FOXBOROUGH — Mike Vrabel announced Friday that Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will soon begin treatment.
"This week is Crucial Catch, and I unfortunately have to tell you that Terrell Williams was determined to have prostate cancer and is in the process of treatment, meeting with specialists and figuring out the best plan of attack to be able to attack this, heal it, fix it and allow him to get back to better health," Vrabel said. "You know how much Terrell means to me personally and to the people on this football team. So again, we want to send our regards and just publicly let everybody know that's what he's dealing with. When he's ready to talk, he'll talk on his behalf. But I wanted to let you know that's what was going on.
"So, we'll continue as we have been with Zak Kuhr calling defense. I felt like that went well. I think the communication through the week, organization hasn't missed a beat whatsoever. So, I think those guys are doing a great job over there. Vinny DePalma is helping, as he progresses, to work with the linebackers, and he was doing that role anyway. So again, really comfortable with where we're at and how we're operating. But just our thoughts and prayers – and T [Terrell Williams] knows all this. We talk all the time – but just that we are with him. His family’s been through a lot and we care about him.
Williams is expected to begin treatment locally.
"I think that would be the plan," Vrabel said. "I don't know if you could get any better anywhere else, but our medical staff and people in this town have been fantastic to help him and get him started with that process."
Williams, 51, was with Vrabel for six years with the Titans as his defensive line coach and, later, assistant head coach.
"This is a hard business," Vrabel said. "This is tough. There's a lot of dynamics that go to this. I mean, you guys have been spoiled. You guys had Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for 20 years. Let me just tell you, that's fantasy land. We can call it what it is. And when you do this, you’ve got to have people that you trust implicitly, that are loyal, and he's been that. When you get into a shit storm, like you do during the season, and things, teams and rosters – he has an ability again to reach everybody. He always kept me in perspective. Very few people – was always willing to share his thoughts with me if I needed a guardrail. So, again, going through this thing for the first time and having guys like him with me, I'm very conscious of their ability to help me do my job and to help the team."
End K'Lavon Chaisson said Vrabel delivered the news to the team and got choked up talking about his long-time associate.
"That's his guy," Chaisson said. "They've been working together for quite some time. So it's never easy to see people that you love and people that you care about going through things and things that you can't really help with. But obviously you can be there for them and do as best you can if there's something that you can do to help you're all in behind it. So I know, obviously, just from seeing it, from seeing it from Vrabes, from Vrabes' point of view, and just seeing how he's been reacting and speaking about it's affecting him, for sure, he's handling it well, though he's trying his best. But like I said, for people that you care about, people that you love, to see them going through things, that's so strong man, it's never easy."
Chaisson said the defense will continue to play for Williams.
"As much as we can do for him, obviously, on and off the field, it will be done," he said.
JARED WILSON OUT; CHAISSON, GONZALEZ AND ONWENU QUESTIONABLE
Ben Brown is expected to get the call at left guard for Jared Wilson.
"Ben's here because we believe in him," Vrabel said. "He's worked at center, he's worked at guard through camp, and he'll compete and we're excited to see him play. Everybody's here for a reason, take advantage of your opportunity, and I'm sure Ben will do that."
Onwenu was not on the injury report until today. Vrabel sounded like it was very minor and was more of a technicality that he was listed.
STEVENSON STILL IN THE PLANS
Vrabel said that Rhamondre Stevenson, after his two fumbles against the Steelers, will not be subject to discipline when it comes to Sunday's game against the Panthers.
"I don't know what the first package is, but if you're asking me if Rhamondre [Stevenson] is on some sort of discipline, no," Vrabel said. "The discipline is we need our best players to play in a game and do their job and take care of football. And we all have to do that. Drake [Maye] had an interception and a fumble, we're not going to play Josh [Dobbs] right now. We have to fix those things, the people around them have to be better and I'm confident that we will. I'm not going to talk about the alternative. I'll go down that road later, but those are things that we have to get fixed, but we also have to do good things with the football, make people miss, make yards and catch it and block when they blitz. So, we're confident that those guys can do that."