Williams embraces new competition
Kyle Williams has never been afraid of a little competition. After all, he did keep Glenn Dorsey — the best defensive tackle in college football last year and the fifth overall pick in last April’s draft — on the bench for two seasons at LSU.
So when the Buffalo Bills acquired veteran defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson, Williams didn’t bat an eye.
“I think it’s good,” he said after Friday’s organized team activity. “It’s like that old saying, ‘Competition makes you better.’ Having those guys as well as the guys we already had here just pushes me to give this team the best I’ve got.”
The Bills certainly don’t have any complaints with Williams, a two-year starter. With Stroud’s arrival, the popular assumption was he would replace Williams at nose tackle while John McCargo would play the “three technique” (lined up on the outside shoulder of a guard) that was occupied by Larry Tripplett, who was released. It hasn’t worked out that way so far.
Williams and Stroud have been on the field together with the first-team defense for most of the OTAs.
The reason Williams is still running with the starters is simple: He’s earned it.
“I don’t see how we cannot play Kyle Williams because he is a football player, period,” Bills defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. “He’s a football player, number one, and he’s a great attitude guy, number two. ‘[Wherever] you put me coach, I want to help.’ That’s been his attitude.
“Kyle has been very good with the changes we have made. He’s embraced it as a matter of fact. He’s on board 100 percent.”
Williams likes the new additions because it will lighten the load for the rest of the defensive line. The Bills like to play linemen in waves, but that’s hard to do if you don’t have the numbers.
“At the end of last year we were really playing with three guys,” Williams said. “They want to play a lot of people and they want to be able to rotate guys. So I figured they were going to bring in one guy regardless. And when Larry was released it was not a surprise that they brought in two guys.
“They are great additions to the line. I think we now have a full complement of guys. They bring a lot of experience. We have a lot of guys who can play and we’re going to be able to roll in and out and stay fresh and hopefully play good defense.”
The depth wasn’t the only reason Stroud was needed. The Bills have struggled stopping the run. Their No. 25 ranking in 2007 was the third straight season they finished in the bottom eight of the NFL.
Part of the problem was a lack of bulk inside. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Stroud is expected to make their run defense stouter while also freeing up other linemen by drawing double teams.
“He’s a guy who has been to Pro Bowls,” said Williams, who now carries 306 pounds on a 6-1 frame. “I know he’s going to make me a better player.”
Not that Williams has been a slouch. He has impressed since arriving in Buffalo as a rookie.
He was viewed as one of the defensive bright spots last season, starting all 16 games and recording 41 tackles (third among the Bills’ defensive linemen), two sacks and seven tackles for loss.
“I love Kyle Williams. I love the way he plays,” Fewell said. “He’s tough, he plays hard and he’s quicker and more athletic than people think. He also gives you everything he has every time he steps on that football field. You want guys like that on your team.”
Williams takes pride in knowing the coaches have confidence in him, but he was always sure of himself.
Despite being undersized and a fifth-round draft pick, he never doubted his ability to compete at the NFL level.
“I always thought I could play a little bit,” Williams said. “I went to a good school and had a great career there and figured it would carry over. I figured playing in a good program like that and having some success has to turn over into something. I’m not exactly the most tangible person in the world. I’m not 340 pounds. I’m not 6-foot-4. But I play hard and I work hard and that will never change.”
