1 – The motivation behind Kyle Williams' powerful pregame speeches
He's always been told he can't, which is why he loves to tell his teammates they can.
Buffalo's fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft, Kyle Williams has been defying expectations throughout his entire career. Though he was productive throughout his three years at LSU, the 6-foot-1 Williams was dubbed an undersized defender in the pre-draft process, someone who wasn't cut out to play the defensive tackle position in the NFL.
Williams has quite obviously defied all expectations. The 35-year-old, who is now in his 13th season with Buffalo, has become the heart and soul of the Bills organization, someone who sets the standard for how players should act on and off the field.
In addition to his on-field production, Williams has become known for his powerful pregame speeches, emotional talks in which he rallies his teammates to the cause. In an interview with NFL Films, Williams broke down what motivates him to speak to his teammates before games.
"I'm a shoot from the hip guy," Williams said. "I like to let my emotions out, wear my heart on the sleeve and kind of be in the moment.
"It's really kind of a way to put myself out there, to push myself and motivate myself, as well as get my teammates ready to go. It's kind of two-fold."
Not only do the speeches inspire Williams' teammates, but they serve as a source of motivation for him, as well, reminding the veteran that he must practice what he preaches.
"A lot of that is holding myself accountable and to a higher standard," Williams said. "Because if I stand up in front of 53 men and I lay a bullet point out of what we want to do and who we want to be, am I willing to go out on the field, whether it's practice or the game field, and not be all of those things?"
2 - PFF: Tre'Davious White is a lockdown CB
Tre'Davious White entered his sophomore campaign with a chip on his shoulder.
The Bills cornerback proved himself to the Buffalo faithful in his rookie season, totaling 69 tackles, 18 pass deflections, and four interceptions. White, however, received little national recognition for his elite play.
He was not nominated for the NFL's Rookie of the Year award. He was not named to the AFC's Pro Bowl roster despite posting better statistics than two of the cornerbacks that played in the game.
Motivated by the national neglect, White set out to establish himself as a lockdown cornerback in the 2018 season. Thus far, he has lived up to the title. According to Pro Football Focus, White is currently allowing just one reception per 23.8 coverage snaps, good for second in the NFL.
Only Richard Sherman ranks above White in that statistic. The San Francisco defensive back is allowing one reception per 30.2 snaps in coverage.
White ranks above Stephon Gilmore, Byron Jones, and Casey Hayward on the outlet's list. His overall PFF grade of 67.1 places him in the top half of the league among cornerbacks.
Through nine games this season, White has recorded 31 tackles, six pass deflections, and one interception.
3 - Josh Allen: Offense is close to clicking
He has already made a return to the practice field, and a return to the lineup is seemingly in sight for quarterback Josh Allen.
The rookie, who has been sidelined with an elbow injury since Week 7, returned to practice last week in a limited capacity. Allen's workload in practice has steadily increased this week, and he's now listed as day to day on Buffalo's injury report. Head coach Sean McDermott has yet to rule Allen out for the team's Week 10 matchup with the Jets.
Though he missed valuable in-game experience while inured, watching games unfold from the sideline actually benefited Allen. Able to take a step back, the rookie gained a deeper understanding of the offense, and he doesn't think that success is far off.
"We're close," Allen said. "I definitely think we're really close, a lot closer than people think. People tend to focus on the score. There were a few games that got out of hand. As a team we're very close."
Allen feels as though a solid offense paired with Buffalo's stout defense, a unit that is allowing an average of just 313.7 yards per game, is a recipe for success.
"Taking care of the football is our main priority," Allen said. "When we can do that we're going to be in football games because of our defense. They've been playing really well. On offense we have to move the ball on third down, protect the ball and when we can do that consistently that's when we'll see this thing get reversed."
