Hello to the extremely small viewing audience, if any audience at all, that I have accrued while starting my very first blog ever. It has been a while since my last entry, as I've had a lot of changes recently in my life. However, I'm sure this blog is boring enough as is, so I won't worsen it by discussing my life's details. I've chosen to focus this particular entry on my favorite NFL football team, the Buffalo Bills, and one of their most recent activities during this off-season; the signing of the top free agent available, and arguably one of the best players in the National Football League, Mario Williams.
If you follow the NFL, then you needn't any explanation in regards to Mario Williams, however, I'm going to assume that there will be at least one person who visits this blog that doesn't know about the NFL, or sports in general, so I'll tailor this explanation for those individuals. In today's NFL, rushing the quarterback has become one of the most important facets of a team's defense. Being able to get to, and sack the opposing team's quarterback is essential to disrupting the opposition's offense. The more you can disrupt the timing of their offensive unit, the more it rattles the quarterback, which ultimately leads to less time that the other team possesses the football, and less points that they score. Obviously, football is a team sport, so no single player can do it by themselves, but the most important position when it comes to rushing the passer is Defensive End. A defensive end (or DE) is responsible for stopping the run at times, but more importantly to get past the offensive tackle that is trying to block him, and sack the quarterback. Naturally, if rushing the quarterback is a cornerstone to creating a successful defense, and the most important position relating to this goal is defensive end, then obviously DE's are highly sought after, and stand to make a great deal of money.
Mario Williams was the #1 overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, selected by the Houston Texans. Through six season with the Texans, Williams racked up 241 tackles, and 53 sacks. He became a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line, and blossomed into one of the, if not the best DE in the National Football League. After his sixth season with the Texans, his contract was up, and he decided to test the waters of free agency. Williams' first stop was Buffalo, and the Bills front office apparently did such an amazing job of recruiting him, that he never left, and signed a 6-year, $100 million dollar contract with the Bills. Now let's focus on why this is such a huge deal for the Bills.
First and foremost, the Buffalo Bills added a premiere pass rusher to their defensive unit. A unit that had a great deal of trouble sacking the quarterback in their previous year, proving to be one of the worst in the league in regards to number of sacks. However, the immediate talent that Williams brings to the table is only one of the many great things that his signing will add to the Bills for years to come. In a small-market city like Buffalo, it has been extremely difficult for the Bills to sign big-name free agents like Mario Williams, because for one the team has stunk for the last decade, and for two Buffalo doesn't exactly scream popularity like the cities of Miami or San Diego might. For those two reasons, the Bills haven't signed a big-name free agent in several years. However, now that one of the best players in the NFL has signed with Buffalo, it provides incentive for other players to follow suit. If Williams will sign with Buffalo, why not other players as well? Believe it or not, with a huge signing like Mario Williams, it has a huge impact on other players around the league. This is immediately supported by the second big signing of the Buffalo Bills this off-season, which was Mark Anderson, another DE, who played with the New England Patriots last season and racked up 10 sacks (definitely above average numbers).
In summation, the Buffalo Bills definitely hit a home-run this off-season by signing Mario Williams, among other key free agents. His impact will be felt immediately with his talents on the football field, as well as long-term with his signing providing influence for other free agents to come to Buffalo as well. Naturally, with better talent, you would imagine that the Bills will put together a winning team, and with big-name players already on the Bills, and if the team starts winning and making the playoffs year in and year out, this will provide leverage for the team to sign more free agents, and lead to a winning frame-of-mind, and satisfaction for this long suffering Bills fan.
