Vince Wilfork is putting his money where his mouth is with Ron Brace

You've heard the leadership pronouncements made Vince Wilfork [stats]. If you haven't, check out what the Pro Bowl nose tackle said right after he signed a contract extension.

The main point of it was, that "this year’s going to be a huge test. Leadership — we got a bunch of leadership on this team," Wilfork said.
One thing I got out of my conversation with second-year defensive tackle Ron Brace yesterday was the fact that, well, Wilfork wasn't lying. He asked for leadership, and he's giving it.

“Whenever he has a chance, V will pull me aside,” said Brace, referring to Wilfork. “I just ask, ‘V, what do you look at while you watch film? Or ‘Come watch film with me.’ Those little things right there are going to make a big difference. You realize you got to really get in-depth.”

In a seven-minute interview, Brace talked about Wilfork nearly half the time. Probably a good sign if you want your second-round pick from Boston College to fulfill his potential.

"My locker’s next to one of the best D-tackles in the league right now," Brace told me yesterday, "so I can’t help but take advantage of his teachings, you know? I try to learn how to watch film like he does, I try to watch to see what I can do to improve my technique. Basically, everything this man is doing, I’m watching, because hopefully I’m going to try to play to the caliber that he is."

Brace had a slooooooow rookie season, contributing in just five games. Predictably, when Wilfork signed an extension keeping him here through 2014, Brace was as pumped as anyone.

"It gives me more time to learn from a player like him," Brace said. "Learning is vital to me now, especially in this league, because here, everybody has physical attributes. It’s just all up here (in his head) now, it’s a mind game now. He has it down, I’m trying to learn to figure it out like he does, ya know?"

As soon as Brace arrived, Wilfork took him under his wing. "Just as the way the man carries himself and his work ethic," Brace said. "Can’t help but admire a man like that. He’s not a fake leader. He’s doing it just like, we gotta get this team right."

And of course, as Brace learns to watch film in order to take the next step in his development, Wilfork is assisting.

"Just learn how to watch film," Brace, the Worcester native, said. "That was my big thing coming from college: I was just watching my guy a little bit, doing whatever coaches tell you. Now, you realize you gotta really get in-depth with your man, your team, your coordinator, their coach, their tendencies – that is the biggest shock to me. My head was spinning. Doing more mental work this offseason, as well as physical, will help me out."

Will it help?

(bostonherald.com)