Milton Williams did not expect to be right back in the Super Bowl after signing with the Patriots.
After winning Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, Williams signed a four-year, $104 million deal with New England following a four-win Patriots campaign. A year later, a dramatic turnaround — one Williams played a major role in but didn’t necessarily expect to happen quite this fast — has the Patriots back on football’s biggest stage.
With the veteran defensive tackle back playing
for his second straight Lombardi Trophy, he message to his inexperienced teammates is simple.
“Keep doing what we’ve been doing all year, all playoffs. It don’t change. We don’t care what they run, who they got. It don’t matter. Put the ball down. We got to put our hands and eyes and feet where they supposed to be — snap in, snap out. Being consistent,” Williams said.
“[There’s no difference than just a football game]. That’s where people get in trouble,” he added. “You go out there, you’re on a big stage, you want to make plays, and then you hopping out your gap, trying to do something you’re not supposed to be doing, and now you’re hurting the team. Now, if one guy ain’t doing his job out of all 11, then they going to score. So, we all got to be on the same page, make the play when it come to you.”
In the Eagles’ Super Bowl win last season, it was a dominant defensive performance that led the way against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. A talented defensive front pressured Mahomes on 40% of his dropbacks and generated 30 individual pressures.
Williams played a key role in that performance with four pressures and two sacks — including a strip sack.
Now in New England, Williams and the Patriots’ pass rush have been a driving force in propelling the team back to the Super Bowl. This time, they’ll look to continue to impact the game by disrupting Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.
“It don’t matter who they got, what they run, what’s the scheme. If we do what we do up front, I always put the game on us and be able to control the line of scrimmage,” Williams said. “They got a quarterback there just like CJ Stroud. You keep him clean, he can make all the throws. But it’s our job to get back there, speed him up, get him off the spot, try to take advantage and try to make him put the ball in harm’s way.”
