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It's only one game in to quite a long marriage, but both the organization and fans had to be woefully disappointed when Williams failed to discern himself as a factor on the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday.
Why was he so inefficient? Why couldn't the Bills generate a solid pass rush from their highly-touted four-man front?
While the answers reside somewhere at One Bills Drive, it's particularly prudent to go back and see if the Patriots may have been doing something against Williams to make him such a non-factor.
What you're about to read will not only be a bit jarring, but also might make fans of the team a bit sick to their stomachs. Here is his performance against New England broken down in to numbers:
Time on Field: 89.6% snaps played, 69 total
Types of Pass Plays (35 total)
Dropback Passes - 29 plays
Quick Passes - 6 plays
Performance vs. Dropback Passes
Sacks - 0 (0% success rate)
QB Hurries - 2 (6.9% success rate)
Pancaked - 1
Pass Blocking Schemes Used Against
Times Double Teamed - 1
Times Chipped - 3
True 1-on-1 vs Dropback Passes - 86.2% (25 of 29)
Thoughts:
Williams was a non-factor against the pass despite facing only one double team throughout the entire game. He had 25 opportunities in a pure 1-on-1 setting, and had zero sacks and only two pressures. There wasn't a single time where the blocker on Williams should have been called for holding or illegal hands to the face. The right defensive end just failed to get close to Brady for the majority of the game, often times getting stonewalled by the offensive lineman.
Against the Run:
Runs Right/Left (34 total)
Right Side (towards Williams) - 32.4% (11 total)
Left Side (away from Williams) - 67.8% (23 total)
Performance vs. Run
Right Side (towards Williams) - 7.0 YPC, 77 yards, 0 touchdowns
Left Side (away from Williams) - 6.4 YPC, 146 yards, 3 touchdowns
Williams Stats - 2 tackles (1 TFL)
Run Blocking Schemes Used Against
Times Double Teamed - 0
Times Blocked by Tight End - 8
True 1-on-1 vs. Running Plays - 100%
Thoughts:
While the Patriots stayed away from Williams a majority of the time on the ground, the times that they did run at him they actually had a better rushing average than when they ran to the left. Williams didn't see a single double team against the run and managed to only have a minimal impact on that aspect of the game.
All of this information begs one question. How is he not more effective for the Bills with that many one-on-one opportunities, after having been a solid pass rusher for six years in Houston? It is only four games in, and that fact should be stressed. But those four games have yielded results that have been duplicated by many average players and surpassed by others. Simply put, he needs to be a lot better considering the contract he signed in the off-season.
Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia