Dec 18, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams yells to his players during the game with the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The Saints win 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Jerry Gray and Gregg Williams are getting ready to transform this Tennessee Titans defense into one that will confuse, harass and aggressively try to dominate opponents.
Speaking at an appreciation dinner at Cumberland College on the 6th, Williams opened up and talked about his relationship with Gray, what he looks for in his defense and what the Titans will do this season. One thing I can say, get ready people, this defense is going to be humming.
For those worried about how Williams and Gray will get along, I say, don’t. Williams talked about it at the appreciation dinner, here’s what he had to say:
Via Titansonline:
Williams said he considers Gray his brother. The two have worked nine seasons together as coaches in different capacities, and Williams said they will work well together again.
“The most fun he’s had coaching is when he’s worked with me, and, quite frankly, the most fun I’ve had coaching has been when I’ve worked with him,” Williams said.
Williams also spoke about the importance of building the defense and having good corners so they can confuse and harass offenses.
Williams said he thinks it’s important to build a defense with cornerbacks because they can enable teammates to do more on each play. The Titans have discussed the desire to play more “press” man coverage this season and drafted cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Khalid Wooten to add bigger players at the position.
“When we have corners that can play like (McCourty), now watch how crazy we play everywhere else,” Williams said. “The way that he plays the position gives us a chance to trick (the opponent) or hide someone else that’s not as good as him.”
Many players have talked about the defense being more aggressive and dictating what they do to the offense instead of sitting back and playing in a more read and react way. What exactly does this mean?
For one, you will see much more of the 3-2-6, The Ruby package as it was called last year. It’s multi-dimensional and perfect for showing many different looks. This defense will have more pre-snap movement than defenses you have seen in the past. Pre-snap movement could come from the D-line shifting, LBs shifting and crowding the line or dropping into what looks like coverage , and of course DBs shifting to play press, dropping to a zone look, and Safeties flying into the box and giving the look that they are blitzing. Then, right before the ball is snapped they shift back causing the QB to have to switch from his initial read to his second or even third option.
This defense will play downhill and will put players into a position to make plays, confuse offenses, and harass QBs. Will it blitz constantly? Absolutely not, while you will see many different changes from last year you will also see a defense that will have to, at times play conservatively. Today’s offenses are too good to be a one trick pony on defense.
Of course, we also have to hope that the players we have in the secondary can play press coverage consistently. If not, there will simply be calls that can’t be made on defense for fear of constant breakdowns. Personally, I think they’ll be fine, but we’ll see.
I look forward to following up this article with a few more that will better illustrate the nuances of a Gregg Williams defense.
What say you?
Shawn Eagle
You can follow me on twitter @RS1Eagle