Linebacker Marcus Washington added: "You want to feel like you've got something that other people want. But at the end of the day, we want him to stay here."
Gibbs lured Williams to Washington last winter and signed him to a four-year, incentive-laden contract worth roughly $6 million, which makes him one of the NFL's highest-paid assistants. Williams received a significant raise from the $1 million annually he earned in Buffalo.
Joe Gibbs, left, shares a laugh with assistant Gregg Williams, who, in his first season with the Redskins, has overseen the second-best defense in the NFL.
(Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)
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Williams and his wife, Leigh Ann, have bought a five-bedroom colonial in Leesburg. The three-acre property, which includes a three-car garage, reportedly cost $1.2 million.
Williams said that uprooting his family would be a factor in any decision. He has a daughter who is a freshman in high school and two sons -- one in middle school, the other a college freshman.
"I want them to feel stable," said Williams, who has moved just four times during 26 years of coaching. "I want them to get the chance to go to the homecoming dances, to go to the things in the community."
Despite Williams minimizing his chances of leaving in 2005, one NFL coach familiar with Williams who requested anonymity said the Redskins assistant has a strong desire to prove he can succeed as a head coach. NFL executives said that, for most assistants, the prestige of a head coaching job is often too difficult to resist.
"Ninety-nine percent of assistant coaches want to be a head coach. Part of the allure is not only financial but the chance to run your own franchise," said Floyd Reese, the general manager of the Tennessee Titans, where Williams spent 11 seasons before leaving for Buffalo in 2001. "Everybody feels they can build the better mouse trap. If not, they feel a little unfulfilled. The league is so fickle. Guys who are hot items now may be [ignored] two years from now."
One intriguing scenario has Williams remaining in Washington long enough to be Gibbs's successor. Gibbs, who is 64, suffers from diabetes, though he said he goes to the Mayo Clinic every 18 months for a thorough checkup and was recently given a clean bill of health.
Redskins officials said the prospect of Williams eventually replacing Gibbs has never been discussed. And Joe Bugel, assistant head coach-offense, said he assumes that Gibbs plans to remain on the job for the long term.
Gibbs said Williams would be highly qualified to succeed him but that any such decision ultimately would lie with team owner Daniel Snyder. Through spokesman Karl Swanson, Snyder declined to comment, citing his policy of rarely granting interviews during the regular season.
When Williams was asked about the subject, he responded: "I don't even think about it, and it didn't have anything to do with coming here. I wanted to work under Joe Gibbs."
But some Redskins players believe that Williams would make the most sense as Gibbs's successor.
"Coach Gibbs is trying to develop a family atmosphere," Smoot said. "He's really tired of seeing a lot of people being brought in from the outside. If he wished to step down later on, there's no doubt that Gregg would be the head coach. And we have so many great coaches under him: [defensive coordinator/defensive line] Greg Blache and those guys. They're going to step right up into defensive coordinator."
The biggest hindrance in Williams getting another head coaching offer may be if he is pigeonholed. Several NFL team officials were effusive about Williams's abilities. "I consider Gregg Williams an outstanding coach, not just a defensive coach," said Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi, who hired Tom Coughlin as head coach this year. "He's just a very good coach, period."
