Bills' Mario a brand new player since wrist surgery

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Turns out, Mario Williams wasn't lying about the effect his early-season wrist ailment was having on his play.

Through the first half of the season, Williams looked like a guy who signed a $100 million contract and didn't feel the need to earn it. But at the time, he was battling a wrist injury and had surgery at the bye week. (photo: The Brit_2, Flickr)

Before the bye, Williams recorded 3.5 sacks, 16 tackles, a pass defensed and no forced fumbles in seven games. In the five games since the bye, Williams has accumulated six sacks, 18 tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

"Seems to make a play or two every week right now," Bills coach Chan Gailey said Sunday after Buffalo's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. "That is huge for our defense."

Williams' improvement in numbers is one thing, but the timeliness in which he is now making plays is another. For example, last week, he forced a fumble just before the end of the first half which ended a potential scoring drive by the Jaguars gave the Bills an extra three points before the half.

"I tell our guys and you all have heard the statement before—there are five or six plays that make the difference in a game," Gailey said. "I do not know if that was one of them but if could have been that made the difference in the game. It allowed us to go up by seven rather than by four at half. That was a huge play."

I ripped into Williams earlier this season, so it's only fair we give him credit when it's due.

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