THE GREAT DEBATE: Was Mario Williams A Good Signing?

[JohnnyK]

IMO it was a good signing:

it was a big name free-agent signing by the Bills (never really happens) and it energized the fan base at the time and it gave the team a great front four

[bmur66]

Primadonna Mario wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes with this team

Edited March 25, 2018 by bmur66

[Rico]

10 hours ago, Boatdrinks said:

Peyton Manning in Buffalo? The Mario Williams signing was thought to bring a certain credibility back to the Bills , but there was NO WAY Manning would ever have come to Buffalo. When he first was going to be a UFA, I was discussing it with buddies at work and said " He'll got to KC or DEN, it'll be the AFCW for sure" . He wasn't going to be in the NFC with his brother, first off. So it was AFC and those teams had strong rosters execept at QB. The division didn't have many good QB ps to stand in his way. The AFCE was out of the question because that would mean Brady twice a year just to secure a division title. The AFCW had no clear favorite and was the easiest path to the playoffs, where he'd take his chances on Brady in a playoff game. 

Good post. Bills were a league-wide laughing stock since the day Marv was hired as GM, and the Mario signing made them somewhat relevant again. I supported it then, and I support it now. I would say his dominance throughout most of his Bills career outweighs the sad end.

[BuffaloRush]

1 hour ago, ScottLaw said:

Who !@#$ing cares. 

 

The guy had two REALLY good years here. A dominant one in 2014.

 

He might've been overpaid at the time, but why do fans care? Was it your money? Who else were they going to use that money on? 

100% this.

 

Who cares?  Because the guy wasn’t worth the huge salary we were paying him.  That money could have been spent on several better players.  Remember the 2012-2013 that Mario played on were still among the worst in the league.  His presence alone didn’t have the drastic improvements that you would think a player that commanded that kind of salary would.  

 

IMO Bryce Paup in 1995 was a much better signing for the Bills than Mario

[Wayne Cubed]

Just now, BuffaloRush said:

 

Who cares?  Because the guy wasn’t worth the huge salary we were paying him.  That money could have been spent on several better players.  Remember the 2012-2013 that Mario played on were still among the worst in the league.  His presence alone didn’t have the drastic improvements that you would think a player that commanded that kind of salary would.  

 

IMO Bryce Paup in 1995 was a much better signing for the Bills than Mario

 

Name those players...

[BringBackOrton]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

Who cares?  Because the guy wasn’t worth the huge salary we were paying him.  That money could have been spent on several better players.  Remember the 2012-2013 that Mario played on were still among the worst in the league.  His presence alone didn’t have the drastic improvements that you would think a player that commanded that kind of salary would.  

 

IMO Bryce Paup in 1995 was a much better signing for the Bills than Mario

What better players would you have rather had that Mario prohibited us from signing?

[Real McClappy]

Mario was a great signing for a team not paying QB anything. Not sure why this is even a debate? When was the last time the BIlls had a DE put up 43 total sacks over 4years? The dude got paid and he actually performed to a standard of what we were paying him for.

12 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

Who cares?  Because the guy wasn’t worth the huge salary we were paying him.  That money could have been spent on several better players.  Remember the 2012-2013 that Mario played on were still among the worst in the league.  His presence alone didn’t have the drastic improvements that you would think a player that commanded that kind of salary would.  

 

IMO Bryce Paup in 1995 was a much better signing for the Bills than Mario

LMAO, Paup had one outlier season with us.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Real McCoy

[Straight Hucklebuck]

40+ sacks in 4 years. 

 

Compared to what most most high priced FAs do (Haynesworth, Suh) he was a successful player here. 

 

Heck Clowney is said to command $114M in his next deal. Who would pay that much for him? 

3 hours ago, Wayne Arnold said:

My personal regard for the TBD community just plummeted.

 

Mario was a terrible signing in both foresight and hindsight. Buddy Nix paid an underachieving defensive lineman like a franchise quarterback. There should be nothing to debate. How many extra games did we win by giving Mario Freakin Williams a $100 million contract? He was our fourth-best defensive lineman in his best season.

 

Such a massive waste of cap space.

Nix was also convinced that a Jauron holdover at QB was the Franchise QB as well. 

[GunnerBill]

It isn't a debate. The answer is yes. Mario's first three years here he was 3rd in the league over that period in sacks behind JJ Watt and Justin Houston. He was dominating despite facing regular double teams. 

 

He made critical plays at the end of big games, he was borderline elite and certainly the best player on the Bills in all 3 years. Year 4 he dropped off especially after the Jags loss in London. Many thought it was effort but given what happened in Miami the following year I think the physical talents had just diminished. Players hit walls at different times. And even that season he was the best player on the field in the Titans win and made critical plays at the end of that game too. 

 

I would make the Mario Williams signing again 100 times out of 100. And not just because of the PR of getting a big name FA in Buffalo... but because his play on the field was consistently excellent. 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

I think ultimately the Mario signing was a good one for Buffalo. His stats in his first three seasons with Buffalo were pretty much exactly what he averaged in his best seasons. In that sense, we got exactly what we should have expected. The big mistake or problem was switching the defense in year four when Rex came in. Mario may have been on the decline by then anyway but that switch in scheme certainly didn't do him any favors. 

[H2o]

I believe he was a good signing. It was a huge get for Buffalo at the time. It kind of put us back on the FA map when he came here. He played decent for us until he became his old self when he was asked to do something other than get after the QB. 

[dave mcbride]

They paid $65 million for three years of elite-level production to a player playing a premier position (pass rushing DE). Yes, it was a good signing. Is this really even debatable? 

3 hours ago, Wayne Arnold said:

My personal regard for the TBD community just plummeted.

 

Mario was a terrible signing in both foresight and hindsight. Buddy Nix paid an underachieving defensive lineman like a franchise quarterback. There should be nothing to debate. How many extra games did we win by giving Mario Freakin Williams a $100 million contract? He was our fourth-best defensive lineman in his best season.

 

Such a massive waste of cap space.

You have got to be kidding. He was a first team all-pro in 2014 -- the first Bills player, along with Dareus, to achieve that distinction since the 1990s.

[LabattBlue]

Just another LAMP thread.  Who really cares to discuss a player that has been off the team for 3 years, and now out of the NFL.

 

Great debate?  

[BringBackOrton]

40 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

It isn't a debate. The answer is yes. Mario's first three years here he was 3rd in the league over that period in sacks behind JJ Watt and Justin Houston. He was dominating despite facing regular double teams. 

 

He made critical plays at the end of big games, he was borderline elite and certainly the best player on the Bills in all 3 years. Year 4 he dropped off especially after the Jags loss in London. Many thought it was effort but given what happened in Miami the following year I think the physical talents had just diminished. Players hit walls at different times. And even that season he was the best player on the field in the Titans win and made critical plays at the end of that game too. 

 

I would make the Mario Williams signing again 100 times out of 100. And not just because of the PR of getting a big name FA in Buffalo... but because his play on the field was consistently excellent. 

I agree except for one little thing. 

 

He was not borderline elite.  He WAS elite, because he was really good against the run and pass.  Peak Mario held the title of best in the league at setting the edge, while, as you said, being third in sacks during that time.

 

He was top 2-3 at his position.  That's elite.

Edited March 25, 2018 by jmc12290

[BuffaloRush]

39 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Just another LAMP thread.  Who really cares to discuss a player that has been off the team for 3 years, and now out of the NFL.

 

Great debate?  

LAMP thread?

 

maybe I should just start a new thread about rumors from WGR’s B-Team DJ or start yet another thread about how the Bills have “too many holes to fill” before drafting a aQB.

Edited March 25, 2018 by BuffaloRush

[bmur66]

Mario never brought his lunch pail

[BuffaloRush]

1 hour ago, Real McCoy said:

Mario was a great signing for a team not paying QB anything. Not sure why this is even a debate? When was the last time the BIlls had a DE put up 43 total sacks over 4years? The dude got paid and he actually performed to a standard of what we were paying him for.

LMAO, Paup had one outlier season with us.

 

One outlier season?  He was the 1995 Defensive MVP and had a quantifiable improveable for the defense. Funny even during his best season, I don’t remember Mario ever in the discussion or getting one single vote for for DMVP.  

[BuffaloRush]

3 hours ago, Wayne Cubed said:

 

Name those players...

JJ Watt and Khalil Mack

3 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Just another LAMP thread.  Who really cares to discuss a player that has been off the team for 3 years, and now out of the NFL.

 

Great debate?  

LAMP thread?  Thanks for being such a diva @LabattBlue.  I will post whatever I want.

 

also I don’t recall this being a Buffalo Bills Current Events Message Board.  The history of the team in free agency is topical and I will continue to post things Ike this

[Wayne Cubed]

15 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

JJ Watt and Khalil Mack

 

And you failed... nice try though.

 

The money spent on Williams didn’t limit the Bills from getting Watt or Mack one bit, so you were wrong there. Watt never hit free agency and was extended before that was even possible.

 

Mack was drafted... what does that have to do with Williams salary? The Bills decided to draft Sammy Watkins instead and funny enough the year Mack was drafted Williams was a first team all pro.

 

Hilarious that the list of people you could come up with was literally 2 guys. 

[BuffaloRush]

14 minutes ago, Wayne Cubed said:

 

And you failed... nice try though.

 

The money spent on Williams didn’t limit the Bills from getting Watt or Mack one bit, so you were wrong there. Watt never hit free agency and was extended before that was even possible.

 

Mack was drafted... what does that have to do with Williams salary? The Bills decided to draft Sammy Watkins instead and funny enough the year Mack was drafted Williams was a first team all pro.

 

Hilarious that the list of people you could come up with was literally 2 guys. 

 

I misread your thread.  I thought you were asking which guys took games over and had a bigger impact that Mario.  Those 2 players certainly did.  

[Dadonkadonk]

16 hours ago, kdiggz said:

Rex destroyed our defense. They were killing it with Schwartz. Hiring him was the mistake

Had they lwt Whaley hire Hue Jackson and kept Schwartz, Whaley would still be the GM, and he would have had another chance to get a QB. Rex destroyed the team. 

[BringBackOrton]

27 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

I misread your thread.  I thought you were asking which guys took games over and had a bigger impact that Mario.  Those 2 players certainly did.  

Man, being the third best DE in the NFL is basically like being Shaq Lawson.

 

 

[Alphadawg7]

Dont get point of this discussion...but I will answer anyway.

 

Yes he was a good signing.  Fans have this misconception that its always about 1 player, but its not.  To weigh our successes or failures about a single player is pointless.  He was a great signing and a very talented player at a key position of need.  

 

Its not Mario's fault there wasn't a better team and coaching staff around him.  Our QB was pathetic his whole time here...he doesnt even play on that side of the ball.  He had little help on defense either until we got a real DC for one season and he and Hughes wreaked havoc and the defense was #4 in the NFL.  

 

Then Wrexing crew came to town and completely ruined the D immediately.  Again, not Mario's fault.

 

Great signing, terrible waste of talent by what was a mostly inept organization.  

[Rico]

49 minutes ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Had they lwt Whaley hire Hue Jackson and kept Schwartz, Whaley would still be the GM, and he would have had another chance to get a QB. Rex destroyed the team. 

"Right on, Dadonkadonk!"

[BuffaloRush]

1 hour ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Had they lwt Whaley hire Hue Jackson and kept Schwartz, Whaley would still be the GM, and he would have had another chance to get a QB. Rex destroyed the team. 

 

This is all conjecture.  We don’t know for sure.  There are certainly many of these narratives thrown around by Doug Whaley supporters.  

 

If you want to play this fantasy game, we can throw out scenarios like this all day.   That’s like saying, “if we have Rex a third year, he’d find a way to turn things around.”

 

 

[Fadingpain]

Good or bad isn't the right distinction.

 

I would have suggested "relevant" or "irrelevant."

 

Overall, he was an irrelevant signing though it appeased the fans for a while.

 

Luckily, that style of management is now gone at OBD.

 

 

[BuffaloRush]

5 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

Good or bad isn't the right distinction.

 

I would have suggested "relevant" or "irrelevant."

 

Overall, he was an irrelevant signing though it appeased the fans for a while.

 

Luckily, that style of management is now gone at OBD.

 

 

 

Based on some the responses here, I’d say the signing still appeases fans

[Your Brown Eye]

Good move, yes.