It didn't take long for new Browns defensive back Jason McCourty to reconnect with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
"He's going full head of steam, all the time," said McCourty, who signed with the team on Wednesday after spending the past eight season with the Titans, on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. "As soon as I got into town and shook his hand excited to see him, he already was talking trash, he was fired up and ready to go. That's just who he is."
Indeed, when McCourty joins his new teammates Tuesday for the start of OTAs, he'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Williams, the fiery 27-year veteran whom the Browns tapped in January to mold a promising unit. The pair first crossed paths back in 2013, where Williams served as Tennessee's senior defensive assistant.
"Gregg as a person is a guy that — for anybody that has come across him — knows that he's coming with boatloads of energy," McCourty said on Cleveland Browns Daily. "He's an in-your-face type coach and he's going to tell you exactly how it is and I think my one season with him in Tennessee, that's what guys appreciated from him. He was upfront and honest and that's all you can ask for as a player with a coach."
McCourty wasn't surprised that Williams, who has assembled five top-five defenses and won a Super Bowl in 2011, has already made a strong impression in Cleveland.
"He's going to be aggressive. He lets you know that from Day 1. He wants to attack and he's going to put everybody in the best position to make plays," McCourty said. "He's great at evaluating talent and making sure what spots guys need to be in and he's a guy that's all about production."
For McCourty — who was a captain and something of a staple in Tennessee before the club released him at the end of last season — that means playing wherever the Browns need him the most. McCourty said he'll begin at cornerback (where he's played his entire career) while also learning other spots in the secondary.
Of course, he'll already have an idea of what to expect as Williams lays the foundation of the Browns' new-look defense in both scheme and attitude.
"I think playing for him, you love that type of energy, consistently every single day," McCourty said.
"If you mess up, you know he's going to be in your face. When you do good, he's going to be in your face. That's just Coach Williams, so I love and appreciate that from him."
