The Patriots have faced their fair share of challenges during Mike Vrabel’s first season, but it’s safe to say one of them will be something that will remain one of the more challenging and unique ones he’ll likely face during his tenure.
When the news came that defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was battling prostate cancer back in September, it obviously presented a challenge for not only Williams, but also for Vrabel when it came to figuring out who would handle Williams’ role on defense.
Those responsibilities ended up landing firmly in the lap of linebackers coach, Zak Kuhr. Kuhr has quietly been one of the best stories of the season, with New England’s defense at times getting off to a slow start, but the adjustments by Kuhr and Vrabel have been instrumental to both the 14-3 record they finished with, as well as their three postseaso wins to get to this point.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Williams was waging his cancer battle. Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald recently revealed that while the defensive coach ultimately came out on the right side of things, it definitely wasn’t easy.
Williams collapsed during one practice in early August, which at the time it was thought he was suffering from dehydration on that hot afternoon. However, as things worsened weeks later, he reportedly dealt with nausea and flu-like symptoms, which ultimately led to Williams taking a trip to an urgent care in early September. That’s where the cancer was apparently later discovered.
At the time of the diagnosis, the cancer had spread throughout a significant portion of his body. From his collarbone to his groin, his legs, it was something Williams said initially that at the time they thought it was lymphoma, prior to doctors ultimately making the cancer diagnosis.
“It was all over, and it was super aggressive,” Williams told Callahan. “And that’s why they thought it was something else.”
While Vrabel’s coach was battling that, the train that is the NFL season continued on. The first-year Patriots coach worked with Kuhr and the rest of the defensive staff to try to work through it, with Kuhr stepping up in Williams’ absence.
That was a challenge because, at the time, the defense was already working under a new staff. But as the weeks went on, Kuhr clearly had earned their trust. You could see the improvement and the confidence on the field as the season progressed.
Like a player who has to step up when a teammate goes down, Vrabel said that’s something that Kuhr has essentially done, and he praised him for that on Wednesday.
“Zak has been fantastic,” said Vrabel. “I think that much like players, when given opportunities, coaches sometimes have the same thing. When they get more opportunity, they take advantage of it and then turn that into something else.”
“Zak has just grown from the time that I was with him at Ohio State and to the time that Stretch spent with him offensively to us bringing him in in Tennessee and watching him grow defensively and understand the concepts that we were doing defensively, why we were doing them,” Vrabel later added. “The suggestions that he made to try to enhance some of those things, continue to grow. I think he really can adjust quickly, and he has an ability to not get hung up. We sub, and we make different calls, and I’m always trying to watch and make sure that we’re coordinated in what we’re doing. And he’s done that. He did a great job in the offseason. He’s a good teacher, good communicator. So he’s really helped us.”
While Williams was at the facility for a good portion of the season, he apparently tried to limit his presence, trying to ensure his situation wasn’t a distraction for the players.
But for Vrabel, the connection Williams has been able to make with players was one of the things that makes him so special. Now that he’s cancer-free, Vrabel reflected on the humility Williams showed this season, which was something that really hit home during that journey through his illness.
“Well, we’ve I’ve always talked about the impact that Tee makes on not only the defense, but throughout the football team, his ability to connect and reach with every single player at every single position, young players, veteran players,” said Vrabel. “That’s a skill. That’s something that I can’t necessarily teach or instruct them on. That’s something that comes very naturally to Terrell.”
“I would say that his humility through all this has been something that I’ve really appreciated. Never wanted to be a distraction, even if I told him a million times that he wasn’t, and even if the players told him that he wasn’t, his humility was always about the team. He just kept saying, ‘I don’t want to mess anything up. I don’t want people to worry about me.’ So I’ve always appreciated that. And I’m glad that he’s here with us.”
Williams might be cancer-free, but he’s still on the road to recovery. He was treated by paramedics this week during the team’s first night in San Jose, California, for dehydration, a reminder that he’s still got a long way to go before he’s truly recovered.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
