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PRO FOOTBALL

December 4, 2009 12:36 am

BY RICH CAMPBELL

ASHBURN

Doughty had just been drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 2006 draft. He was celebrating with his family when he received a congratulatory phone call from head coach Joe Gibbs.

Gibbs turned the phone over to Williams, who was the Redskins' assistant head coach-defense from 2004-07. And, as Doughty recalled this week, it was quite the introduction.

"Are you in shape?" Williams asked him.

"Yes sir," Doughty replied.

"We'll see," Williams came back. "I'm going to make you puke."

Welcome to the NFL, huh?

But that's Williams for you. Similar stories have elicited laughter throughout the Redskins' locker room this week as Williams prepares to return to Washington on Sunday as the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. And considering that owner Daniel Snyder fired Williams upon hiring coach Jim Zorn in February of last year, players believe Williams will be determined to help the undefeated Saints embarrass the Redskins.

"Gregg wants to stick it to every offense," said linebacker London Fletcher, who played for Williams in Washington and Buffalo. "Do I think he'll want to get ours a little bit more? Probably, considering everything that transpired a couple years ago with him."

Williams coordinated a top-10 unit in three of his four seasons in Washington. His aggressive defenses were a reflection of his personality.

Ask players what they remember most about playing for Williams, and almost every one will cite his foul mouth.

"As a rookie, I'm like, 'Is it even legal to say that?'" defensive tackle Kedric Golston said with a laugh. "Then I realized we were grown men, and it was all good."

Williams took his colorful language to Jacksonville last season after the Redskins chose Zorn over him and a few other candidates for their vacant head coaching position.

He landed in New Orleans last offseason, and it seems to be a perfect fit. The Saints' defense leads the NFL with 22 interceptions and a jaw-dropping seven turnover returns for touchdowns.

Paired with the high-octane offense that was already in place, the Saints have become the class of the NFL.

"Before he got here, everyone looked at our defense as the stepchild, a poor stepchild at best, to our offense," Saints veteran safety Darren Sharper said. "We wanted to change that mentality, that outlook. Gregg preached that to us, that we're not going to play second fiddle to anyone."

Williams has revived New Orleans' defense the same way he did it here. His uses some extremely aggressive blitz packages, but he's smart about when to use them. He also mixes his personnel frequently to disguise his tendencies.

For example, he rushed only four for most of the game in New Orleans' big win over New England on Monday. He dropped seven defenders to help stymie the Patriots' extensive arsenal of weapons.

The Redskins, of course, lack the firepower of New England's offense, so they're expecting Williams to unleash havoc.

"He's going to let it rip!" Washington receiver Santana Moss said. "I know Gregg. He's going to come out here no holds barred. He's going to show us the whole kitchen and the sink and you name it."

That doesn't exactly bode well for Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell. Washington's calamitous offensive line has surrendered more sacks (33) than all but two teams in the league.

For Williams, it could be the perfect recipe for revenge.

"Jason probably needs to have his track shoes on," cornerback Carlos Rogers said, "because Gregg is going to be after him."

Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com