Jaguars Hire Gregg Williams

1010XL has reported that former Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will be named as the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville. Williams was a finalist for the Washington head coaching job when Joe Gibbs retired, and when the Redskins decided to go in a different direction, Williams was relieved of his coordinator duties.

Williams seems to be the most sought after coordinator right now, following interviews in Jacksonville, St. Louis, Tennessee, and Dallas. Williams' blitzing schemes and complex style of defense have quickly risen him up the coaching ladder, as he was a head coach at the age of 42 with the Buffalo Bills. Williams was in Buffalo for three seasons before being fired after a 17-31 record and no playoff appearances.

Gregg Williams defensive units in Washington were in the top 10 in the NFL for three out of his four years despite his teams lacking star power on the front seven. Williams' efforts earned him a three-year, $8 million extension in January of 2006, making him the highest paid assistant in the NFL at that time.

It is unclear what his settlement from Washington included in terms of compensation, or what he'll receive in Jacksonville. His position will likely be assistant head coach/defense and he will take over for former Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who was hired nearly two weeks ago as the Atlanta Falcons head coach.

Williams will be taking over a very talented Jacksonville defense that desperately needs to manufacture a pass rush. It is unclear whether or not Williams will be an upgrade over Smith, but if the Jaguars have indeed come to terms with Williams, it will be the "sexiest" hire during Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio's tenure as head coach.

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Charlie Bernstein is the Editor-in-Chief of JagNation.com, and a regular syndicated contributor to FoxSports.com, Sirius NFL Radio, MySpace Sports and Sportsillustrated.com. Charlie is also a member of the Pro Football Writers Association, and is a columnist for the New Smyrna Observer. Feel free to contact him -HERE- with questions or comments.



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