Introducing: The guy everybody will blame at the end of next season

WWL is reporting that the Saints have hired Gregg Williams to be the new defensive coordinator. I promise more on this later, but I think the defensive coaching was probably something like 20th on the list of things that needed to be addressed during this offseason. But Gary Gibbs was a convenient enough scapegoat. So now the fans will get to kick this guy around.

But really, until Payton learns that you can't run a spread offense in the NFL and until the team finds some actual talent on defense, it won't matter who is getting overpaid to call coverages and blitzes.

Update: via the The Gambit blog, we learn the following about Williams' stint in Washington:

Williams, who'd been fired the previous year as the Bills' head coach, had a ton of adulation tossed his way, and his swagger at Redskin Park was unmatched. He liked to tell people that he'd only agreed to take the job if Snyder "didn't stick his nose" into personnel matters, and Snyder -- who wanted to win in the worst way -- had agreed. That gave Williams a feeling of invincibility, and considering the egg that the offense laid that year in comparison, he probably deserved to feel that way.

But it was a blind confidence, and when Pierce became a free agent after the 2004 season, and talks began to stall, Williams, according to Redskins sources, claimed Pierce was "replaceable." It was the first hint of arrogance under the new Gibbs regime, a sense that Williams felt it was his system, not the players, that dominated offenses. Cornerback Fred Smoot was also a free agent at the time, and again, Williams felt Smoot was expendable, even though losing a starting linebacker and a starting corner would necessitate an extensive defensive overhaul.

Wait... it gets worse..

The problem, according to a notable Redskins player, is a scheme, a staff and a play-calling regimen that is flawed and predictable, and a sense that Williams is on too much of a power trip to adjust.

"Why are we the 30th defense in the league? I think coaches got arrogant, I think Gregg got arrogant," the player said Tuesday, asking not to be identified. "They thought they figured it all out. They thought, 'We can win with scheme, we don't need players.' Don't be mistaken, this is a player-driven game, and so you need players. Any time in life when somebody thinks they've got it all figured out, it's going to come and get you. It's going to come and get you … the sentiment is a lot of guys are mad because the coaches think it's all about them. They think they're f------ geniuses, thinking they can just let guys go and get away with handling people badly."

One thing you don't want to throw into this mix is another over-paid coach who thinks it's "all about him"