New Jets DC Gregg Williams gets the blood boiling for his defenders

The New York Jets have a new defensive coordinator in Gregg Williams, and his unique coaching style should translate to the on-field product this season.

This certainly isn’t Gregg Williams‘ first rodeo as an NFL defensive coordinator, but the New York Jets defense is getting their first taste of the way he does business.

Williams is a fiery coach who loves to get under the skin of his players, all in hopes of pushing them to be their best and maximize their skills.

Defensive lineman Henry Anderson acknowledges that Williams’ approach is one he hasn’t quite experienced before, but he and his teammates still appear to be enjoying it (via team reporter Ethan Greenberg):

He’s definitely unique. I’ve never had a coach like him before. It’s always fun to start first thing in the morning with a meeting with him. He gets the blood boiling a little bit. It’s fun, though. Sometimes you’re in there in the morning, kind of tired, still waking up and he wakes you up pretty fast. He gets you ready to go out there and practice. He brings a lot of energy, he’s passionate, he wants this defense to be great, which is only going to be good for us.

This is Williams’ eighth different stint as an NFL defensive coordinator, and he brings some head coaching experience to the Jets, as well. He served as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2018, and finished the season as the team’s interim head coach following the in-season firing of Hue Jackson.

He inherits a Jets defense loaded with playmakers, including Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams, four-time Pro Bowl linebacker C.J. Mosley, and a pair of stud defensive lineman in Leonard Williams and No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams.

For Anderson, he faces the challenge of adapting to a new scheme and role, despite having a career year for the Jets last season:

I’ve been playing the same sort of technique and now it’s a new style of play where I’m having to pretty much tell myself everything that I was doing in the past is not the way to do it anymore. I need to change the way I’m doing it. It’s a good learning process. We’re definitely not perfect yet, but we’re making big strides every day. We’ve got good energy out there, which is good. Guys are eager to learn and eager to get better.

There’s enough talent at every level of the Jets defense for this unit to be one of the league’s best in 2019, and Williams runs an aggressive scheme that loves let playmakers loose. His track record is full of successes as a defensive coordinator, and there’s no reason to expect any different in New York.

While it might be a challenging transition for players like Anderson, in the long run, all parties should benefit from Williams’ presence in 2019 and beyond.

What are your expectations for the Jets defense this season? Will Williams turn this group into a top-10 unit in the NFL? Give us your take in the comment section!