Pats DC Williams diagnosed with prostate cancer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots first-year antiaircraft coordinator Terrell Williams has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, manager Mike Vrabel said Friday.

Vrabel said the 51-year-old Williams is successful the process of undergoing attraction and gathering with specialists "to fig retired the champion program to beryllium capable to onslaught this and heal it and let him to get backmost to amended health. Our aesculapian unit and the radical successful this municipality person been fantastic to assistance him and get him started with that process."

The Patriots volition proceed with wrong linebackers manager Zak Kuhr arsenic their antiaircraft play-caller for the 3rd consecutive week, according to Vrabel, with Williams astir the squad arsenic overmuch arsenic helium tin be.

Williams coached nether Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to '23. The 2 reunited successful New England this offseason aft the squad hired Vrabel arsenic its caput coach.

"This is simply a hard business. This is tough," Vrabel said. "When you bash this, you person to person radical that you spot implicitly, that are loyal. He's been that. He has an quality to scope everybody, and it ever kept maine successful perspective."

Williams called the defence successful the team's 20-13 season-opening nonaccomplishment to the Las Vegas Raiders but stepped distant from the full-time relation successful the ensuing days for aesculapian reasons.

In March, helium besides had a self-described "health scare" portion visiting Detroit that led to him coaching the defence remotely passim the spring. He had returned for grooming campy successful mid-July, and the bonds helium formed with players were noted by those successful the locker room.

"He is simply a stand-up dude and a bully manager who was ever holding america accountable, and ever making the crippled fun, priding america connected playing hard, playing for each other," seasoned information Jaylinn Hawkins said. "Stuff similar this happens and it's like, 'Damn.' It's truly sad."

Williams has served arsenic a mentor to the 37-year-old Kuhr, who fills the relation of play-caller.

"T is ever a large portion of what we do," Kuhr said earlier this week. "I conscionable privation him to cognize we are ever reasoning astir him. Us arsenic a staff, arsenic a defense, helium has a large interaction connected that."

Vrabel said adjunct manager Vinny DePalma, successful his 2nd twelvemonth with the franchise and a erstwhile linebacker astatine Boston College, has been taking connected much work with linebackers arsenic Kuhr's responsibilities person grown successful Williams' absence. The wide modulation with the antiaircraft coaching unit has been smooth, according to Vrabel.

"I felt similar that went good -- the connection done the week, the organization, hasn't missed a bushed whatsoever," helium said. "I deliberation those guys are doing a large occupation implicit there."

The Patriots (1-2) big the Carolina Panthers (1-2) connected Sunday.