Does The Hiring Of Williams Put A Target On The Rams?

Dec 1, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; A general view of a penalty flag thrown by a referee during a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Atlanta Falcons at the Rogers Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams recently hired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to the same position to help bring out the full potential out of the defense. The Rams defense struggled and played inconsistent under Tim Walton.

Fisher originally wanted Williams to join him in St. Louis, but after Williams got suspended for “Bountygate” the Rams had to go in a different direction.

Williams was apart of a program in New Orleans in which players in his defense would target opposing players for money, specifically on their magical Super Bowl runWith that history, you can’t help but wonder if that will put a target on the Rams’ back for officials and opponents.

The Rams already have an overly aggressive defense and get enough unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness penalties as it is. Williams’ even more aggressive coaching style and history could put a target on the Rams and officials could keep more of an eye on them, giving the Rams more penalties than they already get.

As unfair as that may be, it could be the case, especially with the league putting a huge emphasis on player safety. In 2009 when Williams was with the Saints they had the second most personal foul penalties.

One thing the Rams do have going for them however, is that they can’t get any worse in the statistic considering they already had the most personal foul penalties last season.

In Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III’s rookie season, he called the Rams a “dirty team”. With Williams as coordinator the Rams could get some more allegations like that with players saying that ‘the Rams are dirty’ or ‘they were targeting me’, just for the fact that Williams is the coordinator.

Whether or not the Williams hire does put a target on the Rams has yet to be seen, but it is a legitimate question. Either way, the Rams won’t change their playing style as in order to compete in the NFC West you need your defense to play aggressive, and that’s exactly what the Rams want, to compete in the NFC West.