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The more Mario Williams speaks, the more clear it becomes that he is excited for a new beginning with the Miami Dolphins and ready to move past the down year he had with the Buffalo Bills in 2015. Williams, who signed a $100 million contract with the Bills, had just 19 tackles and five sacks last season. The sack total was tied for the second-lowest of his career, and the explanation for that performance varies with who you ask. Reports out of Buffalo indicated that Williams was uninspired and unhappy, which led to mediocre play. According to Williams, Buffalo's scheme and role changes were the primary reasons for his lack of production.  However, a fresh start in Miami under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has the 31-year-old defensive end thinking about a bounce-back season.
“At the end of the day, whatever scheme that defensive coordinators have or whatnot, you have to take it and adjust to it and run with it,” Williams told reporters this week. “It could be anything. It varies not just [for] myself, but my teammates. They’ve been other places and experienced other things. “I think the biggest focal point and exciting for us is knowing that [we can] cut it loose. It’s almost like saying, ‘Go! Every time, just go. We’re going to put you in the best position for you to get after it and everything else is going to trickle downhill from there.’” The Dolphins certainly need help getting to the quarterback. They were ranked 25th both in total defense and in sacks (31) last season. Williams was one of the NFL’s most-feared pass-rushers as recently as two seasons ago, posting double-digit sack totals in both 2013 and 2014 for the Bills. The Dolphins, who signed Williams to a two-year, $17 million contract this offseason, are counting on the former Pro Bowler and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft to provide that kind of production again. “I think the most motivation that I have -- and that I want to show -- is to this organization,” Williams said of the Dolphins. “Fans are everything, don’t get me wrong, but Vance believes in me. I think the biggest thing is showing them that, ‘You’re right,’ and that I’m definitely going to do everything I can to impact [the defense]. I believe in his word and what he’s putting together as a defense for us to be able to cut it loose and play to our abilities.” Williams joins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Cameron Wake on a deep and talented Miami defensive line. This trio of former Pro Bowlers is expected to get after the quarterback and lead Miami’s defense, which has more questions at linebacker and in the secondary. “[Joseph is] really relying on the guys up front to turn it loose and get after it, which is what most of us [are] accustomed to doing,” Williams said. “The difficult part is changing old habits in general, especially with the new acquisitions and stuff that we have. We’re players who have done different things in the past as far as schemes and stuff like that, but it’s exciting to cut it loose, turn loose.”
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