Mario Williams has joined the Miami Dolphins, but which player will show up this season? Williams presents a huge question mark for a unit desperate for a spark.
Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
On the one hand, news stories from last season regarding former Buffalo defensive lineman Mario Williams are pretty damning. Opinions from ex-teammates and even his former head coach questioned Williams’ attitude and effort during his final year as a Bill. On the other hand, I kind of think that’s a positive for his first season as a member of the Miami Dolphins. To me, it means Williams didn’t simply lose a step, which caused his decline. Instead, it was something correctable. I see Williams having a good season in Miami despite the majority feeling as though his time as an elite rusher is over.
First, it’s worth going back and confirming that Williams was indeed an elite rusher for a number of years. He had five seasons of double-digit sacks and 16 career forced fumbles. He reached double figures in sacks three straight years from 2012 through 2014 and is just shy of 100 for his career. Last year was really his first major step back since his rookie year in a season where he played most of the season. Williams hit his age-30 season, but that is no guarantee of slippage. After all, he has been very healthy for much of his 10-year career, playing fewer than 13 games just once and playing in all 16 seven times.
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So it comes back to 2015. Was that the beginning of the end for Williams or just, as his old teammates complained, a case of him not giving full effort? I lean toward the latter.
As he joins Miami, playing next to Ndamukong Suh and across from Cameron Wake, there are no double teams awaiting him. There will be less confusion in the system like he experienced with Rex Ryan’s scheme. And Miami will likely ask Williams to drop into coverage less, if at all. Everything is set up for a bounce back and perhaps a career year. Williams has never reached 15 sacks in a season, but I wouldn’t put it past him as he tries to prove he is still a weapon in this league worthy of another contract beyond this current two-year deal.
DAN:
Mario Williams makes me nervous, if I’m a Dolphins fan. Last season certainly looks like an anomaly on his stat sheet, and Williams has been incredibly durable over his career. Miami won’t have to worry about him being on the field, but I seriously question which player shows up to start the season.
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Perhaps Williams simply was not a good fit in Rex Ryan’s defense. But two things set off alarm bells for me. First of all, Ryan is an incredible defensive coach and by all accounts, players love to play for him. Second, the Bills were a pretty darn good football team last season. It’s possible that Williams wanted out and played accordingly, but that is bad news for Miami if true. The Dolphins will need to fight and claw this season, if they hope to be better than Buffalo was in 2015. They will need to take major steps forward if their defense is to approach what Rex Ryan had with the Bills last year. Enter Mario Williams.
The version of Williams who played for Buffalo in 2015 does not make Miami significantly better. He recorded a combined 19 tackles over 15 full games, barely more than he had in 2011 when he only played in five games. Sack totals can ebb and flow, but the extreme downturn in tackles is troubling. I’d like to believe that Williams has all the motivation in the world to play outstanding this season and earn one more contract. I’d like to see him return to the player who once dominated and elevate the Dolphins’ defense. Ultimately I’m not very optimistic.
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The Dolphins have struggled mightily to push Ndamukong Suh back to his full potential and now they hope to do the same with Mario Williams. If the players band together, it can happen. But if they continue to think as individuals and put the team second, no one is reaching the Pro Bowl in 2016, especially not Mario Williams.