Saints LB Jonathan Vilma, 2011

Williams turned around the Saints defense when Sean Payton hired him in 2009, and a lot of that was thanks to former Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma. However, Williams didn’t have Vilma for five games in 2011 because of a knee injury, including a stretch from Weeks 8-12. Vilma had averaged 115.6 tackles per season the previous three years, but he finished with only 54 tackles in 2011.

The Saints still produced a fantastic 13-3 season, but the defense looked considerably worse in 2011, going from seventh to 13th in points allowed and from fourth to 24th in yards allowed. Over that three-game span without Vilma, Williams’ defense averaged 464.3 yards allowed – almost 100 yards more than their season-long average. 

The next year, of course, the NFL suspended Williams indefinitely – for what ended up being 11 months – for his role in the infamous BountyGate scandal, which Vilma allegedly played a large role in as a player.