When Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn spoke to reporters for the first time in a few months, they both had similar feelings about Terrell Williams, the new defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions.
When asked about Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin’s growth, Campbell expressed faith in Williams, saying, “I think he really is – he’s the best D-Line coach in this league.” And if he’s not, you may debate about where he is.” The head coach earlier said this about Williams at the scouting combine, praising him for his game knowledge and proven ability to develop and maximize his players’ potential.
And Glenn, about 20 minutes later, was asked about increasing the team’s sack numbers this next season before pointing to his belief in Williams, adding “I feel like we have one of the best — if not the best — D-line coach in the league.”
Williams takes over the defensive line and will serve as the team’s run game coordinator, replacing John Scott after one season in Detroit. He comes to the Lions after coaching the defensive line for the Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans over the previous 11 years. Williams added the title of assistant head coach in his final year on Mike Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee and joins a coaching staff loaded with former players and returning names.
“The technique, the way that he goes about coaching, he’s very confident, and his intelligence about the position, too,” Glenn elaborated about Williams when asked by MLive. “Listen, I’ve been around a couple of good ones. Ryan Nielsen, who’s actually the coordinator in Jacksonville, I’ve been around him for a while and they’re comparable as far as knowledge, as far as defense.
“And he believes exactly what I believe in when it comes to D-Line play, so that’s a good thing.”
Williams takes over for a defensive line that played a large role in rocking one of the league’s best-run defenses last season. The Lions allowed only 3.7 yards per carry, ranking third in the NFL, and just 1,509 rushing yards on the campaign, ranking second in the league. Aidan Hutchinson was one of the game’s best pressure creators in his second season, and Alim McNeill flashed another level to his game with a breakout third year.
The Titans, despite their struggles last season, still had a strong run defense with one of the best red-zone showings. They ranked first in red-zone scoring percentage, and that’s not nothing.
And while Williams was admittedly happy with the Titans after six years. He couldn’t say no to reuniting with Campbell, from their time in Miami, not to mention general manager Brad Holmes. Williams coached Holmes while serving as North Carolina A&T’s defensive line coach.
“I trust Dan, and I trust Brad, and they trust me,” Williams told a small group of local reporters at the combine. “You can ask them, I don’t want to speak for them, but that’s what’s important to me. If I can trust you, then we can have tough conversations and those things, and that’s important to me. Dan and I have talked for years about having an opportunity to work together, and when this opportunity came, it was an easy decision for me.
“They (Titans) were great to me over the last six years, and I had planned on moving forward with them. But the opportunity to get with Dan and Brad, AG, those guys, and work for this organization, and my wife has family in Detroit, then my son’s hockey, man, the hockey part was bigger than you think. It was a huge part of me coming here to Detroit.”
