Kyle Williams Featured in Grantland's All-22 All Stars

[uncle flap]

Good read here on Kyle Williams, and how he is one of the most underrated players in the league.

 

http://www.grantland...timated-monster

 

 

 

Giff Smith came to Buffalo three years ago thinking what many still do about Kyle Williams — that the Bills defensive tackle was a good player, but one who needed superior effort to excel. In 2008, Williams had emerged as one of the best defensive linemen in the league — success that Smith attributed mostly to Williams’s relentlessness. “I was lulled into the ‘try hard’ perception about Kyle that’s out there,” Smith, who spent 2010 to 2012 as the Bills’ defensive line coach, says. “When I finally got to work with him, I saw a guy that could be a dominating player. He does play hard, don’t get me wrong. But he’s a lot more than that. That’s what I noticed when I started. I hadn’t given him enough credit.”

 

After a 6-10 finish last year, Smith and the rest of the Buffalo coaching staff were let go. But in his first few months as the Bills’ new defensive line coach, Anthony Weaver has familiarized himself with Williams in the same way as his predecessor. “The thing about Kyle is that he’s not your ideal, prototype defensive tackle in terms of size,” Weaver says. “But pound for pound, I’d say he’s the best athlete on this football team. I’d put him up against anybody — in any sport. The guy’s a scratch golfer. He’s a great swimmer. He goes and plays in some home run derby in Toronto and hits eight or nine home runs.

 

...

 

As coaches and schemes have come and gone in Buffalo — at 13 years and counting, the Bills are the owners of the league’s longest playoff drought — one of the few constants has been Williams’s play. In his seven seasons, the Bills have had three defensive coordinators. This year, the arrival of Mike Pettine, formerly of the Jets, makes four. Buffalo has played both a 3-4 and a 4-3 in that stretch, and Williams has nominally held three different starting positions along the defensive line. But where he’s lined up has mattered little. In 2010, as the listed starter at nose tackle in George Edwards’s 3-4 defense (Williams still played a lot of defensive tackle in varied fronts), he made a legitimate case for Defensive Player of the Year. Much of the next season was lost to injury, but last year, as the 3-technique in Dave Wannstedt’s 4-3 scheme, Williams was once again among the top defensive tackles in the league. According to Football Outsiders’ game-charting numbers, only Geno Atkins and Ndamukong Suh had more quarterback hurries among defensive tackles, and only J.J. Watt allowed fewer average yards on run tackles among defensive linemen. Those are the names — the only names — that should be mentioned alongside Williams.

Edited August 16, 2013 by uncle flap

[DukeyBomb]

Awesome article. It's sad he isn't getting the attention we all know he deserves. He's had two pro-bowls and he still doesn't get the respect. It's good being the underdog sometimes though. Not sure why I haven't bought his jersey yet.

[Matt in KC]

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

 

Kyle is so disruptive when he's on. I'm so glad we don't have to play against him!

[bowery4]

Grantland has it's moments, good writing. Kyle is even underrated by Bills fans. Can't wait to see him in this years D.

[uncle flap]

I wish there were more highlight videos of DTs. This is obviously only one game, and probably Kyle's best, but it's nice to see a video dedicated to highlighting his play:

 

http://www.buffalobills.com/media-center/videos/Top-10-Performances-Kyle-Williams-vs-Pittsburgh/1043a80e-f53b-4934-9cc2-c0be477e58d9

[NoSaint]

i always find it interesting to hear about guys that naturally excel at other sports.

[BillsBytheBay]

Being a scratch golfer.... That is impressive.

[Matt in KC]

i always find it interesting to hear about guys that naturally excel at other sports.

He's a modern day Jim Thorpe! (kidding)

[K-9]

He looked good in his first game action last Sunday. Quick off the ball and a load to handle. Almost had Luck on that first snap, too.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[HamSandwhich]

Wow, I enjoyed that article!! Love me some Kyle Williams...players have come and gone, but he's been the one constant who is consistently great.

[eball]

I call b.s. I am certain I have read in numerous places on this forum, as well as in The Buffalo News, that Kyle is overrated and should never have been extended by Buddy Nix.

[C.Biscuit97]

Peter Griffin is an animal. He will never be a run stuffing DT like Vince Wilfork but he is downright unblockable. One of the best value draft picks in Bills history. Shame that we spent that 1st on McCargo in the same draft.

[BuffaloBill]

I hope he is healthy - he will be a force in this scheme

[K-9]

I hope he is healthy - he will be a force in this scheme

 

Yep.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[San Jose Bills Fan]

One of the best value draft picks in Bills history. Shame that we spent that 1st on McCargo in the same draft.

 

Ironically if McCargo would have had the career that Kyle Williams has had, he'd have been considered a good first round pick, especially so for being taken 26th overall.

[JPS]

I hope he is healthy - he will be a force in this scheme

FWIW - Tim and Pat on Sirius said KW looked like a shell of his former self and lacks explosion. There doesn't seem to be any talk about him at this point.

[Matt in KC]

FWIW - Tim and Pat on Sirius said KW looked like a shell of his former self and lacks explosion. There doesn't seem to be any talk about him at this point.

Huh? He's looked great and says he feels great so far this year. I'm mostly interested to see if he can maintain that through a whole game... two and a half weeks from now. Did they give any examples or explanation why they think that?

[BillsBytheBay]

FWIW - Tim and Pat on Sirius said KW looked like a shell of his former self and lacks explosion. There doesn't seem to be any talk about him at this point.

that shell is looking good in preseason! And all camp reports don't agree with Pat and Tim. Who are pat and tim? Edited August 22, 2013 by JaxBills

[San Jose Bills Fan]

FWIW - Tim and Pat on Sirius said KW looked like a shell of his former self and lacks explosion. There doesn't seem to be any talk about him at this point.

 

Clearly those guys don't know WTFTTA because in limited game snaps this preseason, Kyle looks like the Kyle of 2010 when he was dominating (and completely healthy).

[Kelly the Dog]

Grantland is an ESPN creation; it must thereby suck.