Joel A. says: Williams keeps Roughnecks in contention every year

No matter how many times the ownership changes, or how many quarterbacks leave for greener pastures, or even what league owns the title the team is chasing, the West Texas Roughnecks always seem to be right in the middle of the playoff race.

Only one thing about the Roughnecks remains constant — Chris Williams as the head coach.

And he almost always has his team in contention. Brought over from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pioneers back in 2004, Williams has a 70-44 lifetime record, an Intense Football League title, an undefeated regular season and seven playoff trips in eight seasons on his resume.

He has been the head coach in all but seven games since the franchise started play in 2004, leaving briefly in 2006 to coach in another league.

Williams has become the Bill Cowher or Andy Reid of West Texas, a coach with so many abilities that it’s hard to figure out exactly what makes him so valuable.

Take a look at Williams’ list of skills. When it comes to the world of indoor football, there aren’t many coaches who know more about the game. Originally introduced to the game as a player-agent, Williams has a keen eye for talent and an ability to bring in talent almost at will from around the nation.

Even more impressive, Williams might be the league’s best when injuries hit at midseason. Using an enormous list of contacts, Williams can always bring in a player to fill a hole, even at the game’s toughest position. When starting quarterback Arkelon Hall went down with a knee injury late in the season, Williams found K.J. Black, who helped lead the Roughnecks into the playoffs.

But one quality sticks out above the rest.

Williams, for lack of a better complement, might be the game’s best chameleon. 

Few coaches in the arena game are better at dealing with adversity. Come hell, come high water, come a rash of injuries or a passer who couldn’t hit a stationary target 5 yards away without a defender in sight, Williams always finds a way to get the job done, save for one disastrous season that left the coach shaking his head.

Williams has roamed the sideline for three different owners, coached a handful of different quarterbacks, changed up his coaching staff every once in awhile.

And yet he keeps winning, primarily because he’s not afraid to change his style of play.

When Williams first arrived in Odessa, the Roughnecks were a high-flying, high-scoring team that blasted its way to an Intense Football League on the strength of an offense that scored a whopping 97 points in the title game.

Even through last season, when Tommy Jones led the Roughnecks back to the playoffs, West Texas always had the firepower to score in bunches.

But that’s not how the Roughnecks are winning this season. West Texas has the league’s top-ranked defense, a unit so stingy that it only gives up 123 yards per game, 70 yards better than the second-best defense in the league. Under defensive coordinator Bryant Grove, the Roughnecks have picked off 44 passes, 11 more than the second-best team.

And that’s the mark of a great coach. A great coach doesn’t always play to the same system. Instead, he adapts to fit the situation.

That’s the mark of Chris Williams.