Mario Williams Is a Buffalo Bill: Why Others Should Want to Join the Movement

Mark it down: The Buffalo Bills are turning a corner, a corner they haven’t been around in quite some time. The other side of it has its bullies and big boys, but Buffalo is about to charge right through them.

It’s been a difficult decade listening to people bash the Bills, bash the city, bash the players, bash the organization. But that bashing is about to stop.

One person who understands this is the newest Bill, Mario Williams. Here’s a guy who is one of the top players in the NFL at his position. He was a free agent in high demand. Being a free agent means he was free to choose wherever he wanted to play.

For Bills fans, it’s hard to describe just how good it felt to have him visit our team first and choose to play for us.

Mario Williams’ recent signing highlights many reasons that players should be eager to join Buffalo’s movement. No longer will the Bills be an irrelevant team drowning in mediocrity or even failure.

Instead, here are some top reasons that players who join the Bills can confidently be a part of something truly special in sports. 

Veteran Staff Running Both Sides of the Ball

Though the Bills have been abysmal for longer than any of us care to admit, the new regime has some stellar experience to its name, and that experience is finally bearing fruit on the football field.

Head coach Chan Gailey is a former quarterback and has been a successful coach throughout his career. In total, he has over 30 years of coaching experience under his belt. His time in the NFL has shown his undeniable success as an offensive-minded coach, drawing out supreme talent from even the most mediocre of players.

As the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 1998 and 1999, Gailey took over a struggling offense and guided the Cowboys to one NFC East division title and two playoff berths.

Gailey has run Buffalo’s offense the past two seasons, and all signs are pointing toward a volcanic eruption next year over the course of a full 16-game season—hopefully more.

Before the injury bug hit town last year, the Bills offense was putting up 20- and 30-point games like nobody’s business. Even despite falling off down the stretch, the team finished 14th in both average points per game and offensive yards per game.

After retaining Steve Johnson and Scott Chandler, there’s no reason to doubt that Buffalo will continue to improve offensively.      

On the other side of the ball, new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt has a pretty impressive resume himself. Like Gailey, he brings over 30 years of coaching experience to the Bills defense, including head coaching gigs for the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, and most recently the Pittsburgh Panthers college program.

In all his time, Wanny has consistently put together and managed tough, gritty defenses that continuously rank in the upper echelon of defensive performance.

He took the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs twice as a head coach, and his time in Miami benefited future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, which I’m sure was a topic of discussion with Mario Williams.

Extremely knowledgeable with the 4-3 system, Wannstedt has the Bills defense beginning to establish a clear identity. Players love to know what they’re getting into and what their roles are when coming to a new team, which should put any incoming players—free agents or rookies—at ease.

And let’s not forget Buddy Nix, current GM for the Bills. Nix did a lot of great things with the San Diego Chargers organization before coming to Buffalo. So far, he’s made some excellent decisions regarding personnel and has left his mark on some already successful drafts.

The coaches and front office in Buffalo tell it like it is. They have high expectations, and for once players are starting to buy into the plan. When a player like Mario Williams feels comfortable with such an atmosphere, it speaks volumes about what the Bills brass is set on accomplishing.

Up-and-Coming Roster

On both sides of the ball, the Bills are beginning to solidify some key pieces for the future.

Offensively, Buffalo worked hard to retain No. 1 wide receiver Steve Johnson in order to lock him up with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for the near future.

The running game is an absolute strength with veteran Fred Jackson—who can do it all—and the young, electric C.J. Spiller.

Combine that with a developing, underrated offensive line anchored by Eric Wood, Andy Levitre and Erik Pears, and things are looking up for the Bills offense.

The other side of the ball boasts just as much potential—probably more now that Mario Williams is coming to town (fist pump). The defensive line figures to feature veteran Chris Kelsay, Pro Bowler Kyle Williams, rising star Marcell Dareus and the amazing Mario Williams. It’s unclear at this point if Kelsay and Williams will bookend one another since both play the same end position, but those details will work themselves out.

Behind these big, athletic players up front, linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Nick Barnett, among the other guys, should have a field day making tackles and wrapping up the ball carrier.

In the secondary, the Bills are seemingly in the process of overhauling talent. Terrence McGee recently restructured his contract to free up some cap space, and he will be 32 years old next season. He’s also battled injuries on a regular basis in his career.

Leodis McKelvin probably won’t be back after next season as he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. The former Troy standout is good enough in coverage, but he just never seems to make plays on the ball when it gets there.

Nevertheless, the secondary will be productive next season. Aaron Williams and the impressive Justin Rogers will both enter their second year in 2012, and veterans Reggie Corner and Drayton Florence will still be around. The Bills are also strong at safety with Jairus Byrd, George Wilson and Da’Norris Searcy. Look for Buffalo to continue to add depth to the secondary to fortify the unit for the future.

In the NFL, all units complement and affect one another. Hopefully an improved pass rush will enable the secondary to make more plays, while this group of younger defensive backs make it easier for the guys up front to pressure the quarterback.  

Who wouldn’t want to join a defense with this much young talent and potential?

Legendary Recruiting

As was evident by the Mario Williams saga, the Bills went all out this year in recruiting their top free-agent target.

Bills legendary quarterback Jim Kelly was the most active, embracing Williams as quickly as family does. When former players continue to represent their team and city after they're done playing, it reassures younger guys that playing for the Bills isn’t just a temporary decision—it’s a life-changing move.

Names like Jim Kelly, Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas and Steve Tasker (among others) continuously pop up in Bills talk. It’s really a great thing to see in sports, especially right now when it's so difficult and unusual for players to ever find one place to call “home” after their careers are over.

To be embraced by some of the franchise’s most legendary players proves that there’s something special about becoming a Buffalo Bill.

But don’t forget about the ridiculous fan support, too.

I live in California, so I can only try to do my best with fan support. But with technology these days, it’s easy to ensure I watch every game and communicate through social media with others who do too.  

I am one of the biggest Buffalo Bills fans you will ever meet, and nearly every Bills fan will tell you the same thing about him or herself.

I don’t live in Buffalo, NY.

I haven’t even been there.

In fact, I’m all the way across the country in California.

How did I become a Bills fan? As a young kid, I fell in love with the logo. Then I fell in love with the team and its players. Then I fell in love with the whole lifestyle of Buffalo Bills football.

Win or lose, rain or shine, football season or not, I don’t just eat, sleep, breathe and bleed Bills football, I also brush my teeth with it twice a day.

From what I understand, I’m just trying to keep pace with what I've always sensed from Bills faithful out in Buffalo, NY.

I recently joined Twitter (yeah, I know, took me that long) and discovered the powerfully influential Bills Mafia. I’ve seen first hand the impact fans can have on players.  

This fanbase, myself included way across the country, is relentless. We are unscathed. We are proud, hungry, deserving and loyal. When fans can actually impact players, you know they’re doing something right.  

What player doesn’t want to play for a team with those kinds of people backing them up year round?

The Chance of Making History

I think it goes without saying that one of the most exciting parts about playing for the Bills is having the chance to win the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.

Just writing it gets me teary.

It sounds cliché, but being a Bills fan really is a way of life. It’s a shared bond. And the best thing about that is that the current players are starting to embrace that as well.

Players like Arthur Moats, David Nelson, C.J. Spiller, Drayton Florence, Steve Johnson and Eric Wood among many others are always active on Twitter and talking about how close the locker room is.

Buffalo hasn’t had a team with this kind of camaraderie in a long time, and that’s a huge part of having team success.

If I were a player, the potential of being a part of the Bills first championship would be one of the biggest motivating factors I could think of. Bringing this franchise a Super Bowl trophy would ensure players a spot in history.

Players and fans alike got a taste of success early last season only to endure a tough second half of the year.

With continued commitment toward improving and sharing the same goal, this team is not far away from making that short-term success turn into a consistent expectation. 

For my parting words, I think I can speak for all Bills fans when I say this: Mario Williams, thank you for coming to Buffalo. We promise you won't regret it.

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