LadyNRedskinsfan
08-08-2004, 10:25 PM
The Brain Behind the Redskins' Brawn
Defensive Chief Williams Has a Passion for the Game That's Contagious
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 8, 2004; Page E01
Gregg Williams gathered his defense around him before the start of training camp last week and was enveloped in a mass of shoulder pads and helmets. The Washington Redskins' assistant head coach-defense was no longer visible to the outside world, but to anyone within a 100-yard radius, he was clearly audible.
"We will be the best-conditioned defense in the league," Williams commanded. "There will be no lack of focus. . . . Never ever, ever, ever think you are tired."
Williams's intensity defines him. The look in his eyes as he bounds about Redskins Park is one of complete concentration, whether on the field or in a news conference, and his attitude and tone convey that anything less than a full effort from his players will not be tolerated. As the man Coach Joe Gibbs chose to run the defense, Williams is doing all he can to make his passion and aggression rub off on the players. Williams, 46, came to Washington after three years as a head coach in Buffalo to rebuild a defense that ranked 25th in the NFL last season. He believes his mission is to expunge a culture of losing and push the players on a daily basis in meetings and on the practice field.
Washington has been a short stop for defensive coordinators in recent years, with the team changing its staff and schemes seemingly each offseason. When Williams watched tape of the defense's performance from 2003, he knew a total reshaping was in order. The Redskins' technique was flawed: They tackled poorly, lacked an intimidating presence and, most troubling of all, did not play with the speed and physicality he covets.
"We're not playing a real peaceful game," Williams said. "We're playing a game, on defense especially, that's one of aggression and we have to change a mind-set here defensively, and in order to do that it comes from the top down and I've got to be the first to picture that and then they'll take it from there.
"I made it clear what I expect from my first meeting [with the players] on. I didn't disappoint them. I was aggressive in the first meeting, and I'll be aggressive from every meeting on until I'm someplace else. That's just how it's going to be, and I think they'll appreciate that it's not old hat. It's fun to see their focus when they come into a meeting, and my understanding is possibly there was a lack of focus here last year."
For Williams, every day is game day.
"If you have a bad day or a bad practice, Coach Williams will let you know about it the next day when you go in for the defensive team meeting," nose tackle Brandon Noble said. "There's no question that you know where you stand at all times, and that's what you want as a player. You're either doing it right or doing it wrong, and somebody is telling you about it one way or the other, and you need that sometimes -- that kick in the butt -- to get you going, and this defense definitely needed that. We need to have that accountability and the coaching staff has done a good job of instilling that in us."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48705-2004Aug7.html
i didnt realize that gregg had a relationship with pardee.......
Defensive Chief Williams Has a Passion for the Game That's Contagious
By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 8, 2004; Page E01
Gregg Williams gathered his defense around him before the start of training camp last week and was enveloped in a mass of shoulder pads and helmets. The Washington Redskins' assistant head coach-defense was no longer visible to the outside world, but to anyone within a 100-yard radius, he was clearly audible.
"We will be the best-conditioned defense in the league," Williams commanded. "There will be no lack of focus. . . . Never ever, ever, ever think you are tired."
Williams's intensity defines him. The look in his eyes as he bounds about Redskins Park is one of complete concentration, whether on the field or in a news conference, and his attitude and tone convey that anything less than a full effort from his players will not be tolerated. As the man Coach Joe Gibbs chose to run the defense, Williams is doing all he can to make his passion and aggression rub off on the players. Williams, 46, came to Washington after three years as a head coach in Buffalo to rebuild a defense that ranked 25th in the NFL last season. He believes his mission is to expunge a culture of losing and push the players on a daily basis in meetings and on the practice field.
Washington has been a short stop for defensive coordinators in recent years, with the team changing its staff and schemes seemingly each offseason. When Williams watched tape of the defense's performance from 2003, he knew a total reshaping was in order. The Redskins' technique was flawed: They tackled poorly, lacked an intimidating presence and, most troubling of all, did not play with the speed and physicality he covets.
"We're not playing a real peaceful game," Williams said. "We're playing a game, on defense especially, that's one of aggression and we have to change a mind-set here defensively, and in order to do that it comes from the top down and I've got to be the first to picture that and then they'll take it from there.
"I made it clear what I expect from my first meeting [with the players] on. I didn't disappoint them. I was aggressive in the first meeting, and I'll be aggressive from every meeting on until I'm someplace else. That's just how it's going to be, and I think they'll appreciate that it's not old hat. It's fun to see their focus when they come into a meeting, and my understanding is possibly there was a lack of focus here last year."
For Williams, every day is game day.
"If you have a bad day or a bad practice, Coach Williams will let you know about it the next day when you go in for the defensive team meeting," nose tackle Brandon Noble said. "There's no question that you know where you stand at all times, and that's what you want as a player. You're either doing it right or doing it wrong, and somebody is telling you about it one way or the other, and you need that sometimes -- that kick in the butt -- to get you going, and this defense definitely needed that. We need to have that accountability and the coaching staff has done a good job of instilling that in us."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48705-2004Aug7.html
i didnt realize that gregg had a relationship with pardee.......