Posted by: Chris Vannini on February 25, 2013

One of the biggest offseason storylines for the Tennessee Titans has been the hiring of former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams as a senior defensive assistant.

Titans executive vide president / general manager Ruston Webster joined SiriusXM while at the NFL Combine and talked about the process of hiring Williams.

"We didn't take it lightly, obviously, knowing the situation," Webster said. "One thing Gregg had going for him in Tennessee was his previous tenure there, with Coach (Mike) Munchak being there and them having a relationship. I think that helped us. Also, Jerry Gray, our defensive coordinator had worked for him and under him. That was a positive.

"But we really took it step by step in terms of not only doing our research on Gregg and where he was, but spending a lot of time talking to him and also talking to the league office and making sure they were OK with it."

As for what Williams' role will be. No one has given a definitive answer. He'll be using his experience in various aspects of the defense, according to Webster.

"If you brought Gregg into a situation where he didn't have a relationship with that guy that was the coordinator, then there could be an issue there. I don't think it's going to be an issue for us," Webster said. "One thing Gregg likes to do is coach coaches, and even though you're not the coordinator, you can help coaches improve.

"Most of the good coordinators I've been around, that's exactly what Monte Kiffin was. He coached coaches. That will be something Gregg can bring to us, and I don't see the dynamic being a problem at all."

(Audio is not mobile-friendly)

_______________

Chris Vannini is the lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com