defense into the upper echelon of the league and give them instant credibility.
The Bills were hoping to wrap up a deal with Williams quickly, but he informed them Tuesday night that he will visit other teams, sources told ESPN's John Clayton.
Williams, along with wide receiver Robert Meachem of the New Orleans Saints, were targeted by the Bills as the team's main free-agent targets. Meachem, however, agreed to a four-year deal with the San Diego Chargers Tuesday night after having being wined and dined by the Bills earlier in the evening.
Williams also had dinner with members of the Bills' staff and reportedly was still in Buffalo as of Wednesday morning. Defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who was at the gathering, told a radio station that he's optimistic the Bills will sign the top defensive free agent available.
The Bills' website reported that general manager Buddy Nix and defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt flew to North Carolina to pick up Williams at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, the start of free agency, and took him back to Buffalo. Head coach Chan Gailey was also at the dinner.
"I have a good feeling about," Kyle Williams told WGR 550 Radio, according to the team's website. "We were together 'til at night at the facility hanging out having a good time. The powers that be were working late last night so I feel good about it. I'll see him again (Wednesday) morning at the facility again and the fact that he's still here is good. Now we just need a couple hundred to lay down on the tarmac at the airport."
Kyle Williams said he told the former No. 1 overall pick out of North Carolina State that if he signs with Buffalo, he could make the Bills defensive line, which also boasts 2011 first-round pick Marcell Dareus, the best in the league.
"I think he wants to go somewhere where he can get somebody over the hump and put a team on the next level," Kyle Williams said, according to the team's website. "And I told him he could be that guy. I told him point blank, 'If you're here and everything goes right, we'll have the best D-line in the league.' I told him that because I honestly believe that."
Williams, the top overall pick in the 2006 draft, is the Houston Texans' all-time sacks leader with 53. He moved from defensive end to outside linebacker last season as Houston changed to a 3-4 defense under a new coordinator in Wade Phillips. Buffalo is switching to a 4-3 defense from the 3-4 look it used in 2011.
It is unknown what other teams Williams plans to visit, but he was rumored to be coveted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans (before they put all their chips in the Peyton Manning basket), and the team that drafted him, the Texans.
Regardless of where Williams ends up, the man known as 'Super Mario' has the versatility and the talent to soon become one of the richest players in NFL history.
And we here at Beard and Stache think he's worth every penny.
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