FOXBORO — Head coach Mike Vrabel offered an update on Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who was away from the team last week while he dealt with an unspecified medical issue.
Williams will be “around and involved” as New England prepares for its Week 3 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per Vrabel, but it was unclear as of midday Monday whether he would resume his play-calling responsibilities.
“I think Terrell is in good spirits,” Vrabel said. “I appreciate you asking. Terrell will be around. I don’t quite fully know in what capacity, but he will be around and involved, so we’ll continue to just make sure there’s a good plan for everything that happens, just like we always have been.”
In Williams’ absence, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr called defensive plays during Sunday’s 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins. Vrabel, who gave Kuhr a game ball after the win, said the operation was “good” under the assistant coach’s direction.
“We subbed and we got into our calls,” Vrabel said. “The best call is a decisive one that the players know and believe in and that they have confidence that they can execute their job. So when we needed to get the drive stopped, we got the drive stopped. We had a plan to play these guys and how we wanted to play them.”
Williams and Kuhr both worked under Vrabel in Tennessee before joining the Patriots’ coaching staff this past offseason. Vrabel said last week that Williams’ current situation was unrelated to the health-related issue that kept him away from the team during spring practice.
“We want the best for him, want the best for him and our players, our players’ families and everybody else,” Vrabel said last Wednesday. “So we can’t speculate right now. I just want to make sure that he’s focused on getting results and figuring out what the next step is here or medically.”
