Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Traditionally, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is quick to embrace a former assistant coach on the field before a game.

Names like the Bills' Doug Marrone and Raiders' Dennis Allen come to mind and there are probably a handful of others Payton has smiled and bantered with during pregame warmups. I'm sure we'll see Payton and Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi hug it out at Ford Field in mid-October when Payton spots his former quarterbacks coach.

The Saints will take on the St. Louis Rams on Friday night at the Edward Jones Dome. Gregg Williams, the Saints' former defensive coordinator once praised for guiding the defense in New Orleans' Super Bowl XLIV triumph, will coach his first game as the Rams' defensive coordinator.

It's actually Williams' first game on the sideline since the Saints' 2011 NFC divisional playoff loss at San Francisco, and his first game as a defensive coordinator since being dubbed by the NFL as the ringleader of the Saints' alleged bounty program.

There will be no glad-handing between Payton and Williams. There also will be no hugs between Williams and Saints linebacker coach Joe Vitt. No jokes. Probably no eye contact, either.

Payton, who was suspended for the 2012 season in connection to the bounty scandal, said upon his reinstatement into the NFL in January 2013 he had no desire to talk with Williams. Payton, though, said a few months later he didn't regret hiring Williams, saying what the 2009 staff established couldn't be taken away from them.

No suspension, lost wages or damaged reputation can erase the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV crown.

But there's no forgiving and no forgetting in this story. Not with these guys.

The friction between the Saints and Williams began early in their working relationship. It boiled over as Williams exited the Saints en route to St. Louis after the 2011 season.

Vitt served a six-game ban in connection to the bounty scandal. He also served as the interim for Payton during the 2012 season. Vitt held nothing back in his bounty hearing testimony about Williams.

"And the first time we brought Gregg Williams, we said, 'Jesus Christ, this guy is nuts,'" Vitt said. "You know, I mean, talking about himself, talking about his accomplishments, talking about his money, talking about how he should -- you know, the guy had a pretty bad track record in being a pretty good defensive coordinator."

Vitt continued his verbal assault on Williams when questioned about his departure to St. Louis in the bounty hearings in December 2012:

"Now, I think the biggest thing that everybody gets tired of with Gregg is just day after day, week after week of the bull(expletive), the crazy stories I mean, I'm going to give you my texts. I'll show you that all the time he's got this insatiable desire to talk about himself. He's got this insatiable desire to talk about how good he is and his family is.

"And in the course of all of the bull(expletive) stories, you've got to work your way through it, you've got to -- you know, you've got to try to get the meat and the potatoes of what's true and not true. But after a while, that just gets to you. It just gets to you.

"I would say the final straw was the last two weeks of the season -- of the Detroit, San Francisco (playoff games), you know, Gregg kept coming to Sean every day and wanted his contract extension and wanted his extension done. And Sean said, well, we'll talk about it at the end of the season, well knowing what direction Sean was going in.

"And the last week of the season, it's all in the papers, you know, Gregg has gone to St. Louis, it's his best friend Jeff Fisher, you know, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, trying to squeeze Sean, trying to squeeze (GM) Mickey (Loomis) to get his contract. And the day after the playoff game that we lost against San Francisco, he went into Sean's office and says I need to know right now, I need my contract, I've got to let Jeff know what I'm doing. And Sean said, you're not going to get a contract here. I think it's best go to St. Louis with your friend Jeff. And that was it. ...

"It didn't end pretty. It didn't end nice. I'm sure that Gregg has a lot of animosity towards me now."

All of this happened before the bounty drama became public.

Williams returned to an NFL coaching staff last season, serving as a defensive consultant with Tennessee to aid longtime coaching friend Jerry Gray. Then Jeff Fisher, Williams' admitted best friend in coaching, hired the former Saints defensive coordinator after, ironically, Rob Ryan left St. Louis after the briefest of stints to head to the Saints as their defensive guru.

And now Williams makes his return mentoring a defense.

Here's the one question I can't stop from circling my brain: Why would the Saints play anyone in their projected starting offensive lineup in this preseason game?

We already know Drew Brees isn't playing with his oblique injury, despite Payton's attempts to deflect the obvious. Oh, and don't forget Brees questioned Williams' mental state right after former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue vacated the suspensions for Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita.

I wouldn't have cared if Brees was injured or not. My advice would have been to sit Brees no matter what.

It's not like the first unit would play more than a series or two, anyway. It's not worth the risk of playing the Saints' most valuable offensive assets.

Then, of course, there's the Saints' infamous preseason opener in the 2011 season against San Francisco and then-rookie coach Jim Harbaugh. The alleged backstory of a non-phone call between Payton and Harbaugh about how the game would be played allegedly spurred hard feelings. True, false or somewhere in the middle, something gave Williams the itch to blitz.

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Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

With all the bulls**t Williams has gone through surrounding the whole bountygate crap,he'd be stupid to even think about getting his guys to hurt any players-especially players from the team that let him walk. And you know daddy goodell will be watching...

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Come on these are grown men. This is behind us and him. Move on get over it.

This is 2014 getting kicked off. I don't think Williams will come remotely close to have a player intentionally hurt one of our players... they supposedly learned there lesson right. That is why Williams got reinstated.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

pshh......Williams got reinstated because he rolled over for Goodell and testified against the players. Keep in mind he was actually reinstated BEFORE Sean Payton was, now tell me there wasn't some shady back room deal going on there.

And normally I would say everybody deserves a second chance, but everything I have read about Williams says he is bat-**** crazy. Also, I am pretty sure he purposely sabotaged the whole team in that 2011 playoff game. That was the most f-ed-up defensive game plan I've ever seen.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

I think there is a coorilation between this idea and our injured right now

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

I take it as there will be no(gentlemans agreement) between Payton and Williams. He could blitz every play, it's up to the O to stop anything he can throw at us. Williams want hold off the dogs, he will let them hunt. This should be a good chest match, can't wait. The good news is we get to see how our #2 and #3 qb. handle it.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Reality, or Larry Holder out of real things to write about? Hmmm?

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

How do you know it's behind them? Have you talked to either of them?

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

I'm starting to get the feeling that Williams isn't on Vitt's Christmas Card list.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Williams brought the house until the last second ticked off the clock when we played SF in preseason the year we lost to them in the playoffs. It's just his MO and I expect Williams to turn up the heat even more against us.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Yall are nuts... these are two really good teams who are going to may serious runs.

NO way they go all out in the first preseason game. They are still evaluating players ect.

Besides you think Williams will do anything that will question him... after all that has happened?

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

The Rams better sit their starters.
Sincerely,
Kenny Vaccaro

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Sabotage? That's an interesting angle...

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Really? This is a pre-season game. If Williams does something stupid then he will have to pay. He better focus on the regular season. Otherwise the Rams will be sitting at home come the playoff time.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Think about it, if this guy's ego was out of control and crazy as everybody said, and he had just been told he wasn't going to be offered another contract, he might've just been thinking "screw it, I don't care."

I'm not saying he went into the game with the plan to throw it. I thought I read somewhere in the hearing that Payton had asked him to take it back a notch at some point with all the blitzing and he refused saying it was his defense and he didn't answer to anybody. Could've been Vitt's testimony, I'm not sure.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

I just remember nobody covering Vernon Davis, even though the ball was obviously going to him .... :bang:

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

He did something stupid in 2011 against the 49er's in preseason and they came back and got us.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Good. Blitz us as much as you can and help our O-Line learn from that great D-Line. Brees isn't playing and unless an important play maker gets hurt I wouldn't think anything of it.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

give the guy a bit of credit. his insane way of playing was big for the saints as a franchise. But more than anything it forced a bunch of players to learn so many different schemes and responsibilities. that is why after Spaz left any DC was given a gift. who ever walk in the door got a group of players that could play many different roles.

I am not saying Roy Boy did not do a good job just saying he was looking a gift horse in the mouth when he signed here

the guy was crazy but his stamp is still on this defense.


The play to Davis was a safety i believe getting blown by in man coverage. if i remember right. or was that Jenkins?

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Who's Roy Boy?

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

I'm with you, Jack.
All the nasty recorded talk from Williams came right before that San Fransisco game. If I remember correctly, he knew that someone in the room was recording him as they were doing a documentary on Steve Gleason at the time.

I think Holder's right. Put the scrubs in from the get-go.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Wow. Is he really that bad? I would also like to think " they are grown men and will act like adults".

But I've known people who were bat crap crazy and they wouldn't understand NOT being a complete douche nugget. So....

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

:popcorn: :chug:

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Yeah. Screw Williams. He rolled on the Saints to save is own butt. I hope the Saints embarrass him on the NFLN. I hope we lay a 40 burger on him.

And I don't believe for a second that Williams factors in to the decision to play Drew or not.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

He did it to himself.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

*yawn* Preseason...
I can't watch anyway for the next 6 weeks...

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

why in the hell the nfl does the nfl want to act like a tmz/entertainment tonight . the history behind pyton and Williams will draw a few more ticket sales? bullcryp goodell had no sayso over the schedule commity. but if Williams loves to bring attention to himself like vitt says , just sit the key players in this game. we can let loose at another part of the season if it comes to it.

Re: Bad blood could boil over, so Saints should sit offensive starters vs. Gregg Williams, Rams
 

Lets face it no one made any mention of this game until this knucklehead posted and editorial mind you.