Should Gregg Williams return as defensive coordinator in '08?

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

I'm curious about the reasoning behind the 3 people (so far) who have said "no". Are you saying you think, from GW's perspective, he should go elsewhere? Or that, from the Skins' perspective, he should not be brought back?

I said "no", I don't think he should be brought back. Here's why; GWs defense has done fairly well statistically, but the second half breakdowns game after game are a major concern. A stat that was shown in the game Sunday night was that Gibbs 1.0 was 2nd best in the NFL in protecting 2nd half leads from 1982-92 (Richie Petitbone). Gibbs 2.0 was either the worst or 2nd worst in the same stat since 2004 (GW). Gibbs' offensive philosopy hasn't changed dramatically, Gibbs 1.0 was constantly criticized for being "too conservative" also. So IMO this is primarily a D-Coordinator issue. What this indicates is good preparation going into the game but the ability to "think on your feet" and make in-game adjustments is poor.

2004 was amazing defensively
2005 was in the top 1/3, but didn't create many turnovers, overall good
2006 poor, set NFL record low for turnovers created
2007 average at best. 2nd half of games have been poor defensively. 26th in generating turnovers.

The trend is going down, not up. Obviously after last year there was no where to go but up. We should be seeing consistent improvement or at least a steady level of defensive play in the top 1/3 of the NFL for a guy that is one of the highest paid coordinators. Gibbs has given him whatever he has asked for (Taylor, Rogers, McIntosh, Landry, Archuletta, Fletcher, Carter). Even with injuries and Sean's death, we have at least average talent on the defensive side of the ball.

These are the 2nd half breakdowns this year.

Giants: 17-3 Skins at Half / 21-0 NYG in 2nd L
Packers: 14-7 Skins at Half / 10-0 GB in 2nd L
Cards: 14-6 Skins at Half / 13-7 Cards in 2nd W
Eagles: 12-7 Skins at Half / 26-13 Eagles in 2nd L
Dallas: 10-7 Skins at Half / 21-13 Dallas in 2nd L
Bills: 9-2 Skins at Half / 15-7 Bills in 2nd L
Bears: 7-0 Skins at Half / 17-16 Skins in 2nd W

Granted the offense hasn't performed well in the second half of some of these games, but if the D could stay even in the 2nd half of two of these games we are 9-5. Sitting back watching that Cover-2 get picked apart in the 2nd half with almost no defensive shifts or blitzing is sickening. In each of these games it appears the opponent's offense adjusts to our gameplan at halftime and GW isn't prepared.

Obviously not a popular opinion, but I stand by it and honestly hope in the long run I am proven wrong. Bottom line is we all want the same thing; for the Skins to be successful and win Superbowls again. We just don't all agree on how to get there, not that our opinions can do anything to help or hurt the franchise.