St. Louis Rams: Did Gregg Williams Have Other Teams' Playbooks?

Renaldo Wynn's interview with Mike Meltser and Seth Payne on SportsRadio 610′s MaD Radio could challenge the NFL statute of limitations on coaching hi-jinx. The former Jacksonville Jaguar defensive end dropped a minor bombshell on the talk show hosts when he said Gregg Williams told him he had the opposing team's playbook prior to the Jaguars playing the Tennessee Titans in 1999 playoffs. He went further, saying while he played for Williams, he continued to acquire other playbooks.

"You know why we fell short in that AFC Championship game. After that I ended up getting coached by Gregg Williams.  And Greg Williams was, at the time, defensive coordinator by the Tennessee Titans," Wynn told Payne & Meltser "First thing he said when he came in the door was ‘Hey, you know why you lost?’ With a lot of other explicit words with that.  He said he had our play book.  Greg Williams had our play book.  Our game-plan on offense. [He] had our playbook... Payne thought Wynn wouldn’t know how Williams acquired the playbook but Wynn surprised the hosts, "I know how he got them," Wynn said. "He started getting playbooks when I was with him." Wynn did not elaborate at the time about how Williams received the playbooks." -

excerpt courtesy of CBS Sports  and Garret Heinrich

While this is a further uncomfortable moment for Gregg Williams, I don't think it's much of a story. First, it's common practice for teams to get an inside look at playbooks of other teams. When a team picks up a player who's been cut - by let's say the San Francisco 49ers - and picked up by another team - in this case the Seattle Seahawks - for no apparent reason, we all know there's probably something hinky going on, or at least an ulterior motive or two. It's the cost of doing business in the NFL, since players take with them the knowledge they've gleaned while with another team.

Yet, for the troubled defensive coordinator, this is another moment for Williams to groan as his past deeds continue to be unearthed. What's more, the idea Jeff Fisher didn't know Williams had the collector's itch when it came to playbooks may be hard for the St. Louis Rams head coach to side step. He's coaching the team who almost lost to his Titans in the 1999 Super Bowl, and if my memory serves me, the Tennessee defense did seem rather aware of what the Rams offense was going to do at times? Can you say "awkward"?