CHICAGO — Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich has watched Alan Williams in action the last four seasons, impressed with Williams’ ability to teach and lead the team’s secondary.
“Alan has great energy on the field,” Reich said Tuesday. “Watching him run drills, he has good energy, good body language. There’s a good, positive vibe to him. He can connect. Alan’s an excellent football coach.”
Williams has been the Colts defensive backs coach since 2018, working under Reich and Matt Eberflus. Now he’s following Eberflus to Chicago, agreeing Wednesday to become the Bears defensive coordinator.
It’s a role Williams, 52, has held before — for two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings in 2012 and 2013. But that stint wasn’t spectacular. The Vikings went to the playoffs in Williams’ first season overseeing the defense, winning 10 games while finishing fifth in the league in sacks, 22nd in takeaways, 16th in total yards allowed and 14th in points allowed.
The following season — on the way to a 5-10-1 backslide that cost head coach Leslie Frazier and much of his staff their jobs — the Vikings defense came apart, allowing a league-worst 30 points per game while finishing 31st in total yardage allowed and 27th in takeaways.
That was also almost a decade ago. And after eight seasons overseeing defensive backs for the Detroit Lions and Colts, Williams will give coordinator duties a second try. He will do so with the green light from Eberflus to call the plays as the defensive-minded Eberflus takes on his first head coaching job.
“I do believe that to be the head football coach and be efficient at that, you are exactly that: the head football coach,” Eberflus said Monday. “(That way) I can be involved in all aspects of the game. So the defensive coordinator we hire will call the defensive plays.”
Those responsibilities now fall to Williams, who already has a strong partnership with Eberflus.
Reich said he enjoyed listening over the headset as Eberflus called the Colts defense on game days, creating valuable in-the-moment interaction with his defensive staff. Williams, Reich noted, always provided dynamic dialogue, building substantial trust with Eberflus over their four years together.
“Alan has really good command of the whole picture,” Reich said. “He is fast on his feet as a thinker.”
Williams will be involved in helping the Bears transition from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 system. The Bears have holes to fill and upgrades to make, but the cupboard is far from bare.
Edge rusher Robert Quinn, for example, is headed to Las Vegas for the Pro Bowl this week after finishing the 2021 season third in the NFL with 18 1/2 sacks. Linebacker Roquan Smith was named a second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press last month.
As a unit, the Bears under first-time coordinator Sean Desai finished this season sixth in yards allowed and fourth in sacks (49). Their takeaway total (16) was worrisome and needs to be remedied as soon as possible.
The Colts had an AFC-best 33 takeaways this season, making good on Eberflus’ constant demands in that department.
“It’s all about the ball,” he said Monday. “That’s the most important thing for winning and losing. It’s taking the ball away and protecting the football.”
Eberlus also added Dave Borgonzi to his staff Wednesday, targeting Borgonzi to coach the linebackers. Chris Morgan, meanwhile, was hired as the team’s new offensive line coach.
Borgonzi has coached alongside Eberflus and Williams the last four seasons in Indianapolis, leading the linebackers and helping to bolster the Colts’ strong run defense. He was also a quality control coach for four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter.
Morgan was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ assistant offensive line coach this season after spending the previous six seasons as the offensive line coach and running game coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bears remain busy in the hiring cycle for their front office and coaching staff. Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Luke Getsy was named the team’s offensive coordinator over the weekend. Rich Bisaccia has been linked as a possible top target to become the special teams coordinator.
Both Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles were candid Monday in emphasizing the time pressure of getting their respective staffs assembled. After being formally introduced Monday at Halas Hall, both were headed to Mobile, Ala., for this week’s Senior Bowl.
They have a lot of demanding work ahead as they get their staffs together and then quickly prepare for the offseason player acquisition cycle. Free agency begins March 16. The NFL draft begins April 28.
“It’s coming quick,” Poles said Monday. “We’re trying to get all those things laid out.”
Eberflus emphasized Monday that stabilizing a coaching staff is “the most pressing thing” on his plate right now. Since his hiring last week, he has had more than a few middle-of-the night wakeups with ideas bouncing through his head and new tasks added to his to-do list.
“Waking up at 3 and stuff like that,” Eberflus said, “and having a pen next to your bed so you can write stuff down. So you could at least attempt to go back to sleep.”
