Alan Williams took over as defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears earlier this year. He has the challenging task of transitioning a group that spent years in a 3-4 system to a 4-3. That will be especially difficult for the front seven, where the defensive line and linebacker take on entirely new responsibilities. The good news is Williams inherits a pretty good situation in the secondary, and that is his area of expertise.
He’s coached defensive backs for close to two decades in the NFL. He has a Super Bowl ring to show for it. So he understands how to cultivate cornerbacks and safeties as well as anybody. He already had Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson to work with when he arrived. The Bears quickly added to his arsenal with 2nd round picks Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker. According to the latest episode of 1920 Football Drive, Williams wasted no time giving the group great advice on how he expected them to play.
His advice to Jackson was particularly sage.
Alan Williams sounds exactly like what he is.
He is an NFL coach who knows the blueprint to success. This man has seen defensive football played at the absolute peak many times. His introduction to the league was in 2001 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that Hall of Famer-stacked unit with John Lynch, Warren Sapp, and Derrick Brooks. Then he worked with stars like Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, and Robert Mathis in Indianapolis during his first stint there. All told, he’s worked with a defense that finished top 10 in the NFL eight times between 2001 and 2021.
More importantly, his understanding of the system he’s coaching is as deep as it gets. He knows the responsibility of every single position on the field. If anybody is capable of helping Jackson resurrect his floundering career, it is Alan Williams. Johnson, Gordon, and Brisker are in capable hands too. If they follow his instructions, this secondary could morph into one of the league’s best not too far down the road.
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