Former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams will be the Legend of the Game for Buffalo's Wild Card Round game on Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos.
"It's really exciting for myself but really for my family," Williams said. "Having the chance to come back and bring them up to where they grew up is really exciting for all of us."
Williams was selected by the Bills with the No. 134 pick in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft and spent all 13 years of his career in Buffalo. During his time as a Bill, he made second team All-Pro once and made the Pro Bowl six times, amassing 609 total tackles and 48.5 sacks.
"I just remember getting started, really just wanting an opportunity," Williams said. "To me, it was just a fate deal, having an opportunity to land in a place like Buffalo, which, probably couldn't be any more opposite from where I'm from, as far as weather, but couldn't have landed in a place more similar, as far as, community of people who love their teams, they celebrate tough people who get after it. And it really couldn't have been a better fit… Being there at the beginning of Sean and Brandon, and what it is that they're doing now, and really being captivated by their vision of what they said that they were going to build and being at the foundation of that was really, really important, something I'll always be proud of."
He is excited about returning to Western New York, a place that he felt he grew up in, coming as a 22-year-old with no kids and leaving as a 35-year-old with a wife and five kids.
"I think the memories will flow back," Williams said. "You look at a place that our kids grew up and that really that my that my wife and I grew up in, so it's a very special place for us… It'll be a sweet time for us to get back and reconnect with some friends and be back in a place that means so much to us."
He loved and appreciated the support that Bills Mafia showed to him throughout his career and knows that it will be a fun environment on Sunday.
"I've always let my affinity for our fan base out there and let everybody know how special it was to play all those years in Buffalo, how special it is to be a Buffalo Bill and play in front of those fans that you know, rain, snow or shine, they're there," Williams said. "They support. They love big they love their team and to be able to come back and be in that stadium and get that feeling again is going to be a lot of fun."
Williams believes that this Buffalo Bills team is playing their best football at the right time.
"It looks like the team chemistry is really good," Williams said. "Josh is playing incredibly well. They've won a lot of different ways… Played some total complimentary football. So, seeing that headed into the playoffs, here has got to get you excited about what the possibilities may be."
Since retiring from the NFL, Williams has been coaching as a defensive coordinator at Ruston High School, his alma mater.
"We've had a pretty good run here the last few years," Williams said. "Being involved with young people has been a really good experience. We've played for three state championships, we've won one, and being able to do that in my hometown is something I'm really proud of."
Williams will join Bills Mafia in rooting on the Bills as they take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 1 p.m.
