Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus said that it means a lot more to beat the New England Patriots if quarterback Tom Brady is on the field, than if Brady is suspended. He’s not alone with that sentiment.
Pittsburgh Steelers back-up running back DeAngelo Williams expressed a similar sentiment to TribLive.com when asked about the Brady suspension, but he made sure everyone knew he doesn’t care about the Patriots.
“I don't know why everybody thinks that affects us,” Williams said. “We don't care. You think Big Ben [Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger] wants to beat a Brady-less team? That proves nothing to him.”
Williams is a notorious, yet justifiable Patriots hater dating back to his first season in the NFL. Part of his anger towards the Patriots is rooted in the fact that the Patriots selected running back Laurence Maroney ahead of him in the 2006 draft and, you know, I can’t really blame him. I think a lot of Patriots fans share that feeling.
10 years ago they drafted Laurence Maroney over me and I haven't liked them since! https://t.co/45eBfcX5ar
— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) February 16, 2016
And even though it’s a decade later, Williams still holds it against the Patriots and, if you ask him, he’s pretty happy that the Patriots have to deal with a quarterback suspension.
“I am glad they got problems. I don't care,” Williams said. “Everybody has their problems, and I am glad they have theirs.”
Hopefully the Patriots problems don’t really become a problem and that back-up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can hold down the fort and lead the squad to a reasonable record over the first quarter of the season.