BY DAN BENOCHE
If Mario Williams gets a open shot at Matt Schaub on Sunday in Houston, he's not going to pull any punches. Just ask him.
OK, maybe Williams was joking Wednesday when speaking specifically about getting his licks in on his former teammate, but make no mistake, Williams has plenty to be angry about when it comes to his time with the Texans, especially with how things ended.
“Fans that saw me said ‘Do not leave.’ I said ‘I do not want to leave.’ That is just how it is,” Williams told reporters Wednesday. “. . . there was never an offer made.
"At the end of the day, it is something people do not realize or understand. They just think ‘Oh well he just up and left and that is the type of guy he is.’ That never happened.”
Williams added that despite the team's claim that he would receive an offer following the 2011 season, no such offer came, and he was forced to look elsewhere for work.
“It never happened,” Williams said. “At the end of the day I cannot do anything about it. When the cards are dealt you have to play them. That is what I did and I am here now. I am grateful.”
Both Houston and Buffalo knew the risks involved with Williams at that point, a six-year starter who was coming off back-to-back IR trips with multiple injuries. And when Houston decided to pass, Buffalo pulled the trigger, signing Mario to the biggest contract for a defensive player to date.
“At the end of the day we are here now,” Williams said. “That is all you can look at.”
The problem may be that fans are looking, and what they see hasn't been what they hoped. Williams, injured once again, has not put up the numbers he has in previous seasons, even when playing through injury. In seven games, Williams has managed 3.5 sacks and one fumble recovery thus far, not even close to on track with the double-digit sack numbers he tallied back in 2007-08.
Williams, however, claims the ailing wrist “feels great” after surgery over the bye week, and he is excited to get back out on the field, particularly against his former team.
“At the end of the day, I have something extra to prove in general." he said. "Definitely with everything going on, it has not been the way I really wanted it. Going out, making an impact and just being better to help the team win. Just happened to be against this team.”
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