The New England Patriots are one win away from being crowned champions, yet many remain convinced that they're fraudulent. Their star defensive tackle, Milton Williams, was asked about the skepticism surrounding the club at Super Bowl LX Media Night.
Williams didn't sidestep the topic; he addressed it head-on. By the sound of it, the Patriots' locker room hears the outside noise. They know the doubters are clinging to the fact that this group has faced the third-easiest schedule over the past half-century to reach this point.
Rather than pushing back on the narrative that the Patriots are a product of facing inferior opponents, Williams chose to let it be. He recognized that people will always have something to say, even if New England defeats the Seattle Seahawks to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Milton Williams tunes out Patriots doubters at Super Bowl LX Opening Night
Why bother, right? That's the mindset Williams is seemingly embracing, because folks won't change their tune on the Patriots' success. He's focusing only on what's in his control.
"If we win, everybody still won't give us our respect," Williams said. "It won't matter."
As sad as it may be, Williams is right. Taking down a "dominant" Seahawks squad, as Patriots standout cornerback Marcus Jones described them, will only do so much. New England's body of work, or lack thereof, will be a talking point regardless of the outcome against Seattle.
Whether the Patriots prevail or lose, there will be naysayers. Questions about the legitimacy of their path to a title arise with a victory; conversely, the critics will pull the "they should've never been there in the first place" card if New England loses.
More specifically, Williams touched on the pessimism regarding the Pats' defense. For whatever reason(s), they aren't recognized as an elite stop unit, but the numbers will tell you that's what they've been this season (especially in the playoffs).
Nevertheless, he feels as though New England is letting their on-field efforts do the talking for them.
"Going into the game, you always hear about this offense, what they're going to do and all this and that," Williams stated. "And then, when we play them, it's an excuse for why they didn't do what they said they do instead of just giving us credit — and we thrive on that."