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Dan Parr of ProFootballWeekly.com reports that as final OTAs come to a close, the Saints have received an opportunity to get to know their defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, and former Jacksonville Jaguar DE Bobby McCray likes the style Williams has brought with him.“We’re not going to lay down in the fourth quarter. We’re not going to play prevent when we’re ahead. We’re going to pick up every ball in practice,” McCray said, describing the club’s new approach. “…We’re coming at you. You know we’re coming at you. What are you gonna do about it?”
 

Mancini’s Take: In the report, McCray goes on to say that Jacksonville’s disappointing performance on defense last season shouldn’t reflect negatively on Williams since he wasn’t really the one calling the shots despite being the team’s defensive coordinator. Coach Jack Del Rio was the ultimate decision maker and reportedly overruled the veteran coordinator on numerous occasions to only then turn around and blame Williams for the team’s poor performance. I don’t know if I buy the entire story, but it would seem to make sense. In any event, I believe in Williams as a defensive strategist. He will make a difference in New Orleans with the talent he has by blitzing his guys from every angle. If he can get his corners to supply reliable man coverage, his unit will be good. If that’s not the case, the Saint defense will still be better than last year’s version, which tended to play more of a vanilla brand of ball that doesn’t work in today’s game. I expect big things from Jonathan Vilma and a comeback year from a healthy Will Smith.

Mandel's Take: Mike Smith didn't seem to suffer as the DC under Del Rio, did he? The Jags' defense was one of the better units in the league under his watch. It's a bit much to ask us to believe that it was all Del Rio last season. Williams is a good defensive coordinator but I'm not as high on him as you are, Rev. New Orleans has some players, but a couple of them--Smith and Charles Grant--will be missing the first four games of the 2009 season due to suspension. Add to that the new system Williams will implement and at best it's going to take some time for the unit to gel. Time the Saints might not have in the division they're in. Everyone is quick to point to Williams' successes--and there have been several--but tend to ignore or write off the failures. It's no given that the Saints' defense is going to improve under his high-risk, high-reward system.
 

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