Archives for March 16, 2012

‘”I think it really shows that they are trying to make the team better and not just signing big name free agents who are over the hill,” Anderson added. “This is a sign of positive change.”‘

‘They did it.’

‘”I talked to him about hunting, and he was all excited about it. It’s kind of interesting, because I had about nine deer in my backyard yesterday. Me and my wife were sitting there, talking, looking at deer in my backyard. I said, ‘They’ve got to get over here quick, because I know he’s a hunter. Boy, wouldn’t this be great?”

‘Mario Williams has always looked better than he played. He’s long and lean, yet muscularly defined, and at 6-6, 290 pounds is faster than men his size are supposed to be.’

‘”You hear so much about living here, until you actually get here and see what’s here and see the fans and everything this great city has to offer, even seeing my name on pizzas – it definitely got the message across,” Williams said when he was introduced at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “You don’t get many chances like this to be the guy who can help the team get across the hump. And that’s definitely what I’m here for.”‘

‘That doesn’t mean Buffalo is on New England’s heels. I’m not saying that. Last time I checked, Brady was still standing, which means everyone else in the AFC East plays for second. But Williams’ addition strengthens a porous defense that Brady typically shreds, boosts the Bills’ chances of advancing within the division and could, just could, act as a recruiting tool to attract more top-shelf talent to western New York.’

‘To borrow a song title form one of Buffalo’s famous residents, Rick James, Williams said, “Give it to me, baby.” The Bills did.’

‘Wilson is still heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the Bills franchise — obviously not as much as he once was, but still very much a factor. It’s impossible to say if Wilson put out the kind of directive that Adams did, but it’s not impossible to think he did. The Bills went far and above what other franchises would have. No team was willing to give Williams $50 million in guaranteed cash — just as it’s likely no other team is willing to give Manning a “contract for life” the way Adams is.’

‘Williams is Buffalo’s most dynamic defensive roster acquisition since Smith, the Hall of Fame defensive end who spent the first 15 years of his NFL career (1985 to 1999) with the Bills. Williams also was considered the top defensive player on this year’s free-agent market.’

‘In the bigger picture, the Williams signing affirms that Buffalo can bring a big-time free agent to a sometimes-frigid NFL outpost as something more than a desperate circus-like attempt to sell tickets a la Terrell Owens in 2009. Depending on how the Bills fare, this could become the kind of watershed acquisition needed to rejuvenate a franchise that had become irrelevant, like the 1993 addition of Reggie White did for the Green Bay Packers.’

‘The signing of Williams and the willingness of the Bills to spend this kind of money sent a message to the rest of the NFL how serious they are about winning.’

‘”I told him, ‘if you’re here and everything goes right, we’ll have the best d-line in the league,’ ” Kyle Williams said. “He said, ‘I agree.'”‘

‘Williams is at the team’s facility, and has been in discussions with Buffalo since free agency began Tuesday. Selected first overall in the 2006 draft by Houston, Williams had a franchise-best 53 sacks in six seasons with the Texans.’

‘The deal is reportedly worth up to $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed.’

‘The collective relief that the fan base feels over the Bills getting in on, and signing the biggest name defensive free agent and making him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL is immense.’