The relief that came with Gregg Williams turning down the Denver Broncos’ head coaching job was short lived as Williams is already on a shortlist of candidates claimed to be favorites in replacing Jeff Fischer as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Regardless of whether he stays or goes, this offseason has made it very clear that Williams is a very highly thought of coach throughout the league and it’s only a matter of time before he leaves for a better job. Eventually, someone will give him a job he can’t say no to.
Williams had this to say about his job with the Saints this past week: “I have a great job right now that I love — love! I really like this staff I’m working with. I really, really like the players. There’s not one single player of the room that I walk into that I have to worry about does he believe in what we are doing. I’ve been coaching for 31 years, and that’s rare.”
He also made the comment that for him to leave, the opportunity to leave would have to be pretty special.
So here’s the question: Is being the head coach of the Tennessee Titans a special opportunity?
Williams listed a stable quarterback situation as one component to a dream head coaching job. He’s obviously enjoyed the fact that having Drew Brees on the other side of the ball heightens the impact of any big play the defense can make. Tennessee’s QB situation is anything but stable. Vince Young has been labelled a locker room cancer by management and ownership, and despite his broken relationship with Fischer now moot, word is he still won’t be welcomed back in Tennessee. That means the Titans can either settle for another year of Kerry Collins, or they can pick up their quarterback of the future in the offseason. Either way, quarterback is hardly a secure position for the Titans right now. Many Saints reporters over at NOLA.com have also been steadfast in their belief that Williams wouldn’t take the Titans job out of respect to his relationship with Jeff Fischer. Williams was the Titans’ defensive coordinator when they made the Super Bowl, and he enjoyed a successful run working alongside Fischer. The idea is that his friendship with Fischer would trump his familiarity with the city, team and relationship with Titans’ ownership. I’m not sure I buy that, but it’s nice to hear someone saying they don’t think Williams will go. My main concern in all of this is that Williams has roots in Nashville, and it’s been reported that he owns a home in Nashville. I hope there’s truth to Williams’ demand for a good quarterback combined with his position of not taking the job out of respect for Fischer. Personally, it scares me that his family is familiar with the area, already has a home there, and that he has pleasant memories from past success there. Kind of sounds like a dream job to me, potentially.
Regardless if how this plays out, there is no denying that Gregg Williams is a premiere defensive mind in the NFL. While his stint with the Bills didn’t go well, most teams seem eager to give him another shot to prove himself as a head coach. All signs pointed to the Denver job being on the table for him if he was willing to take it. The bottom line is, sooner or later, that dream job will come along. Whether it’s this offseason, next offseason, or in a few years, I think it’s extremely unlikely that Williams will last as the Saints’ defensive coordinator for the duration of the Sean Payton era.
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