Springs at Nickel Back?

Don't forget Ray Rhodes.

Curmudgeon, Vintage Whiners, amusing, funny even...

I noticed you left off George Edwards from that list of great defensive coordinators of Redskins lore. The prevailing sentiment I believe on this board, and one I agree with, is that we've had some very good defensive coordinators in the past years. And certainly lack of consistency in keeping the same coordinator is something that has hurt the team as a whole and players such as LaVar.

But Mike Nolan, from an era long ago, was not one of them. Not while he was here at least and George Edwards, well good for him for getting a shot but he looked totally lost. So forgive me, and anyone else, if we're more than a little excited about having a solid, proven defensive coordinator in Gregg Wiliams with talented players such as lavar, washington, and taylor (among others) for hopefully the next several years.

Yeah, I think it's safe to say most of us would be elated to still have the likes of Marvin Lewis or Ray Rhodes here as defensive coordinators, but things didn't work out that way, so we're delighted to have a guy like Gregg Williams instead.

And by the way, though Williams has yet to prove his genius with this particular group of players, I wouldn't rule out that MENSA membership quite yet. This guy's as cerebral as they come. He's the kind of guy I could imagine walking off the practice field and sitting down with Gary Kasparov for an afternoon chess match... just to keep his mind fresh.

Having said that, I'm still not convinced that Williams' intellect, savvy and ingenuity will be enough to overcome the critical deficiencies along the defensive line. Given the situation there, if Williams is able to put this defense in the top 10 this season, go ahead and give him his MENSA card.

If they make top 5, Williams deserves a Nobel Prize or something.

Lewis and Rhodes were both quality DC's but unfortunately the merry go round at the head coach spot didn't let them establish any continuity here. Plus let's face it Lewis was just holding out for the HC spot that he definitely deserved. Nolan wasn't quite the DC that he is now and Edwards, ummm let's not go there.

Williams track record speaks for itself and he can match resumes with the best of the league's defensive coordinators. Yes the d-line is still a concern but can anyone name starters from the Bills d-line last year when they ranked #2 overall?

Williams will have this defense in the top 15.