Aaron Williams Defensive Grade Through Nine Games:
We saved Aaron Williams for last in this exercise because he is the most brutal of all the players to write about. He was playing well again after coming off a horrifying neck injury last season that not only put his football career in jeopardy but also threatened his ability to lead a normal healthy life outside of football.
He decided he wanted to continue his career and battled his way back. He was ready for training camp but was unsure how his neck would react to contact until he made that first big hit. He passed that test with flying colors and all seemed well in this inspirational comeback story.
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He had a scare in practice when covering wide receiver Dez Lewis. They collided and both came away injured. Normally a concussion would be terrible news for a player but in Williams’ case, this was the best case scenario considering it could have been his neck.
Once again Williams battled his way back and was ready for opening day. The 26-year-old was having a decent season for Buffalo and had been involved in several violent collisions leading many to feel that everything would be ok with him and he could have a long and productive career.
That all changed in Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins when Jarvis Landry made a cheap hit on Williams who could not see Landry. Williams instantly went down and Bills fans feared the worst. Those fears were realized when Aaron Williams was eventually put on IR ending his 2016 season.
Now I am not one to tell someone what to do with their life, but it pains me to see Williams get hurt like this. I’ve admired his play since he entered the league. I care more about his ability to lead a normal and healthy life than I do about him contributing to the Bills on the field. I hope he makes whatever decision is best for him and his family but my instinct is that he should walk away from the game.
We gave him a “B” for his efforts during the year but he deserves an “A” for dedication and for never giving up no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.
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So those are the Bills grades on defense through their Bye week. The team has seven games ahead of them on the schedule all against AFC opponents. They have very little wiggle room for losses if they have any hopes of ending their 16-year playoff drought. Let’s hope they defy the odds just like Aaron Williams did with his comeback this season.