One thing about Gregg Williams: He is not shy.
The Jets’ new defensive coordinator spoke to the media Thursday for the first time since he was hired in January. It was 12 minutes of The World According to Williams and it was highly entertaining. Williams, 60, shared his thoughts on his coaching philosophy, some of his players and his relationship with outside linebackers coach Joe Vitt.
“My secrets get out,” Williams said. “The reason I keep getting hired is culture — and culture beats strategy any day of the week. It’s about how you find ways yourself to be tougher, how you find ways to play harder, play smarter for longer than any opponent you go against.”
Williams joined new Jets coach Adam Gase after getting passed over in Cleveland for the head coaching job there. He had been the Browns’ interim head coach last season after Hue Jackson was fired.
To watch Williams coach in practice is to be entertained by a string of profanity and screaming. But Williams said that is all by design.
“That’s premeditated,” Williams said. “How do we, Monday through Friday, make sure these guys can block out the white noise on Sunday? When you have slow-motion practices, then you’re shocked on a fast-paced Sunday. So, [we] try to put as much external pressure on them as we can, from distractions, voice, from fake anger. That type of stuff to try to get ready to play on Sundays.”
One of the biggest storylines when Williams was hired by the Jets was his reunion with Vitt. The two coached together with the Saints and won a Super Bowl there, but both were involved in the Bountygate scandal. During the NFL investigation, Vitt testified against Williams and questioned his honesty.
Williams shut down a question about their relationship Thursday.
“Not a question,” Williams said. “Next question, go ahead. He’s a great friend of mine, he’ll always be a great friend — I don’t care what you’ve written. Go ahead, somebody else.”
Vitt also was in no mood to talk about it.
“Is this a National Enquirer question?” Vitt snapped. “I like Gregg. He’s a friend.”
Williams also hit on a variety of other topics:
* On how long he wants to coach: “People ask me all the time, ‘How much longer am I going to do this?’ I love what I do. I’m a competition-aholic. When I walk into a room and nobody will pay attention anymore, it’s time to do something else.”
* On his first meeting with Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams: “I’ve coached a lot better people than you before.” Williams then pretended to be shocked, mimicking Adams’ response.“Right off the bat,” Williams said. “But that was the point.”
* On working with Gase: “Respect and trust [are] earned, and he has earned my respect and earned my trust now that we’re working together on the same thing. It’s been fun, OK? He’s a very good coach, has a really good mind, has a challenging mind on conceptually what we’re doing [on defense].”
* Williams said he has 42 different defensive packages: “I know people talk about 4-3 and 3-4. Everywhere I’ve been I’ve done them both. I’ve walked in and this is what the dominant thing was at this particular place, well that’s what we’re doing. We led the league last year at Cleveland in the most number of 3-4 snaps at 737, not that I was counting. But we also do the 4-3 stuff, the nickel stuff, the sub stuff. How do we get these 11 guys who we put out on the field to do the best that they can do?”
* On defensive end Leonard Williams: “I’m really looking forward to cutting him loose. He was high on my list to get a chance to draft. There’s a drastic difference in just the philosophy of how we play up front. He’s had some really great spring [practices]. I can’t wait to get him in pads and ready to go. He’s another one that I’m excited about to have the opportunity to help him be as good as he can be.”
