For the second straight year Buffalo has three defensive linemen representing the team at the Pro Bowl. This year their front four will be capped with the addition of an end who many believe will win Defensive Player of the Year honors.
"Me, Kyle (Williams), Mario (Williams) and J.J. Watt. God, it's crazy," Marcell Dareus told Buffalobills.com of the anticipated starting lineup for their Pro Bowl defensive line. "We should have a good game. We have Justin Houston. We have everybody on our team. Our defense is almost as good as Buffalo's."
All three of Buffalo's Pro Bowl defensive linemen were drafted by Team Carter, Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter's squad, earlier in the week. J.J. Watt was Carter's top pick and Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Mario Williams soon followed.
Buffalo's all-star representatives intend to put on a solid performance as they're well aware of who they're playing for Sunday.
"This is an opportunity to come out here and see your contemporaries and guys you play with and compete against, but most importantly you get to represent yourself, your family and our organization as well as our fans and that's as important as anything we can do," said Kyle Williams.
What has made each of the past two Pro Bowls special for Kyle Williams is having Buffalo teammates lining up with him.
"It's good. I've been out here before by myself," said Williams, a four-time Pro Bowl selection. "I know the feeling of being the only soldier out here. So it's good to have teammates and friends out here to share the experience with and kind of kick back and go over the year. You enjoy yourself with a little vacation time together and look forward to what's coming next year."
"Football is all about camaraderie and understanding you have a relationship with your teammates," said Mario Williams. "So just to come out and see different coaches and players is definitely a great thing."
For Dareus it's just his second career Pro Bowl nod, but he's already come to know a lot more of the top players in the NFL by being a part of the league's all-star game.
"You get to mingle with the best in the league and have fun and talk about the football games we had with each other," Dareus said. "Different experiences, different obstacles we had to overcome. This is one of my favorite parts of the year being around these guys and taking the game to another level. You get to know guys more than just on the football field, on more of a personal level."
Buffalo's defensive linemen have also done their due diligence in gathering information on their new head coach in Rex Ryan, talking to a couple of Jets representatives at the Pro Bowl in Nick Mangold and Sheldon Richardson.
"Yeah they've come up to me and offered their thoughts," said Kyle Williams. "I've played with guys who have played for coach Ryan, so I think I have a pretty good feel of what we've got and I'm excited about it."
"Yeah talking to Mangold he told me (Rex) is the head coach, but he's also a defensive line coach," said Dareus. "He likes to mix it up with us and have a lot of fun. He's just a personal players' coach. He's going to make everything worthwhile for us. I can't wait to get with the guy see the game plan and move through the season and see if we can make the playoffs."
Bills defensive end Mario Williams and defensive tackles Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus represent the Bills at the events leading up to the 2015 Pro Bowl in Arizona.