Fifteen years after a rocky but fascinating run as an NFL head coach, Gregg Williams is applying the experience toward a 3-1 Browns hot streak, and some key people are taking notice.

BEREA Gregg Williams' previous shift as an NFL head coach lasted just three seasons and ended 15 years ago.

Yet, it was real experience that counted for something.

At one point when he was head coach of the Bills in 2002, Williams went on a 3-1 road hot streak, winning at Minnesota, Houston and Miami and losing only at Denver. His chances to be head coach of the Browns in 2019 will climb if the 2018 team wins Saturday night in Denver.

It would be a huge win, putting the Browns in position to hit .500 eight days later against sagging Cincinnati.

Asked if he is having the time of his life being back in the saddle as interim head coach of a suddenly interesting team, Williams wouldn't go that far. But he said:

“I really do love everything that I do in my job. I have had a lot of good experiences. It is fun to be involved with these young guys here, seeing the flash in their eyes, getting a chance to believe in themselves."

Williams' previous chance to be a head coach was condensed into 2001-03 but made a million memories.

Without dwelling on the numbers that got him kicked out of Buffalo, consider the breadth of head coaches against whom he planned games that turned into wins.

He beat a cinch Hall of Famer (Bill Belichick), a regular-season-wins machine (Marty Schottenheimer), and two who at some point piloted a Super Bowl winner (Tom Coughlin, George Seifert).

In back-to-back victories one year, he took down both New York teams (the Giants piloted by Jim Fassel and the Jets by Herm Edwards). His Bills won in Dick LeBeau's last game with Cincinnati, and he beat the replacement, Marvin Lewis, the next year.

He also bested Dom Capers, Jack Del Rio, Dick Jauron, Marty Mornhinweg, Mike Tice and Dave Wannstedt.

Williams was unwilling to reflect on his favorite wins from his previous head coaching life.

“I really do not have time for any of that right now, especially on a short week," he said. "It is more about those guys than me, anyway.”

He did reflect on his original head coaching gig, in high school in his native Missouri.

"I think some of the best coaches in the country are high school coaches," he said after Tuesday's practice. "They take people who do not even know how to spell football and teach them how to play football."

Here's a perspective on how long it has been since Williams was a full-time NFL head coach. Broncos head coach Vance Joseph had not yet been hired as a defensive backs coach at Bowling Green when the Bills dismissed Williams.

Joseph has gotten to know Williams.

"Gregg is a no-nonsense guy," he said Tuesday from Denver. "He's going to have his teams ready to play. His defenses have been dominant, multiple-pressure defenses. His team is gonna play like him. They're gonna be a confident, tough group."

And now the man who got three full seasons in Buffalo has three more games to influence whether, at age 60 and counting, he will ever be a head coach again.

Baker Mayfield has made it crystal clear he loves life with Freddie Kitchens as offensive coordinator. On Tuesday, when asked what he likes about Williams, Mayfield said:

"Everything. What you see is what you get. No smoke and mirrors. It's out on the line, very open. On offense, we're just doing what we do. He's trusted Freddie, and that, I think, is very important."

Williams' leadership will be irrelevant if he is not back with the team in 2019. It is coming down to how much trust general manager John Dorsey puts in the man if he finishes strong in his long-delayed second chance.

Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or

steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP