Eagles cornerback Cary Williams generated an unusual amount of attention for a preseason game when he said that he didn’t want to take part in joint practices with the Patriots because the Patriots are cheaters.
The practices seemed to serve him pretty well, though, because Williams ended the Patriots’ first drive of Friday night’s game with an interception of Tom Brady that he returned 77 yards for a touchdown. The pass was intended for tight end Steve Maneri, a new addition in New England who was not so much on different pages with Brady as he was in a different book altogether.
Williams was standing right there for the pick and weaved through the Patriots, including an awkward tackle attempt by Brady, for a score that fell within everyone’s definition of the rules.
The Pats had moved the ball crisply until the interception. They used a mix of passes and runs to get them down the field in a hurry, but Brady’s first drive of the preseason came to an especially unhappy ending in Williams’ hands.
The ending wasn’t much better for Williams. He’ll miss the rest of the game with a hamstring injury suffered on the return.