Would Mario Williams Be A Fit In New England?
BOSTON (CBS) -- Mario Williams is a free agent after being cut by the Buffalo Bills, and many fans in New England (and a few radio hosts as well) think the 31-year-old would be a fit with the Patriots.
But Albert Breer of the NFL Network says not so fast.
"The first question you have to ask if whether or not he's going to be on board? Things got really ugly last year; he was openly out on Rex Ryan. Say what you will about Rex Ryan, not too many guys quit on him," Breer told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Friday. "If you're going to bring Mario Williams in, you have to make sure you're a scheme fit for him. You saw him last year in a scheme that asked him to do a lot of different things, and his attitude was 'why don't you just have me rushing the passer -- that's what I do best?'
"That would, at least on paper, and say that's not a good fit for New England. They'll ask him to do a lot of things, unless they want to turn him into a situational player. You don't know if he'll be happy with that."
Williams' numbers were down across the board in his fourth and final season with the Bills, recording just five sacks in 15 games (this after he had a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2014). With the Carolina Panthers cutting ties with Charles Johnson, Breer said Carolina would be a better fit for the defensive end.
"I understand why it would be enticing [for the Patriots], and it might be a chance for Mario to win a ring, but I would counter and say whoever signs him in order to get the most out of him will have to be a scheme fit," said Breer. "I don't know if, at this point in his career, he would be a good fit [with the Patriots] because some of the problems he had with what they asked him to do in Buffalo would exist in New England."
Breer also touched on the future of free agent running back Arian Foster, and the latest on the Peyton Manning situation in Denver. Listen to the full segment below:
