Mike Vrabel didn’t have any facial protection when Milton Williams headbutted him in the waning moments of Sunday’s win, but that was nary a concern for the Patriots’ defensive tackle. Or head coach, for that matter.
Williams, New England’s prized defensive addition over the offseason, was everything the Patriots needed him to be in the 16-3 Wild Card Round win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Most importantly, he had the game-sealing sack on Justin Herbert late in the fourth quarter.
After putting Herbert to the turf, Williams eventually was greeted on the sideline by Vrabel. Williams responded by butting his still helmet-clad head into his head coach. It cut open Vrabel’s lip, which he made sure to show Williams.
Vrabel will take the wound, because it’s a sign Williams has been heeding his message.
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“We talked to them about being willing to spill some blood out there, that the big dogs come out in January,” Vrabel said after the game, via a team-provided transcript. “I think Milt took that to heart in the way that he played the game, in the way he finished the game. He came over and got me pretty good. That’s what happens.”
Williams was a game-wrecker for the Philadelphia Eagles in their Super Bowl run last season. However, he typically played lighter snap counts on Philly;s loaded defensive front, and part of the concern about paying him like a top DT was fear of how he’d handle a larger workload.
The 26-year-old played 62 percent of the defensive snaps Sunday, and on his 37th and final play, he put an exclamation mark on the game.
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Suffice it to say that quells some concern about his ability to, as Vrabel puts it, be a big dog in January.
Featured image via David Butler II-Imagn Images
