Gregg Williams is likely the longest of long shots to turn his gig as interim coach of the Browns into a job as the franchise's ninth full-time head coach since 1999.
That's not a secret to anyone, including Williams.
The longtime, never-known-to-be-shy defensive coordinator wouldn't directly answer Monday whether it's his goal to go on a run during the final six games of the season so he could build a case to remain in the head coach's chair.
"We have to take every single situation day by day and game by game and continue doing our job," Williams said on a conference call the day after the Browns earned a 28-16 upset win over the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium. "We can't look past anything else because when people do that at this level is when distractions come up."
Pressed on the topic, Williams budged a hair.
"You know what? I like being employed," he said.
Employed as a head coach?
"I enjoy doing what I'm doing," Williams replied. "I enjoy the head coaching part of it. I enjoy all these parts of it, but understand the big part of what we're doing is we get the players to focus, get me to focus ... on one day at a time, and we have to keep on moving on in the right direction."
Williams, who went 17-31 as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2001-03, improved to 1-1 in his new role with the Browns (3-6-1), whose players were given this whole bye week off.
After the Browns fired coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley on Oct. 29, they suffered a 37-21 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) in their first game under Williams and new offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who was promoted from running backs coach/associate head coach. Then the Browns snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Falcons (4-5), who had won their previous three games.
Williams laughed when he was asked if he's telling himself he still has it.
"I never thought it left," he said.
Now the challenge for Williams is to help the Browns avoid history in their next game, an AFC North meeting Nov. 25 at Cincinnati. A loss to the Bengals would give the Browns their 26th consecutive defeat on the road and put them in a tie with the Detroit Lions (2007-10) for the NFL record. A win would give the Browns consecutive victories for the first time since 2014.
After the Bengals (5-4) were crushed 51-14 by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, they fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin on Monday. Coach Marvin Lewis announced he'll call the plays for a defense on pace to surrender the most yards in NFL history after it allowed more than 500 yards in three consecutive games. The Bengals will visit the Baltimore Ravens (4-5) on Sunday.
With Lewis taking control of the Bengals defense, he was asked Monday during a news conference whether he would rehire his close friend Jackson to assist with other coaching responsibilities.
"Watch and see," Lewis said with a smile.
Jackson's resume includes seven seasons as an assistant coach under Lewis in Cincinnati, including the role of offensive coordinator from 2014-15 before the Browns hired him in 2016. Jackson, who went 3-36-1 in two and a half seasons with the Browns, said last week on the "the Adam Schefter podcast" he would accept a job offer this season if "somebody who I know and trust and respect felt like they needed me to help."
Should Jackson reunite with Lewis in time to face the Browns, it would be one of the most discussed storylines in the NFL. The Bengals and Browns are also scheduled to play Dec. 23 in Cleveland.
In the meantime, Browns players can rest this week. Williams had planned to make them report to team headquarters Monday if they won against the Falcons or Monday and Tuesday if they lost. After they rolled to victory Sunday, he changed his mind and gave them the entire week off. They'll be back to work Nov. 19.
"We can't be satisfied with where we're at," Williams said.
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