Fans of the Buffalo Bills will hear one of their greats name being called for the last time on Sunday as 13-year veteran Kyle Williams has announced his retirement from the NFL after the game. The only times in the future his name will be heard in Western New York is when he comes back and leads the charge before a game to pump up the crowd and when Bills brass decides to put his name up on the team’s Wall of Fame.
Hoping in the way back machine of 2006, one scout said the following about Kyle when he was coming out for the NFL Draft:
Kyle is not a great natural athlete. He won’t beat players with raw physical ability. Without that standout athleticism, he may lack the pure size to be a consistent all-around threat like he was at LSU.
With his attitude and toughness, Williams is going to play in the NFL. He may not ever be a standout playmaker, but he is a player you love to go to battle alongside.
I’m sure that scout has enjoyed being wrong about one of the best under tackles that will never get enough credit in the league because of the team he played on as most weren’t ever that good often enough. The Buffalo Bills have only had two winning seasons and one playoff appearance since he came into the league.
Will he make Canton? Unlikely. Will he leave New Era Stadium Sunday as one of the greatest to play for the Buffalo Bills? Without question. He might not be a flashy defender like Bruce Smith or anyone else that played during the Super Bowl Era on that defense, but he got the job done and has been well respected around the league.
If there was anyone that exemplified the blue-collar, lunch pail mentality of playing football anywhere in the Rustbelt cities, Kyle Derrick Williams of Ruston, Louisiana provided a master class in it and thank you for the last thirteen NFL seasons.