New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray got a lot of attention -- and got docked a lot of money -- for his hard hits on opposing quarterbacks during the Saints’ playoff run. But McCray says it’s Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who’s really deserving of attention.
On ESPN’s Jim Rome Is Burning, McCray said he thinks Williams’ game plan for Colts quarterback Peyton Manning at Super Bowl XLIV was masterful, and he praised Williams for making Manning panic on the key interception that clinched the victory for the Saints.
“He was going against a great guy on our side of the ball, which is Gregg Williams,” McCray said when asked why Manning struggled. “He makes quarterbacks panic and do things they don’t want to do, and that puts our players in great position. As you can see, he thought he was throwing to Reggie Wayne but he threw it to us one play. It’s just the play design we have on defense. It was a great year and our defensive coordinator has done a lot of great things for us this year.”
McCray referred to Manning as a “great player” who was even tougher to prepare for than Brett Favre or Kurt Warner, the other quarterbacks the Saints faced in the postseason. But he said Williams has transformed the Saints into a defense that can beat any quarterback.
“He changed our whole persona,” McCray said of Williams. “We thought he was crazy when he came in. We had to do up-downs, which you only do in high school and college. Up-downs? You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re NFL players. But that got us disciplined to the point where anything he says, goes, and we believe it.”