Buffalo Bills DT Kyle Williams (left) showed up as a legend. Indianapolis Colts OL Quenton Nelson is starting his journey to becoming a legend. Both photos by Al Thompson

ORLANDO: If you want to talk about the Pro Bowl in relation to the Super Bowl, one could classify the Super Bowl as the NFL supersized and Intense, while the Pro Bowl is the NFL up close and personal.

Both have their attractions. If you want the thrill that comes from attending an event that draws massive crowds from cities vying for a world championship, the Super Bowl livres up to the hype every year.

If you want to attend an event either yourself or with the family, the Pro Bowl gives NFL fans the chance to get up close to the stars they can only see on television competing in America’s great sports passion.

The NFL’s top players are more accessible at Pro Bowl Week – this year it was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando – than perhaps at any other NFL event.

It depends on what you’re looking for.

The Pro Bowl is a place where we can get to meet the game’s newest stars such as Saquon Barkley (Giants), Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys) Denzel Ward (Browns) Derwin James (Chargers) and Quenton Nelson (Colts).

The Pro Bowl is also a place to say goodbye to longtime stars like Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams.
Williams played 13 seasons for the Bills, made six Pro Bowls, reach icon status in the Buffalo area but only played in one NFL playoff game.

The 6-foot-1, 303 pounder never chased a ring. He easily could have moved on to play for a contender if that’s what he wanted. Instead, he immersed himself in the upstate New York area, played every game like it was his last, and is leaving the game through the front door, with a smile on his face.

“I’m totally fulfilled,” Williams said after Thursday’s practice. “I am leaving knowing that I gave my all to one organization, one community, and the City of Buffalo. It To know it was such a special place for me and the love and support they gave me in the time I spent there, shows it was the right place at the right time for my career.”

Williams, like most players, says he will miss practices and being around the players in the locker room.

“Yeah, I think those are things you’re going to miss,” Williams said. “I’m only two weeks removed from our locker room in Buffalo then I come here to this. I haven’t had to deal with it yet. I know knowing how special the locker room has been for me over my years, I know it’s going to be something I miss.”

Williams talked about the specifics of his life at a professional football player and what he will remember as that part of his life as it gains distance in his personal rearview mirror.

“Obviously teammates,” Williams said. “Obviously not everybody gets an opportunity to go out every week and really see what you’re made of. This is the toughest league in the world to play in because of its physical nature, its violent nature so on Sundays knowing that you have to be at your physical best and had to prepare in a certain way to be at your physical best to be successful, it’s something that I really relish.”

Williams would not rule out that he may stay involved in pro football, perhaps involved as a commentator in Buffalo.

“There are a few things floating around out there that I may or may not do,” Williams said. “I’m kind of flushing those things out right now. I’ll see how it goes as time goes on. We’ll see how it goes.”

One player who made his NFL debut in spectacular fashion is Nelson. The mammoth guard out of Notre Dame was a big part of stabilizing the offensive line for the

Indianapolis Colts giving franchise quarterback Andrew Luck the time and confidence to lead the Colts to an improbably run and playoff appearance after getting off to a 1-5 start.

Nelson not only earned a starter’s spot as a rookie, he earned first team All Pro honors. His rookie teammate, linebacker Darius Leonard out of South Carolina State, also was named to the All Pro team. The two became the first pair of rookies to be named All Pro from the same team in since Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus were the other players to achieve first-team status in 1965, and both went on to have Hall of Fame careers with the Bears.

“In both cases they bring a lot of juice into the meeting room, into the weight room. They have infectious leadership qualities,” first-year coach Frank Reich said in a press gathering after they were named. “Their love for the game, their love to compete at the highest level I just think is very infectious and you love their confidence to be able to just let that loose.”

Nelson talked about their rare distinction.

“Darius and I worked really hard,” Nelson said after Thursday’s practice. “We’ve got some other really good rookies who impacted out team in such positive ways this season. We’re definitely looking forward to more of that next season.”

Nelson also talked about how the Colts were able to turn their season around.

“I would say we stuck to our process and tried to get one percent better each day,” Nelson said. “It finally just hit that point where we got to where we needed to be, started trusting and believing in each other. That took us where we wanted to go.”

Say what you want about the Pro Bowl, there is no question it is a happening and plenty of history to witness being made. *

Follow Al Thompson on Twitter @thompsoniii