Bills pass-rusher Mario Williams has been complaining about the team’s defensive scheme for months, and the team has already decided this will be his last week with the team.
And it doesn’t sound like his teammates are all that broken up about it.
Via Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, one teammate who (as you might imagine) wanted to stay anonymous ripped Williams mercilessly, saying he “totally checked out” months ago.
“It’s been clear to me that Mario doesn’t care about anybody but himself,” the teammate said. “He followed that up by not giving any effort during the season and complaining about the scheme instead of manning up and saying he played like crap and doesn’t care.”
On one hand, Williams has a reasonable gripe. He’s been able to get to quarterbacks a certain way, with 38.0 sacks the previous three seasons. This year’s 4.0 stands in stark relief, as he’s griped about dropping into coverage too often.
So to save $12.9 million in cap room, the Bills are going to rid themselves of a guy who doesn’t want to be there, and take away what the squeaky wheel believes is a bad influence.
“Those guys have to be your team leaders and bell cows,” the player said of expensive guys such as Williams. “To not give a crap like that shows why teams need to think twice before investing that much in one guy. We could easily have five solid players contributing than one guy who doesn’t give a [expletive].”
There are other named players who have come down on either side of the situation, with linebacker Preston Brown saying Williams “definitely bought in,” to the system. But Brown might be in the minority, and like everyone in Buffalo, better get a last look at Williams Sunday against the Jets.