By Tim Graham
Before the season began, the Buffalo Bills' defense sure looked awesome on paper, didn't it?
Defensive tackle Kyle Williams sputtered when asked after today's 35-34 loss to the Tennessee Titans if the result was hard to take, considering all the talent on the Bills' defense.
Williams essentially suggested the Bills were overrated.
"Well, I've got to look at it and say the talent is, uh, you know, I mean," Williams ended that thought and started over.
"You're not very talented if you're doing what we've been doing, OK?," he continued. "I've said it from the very beginning when we were at training camp. Talent doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what things look like on paper, what you say. 'We're going to be good because look at this sheet of paper.' That doesn't matter.
"It matters if you're playing fast, you play physical, you play together. It's everybody on defense. It starts up front, it works its way around."
The Bills entered the game ranked 31st in total defense and dead last against the run. They gave up 390 total yards to the Titans and 193 yards on the ground. The Titans scored four rushing touchdowns.
Williams kept blame on the players when asked about defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt's schemes.
"There's a difference between guys not playing well and not believing in what we're doing," Williams said. "I think you start to lose confidence when guys feel like, 'We're doing everything right. Why are these things happening?' That's when you start to lose confidence.
"But when we turn on the tape, it's very clear: 'OK, this is what happened. This was not fit up right, and here's the reason why." So when you can look at it and say, 'This didn't get done; that's why that play happened,' you don't lose confidence."
Williams, who had five tackles, a half sack and two quarterback hits, also seethed when discussing Titans running back Chris Johnson's big day -- and kept the finger pointed squarely at the players.
Johnson ran 18 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns, including an 83-yard dash to start -- and finish -- the Titans' second possession. Johnson had four runs of at least 16 yards.
"When you're not playing the defense that you're in properly, when you're not doing your job -- whoever that may be, all of us -- guys like that can hurt you and make plays," Williams said. "The guy goes 85 yards or whatever it was one time, untouched. It was as basic a counter-kick play as it gets, just take the ball and go down the field.
"That happened a lot of times. That can't happen. That's ridiculous."
