The Truth About Mario Williams

[Mike]

So who is Mario William, A top DE in the NFL or Fools Gold?

Assuming that most readers are in Buffalo, I would venture out and say that many of you have only watched the highlight reals but not the actual games. So what is there to know about Mario Williams? Well lets look at the History:

He was drafted in 2006 ahead of Reggie Bush. That year he totaled 4.5 sacks not a very impressive number but he showed enough - or at least more than Reggie Bush- to justify being selected ahead of him. The following year in 2007 he totaled 14 Sacks and looked to becoming the part of dominant DE.

Here is his 2007 Season recap: 14 Sacks
- 8 of the his 14 sacks came in 3 Games: Den, KC, Tenn ( which had a combined .563 win percentage & one playoff team)
- he register a sack in 9 out of 16 games
- no sack in 7 games

2008 Season recap: 12 Sacks
-9 out of his 12 sacks came in 4 games: Pitt, Ind, Mia, Jac (35-25 combined record and 3 playoff teams)
-Did not register a sack in 9 games

2009 Season recap: 9 Sacks
- only 1 game with multiple sacks: Seattle
- 7 games without a sack

2010 Season recap: 8.5 Sacks
- 5 out of 8.5 sacks came in 2 games: Wash, NYJ ( .563 win %)
- 6 games without a sack
- played in 13 games

2011 Season: 5 Sacks
- played 5 games

Other Observations:
- More sacks on Grass
- More sacks vs AFC opponents outside own devision
- More sacks in Wins vs Loses
- December is his best month & September is his worst
- More sacks at Home

Conclusion:

Mario Williams is an elite talent with above average production. He produces well against both good and bad opponents however he tends to rack up sacks. Often times, he will disappear for long stretches of time which may go on for a few games. In his career, he has only had 2 very good double digit sack seasons. Further, his best season was 5 years and 2 injuries ago. There is little doubt that he will produce something for the Bills however its unlikely that we will see the Mario Williams of 2007. Overall, Mario Williams is an above player that is a notch above Aaron Schobel. At this point in his career, Mario has recorded 56.5 sacks in 88 games or .64 sacks per game which is slightly above Aaron Schobel's .56 sacks per game (had 78 sacks in 133 games). Comparatively, when looking at future HOF Jarred Allen who has 109 sacks in 131 games or .83 sacks per game -which is only 2% behind the great Reggie White who got a sack in 85% of his games- it become apparent that Mario Williams has far more in common with Schobel than Jarred Allen.

[Mike]

What the Bills need, what they really really need:

One thing: Constant Pressure. Sack stats are good, but constant pressure is even better. If Mario could do this much, than it was worth getting him, otherwise whats the his value if he has 20 great snaps in the whole season? I would rather see, a 0 sack season with 10 pressures per game, than 25 sacks and no pressures.

[jamze132]

I would rather see LBs blitzing to assist all of the lineman.

[better days]

What the Bills need, what they really really need:

One thing: Constant Pressure. Sack stats are good, but constant pressure is even better. If Mario could do this much, than it was worth getting him, otherwise whats the his value if he has 20 great snaps in the whole season? I would rather see, a 0 sack season with 10 pressures per game, than 25 sacks and no pressures.

I was listening to Pat Kirwin on SIRIUS Radio yesterday. Talking about the Bills Cards game, he praised the Bills defense & said the pressure by the Bills was relentless.

[casdhf]

Whether he pants out or not, I think it kills the "Bills dont want to spend" argument. That'll be important for future FAs.

[coastal]

Conclusion:

Mario Williams is an elite talent with above average production.:rofl:

[mysticsoto]

It'd be nice if other things were tracked however - like quarterback hurries, collapsing a pocket, batted down passes...some are intangibles, some are just not tracked. But let's not forget that he also has a good cast around him. Wannstadt needs to make adjustments if & when they are not getting through against a really good team. With this Dline, if they are ineffective, I definitely blame the coaches here.

[Skooby]

He's been invisible at times, so your conclusion is a pipedream (Pipe being a crackpipe).

[OpIv37]

Whether he pants out or not, I think it kills the "Bills dont want to spend" argument. That'll be important for future FAs.

I disagree.

Doing something once doesn't negate the dozens of times that quality Bills players were allowed to walk over money, or the times that they underbid on FA's from other teams.

Also, remember when Ralph went big for Dockery in 2007 and it blew up in his face? It was 5 years before he spent big again. If Mario doesn't produce THIS year, Ralph could go right back into cheapskate mode.

[Blondie]

wow .. this was an interesting thread .. so the man started out pretty strong but over the years lost it??

I guess being our for 2 years injured doesn't help either ... :D

[Skooby]

wow .. this was an interesting thread .. so the man started out pretty strong but over the years lost it??


That makes him elite, get it ?

[Blondie]

That makes him elite, get it ?

that makes him elite??

No I don't get it .. the way I see it that makes him an elite pussy!

[Skooby]

that makes him elite??

No I don't get it .. the way I see it that makes him an elite pussy!

LOL, well Mike feels it makes him elite.

[Blondie]

LOL, well Mike feels it makes him elite.

When I think of an elite Defensive player I think John Lynch, Ronde Barber .. guys like that! Not only are the AWESOME on the field but also off the field. They bring inspiration with them! (I know I only listed 2 BUC players but come on they were AWESOME players)

Look at Warren Sapp .. freaking loser that he is .. when he was traded to Oakland was had I think ONE good year. He had a mouth that was it. Plus he was an ass off the field. He is not an "elite" player .. he is an assclown.

Hell even Ray f'in Lewis! I hate that guy but I tell you what his presence is KNOWN on that field.

Mario .. he just doesn't do anything for me. I do not see him ever as an elite player. He had 2 good years .. that does not make one an "elite" player in my book. He is 27 for GOD sake .. BRING IT *****! He needs to step up hard! LOL .. kind of makes me think of that Will I.A.M song YOU CAN GO HARD or YOU CAN GO HOME!!

GO HOME MARIO cuz you ain't bringing it HARD! lol :D

[HAMMER]

If you think Sapp wasn't an elite player you know nothing about football, don't let personal bias cloud your judgement. Back to the kitchen where you belong.

[Blondie]

If you think Sapp wasn't an elite player you know nothing about football, don't let personal bias cloud your judgement. Back to the kitchen where you belong.

Ok .. ya know what fair enough! personal bias did cloud my judgment. He is MORE of an elite player than Mario will ever be! :D

[The last buffalo fan]

It'd be nice if other things were tracked however - like quarterback hurries, collapsing a pocket, batted down passes...some are intangibles, some are just not tracked. But let's not forget that he also has a good cast around him. Wannstadt needs to make adjustments if & when they are not getting through against a really good team. With this Dline, if they are ineffective, I definitely blame the coaches here.

Mix, switch, or move around the dline guys, give them always different looks.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

mario is capable, and needs to elevate is level of play to " great"... thats why we got him...

[better days]

Ok .. ya know what fair enough! personal bias did cloud my judgment. He is MORE of an elite player than Mario will ever be! :D

Sapp is a guaranteed first ballot HOF player. If Williams ever achieves that, I see Super Bowl wins in the Bills future.

[Mike]

It'd be nice if other things were tracked however - like quarterback hurries, collapsing a pocket, batted down passes...some are intangibles, some are just not tracked. But let's not forget that he also has a good cast around him. Wannstadt needs to make adjustments if & when they are not getting through against a really good team. With this Dline, if they are ineffective, I definitely blame the coaches here.

I could not agree more. In fact I think those numbers would really tell the tale... Its hard to judge a player just by one stat.

[Mike]

:rofl:

Sure, I know it sounds funny, but strictly from a physical point of view he is an ideal DE. In a way he is like Albert Haynesworth, tons of talent and potential but average production at this point. The NFL is full of very talented physically freaks that don't pan out.

***I expect him to perform slightly better than Aaron Schobel did for us.

[Mike]

He's been invisible at times, so your conclusion is a pipedream (Pipe being a crackpipe).

Thats my point exactly. Mario is good for 7-12 sacks per season and he will get most of those sacks in 3-4 games, disappear for half the season and be average in between.

So:
- 3-4 Dominant Games
- 7 Disappearing Acts
- Average rest of time

[mysticsoto]

Disappearing acts is kind of misleading? Is that strictly no sacks? Does it include the QB hurries he may have? Collapsing the pocket? Does his presence help the other fellow Dlinemen? What about run defense? Up to now I think his run defense has been pretty good...

Up to now, I have no complaints on any of our Dlinemen. Fitz is my only real concern right now!!!

[Mr. Pink]

Mario is a slightly above average defensive end who plays well in stretches and disappears in others.

He hit FA at the right time and cashed in at our expense.

Nothing more, nothing less.

[Mike]

Disappearing acts is kind of misleading? Is that strictly no sacks? Does it include the QB hurries he may have? Collapsing the pocket? Does his presence help the other fellow Dlinemen? What about run defense? Up to now I think his run defense has been pretty good...

Up to now, I have no complaints on any of our Dlinemen. Fitz is my only real concern right now!!!

I already addressed this...

I wish that these sort of stats were available. These are the numbers that really tell the story. Knowing how many pressures, hurries, knock downs he has would really tell us if he's the type of player that has 160 great plays per season and 12 sacks or 30 great plays per season and 12 sacks.

* I am sure this data is our there somewhere, maybe you can find it...

[Mike]

Mario Starting to Play Better!!! Good news and his sack totals are coming right in with the expected numbers.

------ Remember that Things are Never as bad as they seem nor as Good as they Seem.....

[kishoph]

Thats my point exactly. Mario is good for 7-12 sacks per season and he will get most of those sacks in 3-4 games, disappear for half the season and be average in between.

So:
- 3-4 Dominant Games
- 7 Disappearing Acts
- Average rest of time


Look at the sack totals from any DE in the league, that's just the way it is and has always been, there are so many good offensive tackles in this league, that defensive linemen are not going to dominate every game.

[coastal]

Super Mario... he's got a pimped out library and a wrist splint... Yo.

[mjt328]

Looks like there really was something to that wrist injury...

Mario's had 3-4 good games in a row - and not just sacks. Also good run defense and constant pressure.

[HAMMER]

Looks like there really was something to that wrist injury...

Mario's had 3-4 good games in a row - and not just sacks. Also good run defense and constant pressure.

Only in Buffalo could a player have a ruptured ligament and be pegged as a bust.