Vince Wilfork plays on

FOXBORO — Change your image of what a well-conditioned athlete looks like. He doesn’t always come with washboard abs that mimic a department store mannequin.

Ignore your stereotype of a pass-rusher. He doesn’t always possess long arms and a lean torso.

No, sometimes the fitness freak who can survive 75 snaps and still push the pocket on the final play to help a teammate secure a last-second sack doesn’t look like what you think.

Sometimes, he looks like the Patriots [team stats]’ Vince Wilfork [stats].

“He can play all day,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said. “That’s what makes him so valuable.’’

Wilfork, the two-time Pro Bowler, is destroying the stereotype of a nose tackle by being on the field more than 80 percent of the time. His marathon performance in Sunday night’s win against the Green Bay Packers was the latest example.

“I’ve played quite a few snaps around here,” said Wilfork, the 6-foot-2, 325(ish)-pounder. “I feel I can play however long the coach needs me to play. Conditioning has never been an issue for me. That’s something I take pride in, being able to go the long haul.”

Wilfork’s play has more than stood up for his words.

The player who is second in fan Pro Bowl voting at his position has 50 tackles in 14 games, already surpassing last year’s total. But with a rash of injuries at his position group, coaches called for him to stay out there on passing downs.

“We’ve asked him to play more in recent games in terms of the number of snaps in all situations,” coach Bill Belichick said, “and he’s come through with some really outstanding performances.”

According to ProFootballFocus.com, Wilfork has played more than 80 percent of the snaps in five games, including four in the last five weeks.
Wilfork’s goal is to be ready to do absolutely everything he’s asked. The jolly fellow grows serious when describing why he never wants to take a breather.

“I have to make sure that if we do go into overtime or if I do have to play 90 snaps, I can do that,” Wilfork said. “It’s not going to be easy, but I’m positive about it because I work hard on it.”

Always one of the league’s best run-stuffers, Wilfork commands double teams. More impressive is that he’s had enough stamina to do so on passing downs, showing off an active motor. Wilfork has no sacks, but his impact has been huge.

That was his role against Green Bay, which called 43 pass plays. He dusted off pass-rush moves like he was linebacker Tully Banta-Cain [stats], often doing so against two blockers.

“I don’t know when he’s done that last, but that was impressive that he was out there,” Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey said as his team prepared to host Wilfork and the Pats this Sunday. “He was getting after it the whole time. His stamina is underrated. He’s a force. He’s got better quickness than people give him credit for, but he’s so strong he can run right through you if you don’t really muscle up.”

Versatility is not new.

“I love challenges,” Wilfork, who has played at both right end and left end at times, said. “

It just shows the young guys that if you commit to what you’re doing, you’ll be OK. I can’t let them down just because I’m playing (a different spot).”

Wilfork maintains that he’s always had the pass-rush moves he’s recently been showing off, that he works on them in the offseason.
It’s just all coming out now.

“We’re always working on it, from now until the offseason,” Wilfork said. “It never stops, especially pass rushing because I don’t see a lot of one-on-ones. You have to be able to figure out how can you get push in the pocket. You have to work a little bit. That’s what I think pass rushing is all about: working. The more you work, the more success you have.”

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(bostonherald.com)