New Saints defensive coach under the spotlight

Written by Associated Press | Sunday, 02 August 2009 12:00 | Saints News

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — When a scuffle erupted on the practice field, new Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams looked downright giddy.

As tempers calmed and a tangle of tussling players broke up, Williams laughed, hopped over toward a few members of his unit and offered some congratulatory slaps on the shoulder pads.

It wasn't so much the scrap that Williams was celebrating, but the scrappiness that led to it.

Williams understands he was hired to improve a unit that was seen as a liability last season, when the Saints' floundered to an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs despite having the most prolific offense in the NFL. He figured the best way to turn that around was to instill a mentality in which his unit attempts to "win" every practice against Drew Brees and his talented corps of playmakers.

"We grade the practice on who won on every single play," Williams said. "This is not a real complicated game. Guys who play hard, guys who do what you ask them to do all the time are going to have a chance if they're smart and tough. So far, I've seen good toughness."

The Saints' defense ranked 23rd in the NFL in 2008 in yards allowed per game (339.5) and 26th in points allowed per game (24.6). Additionally, the Saints allowed opponent to complete 53 passes of 20 or more yards last season, and gave up five plays of 40 or more yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.

Head coach Sean Payton decided he had to make a change, and fired defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs.

His top choice for a replacement was Williams, whose defenses had frustrated Payton in the past. Williams was Washington's defensive coordinator in 2006, when the Redskins stifled the playoff-bound Saints 16-10 in the Louisiana Superdome.

"For a number of years I had experience in going against him. Then in the interview process, you saw his passion for what we were wanting to do," Payton said. "If we were able to get him on board, the search was going to stop there."

The Saints added an extra incentive for Williams, who interviewed with several teams, including Green Bay. New Orleans created a coaching job for his son, Blake, a former player at Princeton who was looking to get into coaching.

And Payton was persistent.

"He drove me nuts," Williams said. "He called a lot and texted a lot."

Williams built his reputation as a defensive coach with Tennessee in the late 1990s. He was the defensive coordinator for the 1999 team that forced 39 turnovers and narrowly lost in the Super Bowl to the St. Louis Rams. In 2000, the Titans' defense led the NFL.

His tenure as head coach in Buffalo from 2001-2003 did not go particularly well, but his defenses were strong: the Bills' ranked second in the league in 2003. He moved on to the Redskins from 2004-07 and oversaw a top-10 defense in three of those seasons.

Williams is animated at practice and has installed a new scheme that involves a lot of blitzing and versatility. He brushes off concerns about the likelihood of starting ends Will Smith and Charles Grant being forced to miss the first four games of the regular season because of positive tests for a banned diuretic last year.

"I'm one of those guys that like guys that are versatile players," Williams said. "Corners have to play safety, safeties have to play corner, linebackers have to play defensive end, defensive ends have to play linebacker — you'll see defensive tackles move out and defensive ends move inside. We're going to have enough guys to show up and play on opening day."

New Saints safety Darren Sharper, a 12-year veteran and four-time starter in the Pro Bowl, called Williams "a brilliant coach."

"It's probably the best defense that I've been a part of as far as schematically," Sharper said. "I'm excited to play in his style of defense because it's very aggressive."

Sharper said Williams has already told the club that he doesn't see himself as a savior, but appreciates that Williams is under a good bit of pressure to turn things around.

"Everyone knows around here, when you have the No. 1-rated offense, everyone's expecting the defense to come along and hold up their side of the bargain," Sharper said.

Williams is quick to dismiss the limelight that has shined on him in New Orleans since he was hired last winter.

"I'm just a piece of the puzzle," Williams said. "I'll be a better coach when these guys play better. How we're going to get them to play better is to play hard. That's what we're promising.

"I can't affect very much what mom and dad gave them in the gene pool," he continued. "Mom and dad need the blame more than blaming the coaches. But playing hard and hopefully trying to play smart, that's what we're trying to help them to do."

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