The Strengths
Mario loves to hit the jewelry stores and hes had an issue with driving way too fast, but overall, hes been a solid citizen.
Marios long arms allow him the opportunity to be elite when it comes to setting the edge against the run. He rarely gets pushed very far off of his spot vs. the run, so it is tough to find substantial running lanes to his side at any point.
Mario proved to everyone that he was better in space than expected. While hes not what the standard 3-4 teams would like from an outside linebacker, he did a good job, in limited time, of playing from a two-point stance. While the Bills are moving to a 4-3 front, Williams history of being able to play standing up as well means the Bills can experiment with a hybrid 3-4/4-3 look whenever they like.
As a pass rusher, Marios physical ability including his strength and leverage allows him to overwhelm weaker tackles who dont play with strong bases. Williams bull-rush can be a significant problem for some tackles.
Williams was able to play alongside and watch Antonio Smith and J.J. Watt and see how their relentless nature was able to create havoc on a regular basis. While Williams will be playing outside, he has surely seen how it is possible for big men to penetrate and play the edges and still dominate without just trying to rely on brute strength. There is a better than average chance that Mario has learned some valuable lessons even by watching Wade Phillips defense and his teammates for part of the year.
I dont know if the Bills would play him in this way, but Mario has the potential to be a terror from the DT position on third downs. Hes got strength, leverage and quickness that most guards simply cant handle. The Bills dont have outside edge rushers at this time so the point is moot, but Marios potential to bump down inside on passing downs should not be discounted.
d
The weaknesses
Marios awareness out on the field is average at best and there are times he just doesnt seem to show very good football instincts at all.
While Marios bull rush is a solid weapon, unfortunately, it has been his primary weapon for most of his career. Despite having some solid defensive line coaches, he has been very slow to add to his pass rush repertoire. There is no excuse for Mario not to have developed a club move as his go-to inside pass rush. Mario doesnt have the footwork to utilize a spin move (Ive seen him try
its not pretty) so that club move is a must if Mario Williams is ever going to develop a mature outside/inside pass rush attack.
There are questions about how much Mario Williams loves football. He has buddies who he rides (motorcycles) with who seem to believe that football is what he does for a living but it isnt what he loves. That bothers me I think it is important that your core players eat and sleep football and that they love it. Mario has never really been that guy.
Despite having immense physical tools, Mario hasnt really dominated as many games as you would like. Granted, hes been on some defensive lines that have been highly paid but ineffective, but Texans fans simply havent seen him dominate a game very often. I think a big part of that is mental, too. He has the tools to do it, but he needs to have a fire lit under him from time to time.
Mario is more of a follower than a leader. That is fine if Buffalo has the right leadership on that defensive line, but hes never looked comfortable with the role of being the guy. Even when he had his best seasons in 2007 and 2008, it really had no bearing on the overall play of the defense and there werent enough teammates raising the level of their play. I think Mario likes to play next to guys who are highly motivated and he takes his cues from that. We saw that this year. If Marcel Dareus can be that Alpha Dog, then there is a good chance that Mario will follow suit. Its not a necessarily a weakness, but it is somewhat rare with players being paid like Mario.
There are concerns over whether or not Mario Williams can stay healthy. There is a reason that Mario hasnt hit double digits in sacks for three straight years injuries. In 2009, he is said to have had a shoulder injury that he was battling throughout the season. In 2010, Mario had a sports hernia that was an issue from the preseason all the way through the first 13 games. At that point, Williams shut it down and had surgery. In 2011, Mario played in only five games after tearing his pectoral muscle and missing the rest of the season.