Gregg Williams
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| Gregg Williams | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 15, 1958 |
| Place of birth | Excelsior Springs, Missouri |
| Position(s) | Defensive coordinator |
| College | Truman State University |
| Career record | 17-31 |
| Coaching stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Coaching stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1990–1996 1997–1998 1999–2000 2001–2003 2004–2007 2008 2009–present |
Houston Oilers Tennessee Oilers Tennessee Titans Buffalo Bills Washington Redskins Jacksonville Jaguars New Orleans Saints |
Gregg Williams (born July 15, 1958) is the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints and the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Considered one of the most respected defensive minds in the game, Williams is known for running aggressive, attacking 4-3 schemes that put heavy pressure on opposing quarterbacks.[1][2]
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[edit] Football career
[edit] Early career
Gregg Williams was a head coach for the Class 5 Belton High School Pirate football team in Belton, Missouri. He attended Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. Williams was an assistant coach for the University of Houston under former Redskins head coach, Jack Pardee. He later went on to become the Special Teams coach of the Houston Oilers under then defensive coordinator, Buddy Ryan. From 1994-1996, Williams was the linebackers coach for the Oilers.
From 1997-2000, Williams was promoted to Defensive Coordinator of the now Tennessee Titans after the Oilers moved out of Houston. As the Defensive Coordinator, the Titans led the league in total defense and only gave up 191 points, the third fewest in the NFL since the league adopted the 16-game schedule in 1978. The defense also helped lead the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV where they lost to the St. Louis Rams.
[edit] Buffalo Bills
He earned his first head coaching position with the Buffalo Bills. As the Bills' head coach, his team was known for highly conservative calls, especially on offense. He was the inspiration for Gregg Easterbrook's designation of "the maroon zone" by frequently punting in opponent territory. Williams was 17-31 as the Bills' coach, and was fired after a 6-10 record in the 2003 season.
[edit] Washington Redskins
After his release from Buffalo, Williams was at the top of several NFL teams' list for the position of defensive coordinator. Williams quickly signed with the Washington Redskins, the only team with which he interviewed, because Head Coach Joe Gibbs offered him total autonomy over his defensive players and defensive coaching staff.
In Washington, with Williams' aggressive defensive scheme, the Redskins' defense ranked third in the NFL in 2004 and ninth in 2005.
On January 3, 2006, Williams signed a three year extension to remain with the Redskins, which made him the highest paid assistant coach in the NFL.
In 2006, however, his status as a great defensive coach was somewhat diminished due to his team's poor play. Specifically, following the sixteenth week of the season, the Redskins' defense was ranked last in the NFC and 30th overall in the league.
The 2007 season was a vast improvement for Williams. The defense ranked within the top ten in the NFC, and the team finished 9-7, with a loss in the wildcard round to the Seattle Seahawks. Williams had established a particularly close relationship with 24-year-old free safety Sean Taylor, calling him "the best player [he'd] ever coached." When Taylor was murdered mid-season on November 27, 2007, Williams was deeply affected. In tribute to Taylor, Williams called a defensive play with only ten men for the first play of the Redskins' first game after the tragedy, a November 30, 2007 game against the Buffalo Bills.[3] For the remainder of the season, Williams ran an inspired defense which performed, along with the rest of the team, to honor Taylor's memory, highlighted by holding star running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings to 27 yards on December 23, 2007,[4] and allowing a franchise-low one yard rushing to the Dallas Cowboys on December 30, 2007, sealing a playoff seed.[5]
[edit] Jacksonville Jaguars
After Joe Gibbs retired, Williams was considered to be the most popular candidate to take over as Head Coach of the Washington Redskins. He interviewed four times with team owner Dan Snyder. However, on January 26, 2008, Williams was fired, along with Assistant Head Coach–Offense Al Saunders.[6] On February 6, 2008, Williams became the new defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The position was vacated by Mike Smith who was hired to coach the Atlanta Falcons.
[edit] New Orleans Saints
Williams was hired by the New Orleans Saints on January 15, 2009. Head coach Sean Payton, who was heavily involved in the effort to recruit Williams to the team, raved about Williams “because he was so impressive and prepared” in his interview. In fact, Williams was so impressive that Payton offered and took a voluntary $250,000 cut in salary to help facilitate his signing with the team. He will take over a Saints defense that ranked 23rd in the NFL in yards allowed and tied for 26th in points allowed last season.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Triplett, Mike; Kider, Teddy (2009-01-15). "Gregg Williams hired as New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator". The Times-Picayune. http://blog.nola.com/saintsbeat/2009/01/gregg_williams_hired_as_new_or_1.html.
- ^ Yasinskas, Pat (May 22, 2009). "Saints' defense showing different look". ESPN. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcsouth/0-11-97/Saints--defense-showing-different-look.html.
- ^ "Redskins remember slain Taylor, use 10 men on first defensive snap". ESPN. December 3, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3138182.
- ^ "Washington vs. Minnesota Box Score". ESPN. December 23, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=271223016.
- ^ "Skins cap resurgence with rout of Cowboys, playoff berth". ESPN. December 30, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=271230028.
- ^ "Redskins dismiss Williams, Saunders; promote Blache to lead defense". ESPN. January 27, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3215817.
[edit] External links
- Official Redskins website biography of Coach Williams
- Official New Orleans Saints website biography of Coach Williams
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jeff Fisher |
Tennessee Titans Defensive Coordinator 1997–2000 |
Succeeded by Jim Schwartz |
| Preceded by Wade Phillips |
Buffalo Bills Head Coach 2001–2003 |
Succeeded by Mike Mularkey |
| Preceded by George Edwards |
Washington Redskins Defensive Coordinators 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Greg Blache |
| Preceded by Mike Smith |
Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Coordinator 2008 |
Succeeded by Mel Tucker |
| Preceded by Gary Gibbs |
New Orleans Saints Defensive Coordinator 2009–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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