He had teammates that had more eye-popping statistics. Aaron Schobel had 10 sacks, Jairus Byrd had nine interceptions, but when Bills fans voted in an online poll at Buffalobills.com for their defensive MVP they chose the man in the trenches, defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
Williams had a career year in 2009. The freedom afforded him by the defensive staff to freelance a bit more this season allowed Williams' playmaking abilities to emerge.
"Any time the coaches come and tell you they know you can make plays and cut you loose a little bit it gives you confidence," said Williams.
And that confidence was evident early in the season. Williams got pressure on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Week 1 forcing him to quickly toss a dump pass over his outstretched arms. But the throw was picked off by Aaron Schobel who returned the interception for a touchdown in Week 1.
Williams did the same thing the following week against Tampa when his pressure forced Byron Leftwich to hurry a check down pass that was overthrown. Donte Whitner intercepted that pass and went 76 yards the other way for a score in a Week 2 win.
The defensive tackle finished second on the team in tackles for loss in 2009 with 14 on the year. Williams also finished third on the team in sacks with a career-high four and ranked fourth in tackles despite missing more than three games with a sprained MCL.
His best outing came in Week 13 against the Jets in Toronto. Williams had eight tackles a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. One of his sacks came on a 3rd-and-10 play that forced the Jets to settle for a field goal.
Though Buffalo's run defense left a lot to be desired and its ineffectiveness frustrated Williams, the up and coming defensive tackle still took pride in the individual season that he put together on the field
"I'll sleep easy knowing I gave it what I had every time I played," said Williams of his 2009 season. "I thought it was my best one. I was far more productive than I have been other years even missing three and half games. I felt good about how I played."
