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FOXBORO, Mass. – After starting Patriots week as the center of attention, cornerback Cary Williams made sure to do the same at the start of the actual preseason game between the Eagles and Patriots on Friday night. With Tom Brady and the Patriots offense driving down the field on the game's first possession, Williams not only intercepted Brady, but he ran the return back 77 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
"I saw Brady come off a three-step drop, the tight end didn't stop, and I had an opportunity to make a play and I just made a play," Williams said after the game. "I was able to get in with my teammates. If it wasn't for those guys going 110 percent the whole play, it wouldn't have happened."
Though Williams did do a lot of the return work on his own, players like Mychal Kendricks and Vinny Curry both made important downfield blocks to help spring Williams into the end zone.
"It's love, man. I respect those guys, those two are some of the hardest-working guys that we've got in this locker room," Williams said. "It's just great team building to understand that no matter what, I've got 10 other guys out there that are going to be willing to lay it all out there on the line not only for me, but for the team."
Laying it all out on the line is what Williams did in scoring the touchdown, as he would leave the game and not return immediately thereafter with a hamstring injury. Williams said afterward that he would be just fine.
Meanwhile, after a week of questions about Williams' comments regarding the relative importance of practicing for a week against the Patriots, Williams caught up with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick after the game. Williams was surprised to have a few words with the coach considering Belichick's typical post-game sprint to the locker room.
"We talked about just respecting each other, understanding it's not hard feelings," Williams said. "I said some things that I was saying out of emotion and sometimes my emotions get the best of me at times, in the spirit of competition. I have nothing but the utmost respect for (Belichick) and that organization and him as a coach.
"We said there's no hard feelings and he respects me as a man and I appreciate him doing that because he didn't have to do that. It was just mutual respect between two men."
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