New Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams recently spoke exclusively with ChicagoBears.com senior writer Larry Mayer at Halas Hall.

Williams joins the Bears after spending the past four seasons as defensive backs coach on a Colts defense that was coordinated by new Bears coach Matt Eberflus.

Here's a transcript of the conversation:

LM: What do you envision will be the identity of the Bears defense?

AW: "Our 'HITS' principle. We are going to be No. 1 in terms of hustle. Our guys are going to hustle, they're going to run to the ball. That's what Bears fans are going to see, not just hear from the coaches and myself. They're going to see great intensity. We have a way of measuring that. They're going to see our guys playing hard. We're going to hit, we're going to be physical and we're going to find different ways to take the football away, because takeaways equal victories. The more you take the ball away, the more you win. And then you're going to see us play smart, situational football. We plan on being top five in the league in not hurting ourselves with penalties, pre-snap, post-snap."

LM: What excites you most about the opportunity to call plays on defense?

AW: "Just the collaborative effort of coach 'Flus' and myself, and then the staff that we have; bringing the minds together, having a game plan and then seeing that game plan executed with the intensity that we plan on playing with."

LM: How are you going to put your own stamp on the defense?

AW: "My own stamp will be based on what our players do well. I have a vision in my head right now of what that looks like. But I haven't met the players, I haven't seen them on the field. I know they bring different attributes and skill sets to the field, so I'm going to wait and see what they do best and then mix that with what I think we should do from a coverage [and] front standpoint, and then that identity will be what we do best, not necessarily my picture or vision of it right now."

LM: You've worked with coach Eberflus the last four years in Indianapolis. What are Bears fans getting in their new head coach?

AW: "I think the Bears [fans] are going to like what they're getting, and that's going to be an intense coach. That's going to be a coach that is detailed about what he does. They're going to get a guy that's passionate about football, passionate about the alumni and the history the Bears bring to football. They may not really know him now, but I think he'll be someone that they grow to love."

LM: What are your initial impressions of the current Bears defense?

AW: "Talented. Physical. At times can be overwhelming. And then I've talked to a few of them just over the phone and through text message. Good people. So whenever you have good people and they're talented, you have a chance to win."