{"id":106294,"date":"2026-02-06T12:54:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T18:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=106294"},"modified":"2026-02-06T13:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T19:29:17","slug":"new-englands-defensive-coordinator-just-beat-cancer-now-patriots-aim-for-2nd-victory-super-bowl-lv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/new-englands-defensive-coordinator-just-beat-cancer-now-patriots-aim-for-2nd-victory-super-bowl-lv\/","title":{"rendered":"New England’s defensive coordinator just beat cancer. Now Patriots aim for 2nd victory \u2014 Super Bowl LX."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Collin O\u2019Callaghan
\n<\/b>Medill Reports<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2013 In just one season under head coach Mike Vrabel, the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. But last week, the team already had their most important victory away from the football field.<\/span><\/p>\n

In early September, defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After five long and difficult months, the team announced last Friday he was cancer-free, giving everybody in the Patriots organization a reason to feel blessed and grateful.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnly God was able to keep him on this earth and to see this Super Bowl for us,\u201d Patriots safety Craig Woodson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing to have him be here, and I just want to win the game for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Williams was not made available for comment by the Patriots.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Williams stepped away from play-calling duties, he remained involved in practices and film sessions with his defensive players. Several players said Williams has been a constant source of light to the team, giving them just the right amount of motivation they need to play inspired football.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s continuing to pour into this team with love, with passion for the game of football,\u201d linebacker Robert Spillane said. \u201cTo have him cancer-free with our team supporting us and pouring in like he has all year, it means the world to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s somebody who has shown a lot of perseverance, strength and courage throughout this whole journey,\u201d Woodson said. \u201cRegardless of what we are going through, there are people that are going through a lot worse. For us, we just have to keep battling.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before becoming the Patriots defensive coordinator, Williams made several stops around the league as a defensive line coach, including six seasons with the Tennessee Titans under Vrabel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe means a lot to me personally, he means a lot to our football team and everybody he has touched so far,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cAnything that we can do to help him, I would love to do. For him to be able to experience this, I am glad he is healthy enough to (do that).\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of New England\u2019s first moves after hiring Vrabel and Williams was signing pass rusher Harold Landry. Tennessee\u2019s 2018 second-round pick was more than eager to reunite with the two men who developed him into a Pro Bowl-caliber player.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a guy in the building that isn\u2019t just about the X\u2019s and O\u2019s and is like a really good person, you should value those people,\u201d Landry said. \u201cHe has definitely meant a lot to me in my career and everything that he has done for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Williams stepped away from the team, play-calling duties were assigned to inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr. After a rough 1-2 start, the Patriots won 13 of their final 14 regular-season games. One reason why is the intensity and force the defense played with all year long.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of these guys have never played with each other from Week 1 \u2026 but they just kept growing that chemistry week in and week out,\u201d Kuhr said. \u201cYou can see the love and compassion they have for the game and each other. It just makes you proud to watch them and have success.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time the playoffs arrived, the defense hit its stride and put together a dominant three-week stretch. It began with a 16-3 wild-card round win over the Los Angeles Chargers, when the Patriots sacked quarterback Justin Herbert six times and did not give up a touchdown. The following week against the Houston Texans, New England forced five turnovers in a 28-16 divisional round victory at Gillette Stadium. Finally, the Patriots upset the top-seeded Denver Broncos, 10-7, in a Mile High blizzard two Sundays ago, earning the organization its 10th trip to the Super Bowl in the past 25 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of it was thanks to Vrabel\u2019s plan, Kuhr\u2019s leadership and Williams\u2019 spirit.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re ferocious, they\u2019re violent, they swarm, they cause turnovers and they are just fun to watch,\u201d quarterback Drake Maye said. \u201cThey found the time where they\u2019re playing at a really high level, and I am looking forward to watching them on Sunday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now this team has a chance to earn its seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy with a win over the Seattle Seahawks at Levi\u2019s Stadium. While Williams will not be calling plays Sunday night, his presence will be deeply felt and the players are willing to sacrifice whatever they can to make sure he gets a ring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it wasn\u2019t in the way he imagined before the season, but him still being here and having a huge impact on us and the defense has just been special,\u201d Maye said. \u201cIt would mean things bigger than football and that is what this game is about.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor him to get one after everything that he\u2019s been through this year, I\u2019ll be over the moon for him.\u201d Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that he beat cancer, I don\u2019t care if I\u2019m even at the Super Bowl, as long as that happens,\u201d Kuhr said. \u201cWhere he\u2019s at with his health is the Super Bowl.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Collin O\u2019Callaghan is a sports media specialization graduate student at Medill.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Collin O\u2019Callaghan Medill Reports SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2013 In just one season under head coach Mike Vrabel, the New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. But last week, the team already had their most important victory away from the football field. In early September, defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":765,"featured_media":106295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5545,5543,31,5546,5544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medill-explores-2026","category-msj26","category-sports","category-super-bowl-lx","category-winter-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nNew England's defensive coordinator just beat cancer. 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