Interesting Interview with Scott Fujita about Gregg Williams
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Can Gregg Williams change the culture of the Browns without breaking the rules?
9:15 AM ET-
Tony GrossiESPN Cleveland
Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.
Culture changer: Scott Fujita spent one season playing linebacker for Gregg Williams, the new Browns defensive coordinator, with the New Orleans Saints.
To Fujita, Williams was responsible for both the pinnacle of his professional career -- a Super Bowl championship following the 2009 season -- and also the nadir.
A year after Fujita moved on to the Cleveland Browns, the pay-for-performance scheme instituted by Williams with Saints defensive players blew up into a barbaric, pay-for-injury scandal known as Bountygate.
A profanity-laced, motivational speech delivered by Williams the night before a playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers was captured on audio and became the incriminating evidence that resulted in one-year suspensions for Williams and Saints head coach Sean Payton, and ultimately changed the NFL for the good.
But as four Saints players, including Fujita, were dragged through the mud for months, Williams, a “cartoonish” trash-talker in meeting rooms and on the practice field, fell silent. Portrayed as the leaders of Williams' scheme, Fujita and his former teammates eventually were exonerated when former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue arbitrated successor Roger Goodell’s heavy-handed penalties against the players.
Fujita hasn’t spoken to Williams since.
“There’s no bigger fan of Gregg than Gregg himself,” Fujita said. “But he has this weird, charismatic way of bringing the guys together. I was pissed at him a long time. He knows that. He kind of went dark during that whole period of time.
“I think if he would have stepped up and was more public about what exactly did happen and didn’t, and talked about players like myself who were being dragged through the mud, I would have liked to see that. But he didn’t. He probably had some side deal with the league and had to keep his mouth shut. It was tough on me. I haven’t talked to him since, but I would forgive him if we did.”
Here's the thing: Fujita has immense respect for Williams as a defensive coach, a tactician, and a motivator.
“I enjoyed my year with him,” Fujita said. “I feel he deserves a ton of credit for helping us get that Super Bowl because that’s sort of the energetic, competitive, confidence-building shot in the arm that we needed.”
Ultra-competitive: When Williams arrived in New Orleans, the Saints’ defense was a bad joke. The only thing it stopped was its own prolific offense from taking the team to the heights it deserved.
“So Gregg comes in and there was an immediate shift in culture,” Fujita said. “This idea that we were going take a back seat to anybody, that was not going to be the case anymore. So he comes in and all through OTAs and offseason workouts, the practice sessions became so fiercely competitive with our offense, and that made the whole team better. So just from a straight cultural standpoint, he came in and gave us sort of a shot in the arm of confidence. He said, ‘We’re here and we’re here to compete and to help this team win a championship.’”
Fujita admired Williams’ flexible schemes and how he made the game fun for his players by empowering them to make plays and “finding a way to get every defensive player on the roster engaged.”
But it was Williams’ nasty personality and ultra-competitive nature that gave the Saints’ defense the edge that it never had before he arrived.
Fujita characterized the language captured on audio that hanged Williams and Payton as “cartoonish tough talk” that nobody on the team took seriously. But it certainly was effective.
“He’s just a fiery guy,” Fujita said. “He wants guys to compete. He’s going to toe the line. He’s not going to be shy about toeing that line. That’s just kind of his personality. He’s just ultra-competitive. I mean, trash talk in the locker room, on the field, talking trash to Drew Brees and the offense and keeping score on whether there’s more completions or incompletions in a 7-on-7 drill that’s essentially just a jog through. He’s keeping score on every single thing, which breeds this really fiercely competitive environment in practice and in the meeting rooms.”
When Fujita came to the Browns, he played under a polar opposite personality in Dick Jauron, a mild-mannered, Ivy League-intellectual who commanded respect in a different way -- much like Ray Horton, the coach who Williams is succeeding in Cleveland.
“I don’t ever want to say one’s better than the other,” Fujita said. “A lot of it depends on the locker room, and I think generally the younger your locker room is, the more responsive and receptive guys will be to the rah-rah tough talk.”
Learning from his mistakes: The Bountygate scandal changed the culture in the NFL and brought awareness that violent hits to the head were potentially life-changing acts that needed to be removed from the game, not celebrated.
“That whole experience was a learning experience to the whole league because that was a cultural shift the whole league was going through,” Fujita said. “The way things were done, the language that was used for many, many years .. suddenly guys have to take a look in the mirror and say we’ve got to grow and move past that. I would hope that Gregg has done that.”
Fujita admitted that Williams will carry the stigma of Bountygate his entire career and beyond. He believes Williams can still be effective as a coach while playing within the new boundaries of post-concussion awareness.
“There’s been some pretty intense language that shouldn’t have been used,” Fujita said. “Hopefully he’s grown and matured from that. But everybody deserves second chances.
“Now it’s more about what he can do, each stop along the way, each season with each group of guys. If he can do the right thing and stay above board and use the right language and win games and get guys to compete well, that’s a good thing. Hopefully he and everyone else can look forward instead of looking back on a time where culturally everybody just needed to learn it was time to change.”
One thing is for sure.
“He’s going to bring attitude,” Fujita said.
(Listen to the full interview with Scott Fujita on HeyTony on ESPN Cleveland 850 WKNR Friday at 5 p.m.)
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Thanks Osiris!
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Loved Fujita... still maintain if he's not injured vs. the Jets... but I digress...
Article goes very deep into Williams, bounty-gate and more... and it's a decent article by Grossi to boot.
Click the link and enjoy.
Can Gregg Williams change the culture of the Browns without breaking the rules?Loved Fujita... still maintain if he's not injured vs. the Jets... but I digress...
Article goes very deep into Williams, bounty-gate and more... and it's a decent article by Grossi to boot.
Click the link and enjoy.
Can Gregg Williams change the culture of the Browns without breaking the rules?Great read - Thanks Tour!
D'Qwell Jackson once gave Fujita a lot of credit for improving his game not so much in tackle frequencies but where the majority his tackles were being made (up against the point of attack rather than in pursuit further downfield). He mentioned Fug was a really big help in the film room with identifying specific opponents tipping off the play and/or how to read his keys easier. Obviously the 4-3 also played a big role in keeping blockers off Jackson; but I felt like that was the best 1st step instinct I saw from Jackson on Sundays.
As for Gregg Williams, I thought one of his better jobs Coordinating a Defense was in Washington (even though he Coordinated 2 SB teams elsewhere). I'll guarantee, he's a big fan of having the right Safety after he was able to coach a guy like Sean Taylor. Another smart Defensive minded Coach here once felt Eric Turner was a pretty important addition to our defense. If Williams has a strong say in what we'll be adding early - I'll bet it's a Safety at #12.
-
Loved Fujita... still maintain if he's not injured vs. the Jets... but I digress...
Article goes very deep into Williams, bounty-gate and more... and it's a decent article by Grossi to boot.
Click the link and enjoy.
Can Gregg Williams change the culture of the Browns without breaking the rules?Great read - Thanks Tour!
D'Qwell Jackson once gave Fujita a lot of credit for improving his game not so much in tackle frequencies but where the majority his tackles were being made (up against the point of attack rather than in pursuit further downfield). He mentioned Fug was a really big help in the film room with identifying specific opponents tipping off the play and/or how to read his keys easier. Obviously the 4-3 also played a big role in keeping blockers off Jackson; but I felt like that was the best 1st step instinct I saw from Jackson on Sundays.
As for Gregg Williams, I thought one of his better jobs Coordinating a Defense was in Washington (even though he Coordinated 2 SB teams elsewhere). I'll guarantee, he's a big fan of having the right Safety after he was able to coach a guy like Sean Taylor. Another smart Defensive minded Coach here once felt Eric Turner was a pretty important addition to our defense. If Williams has a strong say in what we'll be adding early - I'll bet it's a Safety at #12.
Great read - Thanks Tour!
D'Qwell Jackson once gave Fujita a lot of credit for improving his game not so much in tackle frequencies but where the majority his tackles were being made (up against the point of attack rather than in pursuit further downfield). He mentioned Fug was a really big help in the film room with identifying specific opponents tipping off the play and/or how to read his keys easier. Obviously the 4-3 also played a big role in keeping blockers off Jackson; but I felt like that was the best 1st step instinct I saw from Jackson on Sundays.
As for Gregg Williams, I thought one of his better jobs Coordinating a Defense was in Washington (even though he Coordinated 2 SB teams elsewhere). I'll guarantee, he's a big fan of having the right Safety after he was able to coach a guy like Sean Taylor. Another smart Defensive minded Coach here once felt Eric Turner was a pretty important addition to our defense. If Williams has a strong say in what we'll be adding early - I'll bet it's a Safety at #12.
I agree, but think Hooker & Adams may well be gone top 10, so it may take a trade up to get either, if those would be his guys. Methinks this draft is going to be a real mystery up until it happens.......Stand pat?, trade up?, trade down?, DE?, DT?, S?, QB? We can & will speculate all we want for the next 3 1/2 months, but we really...
Mike
IN DORSEY I TRUST -
Seems like this is how it should? play out.
The draft is deep in cb's and dl/de's.
First Round:
#1 Trubisky
#2 Justin Evans, SS
Changed my mind, the safety class is shallow. Hooker, maybe Adams go top ten.
But at twelve.... Justin Evans.
http://draftblaster.com/2017-NFL-Draft/schools/texas-am/justin-evans-ss/
-
Seems like this is how it should? play out.
The draft is deep in cb's and dl/de's.
First Round:
#1 Trubisky
#2 Justin Evans, SS
Changed my mind, the safety class is shallow. Hooker, maybe Adams go top ten.
But at twelve.... Justin Evans.
http://draftblaster.com/2017-NFL-Draft/schools/texas-am/justin-evans-ss/
Seems like this is how it should? play out.
The draft is deep in cb's and dl/de's.
First Round:
#1 Trubisky
#2 Justin Evans, SS
Changed my mind, the safety class is shallow. Hooker, maybe Adams go top ten.
But at twelve.... Justin Evans.
http://draftblaster.com/2017-NFL-Draft/schools/texas-am/justin-evans-ss/
Looking at those highlights of Evans, I see far too many "body block" tackles where Evans ends up standing up after his "tackle". I don't see that happening in the NFL, but we'll see. He hits hard, but we need "wrap 'em up & put 'em down" tacklers on the Browns. We can do far better at #12. Just my opinion.
Mike
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Great read - Thanks Tour!
D'Qwell Jackson once gave Fujita a lot of credit for improving his game not so much in tackle frequencies but where the majority his tackles were being made (up against the point of attack rather than in pursuit further downfield). He mentioned Fug was a really big help in the film room with identifying specific opponents tipping off the play and/or how to read his keys easier. Obviously the 4-3 also played a big role in keeping blockers off Jackson; but I felt like that was the best 1st step instinct I saw from Jackson on Sundays.
As for Gregg Williams, I thought one of his better jobs Coordinating a Defense was in Washington (even though he Coordinated 2 SB teams elsewhere). I'll guarantee, he's a big fan of having the right Safety after he was able to coach a guy like Sean Taylor. Another smart Defensive minded Coach here once felt Eric Turner was a pretty important addition to our defense. If Williams has a strong say in what we'll be adding early - I'll bet it's a Safety at #12.
I agree, but think Hooker & Adams may well be gone top 10, so it may take a trade up to get either, if those would be his guys. Methinks this draft is going to be a real mystery up until it happens.......Stand pat?, trade up?, trade down?, DE?, DT?, S?, QB? We can & will speculate all we want for the next 3 1/2 months, but we really...
Mike
I agree, but think Hooker & Adams may well be gone top 10, so it may take a trade up to get either, if those would be his guys. Methinks this draft is going to be a real mystery up until it happens.......Stand pat?, trade up?, trade down?, DE?, DT?, S?, QB? We can & will speculate all we want for the next 3 1/2 months, but we really...
Mike
If the top Safeties are off the board at #12, I think I read Florida has an intriguing Corner that hd 8 INTs with 3 pick 6s that could give Gregg Williams some groinal warming...
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I wouldn't hate Garrett - Humphrey either. You NEVER reach just because you had your little heart set on a specific position.
The problem with Justin Evans isn't that he's not a decent player. But he will be on the board with our second pick in the second round.. no reason to reach.
The issue is that Humphrey offers MORE of an addition to our current roster.
[Or Lattimore, or either of the Florida corners]
It also wouldn't hurt to take any of the round 2 corners with our pick at the top of the 3rd if any are still around [ Tankersley, White/LSU, Lewis/UM, Sutton/Tennessee, Thomas/LSU]
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I bet williams would love him some vontaze burfict
I bet williams would love him some vontaze burfict
Pittsburgh still loves them some Joey Porter. The Rooneys took care of that one real fast behind the scenes didn't they? Porter is allowed to coach again. Gee, what a surprise!
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I bet williams would love him some vontaze burfict
Pittsburgh still loves them some Joey Porter. The Rooneys took care of that one real fast behind the scenes didn't they? Porter is allowed to coach again. Gee, what a surprise!
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You never know where a thread will go, but there's an unusual gravitational pull to Round One of the 2017 draft... and it's growing...
Anyone care for a Foster(s)???
"Foster... it's Alabamian for cheer..."
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
You never know where a thread will go, but there's an unusual gravitational pull to Round One of the 2017 draft... and it's growing...
Anyone care for a Foster(s)???
"Foster... it's Alabamian for cheer..."
You never know where a thread will go, but there's an unusual gravitational pull to Round One of the 2017 draft... and it's growing...
Anyone care for a Foster(s)???
"Foster... it's Alabamian for cheer..."
Nice! Now THAT is how you recruit for a first round camp.
Way back in 98, Zombo was pouring Guinness Beer in Camp Couch while Hoorta was offering up his Orange stuff alternatives via cup or funnel. Poor Atenears was trying to convince anyone that would listen to "just say no!"
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Follow-up ESPN article -not the same as the original
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Do you value skill or talent? There's your question with Evans. He is not a polished tackler. BUT you'd be hard pressed to find a guy with a meaner streak on the field and we 100% need some of that.
But will he humble himself and give up the big hits at times in favor of sure tackles? If the answer's no, he's not worth anything higher than a 3rd rounder, if that. If it's yes, he's just as good as Adams.
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