Goodell praises Williams hire

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Ram_of_Old

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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...her-roger-goodell-praised-gregg-williams-hire

And so....

After a one-and-done campaign with the Tennessee Titans, Gregg Williams returned to St. Louis on Thursday to restake his claim as defensive coordinator of the Rams.

"I've always thought that this is a possibility," said Williams, who first was hired to coach Jeff Fisher's defense back in 2012, only to emerge as a central figure in the bounty scandal that rocked the New Orleans Saints and sent the coach into exile.

On the heels of last season's reinstatement and run with theTitans, Williams told reporters Thursday: "I don't take it for granted any day that I get a chance to work in this league. Players should feel the same way. Staff members should feel the same way. Owners should feel the same way. This is a great business to be in, and this is a great place to be."

Here's what else we learned from the coordinator's introductory press conference:

1. Before hiring Williams for the second time, Fisher told the room that he huddled with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, "who not only endorsed Gregg, but felt that (hiring) Gregg would be a good move." The Rams coach added that he was motivated to reunite with Williams after pondering the progress of the team under last season's coordinator, Tim Walton. "I gave a lot of thought to the future and the direction to our defense," he said. "I have to say, I was a little bit uncomfortable."

2. We know that Williams favors an aggressive, frenzied attack that makes life uncomfortable for quarterbacks. With Chris Long and Robert Quinn lodged as Rams bookends, look for St. Louis to blitz like crazy. "When I came here the first time, I liked the nucleus that was here," said Williams. "And as I come back the second time, I even like the nucleus better."

3. Williams laughed off an anecdote from Renaldo Wynn, the former NFL defensive end who claimed that the coach -- back when he was with the Titans in 1999 -- obtained a Jaguars playbook prior to that season's AFC title game against Jacksonville.

"That was really a joke story," said Williams, who acknowledged: "I have playbooks of everybody's team ... You know, the first time Buddy Ryan had a playbook was when I was his young assistant. And it's one of my most treasured playbooks. George Allen's is one of my favorite playbooks. Every time a free agent walks in a building, comes to the building, he gives you the playbook. ... We all have everybody's playbook. ... I love to collect playbooks."
 
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jjab360

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I didn't notice it the first time I read it, but I LOVE how Mike Florio starts off his Gregg Williams playbook article with this little nugget:
Six years ago, the Patriots had to deal with a false report that they had videotaped the Rams’ walk-through before the Super Bowl played six years earlier.
Rofl, I can't stand that clown, I hate reporters that can't do their job without bias. He's clearly had something against the Rams in almost every single article he writes about them, and now he's rewriting history to where an incident in which the Patriots were deemed guilty and disciplined with fines and the loss of draft picks has suddenly been demoted to a "false report". Where's the smiley with the middle finger when you need it the most??
 

RamFan503

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I didn't notice it the first time I read it, but I LOVE how Mike Florio starts off his Gregg Williams playbook article with this little nugget:

Rofl, I can't stand that clown, I hate reporters that can't do their job without bias. He's clearly had something against the Rams in almost every single article he writes about them, and now he's rewriting history to where an incident in which the Patriots were deemed guilty and disciplined with fines and the loss of draft picks has suddenly been demoted to a "false report". Where's the smiley with the middle finger when you need it the most??
Never saw that. What an ass.
 

Boffo97

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I didn't notice it the first time I read it, but I LOVE how Mike Florio starts off his Gregg Williams playbook article with this little nugget:

Rofl, I can't stand that clown, I hate reporters that can't do their job without bias. He's clearly had something against the Rams in almost every single article he writes about them, and now he's rewriting history to where an incident in which the Patriots were deemed guilty and disciplined with fines and the loss of draft picks has suddenly been demoted to a "false report". Where's the smiley with the middle finger when you need it the most??
Actually, as far as I can tell, the charge of taping the Rams' pre-Super Bowl walkthrough WAS false.

However, the charges that the Patriots had been videotaping defensive signals from 2000-2007 were admitted true (although we didn't know that it was for more than one game when the "penalties" were announced. Meaning the Patriots got 7 years of competitive advantage and "won" 3 Super Bowls during that time, and only had to "pay" $750K in fines and lose a low 1st round draft pick. If it weren't for the cheating stigma, I'd take that trade every day of the week.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I'd say it went down brilliantly. Distract attention away from the signal taping with more serious but false charges, drag the investigation out as long as possible so people get sick of it, then when it comes out they were innocent of the more serious charges, just kind of ignore that the signal taping happened.

Goodell is a joke of a commissioner, more interested in perceived integrity of the NFL shield, then actual integrity, and sent a message that popularity will excuse cheating. I would have retroactively disqualified the Patriots in every single game Belichick coached in (and thought that was the fair punishment before the whole Penn State thing.)
 

RamFan503

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Actually, as far as I can tell, the charge of taping the Rams' pre-Super Bowl walkthrough WAS false.

Care to share your source with the class? Or is this based on the press release after they burned the evidence?
 

Boffo97

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Care to share your source with the class? Or is this based on the press release after they burned the evidence?
The paper that originally broke the story retracted it later, saying they had never seen the evidence, only taking the cameraman's word for it.

I would have loved it if the Patriots WERE guilty, but other than that desire, did anything about Matt Walsh seem trustworthy to you?

While the direct quote seems to be no longer on the Boston Herald's webpage, here's what they're quoted as saying:

"On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' walk through on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008 report on sources it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1061258-fired-up-setting-the-record-straight-on-spygate
 

PhxRam

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The paper that originally broke the story retracted it later, saying they had never seen the evidence, only taking the cameraman's word for it.

I would have loved it if the Patriots WERE guilty, but other than that desire, did anything about Matt Walsh seem trustworthy to you?

While the direct quote seems to be no longer on the Boston Herald's webpage, here's what they're quoted as saying:

"On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' walk through on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008 report on sources it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1061258-fired-up-setting-the-record-straight-on-spygate

Tell Warner and Faulk that.
 

RamFan503

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Right. The New England paper retracted its story so it wouldn't be blackballed by the team. Got it. Ironclad.
 

Boffo97

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Tell Warner and Faulk that.
Don't get me wrong. That game was still a travesty of justice. The Patriots, by their own admission, had taped the Rams' signals during their regular season game that year, plus they were taking advantage of the ref's "let them play" attitudes to cheat with impunity. (The idea that the team called the Patriots "should" win after 9/11 was a factor in the ref's minds IMO as well.) As I said, just based on the signal taping, I would have made them forfeit that and every other game between Belichick's hire and when the taping supposedly stopped.

While I definitely could believe the Patriots WOULD tape the walkthrough, the only word we have to go on is a guy who is now called a liar by everyone else.

Much as I despise them, I need a little more to go on before assuming they're guilty of everything, or it makes all the stuff I believe they did look equally non-believable.
 

Boffo97

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Did anything seem trustworthy with Incognito?

How about Jose Canseco..
I'm not sure where you're going with that... other than I've heard Canseco made allegations that weren't believed at first, then turned out to be true.

Still, is there any reason to believe Walsh was telling the truth other than wanting it to be true? Honestly, I'd go absolutely the other way, that Walsh may have still been under Patriots employ to distract attention away from the undisputed taping signals offenses.
 

Rambitious1

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Actually, as far as I can tell, the charge of taping the Rams' pre-Super Bowl walkthrough WAS false.

However, the charges that the Patriots had been videotaping defensive signals from 2000-2007 were admitted true (although we didn't know that it was for more than one game when the "penalties" were announced. Meaning the Patriots got 7 years of competitive advantage and "won" 3 Super Bowls during that time, and only had to "pay" $750K in fines and lose a low 1st round draft pick. If it weren't for the cheating stigma, I'd take that trade every day of the week.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I'd say it went down brilliantly. Distract attention away from the signal taping with more serious but false charges, drag the investigation out as long as possible so people get sick of it, then when it comes out they were innocent of the more serious charges, just kind of ignore that the signal taping happened.

Goodell is a joke of a commissioner, more interested in perceived integrity of the NFL shield, then actual integrity, and sent a message that popularity will excuse cheating. I would have retroactively disqualified the Patriots in every single game Belichick coached in (and thought that was the fair punishment before the whole Penn State thing.)

From what I can tell NE video taping the Rams walk through was NOT false.
The team videographer admitted it.
 

Ram_of_Old

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Goodell destroyed all the tapes, coincidentally, so we can't be sure what and who the cheating Putriots were taping....can we?

You realize he and Kraft are butt buddies, right?
 

Boffo97

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From what I can tell NE video taping the Rams walk through was NOT false.
The team videographer admitted it.
Right, Matt Walsh. Who as I said seems to be not trustworthy. As I said, I actually think his "admission" might have been part of a plan to make most people forget about the signal taping.

I can buy that Goodell swept it under the rug. But the Boston Herald lost a lot of credibility admitting that they had never seen the evidence and as far as they knew, it didn't actually exist. If the Patriots had the power to force them to lie about that, then why would have they reported the story in the first place?

But I'm obviously not going to change any minds here, and I don't want to come off like I'm defending the cheaters. I'm not. As I said, if it were up to me, I would have had them forfeit every single game from when Belichick took over as coach to when the proven cheating (signal taping) supposedly "stopped".
 

Ram_of_Old

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How many AFC Championships did the Putriots win by using illegal video tapes. The Goodell slapped them on the wrist and destroyed the evidence. I wonder why he did that?
 

Rambitious1

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Right, Matt Walsh. Who as I said seems to be not trustworthy. As I said, I actually think his "admission" might have been part of a plan to make most people forget about the signal taping.

I can buy that Goodell swept it under the rug. But the Boston Herald lost a lot of credibility admitting that they had never seen the evidence and as far as they knew, it didn't actually exist. If the Patriots had the power to force them to lie about that, then why would have they reported the story in the first place?

But I'm obviously not going to change any minds here, and I don't want to come off like I'm defending the cheaters. I'm not. As I said, if it were up to me, I would have had them forfeit every single game from when Belichick took over as coach to when the proven cheating (signal taping) supposedly "stopped".

True enough.
I'm just not sure why Matt Walsh seems to be untrustworthy.

No offense, but I don't see how admitting to a worse offense than signal taping would take heat off on that subject. I would think it would make it worse if anything.