FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots defensive captain Vince Wilfork spoke to the media Tuesday after practice, remarking on the team's second day of organized team activities.

Wilfork noted that this was the time of the year for the Patriots to get to know each other and, more pointedly, to get in shape.

"That's why you have these days," Wilfork said. "Get in, get acquainted with one other. Prepare as a team. I think that's the most important thing, to prepare as a team. And individually, do what you can do to help this team. That's where I'm at.

"Like I said, I'm very excited. Every year it seems like the more and more you play, the more excited you get to come back."

Wilfork was asked about his own condition.

"Hey, I'm in decent shape," Wilfork said, to laughs. "In decent enough shape. But that's why you have these practices, you have OTAs, you have offseason workouts, you have training camps, just to get in shape and get a chance to get acquainted with one another and that's where we at."


(boston.com)

FOXBOROUGH – Vince Wilfork has been at this for a long time. Ten years, to be exact.

For some players, the novelty and excitement of being in the league wears off as years of grueling practices and marathon film sessions and nagging injuries begin to pile up.

But Wilfork isn’t like those players. He’s still invigorated and excited over each day of work. He feeds off the passion of younger players and enjoys working with them and preparing for new a journey and seeing how it all comes together.

These dog days of long practices under the summer sun are his favorite time of year.

“You know when you lose that feeling it’s time to give it up. And you know what, I’ve been having this feeling for 10 years now,” Wilfork said. “It’s an exciting feeling to have, trust me.”

Wilfork said that he likes this year’s group of defensive linemen, which features newcomers Armond Armstead and Tommy Kelly at defensive tackle, but is now sans Brandon Deaderick and Kyle Love, who were recently released.

Losing Love, who started last year and was recently diagnosed with diabetes, upset Wilfork a little bit, but he was not surprised by the move. When you’ve been in the league as long as he has, you learn not to be shocked by anything.

“It’s always tough. I’m dead set and focused on what I can do to get better as a teammates and a person,” Wilfork said. “That’s where I’m at right now. I can’t focus on who has came and who has gone.”

Right now, Wilfork is focused on getting in shape and learning all the names that go with the new faces. He said he’s getting closer, but still hasn’t gotten them all down.

As far as physical health, Wilfork said he is still working to get into playing shape and will next few weeks of organized team activities and June’s minicamp to get where he wants to be.

It will be a grind, but that’s what he loves.

“You have to come to work. And that’s what I do,” Wilfork said. “I come to work every day with my hardhat and work my tail off. I won’t stop doing it. I’m going to continue doing that until I’m finished.”


(masslive.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. — New Patriots wide receiver Donald Jones remembers the shot he took from Vince Wilfork well. And even if he didn’t, his new Patriots teammates and coaches will never let him forget it. As Jones was running a route in the middle of the field during the Bills-Patriots Week 4 matchup, Wilfork caught wind of him, dropped into coverage and collided with the former Bills wide receiver just as he was receiving the ball.

Jones couldn’t make the grab as the 325-pound behemoth caught him in midair. “Yeah, I talked to him about it,” Jones said of Wilfork. “Guys make jokes about it all the time. They bring it up. Matter of fact, when I came on my visit here, that was one of the first things the coaches said.

That’s something that I’ll never forget.” Jones said it wasn’t the hardest hit he’s ever received, despite the size of the man hitting him. If Wilfork landed squarely on the 208-pound wideout, that answer may be a lot different.

“You know, it actually looked a lot worse than it was,” Jones said. “It didn’t hurt. I’m sure if he landed on me, it would have hurt a lot more. He caught me in the air, so the hit didn’t hurt or anything. That was not the hardest hit that I’ve taken.

No.” Jones was impressed at the time that Wilfork had the wherewithal to find him in the middle of the field. That play, more than any other, showed Wilfork’s impressive instincts.



“I don’t even really remember how Vince ended up right there when I caught the ball,” Jones said. “He was right there. So, he read it well, and he just caught me in the air, and I guess that’s something D-linemen always hope for: to catch a wide receiver coming over the middle. So he got his thing that he always hopes for, I guess.”

Jones will have to get used to lining up across from Wilfork at practice and training camp in the next few months. Luckily, Wilfork will mostly be moving forward, attacking offensive linemen, rather than wide receivers. In case you need a refresher on the Wilfork hit, check it out below. It certainly looks painful.


(nesn.com)

Say what you want about the New England Patriots defense, but there’s no denying Vince Wilfork's status as one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL.

That point was recently echoed by CBSSports.com’s Pat Kirwan, who lists Wilfork as the third best defensive lineman in the NFL. Kirwan also believes that Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones could become one of the league’s best defensive ends by midseason.

Houston's J.J. Watt and Baltimore’s Haloti Ngata were listed as the top defensive linemen.

In grading Wilfork, Kirwan notes his improved stamina. In previous years, Wilfork came off the field in passing situations, which limited him to a combined 1,179 snaps during the 2008 and 2009 seasons (30 games). Last season, he played 1,041 snaps, including playoffs.

“Wilfork has outstanding range along the line of scrimmage and that’s the reason New England plays him at DE more often than he lines up in his original nose tackle position,” Kirwan writes.


(masslive.com)

There has been an outcry of support for the city of Boston from athletes around the country over the past 24 hours, and now Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is doing his part. Wilfork is committed to raising money for the relief efforts and victims of the Marathon Monday bombings.

He has agreed that all donations made to the Vince Wilfork Foundation for the entirety of April will go to benefit Monday’s victims and their families. Text “VINCE” to 50555 to donate $10 to the efforts. If the foundation raises $10,000 in the effort then Wilfork has also agreed to match that donation amount.

Wilfork’s wife Bianca joined in the effort, too, spreading the message on her own Twitter account. Wilfork joins new teammate Danny Amencola in agreeing to raise money for those impacted by the events.

On Monday, Amendola tweeted out that he would donate $100 for every catch he made during the 2013 season and $200 for every dropped pass. Both gestures show just how committed the Patriots, both old and new, are to supporting the city of Boston and the local community.


(nesn.com)

New England Patriots offensive tackle NATE SOLDER and defensive tackle VINCE WILFORK will each donate a $1,500 equipment grant to a high school football program through USA Football, the official youth football development partner of the Patriots and the NFL.

USA Football named Solder and Wilfork to its 2012 All-Fundamentals Team in January, honoring 26 NFL players who employ proper technique, particularly when blocking and tackling, which fosters inherent safety benefits and better on-field performance. As All-Fundamentals Team players, Solder and Wilfork each received an equipment grant valued at $1,500 from USA Football to donate to the youth or high school program of their choice. Soldier will award his grant to Buena Vista (Colo.) High School, his alma mater, and Wilfork will award his grant to Boynton Beach (Fla.) Community High School.

Solder uses proper footwork and balance to correctly and efficiently block in space. With eyes on the target, Solder uses a wide base, a bend in his knees and great body position whether leading on run or screen play or setting up in pass blocking.

"The equipment grant will help us replenish our helmet inventory," Buena Vista High School football coach MATT FLAVIN said. "The new helmet law in Florida requires any helmet over 10 years to not be re-conditioned. Our football program appreciates the support of Nate, USA Football and the Patriots."

Wilfork uses his strength and proper technique to either defeat blocks or hold his ground at the point of attack, depending on what his team’s call is. His balance and proper hand placement create space between himself and the blocker to remain in control while engaged.

"The USA Football equipment grant from Vince Wilfork will greatly benefit our football program," Boynton Beach Community High School football coach RICK SWAIN said. "Vince grew up in Boynton Beach and understands the financial struggles our school, students and community faces.

"This type of donation – a 25-piece blocking equipment set – will directly impact our student-athletes and inspire them to be the best they can be."

Employing core football fundamentals advances a youth player’s performance and safety, particularly in the areas of blocking and tackling. USA Football has educated more than 100,000 youth football coaches in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., through its online courses and single-day coaching clinics. Approximately 3 million American children age 6-14 play organized tackle football, placing it among the country’s most popular youth sports.

The USA Football All-Fundamentals Team was assembled with guidance by a five-person selection committee:
• TOM CARTER, NFLPA player advocate and former NFL defensive back
• CHARLES DAVIS, USA Football spokesperson, football analyst for NFL Network and FOX Sports
• HERM EDWARDS, ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL head coach
• MERRIL HOGE, USA Football board member, ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL running back
• CARL PETERSON, USA Football chairman, former NFL team executive and assistant coach

More on past USA Football All-Fundamentals Team players’ techniques is available at: www.usafootball.com/all-fundamentals-team.

About USA Football: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body in the United States, hosts dozens of football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent nonprofit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and provides more than $1 million annually in equipment grants and youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football (www.usafootball.com) is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.


(patriots.com)

DERRY, N.H. — Vince Wilfork’s mission to raise awareness in the fight against diabetes led to a New Hampshire middle school yesterday.

The Patriots defensive tackle teamed up with U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and several medical experts at Hood Middle School, and preached the importance of living healthy, active lives now to lower the chances of developing diabetes later.

A handful of diabetic children in the crowd were there, including twin boys in the eighth grade who were curious about the disease’s effects in adulthood. Wilfork, standing in the middle of a packed gymnasium, told them to appreciate everything in the present and follow proper medical orders to live the fullest lives possible.

“It had nothing to do with football,” Wilfork said. “It was all about being a human being, how we can help our younger generation move forward. I think with today’s message, we did a good job of that. These guys asked us some great questions. We had a good time today. It definitely was a good outing.”

Wilfork saw firsthand how devastating the illness can be. His father suffered from diabetes for years before losing the battle in 2002, and he recalled instances as an adolescent when he had to take care of his father while friends played outside. Wilfork now has made it his lifelong mission to fight the disease.

Shaheen’s granddaughter, who attended yesterday’s event, also has diabetes and recently got a guide dog that can actually help by sensing when her blood sugar levels aren’t right.

“Anything I can do with this whole diabetes thing is something near and dear to my heart, also to the senator’s,” Wilfork said. “Anything I can do to help, I’m always on board for it. Today was one of those days that had nothing to do with nothing but being a human being and helping one another. That’s what we did today. Hopefully these kids listened to what we had to say, take our advice. They have a bunch of support around them, and we just hope that they use it. If they do, we’ll definitely have a better place.

“We’re going to fight like crazy to make sure that we can get something for this disease, because it’s bad. It is a bad disease, but we’re going to continue to work on it. We never know what happens in the future, but the only thing we can do is keep pushing, keep plugging and trying to get a cure.”

Wilfork will host his 10th Draft Night Fundraiser on April 25 at Pinz in Milford, and it will again support the Joslin Diabetes Center and Diabetes Research Institute.


(bostonherald.com)

Oh, boy.

Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson has a radio show in Houston. Current Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork doesn't live in Houston, which is why Johnson figured it was OK to talk about Wilfork's wife on Friday's show.

Specifically, according to the Boston Globe's David D'Onofrio, a caller asked Johnson, "Of all of the players who he played with, who's got the ugliest spouse?"

Common sense screams "Don't answer that," but after a minute (which, apparently, is more than enough time for common sense to take a smoke break), Johnson uttered the following words: "Gosh," he said. "He won't hear this: Vince Wilfork." (You can listen to the audio here.)

Turns out, the Internet extends beyond city limits. Which means that Wilfork very much heard Johnson's comments and let's just say he wasn't happy.

"@TedJ52 your barking up the wrong tree," Wilfork tweeted. "I hear and see everything mother f---er." (Wilfork then tweeted out a link to a longer note, which you can read to the right. Click on the image to enlarge.)

"@TedJ52" is Ted Johnson, who wasted little time apologizing (via Twitter, naturally).

"I just made a huge error in judgement and want to apologize to Vince and his wife for comments I made earlier today on a Houston radio show," Johnson said. … "Vince and his family are outstanding people who I have admired since they arrived in NE. I learned a big lesson today and feel terrible. … I have personally apologized to the family and feel awful. It was a huge error in judgment and I'm sorry for upsetting Vince's family. … The last thing I will say about this is that I understand the criticism [and] will own my poor decision."

Let this be a lesson for us all: Never, ever publicly make fun of someone's wife, especially when said someone could literally squeeze you like a grape.



(cbssports.com)

Vince Wilfork was in town for the Derby and after meeting up with his good buddy Clint Hurtt (Cardinals defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, who is a former teammate of Wilfork’s with the University of Miami, FL). Wilfork, a 3-time NFL Pro Bowler and super bowl champion was more than happy to sport the apparel of the next powerhouse in college football, your University of Louisville Cardinals.

Hurtt, who was recognized by ESPN.com as the National Recruiter of the Year in 2010 after contributing to a top 30 recruiting class according to both Scout and Rivals rankings, along with Charlie Strong certainly appear to have the connections and ambition to keep the Cards on the fast track to becoming something truly special for years to come.

After Auburn won the BCS National Championship this past season they lost an assistant coach who joined the Tennessee Titans NFL staff, they were looking to re-energize their recruiting and they interviewed Clint Hurtt for the position of Defensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator (the same position he holds with Louisville). Although the talks were private and we don’t know exactly who turned who down, it appears that Hurtt believes so much in the great brand that is being built here in Louisville that after discussing the situation with his wife and praying he decided to stay with the Cardinals.

In a facebook posting, Hurtt said, “I appreciate everything that Coach Chizik showed my wife and I. I owed it to my family to at least look at the opportunity to coach in the SEC. I believe in Charlie Strong and the University of Louisville, and believe we are on our way to great things. Thank you for all the love from our Cardinal faithful. Go Cards!”

With Wilfork and countless other Miami Hurricanes currently in the NFL, you have to believe that Hurtt has plenty to discuss with any potential recruit he attempts to bring to Louisville.


(kentuckysports.co)

Even powerhouse Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork had to "tackle" some shoveling during the snowstorm over the weekend.

According to his wife Bianca's Twitter page, Wilfork headed out early to shovel their walkway, and she linked to photos on her Instagram, providing a look at how the Wilfork family handled the storm.


(boston.com)

The exodus begins.

The New England Patriots are now down to having two representatives in the Pro Bowl after quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker, guard Logan Mankins and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork pulled out of the competition due to injury.

Both Welker (knee) and Mankins (calf/hip) had documented injuries this season, but neither was listed on the team's final injury report of the season. The possible reasons behind Wilfork and Brady's absences are not known.

The Patriots medical staff conducted physicals on all players Monday morning.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski was also voted into the game but will also sit out after breaking his forearm in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Special teamer Matthew Slater and linebacker Jerod Mayo are still on track to play in the game. 

(masslive.com)

In all, as many as 212 players will participate in the AFC and NFC championship games on Sunday – four teams, 53 players per team. When including players not on the active rosters of the four teams playing for a shot at the Super Bowl, however, the total jumps to more than 250.

The schools represented on the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens range from college football's elite (Alabama, Ohio State, Texas and Florida) to those situated far outside the national picture (Hillsdale, Bellhaven, Lane and Indiana).

Here are the eight schools most represented by the four teams playing Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl:

1. Miami (Fla.): 12. P Matt Bosher, OL Harland Gunn, DL Micanor Regis (Atlanta); LB Tavares Gooden, RB Frank Gore (San Francisco); DL Vince Wilfork, DL Marcus Forston (New England); LB Ray Lewis, OL Bryant McKinnie, RB Damien Berry, WR Tommy Streeter, S Ed Reed (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Oregon: 7. WR Drew Davis (Atlanta); RB LaMichael James, FB Will Tukuafu (San Francisco); TE Ed Dickson, DL Haloti Ngata, QB Dennis Dixon (Baltimore).

2. (tie) Florida: 7. LB Mike Peterson (Atlanta); DL Ray McDonald (San Francisco); DL Jermaine Cunningham, RB Jeff Demps, TE Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes (New England); WR Deonte Thompson (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Alabama: 6. OL Mike Johnson, WR Julio Jones (Atlanta); DL Brandon Deaderick, LB Dont'a Hightower (New England); DL Terrence Cody, LB Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Iowa: 6. DL Jonathan Babineaux (Atlanta); LB Jeff Tarpinian, TE Brad Herman, OL Markus Zusevics (New England); S Sean Considine, OL Marshal Yanda (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Texas: 6. OL Justin Blalock (Atlanta); CB Tarell Brown, OL Leonard Davis (San Francisco); OL Kyle Hix (New England); CB Chykie Brown, K Justin Tucker (Baltimore).

4. (tie) South Carolina: 6. DL John Abraham, DL Cliff Matthews, DL Travian Robertson, CB Dunta Robinson (Atlanta); S Emanuel Cook, CB Chris Culliver (Baltimore).

4. (tie) Ohio State: 6. OL Alex Boone, WR Ted Ginn Jr., LB Larry Grant, S Donte Whitner (San Francisco); TE Jake Ballard, S Nate Ebner (New England).
Another eight schools have five players on the rosters: Arizona State, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, UCF, Rutgers, Syracuse and Illinois.

Teams with four players: Oklahoma State, Marshall, Michigan, Fresno State, Utah, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Louisville, LSU and Georgia Tech.

Three players: Auburn, Wisconsin, Maryland, California, Wake Forest, Florida State, Penn State, Kansas, Purdue, Northwestern, Texas Tech and Arkansas.

Two players: Baylor, Michigan State, Stanford, Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, ECU, Oregon State, Richmond, San Jose State, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, TCU, UCLA, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, Delaware, Iowa State, Colorado, Tennessee State, Nebraska, Buffalo, Arizona and Washburn.

Luck of the draw plays a role, of course, but it's a bit surprising to see that schools like Virginia Tech, USC, Oklahoma and Texas A&M only have one player each on the four rosters. Not surprising? That one player represents schools like Prairie View A&M, Lane, Harvard, Weber State, Chadron State (Danny Woodhead), Hillsdale and Hofstra (which no longer has a football program).


(usatoday.com)

FOXBOROUGH --- Vince Wilfork spoke glowingly about his fellow University of Miami alumnus, Ray Lewis, when the veteran Baltimore Ravens linebacker announced before the start of the AFC playoffs that this season would be his last.

Lewis missed 10 games this season but returned from a torn triceps and gave the fourth-seeded Ravens an emotional charge in their victories at Cincinnati in the wild-card round and at top-seeded Denver in the divisional round to earn a rematch against the Patriots in the AFC title game.

"When you talk about football, especially defense, the first person you really think about is that guy,'' Wilfork said of Lewis. "What he brings to the team, what he brings to the game, the love and the passion he has for the game.

"It just goes to show you when he came back,it's a new ballclub in Baltimore,'' Wilfork said. "They feed of him because he's their leader, and that city feeds off of him. We have to do a real good job of making sure they don't feed too much off of him in this game because it'll already be tough, but to come in on the emotional high they're on after winning two big games in the playoffs, it's going to be tough.

"You can never question that man's level of execution,'' Wilfork said. "It's unbelievable.''

Lewis served as a mentor to a generation of Miami Hurricane football players, Wilfork included.

"We bleed Orange and Green,'' Wilfork said. "I love to see my guys around the league. It just shows you that we have something special down there [at the University of Miami]. We have mutual respect but at the end of the day, I want to win and he wants to win. We're always competitive.

"Hurricane or no Hurricane, I'm a New England Patriot and I want to win, plain and simple,'' Wilfork said. "I'm pretty sure being in Baltimore, he wants to win. However long it takes, we're going to battle our tails off and after the game we're going to wish each other luck.''

Win or lose, Wilfork expected to visit with Lewis and give him his proper respect.

"Hopefully, with that guy going out, just want to let him know what he meant to this game, because he meant a lot to this game,'' Wilfork said.


(boston.com)

For a big man, Vince Wilfork moves around a lot. On one snap, he can be at left defensive end or tackle. On another snap, he can be at the same position on the right side.

Sometimes, Wilfork can line up directly over the center.

But he's always in somebody's head — one big, mean, nasty 6-foot-2, 325-pound headache.

"Vince Wilfork is a beast," said Ravens running back Ray Rice about the New England Patriots' top defensive lineman. "He is a flat-out beast. He handles double-teams. [If] you block him single-handedly, he bull rushes. The thing that's great about him is the speed. Some people think that because of his size he isn't going to be able to move as fast. He moves as quickly as any defensive linemen in the league. I've always loved battling, going against a guy like that, because he is going to give it everything he has. He knows what it takes to win. I have tremendous respect for him.

"That's no knock on that whole defense. I think their defense, sometimes because their offense gets so much credit, that their defense gets overlooked. Look at how they were able to neutralize the [Houston] Texans last week. They took the run game away from them. That's something that their defense … they get up for games like this because they know that we run the football. They know that we do different things, but that's a prideful bunch over there. They are no walk-in-the-park defense. You have to go out there and execute at a high level."

But first and foremost, Wilfork has to be contained. He is the mother of all loads. The Patriots were ranked No. 9 in rushing defense during the regular season allowing 101.9 yards per game. A week ago, they held the Texans and Arian Foster to 91 yards.

A lot of teams try to run to the perimeter on New England because there is no room to run inside. Wilfork had 59 tackles during the regular season, seventh-best on the team, and 41 were unassisted.

If you think he is just some blob who clogs up the middle, then you're wrong. He also has three sacks and has knocked down six passes.

He is the complete, big package.

"He is the best guy I will face this year because he is such a complete player," Ravens rookie left guard Kelechi Osemele said. "I only got to face him a couple of plays earlier this season but he is very physical, has a good blast and very good at the point of attack. He is really athletic for his size and what really impresses me is how fast he is."

Fortunately for the Ravens, they are playing Wilfork at a time when the offensive line is peaking. Since shifting Michael Oher to right tackle, Osemele to left guard and inserting veteran Bryant McKinnie at left tackle, the Ravens have been more productiv,e averaging 296.5 yards passing and 162.5 rushing in the past two games.

"Yes, I think so," said Ravens right guard Marshal Yanda, when asked if the offensive line was playing at its highest level. "We had a big test last weekend and we gave up one sack and kept Joe pretty clean. Obviously, that's a huge part of what we try to do every week. If we can get that done, Joe can really throw the ball down the field. I think it's a great job across the board to contain those guys and get one sack."

But the Denver Broncos didn't have any player with the girth, power and quickness of Wilfork. In the past, he has blown up running plays because he simply overpowers at the point of attack one-on-one.

Ravens center Matt Birk has had an outstanding career, but clearly is no match for Wilfork. Osemele and Yanda need to have big games where they work combination blocks with Birk and then scrape off and try to pick off a linebacker in the second level.

"He is just not a guy that we will be able to cover up," Yanda said. "He has a lot of lateral quickness, which makes him good. He disrupts a lot of offensive lines. He's a force in there. We will have to have him blocked and get after him and contain him. It starts with him upfront for us — creating problems."

If they can't, it could be a long game for running backs Rice and Bernard Pierce. If the guards can't scrape off, then New England linebackers Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo will be free to make tackles.

"We can't allow him to key on what we're doing," Osemele said. "We're going to have to be unpredictable at times. I think ever since we had to make some changes, we've got the best five guys out there right now and Joe has been playing exceptionally well. It's up to us to keep that going."


(baltimoresun.com)

The honors continue to roll in for the Patriots, as tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and special teamer Matt Slater were named to the 2012 Pro Football Weekly/Professional Football Writers of America All-NFL team on Thursday.

On Gronkowski, PFW’s Dan Arkush writes, “They don’t make receiving tight ends any better than Gronkowski, whose red-zone chemistry with Patriots QB Tom Brady is a key element  in the league’s most productive offense.” Arkush said Wilfork is “arguably New England’s best defensive player,” and that he “commands the trenches and provides an extra dimension with his ability to play both inside or on the edge.” As for Slater, PFW says he’s “a solid gunner [who] is headed to Honolulu for the second time after leading the Pats in special-teams tackles for the second straight season.”


(weei.com)

One of the Texans’ challenges will be not letting Vince Wilfork wreak the havoc he did last time when he rang up four tackles, a sack, a deflection and a forced fumble. He was dizzyingly active, said rookie center Ben Jones. “I knew he was a really big guy,” Jones said. “But some of the plays he made, I’m like, ‘All right, this guy’s really athletic to be this big.’ ” If there’s a solution, it’s hitting him before he can figure out what’s coming. “You just try to get on him and get on him fast so he can’t read run or pass,” Jones said


(boston.com)

FOXBOROUGH – Vince Wilfork knows what's on the other side of the finish line, but he hasn't even begun to try to locate it.

After nearly a decade in the National Football League, he still loves the game and being a part of a team. The constant pursuit of unattainable perfection and getting ready for another opponent still excites him.

When those things no longer make him jump out of bed in the morning, the New England Patriots defensive tackle says he will walk away and take up a more solitary pursuit, such as throwing the shot put.

"I got one the other day to see if I can still throw it," said Wilfork, who holds the Florida high school record of 68 feet. "I threw it 54 feet, but I felt a lot of bones cracking."

For now, and into the foreseeable future, Wilfork plans to serve as the steel ball causing bones to crunch. He claims his love for the game is still as pure as it was when he was lining up for Santaluces Community High, and listening to his words gush, it seems those feelings come from a genuine place.

It would be a lie if Wilfork said he doesn't enjoy the wealth and spoils that come with being a successful NFL player – he drives an orange Mack truck to Gillette Stadium most days – but that isn't what fuels him. If it were, there likely would have been some type of drop-off after he fought for and signed a five-year, $40 million contract prior to the 2010 season.

That hasn't happened.

Wilfork has earned second-team All-Pro honors the two seasons since his new deal, and should earn a third consecutive nod this year. Wilfork says when his eventual demise does arrive, it will be the result of his body breaking down, not a lack of interest or effort.

"I have a chance to play this game and people pay me for what I love to do. So I never try to let that justify why I should play or why I shouldn't play," Wilfork said. "It's all in the heart. The passion. The love you have for the guys in this locker room, love for the organization.

"Until the day I don't (love the game), that will be my last calling. As long as I enjoy myself, I'll continue to play – no matter the price."

Wilfork's job can be thankless at times. His work isn't often highlighted in network broadcasts as the cameras instead shift to one his teammates dancing in the backfield after taking down the quarterback or stuffing a running back.

But those with a finer appreciation for the game know he is the nucleus of the Patriots defense and the man to fear. The Houston Texans, who visit Sunday for a divisional playoff game, know this as well as anyone.

In their Dec. 10 meeting with the Patriots, Wilfork, seemingly single-handedly, ate up and disrupted the Texans' zone-blocking scheme and helped hold running back Arian Foster to 46 yards, the first step in a 42-14 victory. Asked earlier this week how they planned to neutralize Wilfork, Texans coach Gary Kubiak could only throw up his hands.

"The thing that is so difficult is he plays everywhere," Kubiak said. "So it's not like you go the other way with the ball or try to avoid something. You're going to have to deal with him all day long."

Wilfork is hoping to introduce the Texans to a whole new brand of terror this week.

After winning the Super Bowl as a rookie, it seemed enjoying February glory was stipulated in Wilfork's contract. But it's been more than awhile since he tasted it, and each successive failure in the years since has only made his memories of triumph taste that much sweeter.

Getting another ring is all that matters now, and Wilfork has designs on making this year the one.

He'll go out and work that much harder in practice and hope everyone follows his lead. He has no doubts the guys will. He says they're a good group, but he knows he has to show them how he's approaching it before they can come along.

"I have to show these guys what it's going to take to win," he said.

It beats throwing the shot put.


(blog.masslive.com)

Vince Wilfork's instinct to protect his teammates cost him $30,000.

The NFL fined the New England defensive tackle for hitting Jacksonville offensive lineman Steve Vallos in the back of the head during Sunday's following a Patrick Chung interception.

Vallos hit Patriots defensive end Trevor Scott from behind near the end of the play, sending him to the ground, and afterward Wilfork said he was sticking up for his teammate. He was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

"That was protecting my teammate, plain and simple," Wilfork said. "You're not going to sit right in front of me and take a cheap shot at my guy with me standing behind you, that won't fly. Plain and simple. I'll probably get penalized for it, I did, but at the same time, you'll never see me letting my teammates just get cheap-shotted like that with me standing right there."


(masslive.com)

After putting themselves in a 13-3 hole at the beginning of last week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Vince Wilfork says if this team wants to go far in the playoffs, than they need to start games off the right way.

Well this Sunday against Miami will be the Patriots last opportunity to get it right. Starting fast as been a common theme this week for the Patriots and Wilfork said it’s a part of their new motto.

“We’ve just got to do a better job of starting games. We’ve showed that we can play with anybody,” said Wilfork. “We can play for 60 minutes, but it’s just so much up and down. Part of that is how we start. Got to do a better job of starting fast. That’s going to be a motto from here on out, start fast and finish strong. It’s a good week to start this week with… We understand that and our main goal is to execute and start fast. If you do two of those things, we’ll be ok.”

It’s been two weeks in a row now that the Patriots started off slow. In Week 15, against San Francisco, the Patriots were down 31-3 in the midst of the third quarter. As good as the Pats have looked in certain games this season, Wilfork believes faster starts will help them become more consistent.

“Throughout the season we’ve just been so inconsistent. If it’s a mental breakdown, a fundamental, a technique issue or whatever it may be. We have to have 11 guys on the same page when we’re on that field,” said Wilfork. “It’s a big challenge for us this week. Bill (Belichick) has been pushing the envelope for us. He’s been demanding that we play better, execute better. I think every guy in this locker room is pushing one another to make sure we go out, finish start and start fast. Start games fast. That will clean up a lot of stuff around here. That’s one of our goals.”  


(bostonherald.com)

Six Miami Hurricanes were among those named to the 2013 Pro Bowl, announced by the National Football League offices Wednesday.

With its six selections, Miami tied Tennessee for the lead among all universities nationwide.

Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts) were two of the four AFC selections at wide receiver. The veteran proCanes wideouts, who each earned their sixth Pro Bowl nod, have played pivotal roles for their respective teams through Week 16, combining for over 200 catches and 2,700 yards. Johnson ranks first in the conference with 1,457 receiving yards, while Wayne ranks second in the AFC with 102 receptions.

Johnson's teammate Chris Myers earned his second Pro Bowl selection when he was named the AFC's back-up center. The former sixth-round draft pick was also named to the Pro Bowl in 2011.

Two of the league's best defenders, Baltimore Ravens' safety Ed Reed and New England Patriots' nose tackle Vince Wilfork, were among those selected as starters. Reed earned his ninth trip in 11 professional seasons, while Wilfork was selected to his fifth-career Pro Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers' running back Frank Gore, who recently marked his team-record sixth 1,000-yard season, was the lone proCane NFC selection. The four-time Pro Bowler has rushed for 1,146 yards this season.


(hurricanesports.com)

On a day that Tom Brady blasted his own performance and that of his offensive teammates, another Patriots captain – Vince Wilfork -also had a defining moment of leadership.

Late in the fourth quarter, and the Jaguars threatening to tie the game, Chandler Jones hit Chad Henne on fourth-and-goal from the Patriots 10. Patrick Chung picked off the pass at the goal line and returned it to the Patriots 28.

But, during the return, Jacksonville offensive lineman Steve Vallos hit Trevor Scott from behind toward the end of the play. Vallos knocked Scott from behind and face first into the ground. Wilfork saw it and took big time exception with it and retaliated against Vallos. Wilfork was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty for sticking up for his teammate.

“That was protecting my teammate, plain and simple,” Wilfork said. “You’re not going to sit right in front of me and take a cheap shot at my guy with me standing behind you, that won’t fly. Plain and simple. I’ll probably get penalized for it, I did, but at the same time, you’ll never see me letting my teammates just get cheap-shotted like that with me standing right there.

“It is what it is, it’s part of football. Some people might not like it, some people might like it, but I’m going to do everything I can to protect my teammates,” he continued. “And I was protecting my teammate. But it is what it is, and I don’t think twice about it. If it happened again, I’d protect my teammate the best way I could.”


(weei.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — His numbers don’t leap off the page. They never do.

Yet as he has done throughout his entire nine-year career in New England, Vince Wilfork is leaving an unmistakable imprint all over the Patriots this season.

The only defensive player still on the roster from any of New England’s championship teams is once again living up to the billing as one of the best nose tackles in the league. Wilfork is a stalwart force in the center of the Patriots’ defensive line who’s been instrumental in their much-improved rushing defense.

“I could care less about stats,” Wilfork said earlier in the year. “The only stat I care about is the W. We win, and I’m happy. We lose, and I’m not.”

The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Wilfork wasn’t too jolly following New England’s 41-34 loss to San Francisco on Monday night that snapped the Patriots’ seven-game winning streak.

After back-to-back games against two of the top teams in the league — the first a possible AFC championship preview against the Houston Texans and last week’s showdown a potential Super Bowl matchup — New England travels to Jacksonville to face the struggling Jaguars.

And after playing two teams that have combined for 22 victories, Wilfork isn’t about to look past 2-12 Jacksonville.

The Jaguars, like every other team on New England’s schedule, likely will find it impossible to overlook Wilfork.

“A lot of people might look at their record, but you can just tell, they just line up and they play football. They’re old school,” Wilfork said. “They line up and they try to do things right and you can just tell, when they do the things right, they move the ball, they make plays.

“It’s going to be challenging for us.”

Attempting to block Wilfork is always a tall order.

Just ask Patriots offensive lineman Nick McDonald, whose job is to help handle Wilfork each and every practice.

“Going up against (a guy) like that, you’ve got to play your best football. He’s a tough player to defend,” McDonald said. “He’s a great football player. He’s a good leader. He’s a guy that’s been around the system for a long time and he does a lot of things well.

“He’s a hell of a football player.”

When the stage is biggest, Wilfork seems to shine the most. Take two weeks ago, for example.

The mammoth man in the middle was credited with four tackles, one for a loss, a sack, one pass deflection and a forced fumble, igniting a stunning blowout of the first-place Texans in front of a national television audience.

He also was almost single-handedly responsible for bottling up running back Arian Foster, who for the third straight season has eclipsed 1,200 yards but managed just 46 yards on 15 carries against the Patriots.

Wilfork didn’t even need to be standing on his large feet to make one of the more memorable tackles of his season, either. On the second offensive play of the game, Wilfork was blocked to the ground, but still managed to clamp his massive mitts around Foster’s shin, dragging him down for a 1-yard loss.

“He’s a unique player,” McDonald said.

Wilfork by no means is your average pass rusher, barreling down the middle rather than from the side, and has totaled fewer sacks in his career (15) than some players have this season alone.

But then again, nothing about the four-time Pro Bowler is typical.

The surprisingly mobile veteran is enjoying a standout season for New England with 42 tackles, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, a pair of sacks and six passes defended.

“The athletic ability he has and the size he has is very rare, and just his passion for the game,” McDonald marveled. “Guys that have been around the league a long time like that and still have amazing passion and work as hard as he does, he’s going to be successful.”

The offensive line also is benefiting from his presence.

“Going up against a guy like that . that rare athletic ability and size, the power he has, the quickness, it’s definitely going to make you better,” McDonald said. “He’s going to make everybody around him better, too.”

Wilfork is a major reason the Patriots have forced a turnover in 25 straight games and lead the league in turnover differential at plus-22, seven more than second-ranked Houston.

“That’s one of the things that we do. That’s one of our goals. That’s one of the things that we work very hard toward. And it’s paying off for us this year,” Wilfork said. “Hopefully we can continue to get our offense the ball. There’s no other offense I would want to get the ball than inside (quarterback Tom Brady’s) hands. The more we get our offense the opportunity with the ball, the better we’ll be as a team, and we understand that.

“Our goal is to go out and create negative plays and create turnovers and give our offense the ball back.”

(nhregister.com)

A new sitcom-like video teaming iRobot’s Roomba vacuum cleaner with New England Patriots captain Vince Wilfork and his family has gone viral.

The video, the first in a series called “At Home with the Wilforks,” reached 16,000 views as of 2 p.m. today, up from 500 at 5 p.m. yesterday, the Bedford company said.

Four more episodes featuring the Wilforks and other iRobot products will debut over the coming weeks.


(bostonherald.com)

FOXBOROUGH — Officially, Vince Wilfork was credited with four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble in the Patriots’ undressing of the Texans last Monday night.

But his impact on that game seemed far larger than the statistics showed, and it began on the second official snap.

Houston running back Arian Foster, who came into the night averaging more than 120 yards in nationally televised games, had just picked up 15 yards, negating an illegal formation penalty called on his team moments earlier.

Foster got the ball again, and started to follow center Chris Myers but then cut back. Right guard Ben Jones had shoved Wilfork down in the backfield and was trying to hold him on the Gillette Stadium turf.

But Jones didn’t do a good enough job, and Wilfork reached out and grabbed Foster by the left shin, dropping him for a 1-yard loss.

Houston punted three plays later.

“He is a big guy,” Texans right tackle Ryan Harris said after his team fell to 11-2 on the season. “He is a smart player, a veteran, and a champion. He knows what it takes to win in this league.”

As with most defensive tackles, Wilfork’s statistics, taken at face value, are not impressive. He has been credited with 46 tackles, two sacks, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.

His impact, however, cannot be measured in raw numbers, though the fact that he’s been on the field for 80 percent of New England’s defensive snaps gives an indication of his importance. Last season, Wilfork played an eye-opening 86 percent of the snaps, and was behind only cornerback Kyle Arrington in total snaps by the time the playoffs were over.

And if it seems like Wilfork has been everywhere this season, it’s a credit to the maturation of his young teammates that he’s been able to show off all of his talents.

“What’s happening to them is his production and his ability right now, I think it’s because of the outside presence of Chandler Jones and the three linebackers,” an AFC scout said. “[Dont’a] Hightower is starting to come on. I think the surrounding pieces have allowed him to be more, I won’t say more dominant, but you see more now the effect that he can have on the game and the production, the versatility, the things that he can do when there are better players around him.

“When you have to account for Chandler Jones’s speed rush and then him pushing the pocket and the quarterback trying to get away from the edge rusher, he has to step up and Wilfork is right there. He can get a sack or you have a zone scheme and they’re trying to attack the defensive end and Chandler Jones is able to stack and shed and the running back has to cut back and Wilfork is right there.”

The scout said that in recent years, when New England didn’t have players like Jones or Hightower or Brandon Spikes, offenses could double- or even triple-team Wilfork because he didn’t have many teammates who could hurt them.

The Patriots’ switch to a four-man defensive line also has aided Wilfork’s opportunities to make plays.

“As a 3-4, head-up nose guard, it’s so hard to be that stat guy,” the scout said. “It’s so hard to get a bunch of sacks or a bunch of TFLs [tackles for loss] as a 3-4 nose. In a 3-4 scheme you want to protect your linebackers and those are the guys that will be making all the plays.

“So having the 4-3 scheme, he’s able to play from a 3-technique to a shade; he’s got the versatility to play all along the line. [Bill] Belichick will move him to a 5-technique or a 3-tech or a nose . . . I think the four-man scheme has allowed him to show his versatility a little bit more, especially in the run game because he’s able to do a little bit of 2-gapping and penetrate gaps.”

Even as a leader and focal point of the defense, Wilfork, like so many of his teammates, will do whatever is asked of him if it furthers the Patriots’ cause.

“Even in three-man line there’s different things we can do that you see me move around a lot, from nose to end, just matchups that we like, try to keep the offense guessing, and in a four-man line it’s the same thing,” Wilfork said.

“We just try to keep it moving, and what’s best for the team, that’s what we’re going to always do. It may not be best for me, but when my name is called I’m ready, and ready to make plays if I have to. But if I don’t make plays, if I’m playing well and helping my teammates, if I’m freeing up some of my teammates, I’m happy, and if we win I’m happy.

“When we lose, that’s when it becomes a problem. Don’t want to lose, I’ll tell you that. Hate losing, so I’m going to do everything I can to prevent that.”

Moving Wilfork around also creates more opportunities for him to show off his athleticism, freakish for a man his size.

Wilfork’s return on his first career interception, when New England hosted San Diego last season, is just one example. He read Philip Rivers’s eyes, tipped the ball to himself, and rumbled down the Chargers’ sideline, stiff-arming at least one player along the way.

“He’s an extremely large human being,” said Patriots guard Donald Thomas, no small guy himself. “And for his size, he has great explosiveness. Once he gets going, it’s hard to stop him, unless you take a perfect fit and you know exactly what he’s going to do. If not, you see what he can do to people.”

Thomas played against Wilfork with the Dolphins in 2009, and does not have fond memories of the experience.

“It was rough,” Thomas said. “It was like, you see the film, but you don’t really get a chance to know how powerful he is until you get a chance to feel it. All you can do is just try to do what you’re taught and hold on.”

Wilfork’s dominant performance against Houston had some wondering if he might be a dark-horse candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

According to the scout, in other years he likely would be.

But this year, with San Francisco’s Aldon Smith, who will be in Foxborough Sunday night, on pace to break the single-season sack record, the Texans’ J.J. Watt accumulating numbers like 16½ sacks and 15 pass deflections, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman with nine forced fumbles and two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns, not to mention the Broncos’ Von Miller, it’s a stacked field.

Asked if he believes this is his best season, Wilfork shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I never look at seasons and games, I don’t look at it like that. When I prepare, I prepare to win. If it comes with ‘best season,’ it’s not for me to say. I’ll leave it up to you guys to decide that.

“At the end of the day, I just want to help this ball club win. That’s what I’m all about, winning. You can have all the stats, but if you’re losing it don’t mean much. Winning is everything to me. At the end of the day, that’s what everybody gets paid for, to produce. To win. We do that, I’m a happy man.”


(boston.com)

At the age of 31, he’s carved out a career as one of the best big men in the NFL. He’s been to four Pro Bowls, voted a second-team All-Pro twice and been a Super Bowl winner. He’s also been a part of two other teams that have made it all the way to the big game. And in this -- his ninth season -- he’s continued to play a very high level, dominating along the line in a way that few defensive linemen can.

But is that resume enough to get Vince Wilfork to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he retires? The one defensive constant for the Patriots since the days of their last Super Bowl title, Wilfork has been a rock in the middle for New England. Admittedly, his career isn’t over -- it’s not unrealistic to think that there will be at least one more trip to the Super Bowl, as well as another Pro Bowl berth or two -- but it’s not too early to start speculating about his chances for reaching Canton.

Since being taken 21st overall out of Miami in 2004, the 6-foot-2, 325-pounder has been a rock up front for New England, only missing six regular-season games since the beginning of 2005. This season, he has 46 tackles (32 solo), with a pair of sacks, two forced fumbles, four fumbles recovered and six passes defensed, and has been a big reason New England has spent most of the season in the top 10 when it comes to run defense. In addition, he’s played 730 of a possible 912 defensive snaps (according to Pro Football Focus), or 80 percent, a ridiculously high amount for any interior defensive lineman over the age of 30. That durability, as well as his versatility (he’s played just about every position along New England’s defensive front -- which has flipped between a four-man front and three-man front sporadically over the course of his career with the Patriots -- other than 4-3 defensive end) has made him an essential element to New England’s defensive game planning over the last nine seasons.

If we’re going to evaluate him as a possible Hall of Fame candidate, for our purposes, let’s first consider him as a defensive tackle. We won’t compare Wilfork to every other great defensive tackle who has a spot in the Hall -- the game has changed so dramatically over the years, the comparison wouldn’t be appropriate. But we can stack him up against some of the best of what the Hall calls the “modern era” defensive linemen. Of the 31 “modern era” defensive linemen who are in the Hall of Fame, 13 are pure defensive ends, a group that includes Lee Roy Selmon, Jack Youngblood, Deacon Jones and Howie Long. There are others -- like Dan Hampton and Reggie White -- who spent time at both spots.

The rest are mostly defensive tackles, but defensive tackles who have big sack totals, a group that includes Pittsburgh’s Joe Greene, Minnesota’s Alan Page and John Randle, Randy White of Dallas and Cortez Kennedy of Seattle. All of them were dominant when it came to rushing the passer. With the understanding that sack totals weren’t officially compiled prior to 1982, all of them did enough to be considered elite pass rushers: the fist four unofficially topped 100 sacks, while Kennedy, who played 11 seasons (1990-2000), finished with 58. While defensive end Michael Strahan, who was a defensive end, is a seemingly a lock as a finalist for the Hall this year, the only pure defensive tackle who is a finalist on this year’s ballot is Warren Sapp, who finished with 96.5 sacks over the course of his career, including four seasons of 10 or more sacks.

This is where Wilfork will likely suffer with Hall of Fame voters. The bottom line? The Hall likes big men, but doesn’t necessarily tend to reward big men in the middle who don’t pile up big sack numbers. Those who didn’t watch Wilfork over the course of his career will instead look at his statistical line and see a handful of sacks -- he had just the 15th of his career Monday night against Houston -- particularly when compared to some of the other defensive tackles of his era. Of course, Wilfork has played the majority of his career in a defense that didn’t call for a penetrating defensive tackle, but that won’t matter to voters who didn’t see him play on a regular basis and only look at his final numbers.

(To that end, his historical comparisons are odd. Pro Football Reference has Jerome Brown, Jumbo Elliott and Darnell Dockett listed as “similar players” -- defined by PFR as “players whose careers were similar in terms of quality and shape”. And while all three have or had carved out impressive careers for themselves, no one is talking about them as a possible Hall of Famer.)

Secondly, there’s Wilfork as a nose tackle. While he had played just about every spot on New England’s defensive front except defensive end in a four-man front  (the Patriots continue to use both a four-man front and a three-man front, and he’s played nose and defensive tackle in both schemes), he came into the league as a nose tackle, and that’s where he gained his greatest measure of success. However, as Robert Mays explains here, the Hall of Fame is even less inclined to induct a nose tackle than a defensive tackle who doesn’t pile up big sack numbers. Mays mentions Kris Jenkins and Casey Hampton as two nose tackles who maybe should receive consideration from the Hall for their impact when they become eligible -- supporters of Wilfork’s possible candidacy would be wise to see how voters treat those two. Locally, all you need to do is consider the case of Fred Smerlas, a five-time Pro Bowler with the Bills, Niners and Patriots who played from 1979 to 1992. He set an NFL record for most consecutive starts by a nose tackle on some very good Buffalo teams, and while he’s been a finalist, he’s never come close to getting the call.

(In fact, according to this story from Cold, Hard Football Facts, there’s only pure nose tackle in the Hall of Fame -- Bill Willis, who played for Cleveland from 1946-53.)

However, when we’re talking about nose tackles and the Hall of Fame, it’s clear that while the game has changed, those who vote have failed to pick up on the fact that defenses have evolved as well. The current incarnation of the 3-4 defense, which really came of age in the 1980s, demanded a world-class nose tackle if a team was to execute properly. You needed a big, space eater who could control the A gap and take on two blockers at once. New England went through a few of them, including veterans like Ted Washington and Keith Traylor, before Wilfork arrived. It was soon clear that Wilfork was that guy -- the Miami product quickly learned his job wasn’t going to be about penetrating and getting sacks, but occupying blockers and freeing things up for outside linebackers and defensive ends like Mike Vrabel and Willie McGinest to get into the backfield and inside linebackers like Tedy Bruschi to shoot the gaps and pile up those tackles for loss.

To that point, it’s interesting that, with the evolution of the passing game, it’s clear now that Wilfork has now played in two distinct time frames. While 2004 wasn’t the ground-and-pound era, there was more emphasis on running the ball -- there were 19 backs that season who topped 1,000 yards. Now, with the proliferation of spread offenses, there’s a greater premium on the passing game. It would be a stretch to call them different eras, but Wilfork has managed to excel against the run and the pass, so much so that while many interior linemen are rotated out in favor of an extra defensive back or linebacker when it comes to sub defenses, he’s one of only a handful of interior linemen who can be counted on to be a three-down presence up front.

He certainly doesn’t fit the statistical mold of a Hall of Famer, but having watched Wilfork on a regular basis since he came into the league, I can tell you that so much of what Wilfork does is difficult to quantify. Occupying two and three blockers on a regular basis so that his teammates are freed up to make plays certainly isn’t as sexy as being able to pile up big sack numbers, but it’s something Wilfork does on a regular basis, and has done better than just about anyone in the league over the last nine seasons.

In the end, it appears that the biggest thing holding Wilfork and other great interior space eaters back from a call to the Hall is the outdated notion that those guys are only worthy of induction if they get after the quarterback. But just as the game has evolved and the responsibilities of the big guys has changed, the Hall of Fame voters need to alter their line of thinking when it comes to evaluating big guys like Wilfork. If that happens, they should start measuring him for a yellow blazer the second he calls it a career.


(weei.com)

Offensive Player of the Week:

Reggie Wayne: proCane Colts WR Reggie Wayne caught six passes for 64 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's Week 14, 27-23 win over the Titans. Wayne was targeted 10 times on the afternoon and caught his touchdown pass from four yards out to get the Colts on the board in the first quarter. Wayne extended his NFL record 61 game streak of having 3 or more receptions.

Honorable Mention: Greg Olsen

Co-Defensive Players of Week:

Sam Shields: proCane Packers DB Sam Shields in his first game back from a high-ankle sprain that kept him out nearly two months regained his old spot by the second quarter. Shields returned with four tackles and an interception in Sunday's win over the Lions. Shields was targeted 5 times and only allowed one completion.

Antrel Rolle: proCane New York Giants DB Antrel Rolle recorded a fumble recovery and forced fumble on successive drives, adding in six tackles in a stout defensive performance. Through Week 14, Rolle ranks first on the team in solo tackles (61) and second on the team in total tackles (79).
Honorable Mention: Vince Wilfork DL New England Patriots finished the game with 4 tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss and numerous plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet.

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Travis Benjamin: proCane Browns WR Travis Benjamin proved to provide the momentum the Browns needed to run away with their 30-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Benjamin turned in a record-setting punt return when he ran 93 yards for a touchdown to open the second quarter. It was Benjamin’s first NFL punt return for a TD which also earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Benjamin's touchdown was the first on a punt return for a Cleveland rookie since 1967, and the first for any returner not named Josh Cribbs since 2005. Adding the longest punt return in franchise history to his resume, the Belle Glade, Fla., native now has over 400 all-purpose yards in his first season, including 296 on punt and kick returns.

On Tuesday, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said it was difficult to use statistics to tell the story of Vince Wilfork’s value to the Patriots.

Between the work he does in freeing up space for linebackers, taking on blockers, stuffing the run, collapsing the pocket as a pass rusher, and providing standout leadership on defense, his value is hard to quantify, Patricia said.

ESPN Stats & Information took that as a challenge, comparing the performance of the Patriots defense when Wilfork is on the field to when he's off of it. The result are the numbers you see in the table to the right.

Patriots D with Wilfork on/off field

	On field	Off field
Plays	678	168
Yards/Rush	3.60	5.25
Sacks	27	1
Dropbacks/Sack	15.6	105.0

(espn.com)

When deciding who should be the NFL’s MVP each year, most experts look at statistics for most of their analysis. Yards, touchdowns, tackles, sacks and turnovers are all integral pieces of the puzzle. But not all players can be judged strictly off what shows up on the stat sheet. Some positions are more difficult than others to judge when it comes to success or impact, but none may be more difficult to size up than the players down in the trenches.

That’s exactly where you’ll find Vince Wilfork on just about every down each week. Wilfork has been an integral piece of the Patriots’ defensive success for nine seasons now, yet his impact can’t exactly be broken down into totals and averages. His value goes far deeper than any set of numbers could ever show — well, any number but one. “Obviously, the biggest stat we’re concerned with is winning. I think you can definitely say that Vince helps us win every week,” Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said.

“That’s really what we’re trying to do, and that’s what we’re trying to work for as a defense: to get better.” Since Bill Belichick drafted Wilfork at No. 21 overall — if you can believe he fell that far — in 2004, the Patriots have been nearly unbeatable. As of Week 14 of this season, New England has won 110 of its 141 games in the nine seasons since selecting Wilfork. That staggering number means that, with Wilfork on the roster, the Patriots win better than 78 percent of the time, and the big lineman has had more than just some small part of that record.

The Patriots clinched their 10th consecutive 10-win season Monday night. In nine of those seasons, Wilfork has had a central role. This season has been no different, as was evidenced by Wilfork’s massive role in Monday’s 42-14 romp over the AFC-leading Texans. This season, even more than any other, has been Wilfork’s masterpiece. He has been a monster on the interior, completely dominating opposing offensive linemen week after week.

Even more importantly, his consistent, steadying presence along the line has helped the Patriots improve from one of the worst defenses in football at season’s start to a well-respected and even feared group heading into the home stretch. So, while guys like J.J. Watt, Aldon Smith and even the Bengals’ Geno Atkins are all deserving of their place in the defensive player of the year conversation, Wilfork belongs there, too. His dominance may not be quantified in stats quite like the others’ are, but Wilfork’s had just as much, if not more, of an impact on the Patriots as any other player in football. Give the man his due!

(nesn.com)

FOXBORO — It’s been 10 years since Vince Wilfork [stats] shared a practice field and won a national championship with Andre Johnson at Miami, but he remembers it like it was yesterday.

Though the pair played on opposite sides of the ball, Wilfork admired the wideout. And his tune remains the same today.

“That’s a guy, when you talk about a team player, he has the heart of a champion,” said Wilfork, heading into Monday’s matchup with Johnson’s Houston Texans [team stats]. “He’s very quiet, doesn’t say much. I just remember playing with him in college, he was always quiet. But he was a fireball on the field. He’d give it his all. He’d play hurt. He’s a tough, tough football player. That’s one thing I always look back when playing with him and seeing him 10 years later in the NFL, still doing it. He has a lot to be proud of.”

Wilfork played with Johnson in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Their teams went 24-1, beating Nebraska for the BCS National Championship in January 2002. (Johnson was named the Rose Bowl co-MVP.) As a freshman, Wilfork didn’t start but played in every game, finishing with 41 tackles, a sack and three forced fumbles. Johnson, a sophomore, led Miami in receiving with 682 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Wilfork, like Johnson, entered the NFL after his junior season and found instant success. The Patriots [team stats] defensive tackle, in nine seasons, has earned four Pro Bowl and All-Pro bids. Johnson, in 10 seasons, has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times and to the All-Pro team four.

This season, Johnson is fourth in the NFL with 1,114 receiving yards. Slowed by injuries in the first half of the season, Johnson — says Texans quarterback Matt Schaub — is playing like himself again. The past five games, he’s hauled in 40 passes for 670 yards.

“I’ve said before you know, he’s really feeling like he’s hitting his stride and he really feels like he’s getting back to the Andre of old,” said Schaub. “I think you’ve seen it the past few weeks or months, some of the games that he’s had that were against Jacksonville and Detroit. He really is continuing to play at a very, very high level.”

Though Wilfork praised Johnson’s heart on the field, the wideout is one of the league’s most caring off of the gridiron as well. This week, he donated more than $19,000 for a Christmas shopping spree at Toys “R” Us to 12 children, selected by Child Protective Services.

“They have a great, great guy in Andre Johnson,” said Wilfork. “He’s a specimen. He’s special.”


(bostonherald.com)

FOXBORO —  The Houston Texans and their 11-1 record have the full attention of Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork.

“They're the best team in the NFL,” Wilfork said yesterday as the Patriots continued preparations for Monday night's showdown against the Texans at Gillette Stadium.

“They're the best team for a reason. They do a lot of things well. Blowouts, tough games, overtime — they've played through it all. They definitely have what it takes to be a champion, so you have to respect that. It's going to be a big challenge for us. We know how good they are.”

The Texans have won four games by 20 points or more, five by seven points or less, including back-to-back overtime victories over the Jaguars and Lions.

Houston is the only team unbeaten (6-0) on the road this season.

“They play as a team,” Wilfork said. “They never get too high or too low. They stay poised. They've won some big games this year.”

Wilfork, who had three tackles and a fumble recovery in last week's win over the Dolphins, will lead the effort up front as the Patriots try to keep running back Arian Foster under control. Foster leads the AFC with 1,102 yards rushing and tops the league with 15 total touchdowns.

Foster, of course, is just one of Houston's top offensive threats. Also looming is wide receiver Andre Johnson, who is in the midst of the sixth 1,000-yard season of his 10-year career.

Johnson set an NFL record for receiving yards in back-to-back games with 461 in Weeks 11-12. That included a career-high 273 yards on 14 receptions against Jacksonville.

Johnson and Wilfork were teammates at the University of Miami.

“That's a guy,” Wilfork said, “he has the heart of a champion. He's very quiet. He doesn't say much. In college, he was always quiet but he was a fireball on the field. He's big, physical, strong, fast. He can catch, run. He's well put together. He's a specimen. He's special.”


(telegram.com)

While everyone in New England is focusing on Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt, the good folks in Houston are zeroing in on Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, who is having another dominant season.

“The thing is, you’ve been seeing it for years,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “He’s very consistent in his play. Bill (Belichick) plays him all over the place, so it’s not like you’re going to know where he’s going to be. He’s a little bit of everywhere, whether it’s the nose, the 3-(technique) or whatever he’s playing. He’s a dominant force in there and has been his whole career. I’ll tell you the thing as a coach just watching film that I really love and respect about his game, he loves to play. He brings a lot of energy to his team. You can tell he’s a leader. When they need big plays, he’s the one leading the way. I just have the utmost respect for him, and it’s a big, big challenge for us upfront.”

Wilfork’s athleticism and versatility have impressed the Texans, just like everyone else the Patriots encounter.

“I think he’s extremely athletic for such a big man,” Kubiak said. “Heck, I just left a special teams meeting and watched him rush a punter. There’s no telling how he’s going to be involved in the game, but he’s a huge factor week in and week out. He plays all over the place, so all of our guys will probably go against him upfront somehow, someway because of the many places that he plays. He’s going to make plays and hopefully at the end of the day, they’re not big, big plays. He’s found a way to cause some big turnovers, too, along the way. He’s a huge factor every week for them. He’s obviously a leader for them and what they do.”


(bostonherald.com)

New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork (75) talks with defensive lineman Marcus Forston (98) and defensive end Justin Francis (94) during NFL football practice at the team's training facility in Foxborough, Mass., Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

FOXBORO — His presence on the stat sheet wasn’t big.

Vince Wilfork did come up big on NFL highlight reels from coast to coast for one play in the Patriots’ most recent game, their 49-19 rout of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Thanksgiving night, however.

Fact is, Wilfork transformed Mark Sanchez into the poster child for the Jets’ humiliating loss.

In one fell swoop, the 325-pound defensive tackle overpowered guard Brandon Moore, literally driving his backside into Sanchez, with the force of the hit causing the Jets quarterback to cough up the football. Safety Steve Gregory scooped up the fumble and returned it 32 yards for a second-quarter touchdown.

Come night’s end, though, Wilfork had been credited with a modest three tackles and wasn’t even given a forced fumble.

Then again, it was Moore who actually forced the fumble.

Such is the nature of the beast, though, when one is manning the position Wilfork plays in the Patriots’ defensive scheme.

“Winning is everything to me,” Wilfork shrugged on Thursday. “I couldn’t care less about individual stats. I don’t care about the accolades. I couldn’t care less about that.

“My main goal is to win, and if we’re winning and I’m playing well with zero stats I’m fine with that. I’m not a selfish player. I love guys making plays. I love making plays, but sometimes it doesn’t happen like that so it is what it is when it comes to that. As long as we win, I’m happy.”

Far more often than not, Wilfork has been both, productive and an integral part of winning.

Should the Patriots win at Miami on Sunday, the four-time Pro Bowler will become a member of the AFC East division champions for the eighth time in his career.

“You always want to win your division,” said Wilfork. “Most of the time, that’s your toughest games because you have teams that you play each other twice a year, sometimes three times (including) the postseason.

“You know each other’s schemes. You might have a few wrinkles here and there, but mainly, the team does what they do. It’s a prime case right now. The Dolphins know us. We know them.”

The Dolphins know what they’re up against in Wilfork.

“Well, when you talk about the structure of their defense, you want to be strong through the middle, and they are,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman said. “He’s at the center point of just about everything that happens.

“You have to be able to block him to have any success around the football. I mean, he is a man amongst boys out there a lot of times and really controls that line of scrimmage for them.”

Even if the numbers don’t always reflect it.

With 39 tackles through 11 games, Wilfork is on pace to finish with a career-low 57 tackles, which was addressed by the web site profootballfocus.com in a recent article that his wife, Bianca, pointed out to him.

“My whole career, high school (at Santaluces in Lantana, Fla.) and college (at the University of Miami), it seems the longer the season goes, the better I play,” shrugged Wilfork. “Nine years now (in the NFL), the same thing. Just prepare well.

“Sometimes I make some adjustments in games and weeks. Sometimes I don’t make plays. Sometimes I make a lot of plays. But my thing is to be the best I can be for my teammates.

“If that’s making one tackle or making 10 tackles, I really don’t care about that,” said Wilfork. “My goal is to always do what I do best, do what I can do to help this ballclub win.”


(enterprisenews.com)

He doesn’t put up big statistics, but few people make a bigger difference for their teams than Patriots most tackle Vince Wilfork.

That was the case in last night’s 49-19 win over the Jets, as Wilfork disrupted everything the Jets tried for a stretch, and made the play that made them the butt of all the jokes today. He was credited with just three tackles, but was the reason many more were made.

“If one of us is making a big play near the line of scrimmage, Vince is almost always a factor in it,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said, via Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe.

Pushing Jets guard Brandon Moore’s backside into quarterback Mark Sanchez might have been just the most obvious, but there were several other examples.
“I’m just taught to fight pressure with pressure, so I just started fighting back and knocked him into Sanchez and it created a fumble,” Wilfork said of the play that made the cover of the New York Post under the headline “BUTT UGLY.”

Mayo made a pair of short-yardage run stops which were directly because Wilfork tied up a double-team or otherwise blew up a play.

“It’s just man on man,” Wilfork said. “I think if I can occupy two [blockers], I know one of my ’backers is free. And I have some great ’backers. I put them up against any ’backers in the league at what we do. And I know I expect for them to make plays.”

It’s not a glamorous role to play, but the Patriots know he’s vital to what they do.

“Very unselfish,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We play him in different positions, where we feel like he’s maybe the most needed, not necessarily where it’s going to feature him or give him a great opportunity to make plays. But a lot of times it is to eat up blockers or try to disrupt plays.

“He’s an explosive guy that’s got very good football instincts. He knows where the ball is, he knows what they’re trying to do. He really responded to a lot of the different challenges or positions that we put him in. He’s done a very unselfish job and been very productive.”

He’s also getting more productive as the weeks pass, which is a good sign for a team that appears to be hitting its stride.


(profootballtalk.com)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It started, where it always does for the Patriots, with the big man in the middle.

Vince Wilfork may never be the flashiest player. He doesn’t get a chance that often to deliver a highlight-reel hit (though when he delivers, look out). And he will never have gaudy numbers like sacks or tackles for loss.

But if the Patriots deliver a big performance defensively, you can be sure Wilfork had an impact, even if it’s hard to pick him out on the stat sheet.

That was definitely the case on Thursday night, when Wilfork was once again huge in the Patriots’ 49-19 blowout victory over the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
“If one of us is making a big play near the line of scrimmage, Vince is almost always a factor in it,” said linebacker Jerod Mayo.

In the second quarter with the Patriots leading, 7-0, the Jets faced third and 2 at the Patriots’ 32-yard line. The Jets ran Bilal Powell over right guard, with the left guard pulling.

The Jets were zone blocking on the right side of the line, which means right guard Brandon Moore and right tackle Austin Howard were going to double team Wilfork to start, and then Moore would head to the second level to pick off Mayo and open a hole.

The problem was Wilfork didn’t move, which meant Moore couldn’t block Mayo.

Boom. Tackle for a 1-yard gain.

The Jets went for it on fourth and 1, Wilfork split Moore and Howard again. Mayo came in unblocked to stop Shonn Greene.

Boom. No gain. Fumble. Patriots ball.

Two huge plays, and Wilfork isn’t found on the stat sheet for them.

“It’s just man on man,” said Wilfork, who officially had three tackles. “I think if I can occupy two [blockers], I know one of my ’backers is free. And I have some great ’backers. I put them up against any ’backers in the league at what we do. And I know I expect for them to make plays.”

Patriots scored on the next play to make it 14-0.

Two plays later, the Jets botched a handoff and quarterback Mark Sanchez tried to make something out of nothing.

But Wilfork had shoved Moore 2 yards into the backfield and into Sanchez.

Boom. Fumble and touchdown for the Patriots to take a 21-0 lead.

Again, Wilfork doesn’t get any official credit for the play.

“I’m just taught to fight pressure with pressure, so I just started fighting back and knocked him into Sanchez and it created a fumble,” Wilfork said.

The Jets had third and 6 on their next possession when Wilfork drew a double team from center Nick Mangold and Moore. That allowed Mayo to sneak in untouched.

Boom. A 9-yard sack. No official credit for Wilfork.

The big man did get credit when he tossed Howard like a rag doll to stop Powell for no gain.

And, finally, when the Jets had fourth and goal at the 1-yard line early in the third quarter, Wilfork busted through the gap Greene wanted to run through. That forced him back to the middle, where Brandon Spikes stopped Greene for no gain.

Again, no sign of Wilfork officially.

But try telling the Patriots that Wilfork’s contributions don’t have meaning.

“Very unselfish,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We play him in different positions, where we feel like he’s maybe the most needed, not necessarily where it’s going to feature him or give him a great opportunity to make plays. But a lot of times it is to eat up blockers or try to disrupt plays.

“He’s an explosive guy that’s got very good football instincts. He knows where the ball is, he knows what they’re trying to do. He really responded to a lot of the different challenges or positions that we put him in. He’s done a very unselfish job and been very productive.”

Wilfork’s standout play against the Jets comes on the back of dominating play against the Colts, where he helped force Andrew Luck’s poor throw that was returned for a touchdown, and defensed two passes on his own.

Wilfork has played “solid all year” — to use Belichick’s words, but he seems to have been a man on a mission the last two games.

Wilfork said it has to do with his natural tendency to turn it on in the second half of the season.

“I always get better later in the season,” he said in the hallway after his news conference. “I’ve always been like that, in high school, college, and in the pros. Once the second half starts picking up, my game always seems to get elevated in the second half.”

But Wilfork’s surge might also have to do with his pride.

ProFootballFocus.com published an article on Nov. 16 entitled, “What’s wrong with Vince Wilfork?” The film-study-based website said in its tabulations, his play has been off this season, perhaps because of his high snaps, or the Patriots not playing to Wilfork’s strengths.

He did see the story — Wilfork’s wife, Bianca, showed it to him — and acknowledged he glanced at it, but downplayed the significance.

“I work my tail off,” he said. “I do everything that I’ve been doing. You’re going to always have people saying some things. But I try not to pay attention to that.
“She told me about it. I think it irritated her more than it did me. I looked at it and I was like, ‘It is what it is.’ I’m going to keep doing my thing.”

That’s a very good thing for the Patriots. They need their big man in the middle of everything.


(boston.com)

New England Patriots star Vince Wilfork (shown above in an AP Photo by John Froschauer) is teaming up with Eastern Bank to launch and promote a holiday Toys for Tots collection campaign in partnership with the US Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program, Eastern Bank said.

All 94 Eastern Bank retail offices will serve as official toy drop-off locations, and all members of the public are encouraged to drop off new, unwrapped toys at any Eastern Bank branch through Dec. 17, the bank said; monetary contributions can also be made to the Toys for Tots savings account.

In a statement, Wilfork said, “I encourage all of my fans to visit an Eastern Bank branch and donate a toy – no gift is too small or too large.”

With $8 billion in assets, Eastern Bank is the largest independent and mutually owned bank in New England. The bank is headquartered in Boston, and its branches are located in communities from the Merrimack Valley to Cape Cod.


(boston.com)

My father was 48 years old when he passed away from kidney failure, a complication from type 2 diabetes. I saw how weak he was and the struggles he was going through. I gave him his insulin shots, bathed him, and at times, had to take him to the restroom. Diabetes is life-altering, but it is also life-threatening. I know firsthand what diabetes can do to a family and it is my mission to help others and spread awareness. It motivates me, on and off the field, to make a difference. My message to others is to make the most of every day, every opportunity when it comes to your health.

Diabetes can cause severe complications like stroke, blindness, heart and kidney disease, and amputations. My hope this November, which is National Diabetes Month, is that everyone takes the opportunity to raise awareness about this disease that affects close to 420,000 Massachusetts residents. In the U.S. alone, 25.8 million people are living with diabetes – 7 million are unaware they have it and 79 million have prediabetes - and the number is growing each year.
There seems to be a disconnect between how the general public perceives this disease and the reality of its toll on people with diabetes and on our society. If current trends continue, one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2050. That can have an impact on all of us, from parents to children. We must take a team approach and step up our efforts to tackle this disease head on.

I am proud of the work Bianca and I have done through our foundation and also on our work with other champions in the state who are working hard on this front. Efforts to prevent and control type 2 diabetes are particularly promising and our state is taking a leading role in working to confront this chronic disease today and for the future. On November 14, World Diabetes Day, I will be supporting Changing Diabetes Day, a patient advocacy event, at the Massachusetts State House alongside Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, and other supporting organizations. The State House will be lit blue on this day as a shining example of diabetes awareness. The goal is to raise awareness of the disease to policy makers and the general public. We need to close the gap - in order to prevent future cases of diabetes, and to ensure that the public makes this health issue a priority.

Many people are still unaware of how serious diabetes is. Most do not consider diabetes to be life threatening.  Novo Nordisk has announced a new collaboration with the Diabetes Hands Foundation, a prominent diabetes patient advocacy group, to ask, “Do You Know Diabetes?” The cornerstone of the initiative is an interactive quiz, launched this week in an effort to test knowledge of diabetes facts, risk factors and statistics, and provide valuable education about the disease. While diabetes awareness and prevention are key issues for both organizations year-round – National Diabetes Month and Changing Diabetes Day provides the perfect timing for this initiative. I encourage people to learn more about diabetes by taking the “Do You Know Diabetes” quiz today. Visit www.DoYouKnowDiabetes.com or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #DiabetesMonth.

Diabetes kills more people in the United States than AIDS and breast cancer combined. It is the leading cause of kidney failure, new blindness in adults, and it is responsible for more than 60 percent of all nontraumatic lower-limb amputations. Make the most of every day, every opportunity. Understand the seriousness of this disease and, for those of you who may be at risk of the disease, take action to reduce your risk.


(metrowestdaily.com)

Co-Offensive Players of the Week:

Jimmy Graham: proCane Saints TE Jimmy Graham hauled in seven passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets to lead the Saints to a 31-27 victory over the Falcons in Week 10. Safety William Moore bit twice on the double move, allowing Drew Brees to throw a pair of pump-fake deep balls to Graham for a 29-yard touchdown and a 46-yard fourth-quarter gain. Graham added a 14-yard score just before halftime. After his first 100-yard game of the season, Graham is averaging a 7/94/1.3 line over the past three weeks.

Greg Olsen: Following an emotional week for proCane Panthers TE Greg Olsen in which he welcomed his son TJ home after being hospitalized after birth and undergoing surgery due to a heart condition, Olsen exploded for a career-high nine receptions, 102 yards and two touchdowns versus the Broncos in Week 10. The 102 yards are a regular-season career high. Tight ends have been the weak spot in Denver's defense all season and today was no different. Olsen had catches of 26 and 16 yards to set up a 4-yard touchdown and added a 5-yard score in garbage time.

Honorable Mention: Frank Gore, Reggie Wayne.

Defensive Player of Week:

Colin McCarthy: proCane Titans LB Colin McCarthy rose slowly after a violent hit and wobbled as he left the field. Three plays later he was back in the game and in the end zone, celebrating a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. McCarthy and his team's embattled defense bounced back Sunday, when their four takeaways led to 20 points and helped the Titans beat the Miami Dolphins 37-3. McCarthy finished the game with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss one INT and a TD. McCarthy’s TD put the Titans up 21-0 and essentially the game out of reach for the Dolphins.

Honorable Mention: Vince Wilfork, Allen Bailey.

Special Teams Player of the Week:

Matt Bosher: proCane Falcons P Matt Bosher continued his great 2nd season with 3 punts for 140 yards and a 46.7 average. Bosher had a long of 52 yards and placed one of his punts inside the 20-yard line. Bosher is also Atlanta’s holder and held two successful field goals for Matt Bryant.

FOXBORO — On nearly every snap, Vince Wilfork [stats] is forced to shed a minimum of a quarter ton of blockers.

Wilfork almost always squares up against a pair of 300-pound men, and the triple teams come nearly as often as the one-on-one matchups for the defensive tackle. Point is, opposing offenses don’t want Wilfork to single-handedly blow up a play, at least not on a regular basis. The problem, though, is he finds ways to do it anyway.

“Whenever you see him get double-teamed and he splits it, you’re sitting there like, ‘Damn, two guys and they didn’t move him at all,’ ” defensive back Devin McCourty said. “That happens countless times.”

Stats have never dictated Wilfork’s value. For instance, in last season’s AFC Championship Game victory against the Ravens, he pushed both guards and the center --— 935 pounds of linemen — into Joe Flacco’s face, forcing the quarterback to scramble on their initial third-down failure.

Stack up the game tape, and those plays are a dime a dozen for Wilfork. But every double team is a victory for the Patriots [team stats]’ defensive front because it allows ends Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich to work with more space. That, in part, has played into the pair’s 11 combined sacks in the first eight games.
“It’s pretty hard to stop a guy that is as athletic as he is going forward with his size,” Ninkovich said. “There have been a lot of times when he has completely overpowered the people that are trying to block him. It takes two to stop him, and sometimes that doesn’t even work. He’s just a great lineman. He’s one of those guys who is able to change games.”

Wilfork expanded his game last season when he intercepted a pair of passes, and he has stretched out his play-making arsenal this season, too. In Week 4, Wilfork snuffed out the Bills’ wide receiver screen to Donald Jones and raced to his right to destroy Jones as the ball arrived, causing an incompletion. Wilfork’s recognition saved a long gain in a two-score game.

“That’s his territory,” Ninkovich warned. “They ran that middle screen, and he was able to sniff it out and clobber the guy.”

Wilfork really put his athleticism on display in the second quarter against the Rams. He barely engaged his block before diagnosing a pass to the right flat, and darted to arrive in Daryl Richardson’s face before the ball to make the tackle for a 4-yard loss.

“He makes some crazy plays,” Ninkovich said.

The uniqueness of it raises the Patriots’ eyebrows. Teams like the Ravens, Steelers and Jets call an assortment of zone blitzes where a defensive lineman will be tasked with dropping into coverage. But Wilfork’s plays have been a result of his own intuition, not the assignment.

His teammates love it, mostly due to the result but also because they know the next day’s film session will turn into Wilfork’s boasting session.

“I laugh right away,” McCourty said. “I laugh because I know as soon as he does it, the next day I’m going to hear about it, probably because I’m always the guy making fun of him, being big, I always hear about it when he does something that skill guys do. It’s pretty unique. I think it’s pretty amazing for a defensive lineman to be able to recognize different things in the pass game.”

The flip side is McCourty and Co. are waiting for Wilfork to whiff on one of those freelancing plays because they can’t wait to get on him for it. One issue: It hasn’t happened yet. They’re plenty happy with that, too.

“When I see him play out there, to me, it’s unbelievable at how dominant he is, at how he can be that size and still be so quick with lateral movement and make so many different plays all over the field,” McCourty said. “I think he’s definitely one of the most dominant players in our game.”


(bostonherald.com)

Two New England Patriots were named to the Pro Football Weekly Midseason All-Pro Team on Tuesday. Tight end Rob Gronkowski and defensive end Vince Wilfork both earned the honors.

Gronkowski has 43 receptions for 580 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. He leads all tight ends in yards and touchdowns. Gronk was named an All-Pro last season with 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Wilfork has 22 tackles, three pass deflections, and three fumble recoveries this year. He has earned second-team All-Pro honors four times, in 2007 and 2009-2011.

Gronkwoski and Wilfork were two of four total AFC East players named to the Midseason All-Pro Team. Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey and Buffalo Bills punt returner Leodis McKelvin were both named to the team as well. Pro Football Weekly named four defensive linemen and four linebackers to this years team. They also eliminated the fullback position and added a third wide receiver.


(sbnation.com)

After the Patriots gave up a season-low seven points while limiting the Rams to 326 total yards (the fewest yards permitted by New England since Week 2), New England defensive lineman Vince Wilfork expressed enthusiasm about his team's performance and the direction of the defense following the Patriots' 45-7 win in London. 

"We knew how important this game was to us – going into the bye week 5-3, winning two key games, get us going. We’re right where we want to be," Wilfork told reporters. "It feels good, finally, to put one game together as a team, doing a lot of things correct, just playing good football all the way around. It’s just a stepping stone. Guys can see that, when we play together, don’t hurt ourselves, we can be a dangerous football team."


(weei.com)

LONDON – Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork knows that this is a business trip, first and foremost. The primary goal is to beat the St. Louis Rams.

But that doesn’t mean Wilfork won’t carve out a little time for personal enjoyment, just like he did in 2009.

“This is my second time coming over here and I enjoy it,” he said Friday morning, shortly after the team arrived in London. “There are guys that haven’t traveled outside the U.S. and all of a sudden you’re coming over here to play football; it’s a big deal. We’re all excited about it, to have a chance to get out of our element a bit and come out a couple days early to a different place, and have a little time to do some things. It’s a good trip all the way around, but you have to make sure on Sunday, you’re ready to go because we’re all here for a purpose.”

Wilfork shared his game-plan for sightseeing in London.

“I just get in the cab and say ‘take me somewhere good.’ It’s up to them, and last time I was here, it was good,” he relayed.

There is one specific plan in the works – to see Buckingham Palace. Wilfork visited in 2009 and wants to do it again, and he said it was possible the whole team could join him.

“I was telling the guys that weren’t here for that trip about the experience, and a lot of them were excited about it,” Wilfork said. “You see things on TV, and now you actually have a chance to go see it in person, that’s the amazing part about it. There are a lot of things that people can learn throughout history, and right now, you’re in some good history so take advantage of it while you have a chance.”

Wilfork also joked about his wife, Bianca, and how she might be spending the next few days in London.

“She loves to shop, and there is great shopping here. I might leave with a car this year, who knows with her,” he cracked.


(espn.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Few offensive linemen can stand toe-to-toe with Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork, but Jets center Nick Mangold is one of them. Mangold, three-times an All-Pro, is, in the estimation of Wilfork, the best center in all of football.

"He's probably the best. He's probably the best center, I believe," Wilfork said on Thursday. "I've been saying this ever since the guy's been a rookie. He's been pretty steady for them. And it hasn't changed."

Beyond his role as a road-grader and pass protector for quarterback Mark Sanchez, Mangold is also heavily involved with many other facets of the offense, including protection calls.

"Everything it seems like goes through him: the run game, he calls the plays on the line slides, he's the guy in charge," Wilfork noted of Mangold. "That's how it should be, because that's their bread and butter. When they need a play, if they're running the ball, it always seems to end up behind 74 [Mangold's number]. He's a big-time player for them, I give him all the respect in the world facing him numerous times."

Wilfork says that Mangold is the kind of player anyone would want on their team.

"He's one the players that you wish you could have a guy like that, 11 guys like that on the field with you at all times because he just means so much to that team," he said.

Mangold is currently battling an ankle injury that kept him out of practice of Wednesday. Though Wilfork says he wouldn't mind it if Mangold sits out on Sunday when the two teams square off, he's fully expecting the All-Pro lineman to be on the field.

"Trust me, I don't mind," Wilfork continued. "I think everybody will be pretty healthy for this game. You don't want to miss these types of games. If I was on the same side or on the opposite side of this man, I would want to play. Division game, for the lead in the division, there's a lot riding on this game on both sides. If you're healthy enough to play, you have to expect everyone.

"That's one of the guys, I'm sure he'll be ready to go, no matter what is being said or what his injury may be," he said. "Trust me, I'm pretty sure he'll be there."


(espn.com)

A frustrated Patriots defensive captain Vince Wilfork wasn't in a mood for making excuses after the Patriots defense blew a 13-point fourth quarter lead Sunday after New England's 24-23 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle. 

"Didn't make enough plays, plain and simple," Wilfork said. "That's all I have. Didn't make enough plays. What else can you do? We lost and we're moving on. That's where it's at.

"We didn't make enough plays, plain and simple. Very frustrated. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and say I'm not. I'm very frustrated. I don't know what else to say because I'll probably lose my head right now. We just didn't make enough plays when it counted, and it cost us."

Wilfork and the Patriots are now 3-3 and in a four-way tie with the Bills, Jets and Dolphins in the AFC East, with the Jets up next Sunday at Gillette Stadium. 
"Who knows? We're 3-3, plain and simple," Wilfork said. "There's not a magic wand. We're 3-3 for a reason. Until we do something about it, we're going to continue to have problems. We just didn't do enough today and it cost us."

Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson beat the Patriots with a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, as he found Braylon Edwards from 10 yards on a fourth-down pass with under eight minutes remaining before connecting with Sidney Rice from 46 yards for the game winner with under 90 seconds remaining. 

"We knew exactly what it was going to be," Wilfork said of Wilson. "Everything they did we knew exactly what they were going to do. We didn't make enough plays."


(weei.com)

Vince Wilfork may have a career in professional wrestling once he retires from football, because the spear he delivered Sunday was right out of former WCW champ Goldberg's book. Wilfork delivered a brutal blow on Bills wide receiver Donald Jones in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 52-28 victory.

Wilfork read the Bills' play perfectly, dropped into coverage when he saw Ryan Fitzpatrick's eyes looking at Jones, and looked better in coverage than any Patriots defensive back has looked all season when he jarred the ball loose with the hit.

Wilfork may be a 325-pound defensive tackle, but he can move and has some of the best instincts in the game.

Watch the video of Wilfork's hit below.




(nesn.com)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- After falling behind 14-7 at halftime in their Week 4 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork said there was no panic despite the sloppy start.

"We kept our poise. We know coming here was going to be a tough game against a division team; the Buffalo Bills always plays us tough, especially the first game," he said. "So, we just kept our poise, stuck together, we didn't panic, and we just executed well and that's one of the things coming into this week was executing."

With their "backs against the wall," (Wilfork's own words), Wilfork echoed Bill Belichick's belief that improved execution in the second half, not major adjustments, played a pivotal role in the team's turnaround.

"Continue to execute," Wilfork said of the second-half performance. "We were giving up big plays and we were shooting ourself in the foot offensively and just going out in the second half, we just wanted to play better football for 30 more minutes and got it together. Like I said, we just kept our poise, and I think we showed the heart of a champion today. Being down on the road, dropped two in a row, backs against the wall and everybody kept their composure."

The nose tackle said his team didn't need any sort of pump up speech at intermission to swing its second-half fortunes.

"We felt that we were doing a pretty decent job, the plays that we gave up we thought that we gave them, we just needed to be better on the plays but we kept to our game plan and we executed well," he said. "So, there wasn't a big rah-rah speech, it was just executing well."

Despite squandering a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter a week ago, Wilfork said after the game that holding on to today's lead was not about proving something to anyone other than themselves.

"Our goal is to play well every week," he continued. "We knew coming here we had to play well to win this ballgame, we don't have to prove nothing to nobody but ourselves, but we know what we have in here and as long as we stick together we'll be ok."


(espn.com)

BALTIMORE -- The New England Patriots' loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night ended just as it played out, with a controversial call.

As time expired, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker's game-winning 27-yard field goal appeared to sail over the right upright. It was close enough for a furious Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork to rip off his helmet and sprint toward the two officials who made the call in the back of the end zone.

"They have to (review that)," Wilfork said after the game. "You have to. In a game like this you have to. They ran off the field, so it is what it is. I'm not going to sit here and pick a fight with those guys.

"From my angle, it looked very close," Wilfork said. "I was frustrated at that, but there were a lot of things I was frustrated about."

Shortly after the game ended, former NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira tweeted the following, explaining that the call was not reviewable:

"A (field goal) that goes over the top of an upright is not reviewable because you cannot determine when exactly the ball is directly over the pole," Pereira wrote.

Wilfork wasn't the only one who thought that Tucker's kick was close to falling in New England's favor.

"I couldn't see from the sideline," head coach Bill Belichick said. "It looked close. You should talk to the people who made the calls. I'm just trying to coach the game."

"From my angle, it was tough to see. The ball was right by the goal post so I couldn't really tell," cornerback Devin McCourty said. "It looked close. That's all I have to say."

The last time the teams played -- in last season's AFC Championship game -- the Patriots won when Billy Cundiff's 32-yard field goal attempt sailed wide with 11 seconds left in the contest.


(espn.com)

Whether it was Bill Belichick targeting referee Bruce Hermansen after the game, or Vince Wilfork blowing his top at the officials following the final field goal, or any number of Patriots or Ravens putting their palms in the air after a flag, there simply weren’t any happy people in regard to tonight’s officiating.

It wasn’t an issue of the players thinking the crew was out to get their team. Rather, they were just peeved that the calls completely lacked consistency.

“I know what the rules are, but hey, it’s not up to me,” Wilfork said. “I’m not throwing the flags. I’m the one playing.”

The Ravens were flagged 14 times for 135 yards, and the Pats were whistled 10 times for 83 yards, including three times during the Ravens’ final two touchdown drives.

“It’s very frustrating,” Wilfork said. “We’re an aggressive defense. It takes away from your aggressiveness at times, the things we’re trying to do, and it takes it away.”

This has turned into an NFL-wide issue, as players and coaches alike have had their problems with the replacement officials.

“This is not going to be the first game it’s happened,” wide receiver Deion Branch said. “I’ve been in games in the past. It happens on both sides of the ball. There were some calls with them that they didn’t like and some calls with us that we didn’t like. That’s why we’ve got to go out and do a better job of doing what we do best and taking it out of the refs’ hands.”

Belichick wouldn’t elaborate on his exchange with Hermansen.

“I’m not going to comment about that,” Belichick said. “You saw the game. What did we have, 30 penalties called in the game?”


(bostonherald.com)

The Baltimore Ravens already have the New England Patriots' attention.

Defensive lineman Vince Wilfork is part of a Patriots team that snuck past the Ravens in January's AFC Championship Game. That playoff loss seemed to galvanize Baltimore, and Wilfork is expecting a battle on "Sunday Night Football."

"We're going to have to play almost a perfect game to walk away on the road Sunday night with a victory," Wilfork told The Boston Globe. "This is a good Baltimore football team, we've seen over the years, but I think this team now is stacked, probably one of the best teams that Baltimore's had."

The Globe pointed out that Wilfork is one of just four Patriots still on the roster from the last time New England traveled to Baltimore in 2007, a game the Patriots won 27-24.

It's annoying to hear pundits pounce on a Week 3 affair as potential "playoff preview" material. Let it breath. Besides, nobody will be caught off-guard if these two are playing in January.

This one is intriguing because -- along with the Pittsburgh Steelers -- the Ravens and Patriots are among the conference's most consistent teams. Sunday night is a glimpse at two unshakeable philosophies, with future Hall of Famers embedded on both sides and a building hatred for one another.

Sign us up.


(nfl.com)

Vince Wilfork is as big as ever. But this offseason, he took great pains to move the big around.

The Patriots nose tackle spent more time than ever remaking his body, from his conditioning to his diet, and the results are obvious every day when he gets dressed.

‘‘The biggest difference is that my shirts fit a lot better,’’ Wilfork said with a laugh, to Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. ‘‘But on the field, I don’t think it’s changed much, but some people may disagree. Nobody knows my body better than me.

“I’ve always been in great shape my whole career [including] college, high school. I’ve always been in good shape to play football. But the weight shift, you can say from a look standpoint, it’s noticeable.”

Wilfork is still a large man, still plenty stout to hold up as a nose tackle. And he played 977 snaps last year, so clearly he has endurance. But with the Patriots bringing in young parts around him, he’s picked up his efforts to stay at a high level.

‘‘This year, I had a main focus of concentrating on my core,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘I’m not saying I have a six-pack or anything, but I’m pretty satisfied and pretty happy how it’s gone. And while my weight hasn’t changed, it’s shifted. I worked very hard on it. I don’t want to boast about or make a big deal out of it, but I worked hard on it through the offseason.’’

That included chopping trees and pulling logs, but lumberjack work alone wouldn’t change the way the mammoth lineman looked. That’s a credit to sports nutritionist Ted Harper, who was hired by the team this year.

His meals are carefully measured and portioned, and since it’s the Patriots, there’s even a mystery food which Wilfork wouldn’t reveal.

“I’m not going to give that out,’’ he said.

Wilfork has reasons for getting in better shape that have nothing to do with battling guards and centers as well. His father died at 48 from kidney failure after battling diabetes, and Wilfork wants to be prepared for life after football.

‘‘That runs deeply in African-Americans in general, and a lot more cultures,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘But my family history, that’s always a topic of discussion between my wife and I. Knock on wood, I’ve been healthy. . . . I haven’t been diagnosed. I’m a big, healthy man. That’s how I want to be.

“A lot of people have opinions on what I need to do. Trust me, I have goals every year of what I want to accomplish. I’m pretty healthy to be a big guy.’’

He’s also pretty effective, and the changes he’s made should enable him to be for more years to come.


(profootballtalk.com)

Defensive linemen are supposed to be large, hulking figures. Size, bulk and girth are desired traits. If you walk into a big-and-tall store and need something less than triple-XL, don’t bother being a nose tackle.

Vince Wilfork never has had a problem in that regard. He’s always made the grade. He’s always been a beast in the trenches.

At 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds, he has an ideal body type to play the nose. That frame also works well at tackle or end. And after his two athletic interceptions last year, some have even joked the imposing lineman could play cornerback.

Wilfork moves incredibly well for a big man. He’s nimble, but he also works to keep himself in great shape. Two games into his ninth NFL season, Wilfork feels as good as he ever has, and he’s playing as well as ever as the anchor of the Patriots [team stats] defense. He also looks trimmer, especially around the midsection, thanks to some dedication in the offseason.

‘‘This year, I had a main focus of concentrating on my core,’’ Wilfork said Monday. ‘‘I’m not saying I have a six-pack or anything, but I’m pretty satisfied and pretty happy how it’s gone. And while my weight hasn’t changed, it’s shifted. I worked very hard on it. I don’t want to boast about or make a big deal out of it, but I worked hard on it through the offseason.’’

Wilfork started to change his body shape with some old-fashioned training in the offseason. He didn’t just lift weights, instead choosing to work the muscles deep within the abs and back in a variety of ways.

‘‘Sometimes I’d chop trees. Sometimes I’d pull logs. I do all types of yard stuff,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘But in the grand scheme of things, I’m actually building muscles.’’
He also changed his diet. For the first time, he’s working with a sports nutritionist, Ted Harper, who was hired by the Patriots this year.

All of Wilfork’s meals are scaled and portioned. He cooks them himself, getting just the right amount of protein and nutrients. He even includes a mystery food that is part of his daily regimen but cannot be divulged.

“I’m not going to give that out,’’ he said.

Wilfork has learned a great deal from Harper, who has helped the lineman identify the proper foods to eat and in what combination.

‘‘Ted’s very smart when it comes to that stuff,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘’With the mixture of both of us putting our heads together, just being able to learn how different things affect your body, what you can eat, when you can eat it, how you eat it, what it does to your body. It’s just being educated. He’s done a good job with me through training camp.’’

Wilfork said he hasn’t noticed a difference in his endurance or quickness, but others might disagree. On Sunday, he looked like he was shot out of a cannon in the fourth quarter, pouncing on a Cardinals fumble forced by Brandon Spikes which gave the Pats another chance to pull out a victory.

Still, the soon-to-be 31-year-old refuses to say he’s trying to stay ahead of all the young talent on the Patriots defense.

‘‘The biggest difference is that my shirts fit a lot better,’’ Wilfork said with a laugh. ‘‘But on the field, I don’t think it’s changed much, but some people may disagree. Nobody knows my body better than me. I’ve always been in great shape my whole career (including) college, high school. I’ve always been in good shape to play football. But the weight shift, you can say from a look standpoint, it’s noticeable.’’

For a lineman, it’s really a delicate balance. You don’t want to be too heavy, leaving yourself unable to move, and you don’t want to be so light that you get pushed around or run over. Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, whom the Pats will see Sunday night, dropped about 20 pounds so he could better keep up with tight ends in coverage.

Wilfork doesn’t have to worry about coverage, but in his case, weight and a healthy diet do have an even greater meaning. His father, David, died of kidney failure at 48 after suffering from diabetes.

‘‘That runs deeply in African-Americans in general, and a lot more cultures,’’ said Wilfork, whose foundation raises money for diabetes research. ‘‘But my family history, that’s always a topic of discussion between my wife and I. Knock on wood, I’ve been healthy. . . . I haven’t been diagnosed. I’m a big, healthy man. That’s how I want to be. A lot of people have opinions on what I need to do. Trust me, I have goals every year of what I want to accomplish. I’m pretty healthy to be a big guy.’’

Wilfork avoids fried food and will continue to try to maintain a healthy weight. He has even more goals in mind for the upcoming year.

‘‘I think one of the good things for him, he doesn’t eat bad. Some of the things that make people big — snacks, cookies, cakes, chocolate, pies, fried chicken — he doesn’t eat any of it. That really plays a part in his overall health,’’ said Wilfork’s wife, Bianca. ‘‘He’s pretty healthy. Most of the time when you see people who are big, they’re slow and unhealthy and have a lot of underlying problems, and he doesn’t. If there’s one thing he could change about himself, it’s his core, and he’s working on that. I think he’s off to a really good start.’’

Last year, when the Pats switched to a 4-3 scheme, Wilfork played the most downs of anyone on defense. He was in the trenches for 977 snaps, a huge number for a lineman.

Whether it’s endurance, looks or staying healthy, Wilfork has hit his goal.

‘‘I know people say the older you are, the harder it gets. But to me, every year I go into, I go in with a plan of things I want to accomplish. This offseason was the same,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘I’m not saying you don’t have to be lighter when you get older, because some people might have to. But how I look at it, each year if I accomplish what I want to accomplish in the offseason, I have a good foundation for going into a season and doing what I want to do.

“I believe if you set goals, and you accomplish those goals, you put yourself in a good situation.’’

The results speak for themselves.

Vince’s three steps to a new body
Vince Wilfork doesn’t like to give away all of his trade secrets. The four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman doesn’t like to let everyone in on how he’s able to keep himself in the kind of shape that allows him to play practically every snap on defense.

But, Wilfork was willing to share three key elements that have allowed him to reshape his body this season and have him both looking better, and feeling better. In his own words, he explained each element to his transformation in detail.

1. Improving his core:
‘‘My weight is the same as it’s always been. I just tried to move it around, shift it around. I did a lot of core work this offseason when I was home in my ranch in Florida. In the offseason, I don’t lift weights. My main goal is to be in condition for camp. So I do a lot of running. And I do a lot of old-fashioned stuff. Sometimes I chop trees. Sometimes I pull logs. I do all types of yard stuff. But in the grand scheme of things, I’m actually building muscles.’’

2. Portion size:
‘‘That’s the key. I’ve been eating good stuff, but I just didn’t put it together the right way, I didn’t put the right components together to make a good meal. Now that I have the education behind me on how to put a meal together, it’s been very beneficial. There’s no calorie counting. It’s more what foods you need, and how your plate needs to look. I’m not a big fried guy. I’m not saying every now and then I won’t fry some pork chops or fried chicken. I’d be lying if I said I don’t do that. But I rarely eat fried foods. I’m not a big steak guy. I’m more of a chicken guy. My food is baked. And, as I said, it all comes together with the right balance of proteins, carbs, or whatever in a portioned meal.’’

3. Swimming:
‘‘Instead of pounding on my joints and being sore (with weight lifting), I’m in the water, and I’m swimming. I think that’s a big, big part of my success. I do it every day. I do underwater laps. I go down and back for a lap. Six seconds after that, I’m back up under. So I’m strengthening up my lungs. It’s tough, but at the same time, I feel a difference in doing it. Randy Moss put me on it, 2-3 years ago. I have to credit Randy for that.’’


(bostonherald.com)

Last week, the Patriots defensive dominated the line of scrimage and completely shut down the Tennessee Titans run game.

At the end of the game, the Titans rushed for a total of 20 yards on 16 carries (1.3 yards per carry). The defense, led by Vince Wilfork,  seemingly made Tennessee one dimensional. Today, Wilfork talked about the defensive front and importance of making an offensive have limited options. He says it they can do that again this week, against the Arizona Cardinals, the results will be the same. But it’s not easy.

“The quicker you can do that, the better your odds of winning. But it’s tough. It’s very hard at this level to do that,” said Wilfork. “You just have to keep fighting. If we’re able to that and every team is the same way, if you’re able to do that on a consistent basis you’re going to put yourself in some pretty good situations to win a ball game.

“That’s what we’re going to try to do. We have a lot of goals. We hit them sometimes but sometimes we don’t but you have to keep on striving to get better. That’s what we’re doing as a unit, striving to get better as an individual and striving to get better and hopefully it’ll be enough.”

There’s been a lot of talk this week about the Pats’ dominating run defense, but Wilfork is not ready to crown his unit just yet.

“I mean that’s a work in progress. That’s something we put a lot of time and effort it and it showed up well for us last week,” said Wilfork. “Hopefully we can continue to do it. The main thing is consistency. We definitely have to come in and play the run well again. That’s always a goal of ours.

“They have three good backs that can run the ball and a fullback they like to put in, in certain situations. Like I said, it’s going to be a challenge for us together and we have to keep putting it together and consistent. It could work out for us down the road.” 


(boston.com)

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork played a central role in the team's run defense holding running back Chris Johnson to just 4 yards on 11 carries, and the Titans to just 20 yards as a team on the ground.

It was a continuation of what the Patriots' run defense showed during the preseason, and an area that Wilfork believes can be a calling card for his team this season.

"Today, we responded well against the run. I think throughout the preseason we showed improvement each week," he said. "And this is something that I think can be a backbone for us. If we can go into a game and just get teams one-dimensional, that'll help us tremendously, and that's what we're looking forward to."

He credited not just the defensive line, but all three levels of the Patriots' defense for the stingy effort.

"Very excited about these guys, very, very happy with the performance, these guys came out as a team, as a unit," Wilfork said. "Especially being a defensive lineman, and holding a great back to only four yards. That was good team defense. It's just not the guys up front, it's the 'backers and it's the secondary at times. We all play this game together, as long as we continue to play better and get better as a team, I think we can do some special things."

The Titans came within feet of narrowing the Patriots' lead to 11 points early in the fourth quarter, driving down to the one-yard line and setting themselves up with goal-to-go situation. On 1st & goal, Wilfork stopped Johnson for a five-yard loss, a lift that helped the Patriots hold the Titans to just a field goal.

Wilfork deferred credit to both his teammates and his coaches for the big play.

"That's one thing that we went through this week, knowing tendencies down there, and that was perfect play calling. I can't really take credit for that, that was the play calling," he continued. "Perfect play calling on defense, putting me in position to make that play. If the other ten guys didn't do their job, it probably wouldn't have been a problem also. I know I made the tackle, but my teammates, the other 10 guys and it was definitely the coaches that put me in that situation to make that play."


(espn.com)

FOXBORO — The man who has seen more on the Patriots defense than anyone else knows the potential of this group.

Vince Wilfork sees two first-round picks added in April’s draft. He watched as Bill Belichick used his first six picks on defense. He’s seen the Patriots draft defense in 12 of their last 20 picks going back to 2010.

Now, with names like Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower added to Brandon Spikes, Ras-I Dowling, Devin McCourty, Jerod Mayo, Kyle Love and Patrick Chung, Wilfork knows it’s time for the Patriots D to step up. And stepping up begins Sunday in Nashville against the Titans.

But at 30 years of age, Wilfork stands with Tom Brady as the only Patriots that have Super Bowl rings in their jewelry collection. Wilfork said Thursday he’s not feeling his age heading into the opener – and that’s a good thing.

“I don’t feel it,” said Wilfork, who turns 31 on Nov. 4. “That’s something I never look at. Every year I know it’s a year under your belt. But when I’m playing I don’t feel like I’m 30 or nine years in. I’m like everyone else; I come to work, work hard, and expect the same out of my teammates. As long as you keep that mind frame, you can play as long as you want to play.

“It’s very excited to get going. We’re on the road and it’s going to be a tough game for us. But we can’t look back now. We have to hit the ground running and I’m looking forward to it.”

Obviously, the biggest challenge will be containing the refreshed and rejuvenated Chris Johnson, a one-time perennial Pro Bowl running back with explosive power and speed.

“You have to have the passion for it. I love it, and I love playing with my teammates; love playing for this organization,” he said. “Whatever I can do to make this team better, that’s what I’m going to do.”

As is the case with Brady, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker, Wilfork didn’t have a large number of game snaps in the preseason, playing in just two games. He did have four tackles and an assist in an active game against Tampa Bay on Aug. 24.

“Everybody is in the same predicament as us,” Wilfork said. “I’m pretty sure things that we’re preparing for, we’ll have to make adjustments on Sunday. We prepare well. We can only prepare from what we’ve seen in the past and you go from there. As long as everyone is on the same page I think we’ll be ok.

“You always have to have fun. As long as you know what you’re doing, you can have fun. It’s not fun when you don’t know what you’re doing. Hopefully everyone is on the same page and we can start this thing off right.”


(weei.com)

Vince Wilfork remembers the sense of awe he felt walking into a championship locker room when he was a Patriots [team stats] rookie in 2004. He also remembers how the veterans on the team, many of whom already had two Super Bowl rings in the vault, showed him the way to getting his first.

Back then, so many players on the defense knew what it took: Richard Seymour [stats], Tedy Bruschi [stats], Roman Phifer, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison [stats].
Eight years later, there’s just Big Vince. He’s the only ring-bearer on defense left to spread the word about what it’s going to take to win the next one.

‘‘We used to talk about how to play at a championship level. And there’s not a lot of guys in that locker room right now that can relate,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘But the guys who’ve been in the situations before (he and Tom Brady [stats] are the only remaining players with Patriots championship rings) know what it takes to win. We try to relate that to everyone. That’s one thing we do ‘‘

So what does the defense need to get to the promised land? What’s missing?

The not-so-old sage summed up part of the formula with one word: trust.

Wilfork, 30, said a defense needs to be able to play together as a unit. And to do that, each player has to trust in the guy next to him to do his job. The defenses on those championship teams played well together because the players had such trust and confidence in each other to be where they were supposed to be and make the play.

‘‘You have to work hard and have trust,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘That’s one thing you can never get tired of, trust in one another, and the will to get better.’’

The need for consistency was also drilled into Wilfork.

‘‘There’s no magic wand. You just have to be able to be consistent day in and day out. The more consistent you are, the better you’ll be. And that’s what we try to do,’’ he said. ‘‘I mean, the game has changed so much since ’04. But being able to play consistent football and great defense as a team, that’s what you need to win.’’

Having all 11 players in sync with each other — that’s the ticket, according to Wilfork.

‘‘We have to be able to understand on the back end what we’re doing up front, and up front, what we’re doing on the back end. And I think that’s one thing we’ve been getting better at. In meetings, we try to talk to one another,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘I say, ‘Hey guys, when you jam, this is what’s going to happen.’ You play the plays out, so you can see (that) when you can hold each other accountable, it makes you a better defense, it makes you a better team.

‘‘So, as long as we work together and we’re consistent as a defense. I think this defense can be a pretty good defense. If we’re not, we’ll be in trouble.’’

Wilfork indicated players come to him for advice. He said he spends a lot of time in the meeting rooms, trying to help guys figure out how best to react on certain plays by an offense.

‘‘They want to learn,” he said. “It’s not like I have to go to them. They come to me and want to learn. That lets me know they pay attention and want to get the concept of what we do around here. That’s a positive. Hopefully it stays like that. Hopefully we keep learning and we grow as a team. That’s the main thing.’’
Wilfork also doesn’t anticipate any problems in the room that might derail a championship run.

‘‘I’m telling you what — you can’t ask for any better guys than this. They work hard, they ask questions, they play good football,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘If they’re doing something wrong, they’ll ask questions. They’ll take criticism and turn it into a positive. We don’t have no problems. That comes from the head man all the way down.’’


(boston.com)

TAMPA — All week, we’ve been reliving Greg Schiano’s links with Patriots [team stats] players. It’s almost like playing “Six Degrees of Schiano,” as he can be connected with quite a few players in just a few steps of association.

As the former Rutgers coach, his ties with former Scarlet Knight players Devin McCourty, Alex Silvestro and Justin Francis are the easy ones.

But Vince Wilfork [stats]? Where does that link come from? The Patriots nose tackle didn’t go to Rutgers.

As the story goes, prior to taking over the head coaching job at Rutgers, Schiano was the defensive coordinator at the University of Miami under Butch Davis. Naturally, when Wilfork was a highly touted high school prospect, they wanted him as a Hurricane.

Wilfork was a defensive tackle out of Santaluces Community High School in Palm Beach County, Fla. He was also a state champion in the shot put and discus throw, so Big Vince was going to provide some college with multiple talents.

In the end, it was primarily Schiano who recruited him, showering him with letters and visits. But the new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach didn’t have to work too hard to land the coveted recruit. As a Florida native, it was always Wilfork’s dream to play at Miami. He signed his letter of intent pretty quickly. So Schiano’s sell job was pretty much icing on the cake.

“I grew up a Hurricanes fan. My first letter from them was a letter offering me a scholarship,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘I took it my junior year, I verbally committed. But he and Butch, they were at UM at that time. They recruited me, so we have a little history together.’’

Every time he sees Schiano, Wilfork gets a little sentimental, thinking back to his early days and how his path to the Patriots took shape.

‘‘I think back to when I was young, that’s where my career basically started from,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘That guy (Schiano) gave me an opportunity. And really, those two guys, Butch Davis and Greg Schiano, they were there way before I even knew who Bill Belichick was.’’

The kicker was, Wilfork never played a down for Davis or Schiano. The duo departed in 2001 after Miami beat Florida in the Sugar Bowl. So even though they secured Wilfork, neither was around when he played.

‘‘It was disappointing. I was looking forward to playing for those guys,’’ Wilfork said. ‘‘But I’m still a Hurricane for life. I went to a school I wanted to go to. Those guys made it happen for me, and I’m very appreciative of that.’’


(boston.com)

While he never actually played for the man, Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork got to know Greg Schiano, the Buccaneers’ rookie head coach, while being recruited to the University of Miami.

 In fact, Schiano played a major role in Wilfork’s recruitment.

 “(He’s a) very intense guy and he loves doing what he’s doing and that’s coaching football. It wasn’t a surprise to see him at this level someday,” said Wilfork, who played for the Hurricanes from 2001-2003. “It was just a matter of time. He went to Rutgers (taking over as head coach after serving as Miami’s defensive coordinator in 1999-2000) and had a very successful reign up there and turned that program around and got guys to buy into his program because he’s all about winning and I’ve seen it first hand.

 “Having some guys from Rutgers on our team, Devin (McCourty, cornerback) and Justin (Francis, defensive end) and guys like that, they say the same thing. He’s a great, great guy. He’s a hell of a coach and I think he’s going to be around for a while.”


(enterprisenews.com)

Unfortunately, we were unable to make the journey down to Tampa Bay for this week's joint practices. However, the team has sent out several transcripts so we can keep up with some of the things that are going.

Here's what we know: Wes Welker didn't participate in today's practice, and Patrick Chung remains sidelined with a shoulder injury. There are no injury reports this time of year, but it seems safe to assume that both players are "Questionable" for Friday's game against the Bucs.

Here are some choice comments that were made today:
Vince Wilfork on the defense coming together: “I’m happy with where we're at, but we can get better. We definitely can get better. That’s what we strive for every week: to get better. But it's starting to come together, guys are starting to understand how we need to rush. Now that we're way deep into camp, we should have a good, good idea of what we have, the moves that we like, some things we don't like, what we need to work on and what we're pretty good at. So we should have a good sense of where we're at with that, but I’m pretty happy with where we're at.”


(masslive.com)

Vince Wilfork has taken in several different views while anchoring the New England Patriots defensive line over the last nine years.

When he first came into the league, he could look to either side and see Richard Seymour, Jarvis Green and Ty Warren. Over the years various faces have cycled in and out of the group, but there was usually enough carryover for things to feel familiar.

Now, though, it seems like every time Wilfork glances down the line he’s seeing someone new.

“It’s tough because you get attached to people and you get a chance to know people off the field – not just on the field – their families and stuff like that,” Wilfork said. “So for people to move on, it can be heartbreaking at times, but at the same time, things always happen at this level. You have to get used to it real quick.”

With Jonathan Fanene, Trevor Scott, Chandler Jones, Jake Bequette and Rob Ninkovich all joining the line this year, Wilfork isn’t just experiencing turnover this season. The line is going through a complete overhaul.

While it’s going to take some time getting used to those guys, Wilfork said he has no issue playing alongside the newcomers and has made himself available to lend a helping hand wherever he can.

“I can play with anybody. That's just the trust I have in those guys to learn what they have to learn,” Wilfork said. “And like I said, if they have questions, they can always ask, because I’ve been around this for a little bit. I'm not saying I know everything, but I’ve been around for a while and kind of know what to expect. So I think we all do a really good job of helping one another.”


(blog.masslive.com)

Vince Wilfork said he took the past four weeks or so since June’s mini-camp ended and used the time to hang out with his family at his Florida ranch. That may be true, but it was a noticeably slimmer and trimmer Wilfork who showed up tonight  as a special guest at a charity auction at the newest DestinationXL location in Natick.

Wilfork didn’t want to divulge any secrets just yet, but let’s just say he’s looking good heading into camp.

”You’re always excited for something you love,” Wilfork told me with regard to getting back to work for the start of training camp. ”I’m always excited to get back started. I’m pretty sure that’ll go away in a couple days once you start practicing. But it’s here. If you don’t like it, you should get out of the game. I’m always excited to start it up, get it going, see my teammates, and try and start off on the right foot. And I think that’s the goal. Start off, take it day by day, and see where we can go. Get out of camp healthy, hopefully we’ll be healthy coming out of camp, and start the season off right.” 

 We’ll have more on the charity event, which benefitted the Vince Wilfork Foundation, in another  blog post tomorrow.  Hooking up with an “XL” store seemed like a natural fit for the Patriots mammoth nose tackle, even with Wilfork’s trimmed down look.

”I’m a big boy,” Wilfork said of the Destination XL store which features larger sized clothing for men. ”All my shopping comes from here.”   


(bostonherald.com)

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork registered arguably his finest season as a pro in 2011, and also his busiest. He played the greatest percentage of snaps in his career (86.8), and the most snaps by a single nose tackle in all of football, 957 (via NFL.com).

Conventionally, nose tackles have struggled to stay on the field as regularly as other members of the defense, given both their size (Wilfork is listed at 325 pounds) and skill set (many nose tackles are not counted on as regular pass rushers).

But Wilfork has proven over his career that he is amongst the rare nose tackles who can endure a heavy workload while remaining effective as both a run stuffer and pass rusher, which was never more evident than last season.

Another imposing interior defensive lineman, B.J. Raji of the Packers (the only nose tackle to play in 800-plus plays in each of the last two seasons), is likely facing a scaled back workload this season, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, as passed along by "Around The League" on NFL.com.

The Patriots have added talent along the defensive front this offseason, and it will be interesting to see how – if at all – Wilfork’s snaps logged change as a result of that. Because of his dynamic ability, the team may opt to lean as heavily on him in 2012 as they did in 2011, or it also seems possible they would decrease his snaps in an effort to conserve his energy over the grind of a long season.

No matter the number of snaps for Wilfork in 2012, he figures to be a central part of the Patriots defense once again.


(espn.com)

It’s time to head to the other side of the ball. After running through five days of offensive positions, let’s switch it up and head to the defense. Now, let’s analyze the guys in the trenches.

Through July 12, The Blitz will highlight one position per day on the Patriots’ roster. The morning post will be a strict breakdown, and the afternoon post will highlight the position’s superlatives. Today’s edition focuses on the defensive linemen.

Defensive linemen on roster (15): Jake Bequette, Ron Brace, Jermaine Cunningham, Brandon Deaderick, Jonathan Fanene, Marcus Forston, Justin Francis, Marcus Harrison, Chandler Jones, Aaron Lavarias, Kyle Love, Myron Pryor, Alex Silvestro, Gerard Warren, Vince Wilfork

Projected roster spots: 8-9

Key Stat: Bequette (10) and Jones (4.5) combined for 14.5 sacks last season in college.

Storyline in focus: Before last season, only two Patriots reached 10 sacks in a season under Bill Belichick. That was until Andre Carter and Mark Anderson came along and doubled the population of that club. But what’s next? Anderson departed for Buffalo, and Carter and the Patriots are at an impasse in contract talks. There’s still a decent chance Carter returns, but even still, how do things change at defensive end? Fanene will be a good option, and outside linebacker Trevor Scott (might be better suited as a 3-4 outside linebacker) will jump in, as will Jones, Bequette and Deaderick, who surpassed expectations last season. The Patriots have the pieces in place, but it remains to be seen if they can be as explosive off the edge as they were in 2011.


(bostonherald.com)

In a recent piece on CBSSports.com, NFL Insider Jason LaCanfora sorts through the 11 best bargains and 11 worst contracts in all of football (note: he examined only contracts signed under the old NFL CBA).

A pair of Patriots linemen, nose tackle/end Vince Wilfork and guard Brian Waters, cracked the bargains list, with respective salaries for 2012 of $5 million and $1.5 million.

In the case of Wilfork, LaCanfora cites his value to the defense, stating that he is "at the core of everything Bill Belichick does toggling from a 3-4 to a 4-3, and he can still be downright dominating in crucial situations."

Waters, who joined the Patriots shortly before the start of the 2011 regular season, excelled in his first year with the team, although it remains unclear if he will return to the squad in 2012. Should he hit the field again (instead of opting for retirement), the Patriots will keep intact their standout tandem of guards, which also includes Logan Mankins.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization have long succeeded in managing the salary cap and player contracts, and have shown an aptitude for acquiring productive veterans at discount prices. Besides Waters, Belichick hit a home run with 2011 free agent signees Andre Carter and Mark Anderson, who teamed up for 20 sacks.


(espn.com)

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork has earned his place among the elite interior defensive linemen for his run-stuffing abilities. He’s nearly immovable, and the anchor to the Patriots defensive front.

But it was his hands that were on display on two occasions in 2011, as he recorded the first two interceptions of his professional career, displaying impressive ball skills for a player of any size, much less one who checks in well over 300 pounds.

The efforts of his first interception of the season, in which he batted a Philip Rivers’ pass in the air, hauled the ball in and lumbered for an extended return headlines the top defensive plays from 2011, as compiled by NFL.com.

Wilfork’s interception was a momentum swinger, as it prevented the Chargers from narrowing the Patriots 17-7 lead late at the end of the half, and subsequently set up a Stephen Gostkowski field goal as the first half game clock expired.


(espn.com)

FOXBORO — At the age of 30 and with eight seasons in New England behind him, Vince Wilfork realizes Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison are as much a part of Patriots history as Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott.

The years have brought change with them; change that hasn’t necessarily been for the better.

“It was a level that, you had guys that played this game for a long time, had been in this system for a long time, and they just knew how to play,” the veteran defensive lineman reflected, recalling the way things once were. “When you’re around something for so long you adapt, you can start doing some different things and move around differently because you know it so well.”

While the team performed well last year, the fact of the matter is, the defense didn’t.

In fact, it could be said the Patriots’ fifth Super Bowl berth in the past 11 seasons under Bill Belichick was accomplished in spite of the performance of a defense that ranked 31st in the NFL both overall and against the pass.

And in the end, for the second time in five Super Bowls, that defense proved incapable of mounting a last-minute stand that would have secured a championship against Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

“Being a young defense, I think with the lockout and all of that, I think we struggled at certain points with some of the things that we did,” said Wilfork. “Hopefully it can be better this year.

“I think the OTAs (organized team activities) are good for us and are definitely good for a younger team. We’ve got a younger defense and I’m not saying we’re too young, but at the same time it helps to be able to get together and get the little things out of the way that can make a big, big difference down in the season. I think some of those things we can get done now.

“We’re trying now. With OTAs we’re trying, and every day we put something different in and every day guys are coming in to work. That’s what it’s going to take. You have to strive to get better and that’s where I’m at right now – striving to get better and hopefully my teammates are doing the same thing.”

Wilfork was speaking following last Thursday’s OTA – the team’s sixth of 10 – on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.

Those sessions wrap up on Friday of this week; next week (Tuesday-through-Thursday) the Patriots will hold a three-day minicamp, the last time they’ll get together until the start of training camp in late July.

Wilfork said he’s been pleased with what he’s seen to this point in an offseason in which the organization stressed defense, defense and more defense in the draft, dedicating the bulk of it to revamping that side of the ball, beginning with Chandler Jones (Syracuse defensive end) and Dont’a Hightower (Alabama linebacker) in the first round and continuing through the selection of Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard in the seventh.

“You know you can never doubt the capability of this organization and what they do,” said Wilfork, who earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2011, his fourth since the Patriots chose him in the opening round of the 2004 draft. “I’m just happy to be back.

“Whoever we have, we have a lot of faith in them, and if we didn’t they wouldn’t be here. Hopefully we can get this thing started fast. I’m excited about the upcoming season and I’m looking forward to camp, but when camp gets started I’ll be ready for it to end. It’s an exciting time when you can get back to doing something you love and something you’ve been doing for a long time. It’s always exciting.”


(enterprisenews.com)

The Wilfork family has been big fans of the Celtics for a long time, and Vince spoke last week about his admiration for the team, saying they have “a lot of heart,” and adding, “I’m a big fan and they have a bunch of fans in my household.” Because of that, don’t even think of intimating that he’s jumped on the Celtics bandwagon.

“Another win for my Celtics!! Nothing like being there to cheer them on!! [I] grew up a Celtics fan, dont get it twisted. [This] isn’t [some] bandwagon [expletive] they’ve always been my team,” he said Sunday night. “I went [to] college [in Miami] but the Celtics [are] my team.”


(weei.com)

We know Vince Wilfork has pretty good hands. We know he’s pretty athletic. We know the receiving corps is pretty crowded. Might there still be room for a massive 350-pound wideout who can really bring some thunder it down the sideline?

”I’ve been running a couple of routes and look good out there,” Wilfork half-joked yesterday. ”Tom (Brady) gave me a couple of balls, (I) looked pretty good out there.”

That last part is no surprise. Wilfork looked pretty good picking off a pair of balls last season. Did he at least catch the balls Brady threw to him yesterday?”Absolutely I caught them,” Wilfork said. ”My drops are looking pretty good back in the backend, so I’m getting back to my old self. A couple more vertical routes by me and I think I’ll be ready to go.”

And what did the quarterback think of Big Vince running routes?

”He had two interceptions last year. That was close to leading our team. He’s got to start working on his run after catch,” Brady cracked. ”Maybe we can use him in goal-line situations like the Fridge. He’s a load, I’ll tell you that. He’s a hell of a player for this team.”


(bostonherald.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork isn’t interested in looking back as he enters his ninth NFL season.

Less than four months after falling to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Wilfork insists the loss has no effect on him today.

“No effect on me. No effect on me. You start back to where you started at, from zero. That’s where I’m at right now. You can’t dwell over spoiled milk,” Wilfork told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Thursday afternoon. “Last year was last year. That’s how you have to look at it. You have to be a professional. When it comes down to it, you have to be a professional about everything, and that plays a big part now. We have to be able to move forward, I’ve moved forward.”

Part of the process in moving forward for Wilfork is the addition of new teammates and a new position coach for the first time in his career. As Patrick Graham takes the reins as defensive line coach (with Pepper Johnson moving back to tutor the linebackers), Wilfork doesn’t believe the switch will have a major impact.

“It really won't affect us in a different way," he said. "I think we all talk the same way and that’s one good thing that you can always count on, being talked the same way. Everybody knows each other’s job. That goes for coaches also. So that move really isn’t big for us.”

Wilfork admits he was a little surprised by the switch, but added that Johnson won’t have moved too far, as the linebackers will work closely with the defensive line.

Graham will oversee Wilfork in his new role, as well as a handful of youngsters added this offseason, notably first-round pick Chandler Jones and third-rounder Jake Bequette.

The Patriots' defensive anchor isn’t ready to offer up his impressions of the newcomers, but trusts the organization he plays for and its ability to add talent.

“You never can doubt the capability of this organization and what they do. I’m just happy to be back started, and whoever we have, we have a lot of faith in them,” Wilfork said. “If we didn’t, they wouldn’t be here. Hopefully we can get this thing started fast. I’m excited about this upcoming season.”

One area of focus for the Patriots' defense –- a young group in Wilfork’s eyes -– is re-establishing a swagger that former Patriots left tackle Matt Light recently suggested was lacking last season.

“I think he’s right, there’s a level, you have guys in this game for a long time, been in this system for a long time, they just know how to play,” he said. “When you’re around something for so long, you adapt, you can start doing different things because you know it so well. Being a young defense, I think guys with the lockout and all that, I think we struggled at certain points at some of the things that we did.

“Hopefully it can be better this year, but I think the OTAs are good for us. It’s definitely good for a younger team, especially with us being a younger defense. And not saying we’re too young, but just being able to get together and getting little things out the way that can make a big, big difference down in the season,” Wilfork continued. “I think some of those things we can get done now, and we’re trying now. With OTAs we’re trying, every day we’re putting something in, every day guys are coming to work, and we’re just going to work.

“That’s what its going to take, you have to strive to get better, and that’s where I’m at right now, striving to get better and hopefully my teammates are doing the same thing,” he said.


(espn.com)

Vince Wilfork, 30, is still a tremendously talented defensive tackle. The four-time Pro Bowler and four-time Second Team All-Pro has been the key cog in New England's defensive line since 2004.

Might he be one of the NFL's finest?

The Sporting News ranks Wilfork behind just Haloti Ngata and Geno Atkins on its list of the league's 10 best DTs.

"He has been doing it well for a long time, but there is no reason to think Wilfork will slow down anytime soon," wrote Clifton Brown. "Wilfork shows up big in big games and has become a locker room leader as the Patriots‚ defense has transitioned to younger players. He is an indispensable piece of their defensive unit."

Detroit's Ndamukong Suh and Cowboy Jay Ratliff round out first five. Click here to see the rest of the rankings.

Looking for a reason to re-live the Patriots' last win of the season? Go ahead. Sweep those memories of the Super Bowl under the rug, and take a trip back in time to the AFC Championship Game with the guys at Pro Football Focus.

They've put together a Top-10 of the best 3-4 defensive end performances of last season, and Vince Wilfork is featured near the top of the list for his other-worldly performance in the AFC title game against the Ravens.

According to PFF, it was the third-most dominant performance of the season by a 3-4 defensive end last season. Here's what they had to say about Wilfork's game that day:

Anyone who watched the Patriots squeak out a victory to get to the Super Bowl will have seen Vince Wilfork at his absolute best. It wasn’t just the sack and five hurries, or the three defensive stops in the run game that got Wilfork such a high rating, it was how he did it: dominating Michael Oher and Marshal Yanda like few others have. The Ravens offensive line hadn’t faced anything like that for quite some time.


(csnne.com)

It's difficult to take "The Top 100: Players of 2012" too seriously after the voters placed a mediocre fullback on the list, but I'm going to try anyway until they stop me. Thus, I'm appropriately outraged that New England Patriots star Vince Wilfork is ranked No. 81 based off his 2011 season, falling 46 spots from his spot on the 2010 list.

Wilfork's fall is a great sign that these rankings are largely arbitrary. Wilfork simply was a better player in 2011 than he was in 2010. His playoff run perhaps was the signature stretch of his career. While his numbers don't often show up in the stats, Wilfork took on more responsibility and showed greater versatility than he ever did before. (We're talking about his work at defensive end, not his awesome interceptions.)

There simply aren't many -- or any -- interior defenders who can do what Wilfork does. He's annually among the elite at his position. Seeing him tumble in the rankings after what probably was his best season since 2008 just shows the difficulties inherent in the "Top 100: Players of 2012."

I'll stop complaining now. Until next week.


(nfl.com)

On Wednesday night, NFL Network aired the second part of its series profiling the "Top 100 NFL Players of 2012" as voted on by their peers. Picks 90-81 were unveiled, and the first Patriots player to make the list was announced.

Nose tackle Vince Wilfork checked in at number 81, down 46 spots from his 2011 ranking of 35.

The feature noted that Wilfork's fall may be due to the Patriots’ lack of defensive success as a team, although Wilfork experienced arguably his finest season as a pro, playing a career-best 86.8 percent of defensive snaps (up from 69.8 percent in 2010), recording 52 tackles, 3.5 sacks (also a career-high), and the first two interceptions of his career.

A number of NFL players were interviewed for the piece, including Jets center Nick Mangold, Saints guard Ben Grubbs, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux.

Said Babineaux, "It takes four dudes to move Vince Wilfork. The guy can do it all. He can take on the double team, and then make the play."

Both Mangold and Pouncey, who are regarded as two of the best centers in the AFC, made it clear that facing Wilfork is no easy task. Mangold described some of the challenges in facing Wilfork, noting his exceptional athleticism and technique.

“Obviously you see the size and the strength and everything, but his quickness, his technique. He’s great with his hand placement, his leverage, and that little burst off the ball," he said. "He might lull you to sleep looking at him, but he gets around.”


(espn.com)

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork is known for making a big impact on the football field each season, but he made an even bigger one Thursday night off of it.

Wilfork held his annual “Draft Day” event last night to raise money for diabetes research and prevention, and according to the veteran raised $200,000 thanks to a sold out standing-room crowd that joined him last night at PiNZ in Milford Massachusetts.

That money will go to the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

According to Patch.com Wilfork was ‘overwhelmed’ by the show of support, and told the crowd, ”Every one of you makes this thing special for me.”
Meanwhile the veteran was pleased with seeing two guys being added to New England’s defense. After the Patriots selected Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones and Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower, Wilfork seemed especially excited about having a player like Hightower joining him and the rest of the defense.

“I love that pick,” Wilfork told the Boston Herald. “That’s probably one of the best picks in a long time,’’ Wilfork gushed. “That’s a football player. You got yourself a football player right there. I love it.’’


(patsfans.com)

MILFORD — Leave it to Vince Wilfork [stats] to hold a grudge. Seems he keeps a list of old offenders tucked away, going back to the 2004 draft.

Parked on Wilfork’s personal grudge list are the teams he thought were going to select him, only to pass him over. There’s quite a few on the list.
Hearing the Patriots [team stats] nose tackle recall his draft-day experience is actually pretty amusing. Eight years later, Wilfork laughs at the memory. It just wasn’t much fun that day. It seemed more like torture.

The way Wilfork, then a promising University of Miami standout, tells it, he woke up that morning believing he was going to be an Atlanta Falcon. Based on meetings, workouts and conversations, he was convinced he was going to hear his name called at No. 8 — a top-10 pick.

Only, it didn’t happen. The Falcons went with Virginia Tech corner DeAngelo Hall.

“They were talking every week in Atlanta about me coming,” Wilfork said before to his annual draft-day fund-raiser last night at Pinz, which benefits the Joslin Diabetes Center and Diabetes Research Institute. “Then it was Houston. Then it was Buffalo. Then it was Chicago. So I felt, ‘Well, if I don’t go to Atlanta, I’m going to Houston.’ Then, I didn’t go there.”

Houston had the No. 10 pick. The Texans also went with a cornerback — South Carolina’s Dunta Robinson — instead of the big nose tackle. When the Bears came to bat at No. 14, Wilfork figured his connecton with Bears coach Lovie Smith would seal that deal.

“I knew I was going to Chicago, because me and Lovie, we had a conversation beyond football. It was a personal conversation,” Wilfork said. “We met for a half an hour. So we connected. Then I thought for sure, I was going there. But then No. 14 came, and they picked Tommie Harris. So I’m going, ‘Holy crap, where do I go now? I have no clue.’ But at that moment, my wife was frustrated. I was frustrated.”

Then Wilfork did something he thought he’d never, ever do: He became a Dolphins fan. As a Miami player, that wasn’t supposed to happen. But when you’re desperate on draft day, anything’s possible.

“The one time I turned into a Dolphins fans, it was at (No. 19),” Wilfork said with a laugh. “I’m thinking, ‘Man, if there’s a chance for Miami to get a Florida guy, a Hurricane guy, they don’t draft Hurricanes, but maybe I’m the guy.’ But they picked Vernon Carey, my teammate.

“Now, I’m (ticked),” he said to laughter. “Of all the guys, you picked a Hurricane, and you picked him?”

Six Miami players were drafted in the first round; Carey, an offensive lineman, represented the fifth. That also didn’t please Big Vince. How could he be the last one taken of his teammates? He’d never live that down.

Then his phone rang within minutes of hearing Carey’s name. Berj Najarian, the Pats director of football administration, was calling with Bill Belichick on the line.

“He said, ‘How do you feel about being a New England Patriot?’ I said, ‘I don’t know where you’re at, but I’m ready,’ ” said Wilfork, finally taken at No. 21. “Then I got off the phone, and I asked my wife, ‘Where’s New England? Is that like, New London?’ We didn’t know.

“When we figured out it was Boston, that was great. I’m a Celtics [team stats] fan. That was going to be huge. I grew up a Celtics fan. But ever since that day, everyone who passed me up, I held grudges.”

As for being the last Hurricanes player to go, Wilfork eventually got the last laugh on that one, too.

“I was the first one to get a Super Bowl ring, I know that,” Wilfork said with a smile. “Some of them are still chasing that ring. I just know I wouldn’t change a thing to save my life.”


(weei.com)

AGAWAM – The Boy Scouts have produced future leaders in this country for decades. Among those the organization can claim is a boy who grew up in Florida and later became a leader on the gridiron, Patriots captain and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork.

Wilfork was the keynote speaker on Wednesday night as the Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America convened for their annual Distinguished Citizen Award gala at Chez Josef. Tuesday’s dinner is the largest fundraising event for the organization.

Wilfork said his experience as a Scout was an important one and helped develop skills he uses today while anchoring the New England Patriots’ defensive line.

“Being a Scout is a hands-on thing,” Wilfork said. “They teach you to become an adult. It was definitely a fun time in my life. I think it’ll make these guys better men as they grow up.”

Thursday night, players talented enough to be selected in the first round will hear their names called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The 2012 draft class is reportedly stocked with a great deal of defensive talent, which bodes well for the Patriots, who have perceived holes to fill on that side of the ball.

As a captain and veteran heading into his ninth NFL season, Wilfork has some words of advice for possible future Patriots.

“Each one of those young men needs to understand that that is a life-changing moment,” Wilfork said of the draft. “Whoever gets a chance to be a part of this league should know that it’s a privilege.”

Wilfork was selected 21st overall in the 2004 NFL draft. On that April afternoon, he became the fifth member from perennial collegiate powerhouse Miami to be drafted in the first round.

Wilfork’s selection saw one of his longest-standing childhood dreams fulfilled. From an early age, the now-hulking lineman was hooked on the sport.

“I remember growing up, 4 years old and telling my father that this is what I wanted to do,” he said. “And now 30 years later, and nine years into the league, it’s an amazing feeling. It was a dream I had as a youngster, and my dream came true.”

Wednesday night’s Distinguished Citizen Award honoree was AAA of the Pioneer Valley President and CEO, Chris Mensing.

“It’s a wonderful honor,” Mensing said. “I just feel very blessed to be honored and thought of in this way.”

Mensing, though not a Scout growing up, equated the skills he attained and experienced he face through youth sports to the organization.

The Western Mass. Council, BSA, serves Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties. Some 7,200 youth participated in the Boy Scouts in Western Massachusetts in 2011.


(masslive.com)

Vince Wilfork entertained a packed house at the Hall at Patriot Place a short time ago with an engaging Q & A session as part of the Hall’s Speaker Series.

Naturally, fans weren’t shy about asking a few loaded questions, and Wilfork didn’t exactly dodge.

Here are some of the highlights.

Question: If he were Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who would he start, Mark Sanchez or the newly acquired Tim Tebow?
Wilfork:  ”Tebow. He’s a winner. He’s proven. I mean, I’ll tell you what, both have positive and negatives. You really can’t go wrong. I’m glad I’m not in that boat. Put it like that.”

Question: ”What would he rather have, an interception or a sack?”
Wilfork: ”’I'll take an interception over a sack any day. That’s me. Some people like getting the sack. No, give me the ball!”

Question: ”Who’s faster, you or Tom Brady?
Wilfork: ”Me. That’s the easiest question to answer.”

Question: ”What part of the NFL would he like to change if he had the powers to do so.”
Wilfork: ”One thing I’d get rid of is the penalties, certain penalties. I can do without them. You have a guy that’s making $30 million a year (the quarterback), but you can’t touch him. C’mon. Let’s be for real now. Me as a defensive lineman, it’s okay for somebody to hold me up, and another guy to come and chop my legs, and I can’t protect myself. I can do without that. That’s probably the main thing. Being able to hit a quarterback good . . . we need that. We need that back right there. But, you hurt the franchise of your team if you’re allowed to tee off on the quarterback. Cuz you know, quarterbacks are wimpy.”

Question: ”What’s you favorite food?”
Wilfork: ”Chicken . . . anything dealing with meat, I’ll eat.”


(boston.com)

Vince Wilfork is prepping his annual draft day fundraiser at Pinz in Milford on the 26th which benefits the Joslin Diabetes Center and the Diabetes Research Institute.

Of course, this year’s edition - No. 9 for those counting - will be bigger and better than the previous eight. That’s how Vince & Bianca roll.

The Pats nose tackle will be bowling, chatting and hanging out with fans while waiting for Bill Belichick to make the picks at Nos. 27 & 31, or do his usual manuevering around the draft board.

In my story in today’s Herald, Wilfork talked about the confidence he has in Belichick and the decision-makers to bring the right people in. 

”They’ve proven they can go out and grab guys, guys people never heard of, or guys who have a different role somewhere else, and come here and be successful,” Wilfork said when reached by phone. ”I know Bill knows what he’s doing. I don’t get caught up into why he’s bringing so and so in. I don’t think he would jeopardize this franchise or this organize by bringing in someone that’s a flat out knucklehead.”

For those interested in the draft day fundraiser, you can get more informatiion on tickets, sponsorship, and ways to donate by reaching out to CJ Yanofsky at the Vince Wilfork Foundation: cj@ksportsent.com. Donations can also be made online at www.vincewilfork75.com.


(boston.com)

Vince Wilfork has been in a reflective and introspective mood recently. The reason has nothing to do with football. The Patriots [team stats] nose tackle is coming up on the 10th anniversary of his father’s passing.

It hits him this time of year, when he throws his annual draft day fundraiser benefitting the Joslin Diabetes Center and Diabetes Research Institute.

Last week, he was telling his kids stories about grandpa, and sharing conversations with his wife, Bianca, about his late father David, who died after a lengthy battle with the disease. Mostly, he thinks about what he’s become since his father passed and his mother Barbara died six months later of complications following a stroke. A decade is a pretty long time.

“In 10 years, what have I learned? What have I seen?” Wilfork said rhetorically in a phone interview with the Herald last week. “So many things have gone on. Different people have come in and out of my life. My father always said, ‘You have one life to live. You have to live it to the fullest. So you have to enjoy your life while you’re here.’ I think about that every day.”

Wilfork knows he was taught well by both of his parents. His father would be proud of how Vince and Bianca have turned the fundraiser into such a worthy event and have raised a ton of money. They’re so passionate about the cause, and making the event better each and every year.

While diabetes research is close to Wilfork’s heart, the event is also important for other reasons. It’s an opportunity for fans to get to know the Pats defensive lineman outside of the football arena. And again, Wilfork heeds his father’s advice of living for the day, living for the moment.

“One thing I want to get out of this, I want the fans to be happy. That’s my main thing. I want them to get a chance to interact with me. To see me as Vince Wilfork [stats] the father, Vince Wilfork the husband, Vince Wilfork the friend. Not Vince Wilfork the football player,” he said. “I think sometimes people see me on TV and automatically assume something. Then, when they meet me, they see I’m a regular person. I go to the grocery store. I shop. I don’t need nobody to shop for me; I do all that myself. That’s what I want people to get out of this. I think that’s why every year (the event) grows. I want them to see me as a person. That way, they’ll really get to understand who I am.”

Sure, the burly nose tackle who routinely occupies two defenders, and makes plays in the trenches with a violent sense of authority has a much different off-field persona. He’s mild-mannered and smiles constantly.

“I don’t argue much. I don’t dwell over petty stuff much,” Wilfork said. “I just shrug off stuff. I try to be stress-free. You can’t be stressed out all the time. You can’t kill yourself worrying about stuff weeks from now.”

That’s the same philosophy he applied to the Super Bowl loss. Wilfork didn’t let that fester for too long. He knew he had to forge ahead. It’s also Bill Belichick’s preferred method.

“Whatever the outcome may be in life, it is what it is. The only thing you can do is be the best person you can be,” he said. “Be the best father, be the best husband, be the best friend, be the best teammate.

“I’m not one to sit back and dwell over wins or losses. That’s just something I don’t do. Life is too short. No matter how great I played, or how crappy I played. Right now, I’m getting ready for next (season). Last year don’t matter. I attack each day like that.”

After sitting back, and looking over the past 10 years, Wilfork believes his father would approve of and appreciate the man he has become.

“Yeah, I really do. And trust me, I’m not perfect. I’m not saying I’m perfect,” said Wilfork, who attended the Jaden’s Ladder “Bright Lights, Big City” charity event last night at the Ritz-Cartlton, “But I think he’d be proud . . . I treat people the way I want to be treated. I respect people. My father was big on respect. So I know he’s happy. He’d be smiling.”

For those interested in the April 26 draft-day fundraiser, which is being held at Pinz in Milford, you can get more information on tickets, sponsorship, and ways to donate by contacing CJ Yanofsky (cj@ksportsent.com ) at the Vince Wilfork Foundation. Donations may also be made online at vincewilfork75.com.


(bostonherald.com)

Nearly a month into free agency, quite a few AFC teams have been making moves with thoughts and hopes of taking down the Patriots [team stats].
Hearing that notion, Pro Bowl defensive lineman Vince Wilfork [stats] began chuckling.

“You know what? That’s fine with me,” Wilfork said yesterday. “We want to keep doing what we’ve been doing, and hopefully it’s good enough. We’re all starting from the same point once again. We start all over this year. Hopefully, we can finish it off right.”

t’s April, and this is a particular time of year Wilfork enjoys. The Bruins [team stats] began their playoff march last night. The Celtics [team stats] are closing in on the postseason. The Red Sox [team stats] play their home opener at Fenway Park [map] today. As a sports fan, it’s all good for Big Vince.

The Pats? Between March and April, teams retool and reload for the upcoming season. The NFL draft is at the end of the month, and Wilfork will be holding his annual draft party and fund-raiser at Pinz in Milford to benefit diabetes research.

Reached by phone yesterday, Wilfork, who has been relatively silent since the Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, talked about moving past that crushing defeat in February, and also being encouraged by what coach Bill Belichick has built over the past few years.

“It is what it is,” Wilfork said of losing the Super Bowl. “I’m not one to sit back and dwell over wins or losses. That’s just something I don’t do. Life is too short. It doesn’t matter how great I played, or how crappy I played. Right now, I’m getting ready for next year. Last year don’t matter. That’s the approach. I attack each day like that.”

That being said, Wilfork, who logged more snaps than he had in any previous season, is looking forward to the coming year. He believes the team will be fine, and that confidence is there because the foundation is sound.

“Each year this team is getting better and better. That’s what we want to do. We have a great group of guys in this locker room. And they love football,” Wilfork said. “They have a passion for football. And you can win with that. You can win with people like that, and that’s what we have in this locker room. We have a bunch of guys that love one another, they play for one another. You have to have that to be successful at this level.”

Well, the Buffalo Bills look like they’re trying to be successful by building a defense around superstar Mario Williams, as they signed the free agent lineman last month.

The New York Jets [team stats]’ idea of success is lighting a fire under quarterback Mark Sanchez by trading for Tim Tebow after the Denver Broncos signed Peyton Manning.

Belichick hasn’t been quite as dramatic. While he’s inked a ton of free agents, wide receiver Brandon Lloyd stands as the most prominent of the lot. For the most part, Belichick has brought in more than a dozen depth pieces.

“Whoever they bring in, they feel can help this ballclub win. That’s what it’s all about,” Wilfork said. “Bill, all those guys, they make the decisions, who comes in, who leaves. If they think they have someone that can help us win games, guess what, we’re going to go that route. If it don’t work out, it don’t work out. I’m just happy to be on this side with these coaches and this organization and the people who make the decisions because they’re proven. They’ve proven they can go out and grab guys, guys people never heard of, or guys who have a different role somewhere else, and come here and be successful.

“I know Bill knows what he’s doing. I don’t get caught up into why he’s bringing so and so in. I don’t think he would jeopardize this franchise or this organization by bringing in someone that’s a flat-out knucklehead.”

Wilfork believes the secret is having everyone on the same page, and that’s what the Pats had last season on the road to the Super Bowl.

“If you can get that, you’ll be successful. And we’ve had that over the years,” he said. “I’m very blessed going through college and pros, I’ve had a very good winning percentage. I can’t complain. But the one thing is that group of guys. Everybody gives everything up to win. That’s one thing that’s been similar. You have to have that group of guys that has that fight in them. If you don’t have that, you have a problem.”


(bostonherald.com)

Pro Football Focus loves statistics. Thursday morning the fellas put together a post ranking the 2011 performances of the NFL's interior defensive lineman. How did they determine what really makes a D-tackle stand out?

Run stop percentage.

The number describes how many times a guy caused "an offensive failure as a percentage of how many plays he is in on run defense, excluding plays nullified by penalty."

Don't worry, they did the math for you. And look who's in the top six: Vince Wilfork.

The Patriots tackle racked up 29 stops on 334 run snaps for an 8.7-percent efficiency rate. It's not a bad number, attesting to the fact Wilfork doesn't just devour blocks but can also make plays.

The AFC Championship comes to mind. With the Patriots up just three points in the fourth quarter and Baltimore driving, Wilfork stopped Ray Rice for a third-down, 3-yard loss to push the Ravens out of field goal range.  

Such is the point of PFF's examination. You like a tackle in the middle who can absorb double, and even triple-teams, but the guy who can also bother quarterbacks and stuff the run is invaluable.

Vince Wilfork can be that guy. Examining playoff performance compared to the regular season could make the evaluation more interesting.


(csnne.com)

The story of the Patriots' defensive line took so many twists and turns throughout the course of 2011, starting with the acquisition of Albert Haynesworth and the release of Ty Warren. Throughout most of training camp, the Patriots had about 20 defensive linemen on the roster, give or take, and some who didn't make the team caught on elsewhere.

They played more four-man fronts with one-gap assignments than they've done in the past, and Vince Wilfork stepped up his game once again. Then there was the emergence of both Andre Carter and Mark Anderson, while Kyle Love's stock skyrocketed over the course of the season and Brandon Deaderick showed some intriguing flashes. Aside from Carter, Mike Wright, Myron Pryor and Jermaine Cunningham succumbed to season-ending injuries that ate away at the team's depth.

And the defensive line was a story right until the very end, as Alex Silvestro's promotion cost wide receiver Tiquan Underwood a roster spot just 24 hours before the Super Bowl. The scary thing is that was just the Cliffs Notes version of the last six-plus months.

Defensive Linemen on Final Roster: Vince Wilfork, Mark Anderson, Ron Brace, Brandon Deaderick, Shaun Ellis, Kyle Love, Gerard Warren, Alex Silvestro, Markell Carter (practice squad), Aaron Lavarias (practice squad), Myron Pryor (injured reserve), Andre Carter (injured reserve), Jermaine Cunningham (injured reserve), Mike Wright (injured reserve).

Key Statistic: Anderson (10) and Carter (10) became the third tandem of Patriots to each record 10 sacks in the same season. Tony McGee (12) and Ray Hamilton (10) did it in 1977, and Andre Tippett (16.5) and Garin Veris (10) did it in 1985. Anderson added 2.5 sacks in the playoffs.

Hot Topic: Wilfork continued to raise his level this season as an every-down player who proved to be the most valuable member of the defense. He singlehandedly ripped through the Ravens in the AFC Championship, though he wasn't as spectacular in the Super Bowl. Wilfork gets better every year, but he just wrapped up his eighth season in the league. Since it's such a physically demanding position, how much longer can the 30-year-old play at this level?

One thing that is clear: His teammates play for him, and that was never more evident than after the Ravens game when the Patriots lauded Wilfork for his preparation and his ability to get everyone motivated to play alongside him. Linebacker Jerod Mayo gets a lot of credit for running the defense on the field, as he should, but the last few weeks really showed it's still Wilfork's defense.


(nesn.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork and several of his teammates said Thursday they weren’t going to get into a war of words with Giants defensive lineman Chris Canty, who said Wednesday that New York fans should “get ready for a parade.”

“The game is never won in the papers or in the media,” Wilfork said. “We’ll do all our talking on Sunday.”

Canty made the statement to a New York television station. When asked if he was worried about giving the Patriots bulletin board material, he said he didn’t care.

“Obviously, Tom Brady made a statement at their pep rally. Obviously, both teams are here to try to win a football game,” he said. “It just is what it is. I’m not trying to inflame anybody or anything like that. I want our fans to be excited about the game that’s coming up on Sunday. It’s going to be a great football game. It’s going to be a 60-minute game, and hopefully we can put ourselves in the best position to be successful.”

“I stand beside what Vince says,” said New England linebacker Jerod Mayo. “A good team will lose on Sunday -- hopefully, it’s not us. There are two good teams going at it. It’s good that he has that confidence.”

“I don’t blame him for saying that,” said Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins. “Hopefully, our fans are getting ready too. We want to win the game, they want to win the game. We know that only one team can, so, whichever teams wins is going to have a big party, and the other team will be very disappointed.”

“It’s his opinion. He’s entitled to his own opinion,” said New England defensive end Mark Anderson. “The best team will win Sunday night. All we’re going to do is continue to work, continue to prepare and do what we have to do and correct any mistakes so we can play at a high level on Sunday.”

Though Canty suggested that the comment was not the basis of a war of words, Patriots receiver Deion Branch -- when interviewed by the Mut & Merloni show on Thursday morning -- was clearly irked by Canty's comments.

"Philadelphia said that, too," Branch said of Canty's parade boast, referring to an Eagles team that offered numerous boasts in the buildup to Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. "[At] 6:30, we'll see Chris on the football field Sunday. ... We'll be there. He can say they've got a parade and all that stuff. That's cool."


(weei.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The mantle of leadership is an honor for some, a burden for others. With it comes mounting pressure, expanded responsibilities, heightened expectations.

And that is exactly why Vince Wilfork has been waiting his whole life to assume his role as the key component of the Patriots' defense.

"Either you are a leader, or you're not," said Wilfork, in a quiet moment before Super Bowl madness overtook him. "You can't fake it, can't hide from it. But you can grow into it.

"And that's what I have done."

He has been a monstrous presence, both in the spiritual and physical sense, for a Patriots defense that has prompted more questions than answers.

Yet no one doubts Wilfork's impact on this Super Bowl season. He has drawn three blockers and still penetrated offensive lines. He has been steady as well as spectacular, picking off his first two career interceptions and returning a recovered fumble for a touchdown. He was a wrecking ball in the AFC title game, snuffing out Baltimore's trap play on a critical third-and-3 late in the game, then harassing quarterback Joe Flacco into throwing the ball away in the final minutes on fourth-and-5. Wilfork was in the trenches for 67 of his defense's 70 snaps, a physical, explosive, whirling mass of destruction who lined up in multiple positions with the aim of intimidating and confusing the Ravens' offense.

"The most incredible performance I've ever seen from him," offered former teammate Troy Brown.

It was a dominant display in a breakout year for Wilfork. One of the most satisfying components, he revealed, is he hasn't been fined a single time this season by the league, a departure from the past when he was routinely flagged -- and penalized financially -- for his aggressive play.

That self-control is yet another stepping stone toward the maturity of the biggest man on the field.

"I'm not surprised by any of it," declared Richard Seymour, his close friend and former teammate in New England. "He's always been hungry to be the best lineman in the game.

"I'll put it like this: if someone gets on his bad side, he can destroy a game."

Therein lies Vince Wilfork's greatest strength -- and his greatest weakness. The intensity and energy with which he plays football has turned him into a perennial Pro Bowl talent, but also threatened to handcuff him when those emotions went awry.

Former Santaluces High School coach Ray Berger has watched with pleasure as Wilfork has grown from an oversized eighth-grader with a ferocious temper to an oversized All-Pro adult with a restrained demeanor he's worked tirelessly to manage.

"Vince was always the nicest kid in the world off the field," Berger said. "But on the field, it was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing. He was a kid who didn't know how to channel his energy.

"I can't tell you how many times I had to drag his butt into my office and have a man-to-man regarding those out of control moments."

Berger said part of the struggle for Wilfork was he already displayed an NFL body by the time he was 15 years old.

In his freshman high school season, Wilfork slugged a running back and was ejected from the game.

During his sophomore year, when Santaluces held its annual black and red scrimmage among teammates, Wilfork and his brother David, an offensive lineman, ended up on opposite sides. And, when Vince delivered a ferocious late hit to the running back, his brother David took exception. David shoved Vince, then Vince shoved back.

"Next thing you know, the two of them are rolling around on the ground near the pole vault pit," Berger recalled. "I'm thinking, 'No, Vince, not your brother!' Their dad had to come out of the stands to break them up."

Wilfork said the scrum escalated because after David hit him, a teammate on David's side tried to join the fray.

"It was a brother thing," Vince said. "It was OK for my brother to hit me, but once the guy on his team hit me too, David turned on him. Then it was the two of us [Wilforks] against him."

It was an embarrassing scene, a spirited spring scrimmage run amok. Vince heard about it from both of his parents when he returned home.

"I was always a hothead," he admitted. "I wore my passion on my sleeve. I had to learn there are certain ways you can do things to get the same outcome."

Berger tried to explain to Wilfork that it was paramount he respect opposing players and coaches, particularly since those coaches often voted for the all-star teams. Wilfork nodded in agreement, but immediately forgot those warnings once he got on the field.

"So one day we're having a full squad scrimmage," Berger said. "I said, 'We're going full tilt -- but don't hit the quarterback.'"

The quarterback was Ricky Bethel, who later played at Florida Atlantic. The moment the ball was snapped, Wilfork plowed through the offensive line and leveled him.

"I tried to stay calm," Berger said. "I didn't call Vince out. I just said, 'Remember what I said, now. No hitting the quarterback.'"

The ball was snapped a second time. Wilfork drilled the quarterback -- his quarterback -- again. Berger, increasingly agitated, warned Wilfork, "That's enough."

What Berger didn't know was Bethel had been taunting Wilfork throughout the scrimmage. He needed to be taught a lesson, and Vince figured he was the man(child) for the job.

So, on the third snap, Wilfork crushed Bethel for a trifecta of devastating sacks.

"He completely ignored what I told him," Berger said. "I started screaming at him. I mean, I was hot. But so was Vince. He started coming for me. Now I'm a big guy, but when I realized how angry Vince was, and remembered how big he was, I told the kids, 'Someone better hold him back.'"

The coach and the player separated and walked to opposite ends of the field. Berger was still fuming when Wilfork came up from behind and slapped his rear end.

"His version of an apology, I guess," Berger said.

Over time, and after a bushel full of penalties at the University of Miami, Wilfork began to understand his fiery approach needed to be corralled.

But it didn't happen overnight.

"It took some time," he conceded. "This was how I had always played football. I'm still learning."

Wilfork was a rookie when the Patriots last won the Super Bowl, an eager apprentice to Seymour and Willie McGinest, who he incessantly peppered with questions.

"He was constantly asking, 'What should I do on this play? How can I stop this from happening?'" Seymour said. "He came from a penetrating defense at Miami into a two-gap system, and he wanted to get it right. He was one of those young players that you knew immediately wanted to be great, not just good."

Wilfork's talent, size and mobility was obvious to everyone, including New England's opponents. They very quickly devised ways to negate the nose tackle's imposing presence.

"Vince was on the ground a lot as a young player," Seymour said. "He was knocking offensive linemen into the backfield, so to neutralize his effectiveness, as he was pushing them back, they were pulling him down.

"He used to get really ticked off when Bill [Belichick] showed him falling over in the film room.

"But you can't make tackles from the ground."

The learning curve for Wilfork was arduous. His exceptional size was equaled only by his uncommon athletic abilities, but none of that mattered when he let his temper rule his play.

He played almost every position at Santaluces High School, but later ruled out center (after he got hit in the head) and running back. "Some 5-foot-4 dude hit me so hard I dropped the ball," Wilfork said. "That was it."

He lined up at fullback in high school and went in untouched for a touchdown because nobody dared to tackle him. He played on the kick return team, and once, when the kick was short, he fielded it and lumbered down the sideline with six opposing players attached, trying to haul him down.

Seymour swears Wilfork can throw a perfectly tight spiral more than 50 yards. His current teammates claim his basketball dunks are on par with those of the great Darryl Dawkins. Wilfork also threw the discus and was a state champion (and later, an all-Big East conference) shot-putter.

He forever endeared himself to his Patriots teammates when, as a rookie, he accepted Belichick's challenge to field a punt cleanly, thereby earning the squad a night off. After making the catch, he did it again in Year 2, this time holding an extra football. In Year 3, he fielded the punt one-handed with two other footballs cradled into his left side.

"It took Bill until Year 4 to realize I wasn't going to drop any," Wilfork said.

In his fifth year, Belichick finally gave up and picked someone else.

It hasn't been easy being the anchor of a 31st ranked defense that has been shredded both on and off the field this season, but Wilfork has resisted taking those barbs personally. His versatility has enabled Belichick to experiment with different looks.

"V is a lot different than any nose I've ever seen," said linebacker Rob Ninkovich. "He can play a nose technique, a 3 technique, a 5 technique, he can play defensive end.

"You never get that much versatility out of a guy who is 350-plus pounds, but V can move.

"We always say we're happy he's on our team. I wouldn't want to have to line up opposite him."

Ask the Patriots' offense what it's like to be hit by Vince Wilfork, and they assure you he never delivers the crushing blows that he does to opposing offenses.

"He just kind of wraps us up and calls it a day," reported Kevin Faulk. "He knows better than to kill us."

His evolution continues, said the big man. There are still days when his adrenaline overtakes him. Wilfork's goal of making it through the season without a single penalty was lost early in the year.

He believes his guys will rise to the occasion in the Super Bowl, and promises that, as their leader, he will remain on an even keel.

"I'm not saying we're the best defense in the league," Wilfork said, "but we'll make plays."

Seymour will be watching from his home in the Bay area. He and Wilfork vacation together each year with their families. One year they went to the Kentucky Derby, another to the Bahamas. With each passing season, Seymour says, he senses Wilfork has reached yet another level of maturity.

"He just grew in wisdom," Seymour said. "He was always very smart, but nothing surprises him anymore.

"Vince has all the weapons now, especially from a mental standpoint."

Wilfork has been asked again and again about his first Super Bowl, and the last time his team played the Giants for the championship.

Those experiences, he says, are irrelevant.

"I'm a different player," he said. "Very different … I would get pissed off quick, and would retaliate quick. Now I kind of laugh and smile."

That comes from the power of straddling the fine line of emotion with leadership and poise.

It comes from a big man who has grown up on the job.


(espn.com)

On Monday Patriots coach Bill Belichick gushed about how athletic and in shape defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is. But Wilfork says most people don’t realize just what a good athlete he is.

Asked today what most surprises people that he can do, Wilfork said, “Probably dunk a basketball. People look at me and are like, ‘He’s a butterball, he can’t.’”

There’s no hiding the fact that Wilfork is fat. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 325 pounds, which pegs his body mass index at 41.7, on a scale where anything over 30 is obese. And Wilfork probably weighs a good deal more than 325 — in college the Miami Hurricanes listed him at 344 pounds, and he sure doesn’t look like he’s lost 19 pounds since college.

But football is a sport in which fat people can thrive, especially if they’re as athletic as Wilfork. If Wilfork plays as well against the Giants in the Super Bowl as he did against the Ravens getting to the Super Bowl, he could become the biggest Super Bowl MVP ever.


(profootballtalk.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Vince Wilfork is asked a question: When did his transformation from good player to one of the best at his position in football happen? How did it happen?

"That's two questions," he joked.

So it is. But when?

"I don't know," he said. "These are hard things to answer. It's just happened."

How? "A lot of it is just confidence," he said. "No question."

For once, even Bill Belichick is more effusive than Wilfork. "He's been huge," Belichick said. "Vince has had a great year for us. He's had obviously a great career, had an outstanding year last year, but this year it's even gone a step higher."

Wilfork has always been good, but this season there was an escalation, a supernova, and as he blew up, so did a once-ridiculed New England Patriots defense.

"We had a lot of critics this year," Wilfork said. "The main thing I've been focused on is winning, not myself."

It's much more complicated than that, of course. Wilfork won't say it, but as defensive leaders like Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison retired to studio sets and daily manicures -- leaving a leadership gap on defense -- it was Wilfork's big heart, serious skill and ample derriere that filled the void quite well.

There's something else that has happened with Wilfork, something perhaps more important.

Wilfork has become almost unstoppable. The man with the ample girth, quick wit and fast feet has quietly developed into one of the most ferocious interior players in the sport while simultaneously developing into a team leadership and dynamic force perhaps second to only Tom Brady.
Wilfork is now The Round Mound of Beat-Down.

"Vince is a highly competitive guy," guard Logan Mankins said. "He's strong, very strong. He's tough and for someone his size, he has very good endurance. He can keep going. It's not two plays and he's out of the game. He stays out there and he's still going."

What Wilfork has done is become an interior player not content with simply bull-rushing or overpowering. He has become a varied talent, and as Wilfork got better this year, so did the Patriots defense.

It's an interesting phenomenon. I actually think Wilfork has suffered in terms of recognition because he doesn't look like the prototypical ripped defensive lineman. His muscles are hidden by layers of blubber, and he doesn't have road-rage-like symptoms similar to a certain defensive lineman in Detroit. He's a talented grinder who doesn't draw massive media attention or seek it. Just a blue-collar guy with skills.

"I see the guy every day," offensive lineman Brian Waters said. "I know he works hard, I know he has a clear understanding for the game plan, I know he works as hard as anybody especially on that side of the ball. Vince is a hard guy to deal with. I've had the opportunity to play him in a different type of defense. The guy is a big guy who has some very good movement, very good feet and hands.

"That's something very difficult for a lineman to deal with. When you see him, you think it's all power; you just want to get your hands on him right away. As soon as you get too far over your toes, make too quick of a decision, he does something that all of the sudden gets you off your rocker and then he does have amazing amount of power and leverage. It doesn't surprise me at all that he's been able to be as productive as he has so far in his career."

One of the defining moments when Wilfork went from wide-bodied run-stopper to transformed all-around defender came late in the fourth quarter of the AFC title game against Baltimore. The Ravens had the ball at the Patriots 30 and trailing by three points. Wilfork obliterated two Baltimore plays. He hit Ray Rice for a 3-yard loss on third down, which forced the Ravens to go for it on fourth. On that fourth down, he was able to get to quarterback Joe Flacco and force an incompletion.

Wilfork wasn't always like this. He was once mostly used solely on first and second downs as a simple run stopper, but he has grown into something else.

When the Giants and Patriots first met in the Super Bowl, they viewed Wilfork as the biggest threat on defense. Imagine what they think of the new and improved Wilfork. They're going to need a tranquilizer gun to stop him.

Wilfork is playing the media game well. He has recently agreed with the notion that the Giants should be favored because they're hot.

"I would see why people would say they need to be favored," Wilfork said. "They're a heck of a ballclub. It seems like the later in the season it gets, the better they get. They peak at the right time. I understand, and trust me, I see the same thing that they see."

This is what New York sees: a dangerous player getting exponentially nastier. And they would be right.


(cbssports.com)

INDIANAPOLIS - Even the Patriots have appreciated Eli Manning’s play this season. And one of the Pats - big defensive tackle Vince Wilfork - has been so impressed by the Giants QB that he ranked Manning right alongside New England’s own QB star, Tom Brady.

“He’s probably one of the better quarterbacks in the league right now,” Wilfork said of Manning. “A lot of people might not agree, but I’m gonna tell you right now, you can put him with the Bradys and the Rivers, Brees, all these guys. You can throw his name in the mix right now because of what he’s done.”

That, of course, is exactly what Manning tried to do in the preseason, when he said he considered himself Brady’s equal. Wilfork added that he admired Manning’s performance two weeks ago, when the quarterback led the Giants past the 49ers for the NFC title.

The 316-yard, two-TD outing was hardly Manning’s finest statistical outing, but he did it against a physical defense that sacked him six times and hit him another 12 times.

“He just kept getting up,” said Wilfork. “It just goes to show you the type of warrior he is. He’s a tough guy, man. To have a quarterback who takes the pounding and gets up and dusts himself off and leads his team to victory, you have to tip your hat off to him.

“You can just see the heart of a champion that he has.”


(nydailynews.com)

INDIANAPOLIS - When he first went to a Super Bowl back in 2004, Vince Wilfork was a rookie surrounded by teammates seeking their third ring.

Now he's the elder statesman and he looked back Monday at the chemistry magic those teams had.

"Richard (Seymour), Willie McGinest and those guys were a fun bunch," Wilfork said during a media session at the JW Marriott. "When you build a football team and you talk about character and you talk about leadership, those guys always come to my mind.

"They played the game the way that it needed to be played. When it was time for business, it was time for business. When it was time for fun, it was time for fun. I think everybody rallied from that. I learned a lot from those guys. Some was good, some was bad. I’ve tried to forget the bad."
Wilfork fills the same role McGinest did for this team. He's played bad cop some days, a big brother on others. Early in the season, when the defense was horrific, he was often too disgusted to stick around after games and share his feelings.

But as the Patriots slowly improved, he came to appreciate the diligence and attitude of the players he's been surrounded with. 

"We have fun," said Wilfork. "You have to have fun playing this game. The guys I have in this locker room all think they're the best at whatever. I think I can throw the ball better than Tom (Brady). Tom think he can beat me in the 40. We have a lot of fun."

There's been an unmistakeable bounce in the verbal step of Bill Belichick this week. Asked about that on Monday, Wilfork said, "All year he’s been like that. It’s been kind of a relaxing year for all of us, just not knowing how much pressure he could put on us physically. Everything he’s asked us to do, we’ve responded. It’s been a fun season just seeing guys come to work each day.

"I think he appreciates that, and I appreciate that as a teammate," Wilfork added. "Trust me, at times Bill can be difficult to deal with. But I think he sees a difference in this team. I think he knows that he has a pretty tough football team, a smart football team and a team that’s never going to let him down. We have one more game to go. Hopefully we won’t let him down.”


(csne.com)

INDIANAPOLIS — Vince Wilfork was asked on Tuesday how, in his eight years with the New England Patriots, he has survived the changes in where he plays, in what his duties are, in who his linemates and defensive mates are, what philosophy and scheme they play … and how he's thrived all along the way.

"I don't know," he said after a pause. "I play my heart out. I play the hardest. I never give up. I approach each game the same way."

Calling Wilfork the anchor on the Patriots' defense is almost damning him with faint praise. Without him, they might not have a defense at all, and even with him, for much of this season, their defense wasn't much to talk about, unless it was given as a reason the Patriots wouldn't be at the Super Bowl right now.

Ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants, Wilfork is 6-2 and listed at 325 pounds (to the ear-splitting laughter of everybody associated with the NFL), and he uses every inch and ounce to their fullest.

He has mix-and-match parts around him, at best, but with him there, they all work. It makes one wonder what this season would have been like for the Patriots, and for Wilfork, had there been another lineman of the same age, size, weight, speed, strength, athletic ability, pedigree and potential for wreaking havoc. Someone who would create a tandem that would be unstoppable.

Oh, wait … there was a lineman like that with the Patriots. Wasn't there?

It's hard to remember. Albert Haynesworth has been gone from there a long time now.

Arrived in August, to great fanfare, near-unanimous praise for what a coup Bill Belichick had pulled off, and wild speculation about how this branded the Patriots as favorites. (At least one dope, for a publication you might now, made them Super Bowl favorites that very day. You're welcome.)

And after all that, Haynesworth lasted eight games. The Patriots cut bait the week after the Giants came back to beat them 24-20. They haven't lost a game since, 10 wins in a row. Strange, at some point you'd think they would have missed his three tackles, total, for his entire tenure there.

It should come as no surprise that when Belichick explained why he not only chose not to keep him around, but to not even play him much in that last game against the Giants, Wilfork's name came up. Basically, he said, Belichick had a lot of linemen he had to get into the mix. Besides, the one who's already in it, that is.

"Vince is a guy that obviously we don't want off the field," he told reporters then, "but the rest of those guys, they can't always play."

These are things that have never been said about Wilfork, 30, in his NFL career. He broke in on the third Patriots championship team, and he said he absorbed the atmosphere instantly—and absorbed the lessons of those who had established it.

"My rookie year, you look back at that squad—Willie McGinest, (Mike) Vrabel, Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, guys who led by example," he recalled. "You saw how they worked."

Now, he is who they once were, for players with far less name value than he'd had. He sets the tone, they follow. "All of my life I've thought that I'm a leader," he said, "and I think leaders have to take control at some point and show the will to do whatever it takes to turn things around, whether it's bad or a positive.

"At a young age, I always had that fight, but it's a good fight."

Wilfork has it. Haynesworth used to have it, but he didn't bring it with him to New England. He's not at the Super Bowl with them.
It's not their loss, or Wilfork's, though. It's his.


(sportingnews.com)

FOXBORO — Vince Wilfork [stats] was part of a Super Bowl winning team in his rookie season in 2004. The Patriots [team stats] defensive tackle figured he was destined for multiple championships, but learned through a number of postseason disappointments that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL.

That’s what made the Patriots 23-20 win yesterday over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game so sweet for the eight-year veteran.
“Every time you get here is a blessing. You’ve got 32 teams that everybody’s fighting to get to this moment. It didn’t really dawn on me in ’04,” Wilfork said. “Years passed, ’07 came, we lost, and then you’re like, ‘Whoa, you know, this thing is serious.’ I think about every moment. I think about it all the time. It’s a special feeling. To be in this situation was a great feeling but you have to cherish this moment.”

Wilfork did everything in his power to ensure that the Patriots returned to the Super Bowl. The 6-foot-2, 325-pounder took up residence in the Baltimore backfield, recording three of his six tackles — including a sack — behind the line of scrimmage.

Wilfork was especially dominant in a pivotal sequence late. With the Patriots clinging to a 23-20 lead with 3:36 remaining, the Ravens had third-and-3 from the Pats’ 30-yard line. Baltimore attempted a Ray Rice run up the middle, but Wilfork blew up the play for a 3-yard loss.

“To be honest with you, on the run, I think they just cut me loose,” Wilfork said. “I don’t know. I’m always taught when someone (doesn’t) block you, it’s a set up and all. I don’t know if they just missed a block or it was a set-up block and I just beat it.”

On the next play, Wilfork bull-rushed Pro Bowl center Matt Birk and grabbed hold of Joe Flacco. The Baltimore quarterback couldn’t free himself of Wilfork’s grasp and was forced to throw a wild incompletion.

“It was just an adjustment we made on the sideline,” Wilfork said. “We went to a different front and we knew exactly what we had to do and I got the matchup I wanted and we got the matchup we wanted and we took advantage of it.”

Though the defense needed one more stand to seal the victory, Wilfork’s disruptive plays loomed large.

“I thought Vince had a lot of big plays today,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “He leads the way for us on defense — he and Jerod Mayo. Vince is obviously our most experienced player and he’s been a great leader, great captain all year. His leadership has been tremendous.”
It’s helped that Wilfork has had willing followers this season.

“They never gave up,” Wilfork said of his teammates. “They’re very, very passionate about what they do. They love this game and I can take the field with anybody like that.”


(bostonherald.com)

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is not an easy man to move. That’s especially true this season because you can’t get him off the field.

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com notes that Wilfork played 51.8% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2009. That’s fairly typical for any run-stuffing nose tackle, especially one comically listed at 325 pounds. (He’s probably closer to 400 than 300 pounds.)

In 2010, Wilfork’s snap total went up to 69.8%. By this season, Wilfork was up to 86%. In the AFC title game, Wilfork played 67 of 70 snaps. That’s 95.7%.

You can measure leadership in a lot of ways. Wilfork leads by making his presence known almost every snap. He leads by playing more than younger counterparts like Haloti Ngata.

“He leads the way for us on defense,’’ coach Bill Belichick said after the win over Baltimore. “Vince is obviously our most experienced player and he’s been a great leader, great captain all year. His leadership has been tremendous.”

Wilfork was a valuable rookie on the last Patriots title team in 2004. That was a veteran-laden defense on the tail end of a dynasty. This time is different. This is Wilfork’s defense, Wilfork’s time. Now in his eighth season, the 30-year-old is in that career sweet spot where experience and talent meet up perfectly.

Wilfork’s performance against the Ravens was one for the ages: Six tackles, four hurries, three tackles for loss, and a sack. Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe says Wilfork was double or tripled teamed ten times.

“To be honest with you, Vince was ready last week to play this game,’’ linebacker Jerod Mayo said after defeating Baltimore. “He has a ring and no one else on this defense has a ring. And he just expressed the joy that you would get from winning this game and he’s not a liar.”

We are struck by Wilfork’s versatility. He has played defensive end instead of nose tackle quite a bit in the playoffs. He is rushing the passer in addition to being the team’s best run stopper. He’s even picked off two passes this year. (And he knows what to do with the ball.)

New England’s defensive line has put together its two best performances of the season in successive weeks. In a game where the Patriots struggle to match up with the Giants in many areas, don’t be surprised if New England’s defensive line creates all sorts of problems against a shaky New York offensive line.

Vince Wilfork will be leading the way. You can’t get him off the field, and you can’t block him either.


(profootballtalk.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Try to shove massive Vince Wilfork out of the middle. Tough to do, isn’t it?

The 325-pound Pro Bowl tackle keeps sticking around.

Wilfork is the only defensive starter left from the New England Patriots last Super Bowl team four years ago. This season, he’s rarely come off the field. And why should he?

He’s earned all that playing time by crunching runners, charging quarterbacks and clogging holes that offensive linemen struggle to open.

“He’s been huge,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Vince has had a great year for us. He’s had obviously a great career, had an outstanding year last year, but this year it’s even gone a step higher.”

Now he has a chance to reach the top in one climactic game.

Wilfork, as usual, will be in the center of the action at the Super Bowl against the New York Giants on Feb. 5.

“I don’t care how many Super Bowls you’ve been to or won. Every chance (you) get to play at this level is the biggest game of your career,” he said, but “it’s still a football game and they’re going to have to line up between the lines and play.

“I think the more we can focus on that end and just block everything else out the better we’ll be as a team. But it’s no question in my mind, these guys will do that.”

The leadership and inspiration Wilfork provides as a captain — with his hard-hitting play as much as his soft voice — pushes teammates to compete despite season-long criticism of their defense that allowed the second most yards in the regular season.

But runners who challenge the heart of that defense encounter Wilfork’s wide body.

“He is definitely hard to move,” Giants running back Brandon Jacobs said. “He is strong and he is quick for his size. You can’t (figure out) one way where he is going to this or he is going to that. He is not one-dimensional. He makes it really hard for people to figure out how they are going to block him.”

In the 23-20 win over Baltimore in the AFC championship game, Wilfork had one sack and six tackles, including a stop of Ray Rice for a 3-yard loss that might have pushed the Ravens out of field-goal range with about 3 minutes left.

Wilfork has been primarily a nose tackle since being drafted out of Miami with the 21st pick in 2004. But this season he also lined up at end and tackle in a 4-3 alignment. And he has developed into an every-down player.

“You rarely see a defensive lineman playing 90 percent of the snaps,” linebacker Jerod Mayo said. “He’s one of those guys, I don’t want to say his weight on camera, but he’s a big guy, you can all see that. That’s very impressive in its own right.”

So are his imitations of fleet, 180-pound cornerbacks.

Wilfork, athletic and fast despite his size, had the first two interceptions of his career in the first four games this season. He rambled 36 yards with the first to set up a field goal on the last play before halftime of a 35-21 win over San Diego. Two weeks later he grabbed another pass, returning it 19 yards in the fourth quarter of a 31-19 win over Oakland.

“Legendary,” Belichick called those picks.


(washingtonpost.com)

Vince Wilfork balances an abundance of excitement with equal measure of regret.

As the New England Patriots defensive mainstay prepares for Super Bowl XLVI, the four-time Pro Bowl lineman cannot help but mourn anew the loss of his parents, who died a little more than six months apart when he was a sophomore at the University of Miami in 2002.

He was so overwhelmed by the loss he wanted to quit the game.

Now Wilfork, 30, described by safety James Ihedigbo as the “heart and soul” of New England’s resurgent defense, prepares to lead the Patriots in a rematch of their 17-14 Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants that prevented a perfect season.

“This is one of those games where I would love for them to be there with their 75 jerseys on. I would love for them to see their son play in the biggest game in history,” he said. “It doesn’t get any bigger than the Super Bowl.”

The stage in Indianapolis will reopen those wounds.

David Sr. died of kidney failure at 48 on June 2, 2002, after suffering from diabetes for many years. Barbara, 46, died Dec. 16, of complications following a stroke.

Wilfork, who is 6-2 and 325 pounds, has understood since then how important it is to make the most of every day, every opportunity. He plays every play as if it is his last. A tattoo on one arm reads: “One life.” On the other: “To live.” On one forearm: “RIP Mom.” On the other: “RIP Dad.”

He always was big for his age. He told his father when he was 4 that he would play in the NFL, a conviction that always was encouraged. As he grew up and began to excel on the field, he became more and more certain he would see that day.

And less certain his father would be there to celebrate.

His childhood was hardly carefree. His father was diagnosed with diabetes when Wilfork and his older brother, David, now 32, were in grammar school. The disease became increasingly debilitating.

While Barbara worked as part of an unending struggle to pay bills, the boys devoted time after school to make sure their father had his insulin. They made certain he was washed when he was too weak to help himself.

As sick as he was, their father always commanded respect. When Wilfork had academic deficiencies before he started his collegiate career, David Sr. saw to it that they were corrected. When the Hurricanes won the national championship in the youngster’s freshman season, the ring meant as much to the father as it did the son.

When David was gravely ill at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in their hometown of Boynton Beach, Fla., Wilfork rushed to his side to place that ring on one of his fingers. It would be the final expression of his love.

‘Everything stopped’

Although his father had been ill for so long, Wilfork struggled to cope with his death.

“My everything not breathing,” he said. “It hit me and it hurt me.

“I wasn’t ready for him to go yet, because I had plans. I was going to go to the NFL. I was going to get you in a nice house.”

It helped somewhat that, the night his father was buried, his girlfriend, Bianca, now wife of eight years, learned she was pregnant. They have three children: D’Aundre, 14; Destiny Barbara, 8; and David Dream Angel, 2.

Wilfork drew much closer to his mother in the next few months, only to receive two phone calls he will never forget. First, she suffered a stroke. Five weeks later, after she appeared to be recovering, she died from a blood clot to her heart.

“It was very unexpected,” Bianca said. “I think that’s what hit Vince the hardest. … To this day, we just say she died of a broken heart.”
Wilfork again found himself at Bethesda Memorial Hospital.

“It was like I saw my father all over again. They put my mother in the same exact room,” he said. “My mind was blown. Are you serious right now?

“It was like everything stopped. Nothing mattered in my life because the two best things going for me, not including my girlfriend, are gone.”

Without either parent in the stands, he wanted no part of football. Bianca spoke to him. His Miami teammates appealed to him as their national championship game against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl neared. There was no reaching him.

Finally, defensive line coach Greg Mark broke through. According to Wilfork, players had disrespected Mark for a good part of the season. He did not always watch film with them and appeared to be in a hurry to end his day.

Mark confided in Wilfork that his wife was battling cancer. He spoke of the need for both of them to persevere. He urged the grief-stricken sophomore to dedicate his play to his parents from that point.

Perhaps that is why Wilfork, drafted 21st overall in 2004 and a factor when New England completed a run of three Super Bowls in four seasons that year, tosses other 300-pound men like rag dolls. Perhaps that is why he consistently commands, and often defeats, double teams that create opportunities for teammates to make stops.

Keeping them close

The eight-year veteran keeps a gold medallion, a gift from Bianca, which contains a photo of his parents that was taken at their high school prom. It constantly reminds him that all of his sweat is for them.

For the length of the game, that motivation turns a gentle, soft-spoken man into a rampaging lineman who refuses to allow anyone or anything to get in the way of a revenge-minded team that takes a 15-3 record into the Super Bowl.

“He is definitely two different people,” Bianca said. “For as aggressive, monsterish, what a beast, whatever you want to call him on the field, it’s the polar opposite at home. He cooks, he cleans, he changes diapers.”

Wilfork has never forgotten those hometown fans who dismissed him when he told them he would compete in the NFL.

“A lot of people doubted me. I love making people eat their words,” he said, his voice rising. “You do not tell me what I can or cannot do. If I put my mind to it, I can do whatever I want.”

He has enough fire to spur a defense that surrendered yards in chunks during the regular season (it ranked next to last in total defense with 411.1 yards and passing yards with 293.9) but has stepped up in the playoffs. First, a 45-10 rout of quarterback Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the divisional round; then critical stops in a 23-20 thriller vs. the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.

“That’s our leader,” said Ihedigbo (ee-HEAD-dee-bow). “Him and (linebacker Jerod Mayo) are the leaders of the defense. We fall in and follow them from the first snap.”

As they followed him this season, Wilfork earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl berth. He finished the regular season with 74 tackles, a career-high 3½ sacks, eight quarterback hits, his first two career interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, including one in the end zone for a score in a 34-27 win at the Washington Redskins on Dec. 11.

With New York known for its ultraphysical play, New England will look to Wilfork, with his massive girth, to set a tone that will allow the Patriots to at least match the Giants’ muscle. One of the keys will be whether New England can handle New York’s solid offensive line well enough to exert pressure on Eli Manning, who joined the ranks of elite quarterbacks by passing for a franchise-record 4,933 yards.

Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, thrown into the mix in a depleted secondary, is confident Wilfork will be so disruptive that he will create pass-rushing lanes.

“He goes out there and leads by his actions,” Edelman said. “And that’s what you want in a leader: a guy who goes out there and makes plays. And that’s what Big V does.”

A prized Patriot

How much longer Big V does it for the Patriots is not in question.

New England is known for allowing high-profile players to leave rather than awarding them large contracts.

Wilfork? Coach Bill Belichick viewed him as a keeper, and ownership responded before the 2010 season by giving Wilfork a contract worth $40 million over five years with $25 million guaranteed.

Belichick, who emphasizes versatility, notes he can use Wilfork at any of the defensive line positions.

“I think the most important thing is just the way he goes about it,” the coach said. “He doesn’t talk as much as just demonstrate how to prepare, how to practice, how to do your job, how to communicate the different line calls.”

The Patriots monitor Wilfork for any sign of diabetes or other issues. He avoids fried food but acknowledges his weight tends to balloon to as much as 350 when he is less active during the offseason. He thinks his ability to shed pounds whenever he ends his career will be critical to his long-term health.

“I want to see what my parents didn’t see — grandkids,” he said.

This has been a particularly challenging season. Through it all, Wilfork called on younger teammates to have his type of mental toughness and keep the faith that it would improve.

“A lot of times he doesn’t get the attention he deserves because of that offense,” said former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, a teammate from 2004 to 2008 and now an NBC analyst. “But they wouldn’t be in the situation they’re in right now without him.”

That gold medallion is sure to be with Wilfork when he arrives at Lucas Oil Stadium. He feels his parents will be there in spirit.

“They will have the best seat in the house,” he said.


(tucsoncitizen.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Vince Wilfork’s teammates know what Vince Wilfork’s opponents see, and they don’t envy the guys lining up across from him.

“They’ve got a load,” New England Patriots defensive end Mark Anderson said about the Giants’ offensive line. “Quick. His size, he looks like he might be slow if you don’t know him, but once he gets on the field ....”

The Baltimore Ravens could finish that thought, after the Patriots’ (generously listed) 325-pound defensive lineman took over the AFC Championship Game last week. The game was vindication for a 31st-ranked Patriots defense that had been doubted and criticized all season, deemed unfit to make the Super Bowl, even with Tom Brady on the other side of the ball.

And leading the charge was Wilfork, the “elder statesman” as coach Bill Belichick called him, with a sack, three tackles for a loss and two key plays that suffocated a critical fourth-quarter drive by the Ravens.

He lined up not just inside but also at end. He ate up double and triple teams. And he is now the problem of the Giants’ offensive line.
“I play hard every week,” Wilfork said. “Sometimes I make plays that are noticeable, and sometimes I don’t. Last week was one of those things where the plays I made were pretty good plays. But we have to turn the chapter.”

Except Belichick thought Sunday’s performance was something extra special for Wilfork, “one of his best games” in eight seasons as a Patriot — making sure to note he’s had a lot of good ones.

Belichick cited the infamous wild-card playoff loss to the Ravens in the 2009 season, when Wilfork excelled despite the outcome. Sunday, Belichick said, was reminiscent. With the Ravens in Patriots territory late in the fourth quarter, Wilfork tackled running back Ray Rice for a loss on third down, then plowed back the center to pressure Joe Flacco into an incompletion on fourth down.

It was a critical and possibly game-saving stop by the man who has been the center of New England’s defense — not just physically. Wilfork often leads by example, and he notes that he does not have a flashy sack dance (nor interception dance, though he did have two picks early this season).

But he knows how to resonate with his teammates. Anderson, in his first season with the team, said Wilfork coaches him on the field. Safety Patrick Chung recalls instances when he has given up a deep play, and Wilfork was the first to approach him.

“He has straight trust for everybody,” Chung said. “He would just say, ‘Hey, I’m trusting you,’ and that was it. He has that effect on guys where he is like, I trust you to make plays.”

It is evident in Wilfork’s reluctance to talk about his performance Sunday but yet in turn gush about what this defense has achieved. He calls the Patriots a “special bunch — and at the end of the day, it’s going to be a special team,” he said.

“Even when things weren’t going well, you could easily sit back and say, ‘You know what, screw it, they’re right. We’re just going to continue to (stink) and pack it in,’ ” Wilfork said of the defense’s ups and downs. “But these guys fought. They fought.”

Wilfork got used to winning early in his football career. At the University of Miami, his team reached the national championship game both his freshman and sophomore seasons, winning one title. Then, he won a Super Bowl as an NFL rookie. It now has been been seven years without a title.

“For me, it was like, ‘I could get used to this. I do this all the time. I’m used to winning,’ ” Wilfork said. “But a couple years went by, and I saw how hard it was to get to this level. And in ’07 of course, going and losing, that’s a tough, tough feeling. But every chance you get, a chance to be in this situation, is special. It’s very special. Win or lose.”

Much more so if you win, of course. And to do so, the Patriots need Wilfork to have a game as big as his imposing frame. Left tackle Matt Light is just thankful he doesn’t have to block him.

“Look, we hope the big man has the game of his life,” Light said. “And I’m sure he will.”


(nj.com)

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork can line up at DE in a 3-4. “You’re just sliding him out and he’ll be on (RT) Kareem (McKenzie),” RG Chris Snee said. “That’s if they run that 3-4-style defense. That could have been something they did for that Baltimore team and just did it so we’d prepare for it. You never know what’s going on.”


(cbssports.com)

Defensive lineman Vince Wilfork proved this week he is the most valuable member of the Patriots' defense, and he can raise the level of the whole unit by continuing to establish his dominance.

Wilfork thrashed the Ravens' offensive line in the AFC Championship, and he'll give the Patriots a legitimate chance to contain the Giants' hot offense with a similar performance in the Super Bowl.

Wilfork's performance was impressive in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's victory, and he looked even more imposing after running through the film. The hulking lineman, who split his reps between nose tackle and left defensive end, positively affected 15 plays in the Patriots' favor, either with his one sack, three tackles for loss or a drive through his block that collapsed the pocket or forced quarterback Joe Flacco to scramble.

Wilfork was double-teamed 24 times, and he beat five of them. He also beat nine single teams and one triple team (the only one he faced). And even though he didn't beat 19 double teams -- not that there's much wrong with that -- the fact that the Ravens had to use an additional blocker on him freed up space for others such as defensive end Brandon Deaderick, linebacker Mark Anderson and defensive tackle Kyle Love.

Aside from the double teams, the Ravens showed Wilfork respect by only running at him five times on 27 designed rushes.

Wilfork got off to a hot start, blowing up four of the Ravens' first nine plays, and was the best player on the field right through to the finish. On the final two plays of the Ravens' second-to-last series, he dropped running back Ray Rice for a three-yard loss to force Baltimore to go for it on fourth down, when Wilfork's pressure caused Flacco to throw it away.

After the game, Wilfork's teammates said they were inspired by his performance, both during the game and the week's preparation. Numerous defensive players said they saw his drive and leadership throughout their string of practices, and they wanted to raise their games because of it.

Because the Patriots don't blitz very often, the pressure they generate up front sets the tone for the rest of the play. Wilfork is the most dominant defensive lineman they've got, and when he's at the top of his game, he can create plays for himself and others. Plus, his push up front opens gaps for linebackers Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes to penetrate.

Wilfork's value goes beyond himself, and he has shown that over the course of another tremendous season. With an effort like he had Sunday, the Patriots' defense will remain on the upswing.


(nesn.com)

Quarterback Joe Flacco tossed the first 300-yard game of his postseason career and wide receiver Anquan Boldin surpassed the 100-yard mark, but for all of the offense’s positive gains in the Ravens’ 23-20 loss to the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC championship game, the unit had its share of struggles with Vince Wilfork.

The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Wilfork made six tackles (three for losses) and sacked Flacco once. The four-time Pro Bowler frequently penetrated the line of scrimmage and changed running back Ray Rice’s initial moves in the running game.

“Although he makes the Pro Bowl and stuff, he’s probably underrated,” center Matt Birk said. “We knew what we were in for, and inside, they’re physical guys, and they just tried to push us back. They were trying to dent us, and we were trying to dent them. You win some, you lose some. But yeah, he’s a great player – no question.”

Wilfork – who was drafted by the Patriots in the first round in 2004 as part of the deal for the Ravens to select quarterback Kyle Boller in the first round in 2003 – was especially critical on the Ravens’ penultimate drive of the contest.

With the offense facing third down-and-3 from New England’s 30-yard line, Rice tried to shoot through the middle of the line, but was stopped for a three-yard loss by Wilfork. On the next play, Wilfork pressured Flacco enough to force him to throw the ball away and end the drive on fourth down.
Wilfork said he was able to influence Flacco because of his reputation for staying in the pocket.

“I knew going into this game, Flacco was a pocket passer,” Wilfork said. “He’ll stand in there, he’ll take hits and will deliver a good football. I knew he really wasn’t going anywhere and just like I said, everything around me worked well and it was just a great defensive play from all eleven – not just myself.”

“I think to be honest with you, on the run, I think they just cut me loose,” Wilfork said. “I don’t know. I’m always taught when someone [doesn’t] block you, it’s a set up and all. I don’t know if they just missed a block or it was a setup block and I just beat it. I don’t know. I’m going to have to watch the film and see it. Critical plays like that, you just have to take advantage. At that split second, the only thing I saw was: did he have the ball? If it was a setup block, they got me. They didn’t get me.”

The Patriots had success moving Wilfork around. A defensive tackle, Wilfork lined up against every Ravens offensive lineman during the game.

Left guard Ben Grubbs perhaps summed it up best when asked his opinion of Wilfork “I think everybody would have him at the top of their list,” Grubbs said. “He’s a good player.”


(baltimoresun.com)

FOXBORO — Vince Wilfork [stats] walked across the Gillette Stadium locker room yesterday, the slowest man in the building. With plodding steps, the mountainous Wilfork made his way to the door, barely, then inched through it.

It was as if he had been through a war, and in reality, the perennial Pro Bowler had fought through football’s equivalent. Playing roughly 70 plays in Sunday’s 23-20 win against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, Wilfork had a right to be tired.

Wilfork has a right to want to use the next two weeks to recharge before playing the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. He does so having turned in one of the most memorable performances for a defensive tackle in recent memory.

“It was great technique and being fundamentally sound,” said defensive tackle Gerard Warren, who called Wilfork’s performance the best he’s ever watched by a player at their position. “It was that extra oomph (Wilfork) was born with. He was blessed with something special.”

There was a lot of oomph. Six tackles, three for a loss, one sack and one big paw grabbing Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco’s jersey to force a late fourth-down incompletion.

Blowing up the interior offensive line on third down to stop running back Ray Rice for a 3-yard loss with 3:36 left to play, and then ruining Flacco’s pass attempt on fourth down were the highlights. But they were not the only times the 6-foot-2, 325(ish)-pounder was disruptive.

Wilfork embarrassed Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda before crushing running back Ricky Williams for a 5-yard loss in the first quarter. He tossed aside veteran center Matt Birk for a sack two plays later.

While the much-maligned defense was limiting Rice to just 3.2 yards per carry and sacking Flacco three times, Wilfork was asserting his dominance.

“He leads the way for us on defense — he and (linebacker) Jerod (Mayo),” coach Bill Belichick said. “Vince is obviously our most experienced player and he’s been a great leader, great captain all year. They’ve set the pace and the rest of the guys have fallen in step. It’s been awesome — certainly a lot better than some other years I can think of.”

Wilfork has had better statistical days. Twice this season, he eclipsed six tackles. Yet on the big stage, playing an unheard of number of plays, Wilfork was at his best.

“All his plays were crucial plays,” defensive end Brandon Deaderick said.

And the Patriots [team stats] used Wilfork in a variety of ways, too. With the defense in a 3-4 look for most of the game, he spent 41 snaps as a defensive end. ProFootballFocus.com gave Wilfork a 7.0 grade, its third-highest mark for a 3-4 defensive end this season. He was at nose tackle just 18 times.

Facing Birk while on the nose, Wilfork often pushed the pocket, which meant dumping the center into Flacco’s lap. That’s what he did at least twice on the Ravens’ last drive. Wilfork did face multiple blockers often, at least 20 times. Fourteen times, he would be considered to have beaten his blocks.

Wilfork’s sack came when he was double-teamed.

The Patriots did give Wilfork help. On the penultimate drive that ended with his stop of Rice and Flacco’s incompletion, Wilfork lined up at the nose, with the defensive ends covering up the guards. The alignment prevented anyone from assisting on Wilfork.

On the Rice stop, Wilfork theorized that the Ravens missed an assignment, and “critical plays like that, you have to take advantage,” he said. His play on Flacco’s incompletion on fourth down was more simple, as he overpowered Birk.

“I knew (Flacco) really wasn’t going anywhere and everything around me worked well,” Wilfork said. “Just was just a great defensive play from all 11 — not just myself.”

Deaderick, Warren and defensive tackle Kyle Love were Robin to Wilfork’s Batman, working and working play after play. It all came together.
Wilfork isn’t a pass rusher by trade.

“He is a pass rusher, don’t be fooled,” Warren said. “He just does what is asked of him. But when given an opportunity to rush the passer, he’ll get after the passer.”

When his team needed it most, Wilfork did everything. It was all needed.

“You’re going to the Super Bowl,” Wilfork said. “This is what we play for.”


(bostonherald.com)

Comments

Technically, four proCanes are headed to Super Bowl XLVI, though only three will see action. Vince WIlfork played an integral part in the Patriots’ victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, with several defensive plays, while Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips were solid in their defensive effort versus the 49ers and fellow proCane Frank Gore. Additionally for the Giants, current practice squad member of the Giants Dwayne Hendricks would also get a Super Bowl ring if the Giants were to win.

CORRECTION: Because Bruce Johnson was injured before the beginning of the season, he was not put on IR, but instead waived, so he is not on the Giants’ roster.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was holding the shiny, silver Lamar Hunt Trophy in his left arm, still reveling in the excitement of his team's 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, when he was asked a question about defensive lineman Vince Wilfork.

It naturally brought a smile to Kraft's face because it was days like these, and magical seasons like this one, that led Kraft to once point to Wilfork as the type of player the franchise needed to build around.

This goes back to the days and months following a disappointing 2009 campaign. You remember the year, the one that ended with an embarrassing home playoff loss to the Ravens. All the talk was about a fractured locker room, too many players pulling in different directions. Building better chemistry was a top priority, and Kraft said it was going to start with players like Wilfork, so the team signed him to a lucrative long-term contract extension.

It helped, of course, that Wilfork was a top-tier player at a hard-to-fill position. But it was more than that. Wilfork would not only be positioned to serve as one of the team's leaders, helping to transition from the glory years of Bruschi, Vrabel, Harrison and Co., but he'd also be the centerpiece the defense could rely on in critical moments to deliver the big play.

Wilfork has done that over the last two years, and had been a solid contributor since the team selected him in the first round of the 2004 draft, but his finest moment came in Sunday's thrilling triumph.

The conservatively-listed 325-pound bowling ball of force was immense, his performance highlighting a defensive uprising that helped bail out a Patriots offense that wasn't as explosive as we're come to expect.

"Vince Wilfork is a man," Kraft said after Wilfork's six-tackle performance that included a sack and three tackles for losses. "The kind of leader he is, we're so lucky to have him on this team."

The defining Wilfork moment came with just more than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Patriots leading 23-20, and the Ravens with the ball on the New England 30.

At that point, he took over the game, blowing up both the third- and fourth-down plays, first dropping running back Ray Rice for a 3-yard loss (Wilfork said he was surprised to not be blocked), then powering through center Matt Birk before reaching out to grab Flacco's jersey to force a fourth-down incompletion (he credited a sideline adjustment in which the Patriots altered their alignment up front).

There were days when Wilfork was mostly a first- and second-down run-stopper, but those two plays highlighted how that time is decisively over. Wilfork is a rock in the middle. He also can be an explosive pass-rusher, his playing time spiking from around 60 percent in 2010 to nearly 90 percent this year because he's staying on the field in passing situations.

"Awesome. Just awesome. It's almost hard to not find yourself watching," fellow veteran defensive lineman Gerard Warren marveled. "That's why I believe he's the most impressive D-lineman in the game."

During a season in which the Patriots' defense has been much maligned, Wilfork represents its heartbeat. He never budged, never wavered. All along, he insisted this unit had what it takes to play championship football, even as opponents were sometimes carving them up with ease.

Teammates consistently took a cue from Wilfork's resolve, such as in Sunday's AFC Championship when he played through a left arm injury that had him retreating to the sideline in the second quarter. It kept him out just one play, a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dennis Pitta.

"I knew he was going to come out and have the game he had," said second-year linebacker Brandon Spikes, who contributed a fourth-quarter interception. "Throughout the week, he made sure we were together as a unit, with all the smaller things, taking care of business. We follow him. He's a great leader, sort of like a coach to me, helping me with smaller details that I never, ever pay attention to. He was big."

He was, and so was the Patriots' defense as a whole. If not for cornerback Sterling Moore reaching his hand in to bat away a would-be Lee Evans touchdown reception with 22 seconds left, we might be telling a different story.

Instead, the defense was lauded by quarterback Tom Brady. Interviewed by CBS' Jim Nantz after the game, Brady said, "I sucked pretty bad today, but our defense saved us."

Based on what we saw over the course of the regular season, who would have ever predicted that turn of events?

On Sunday, the D held dangerous running back Ray Rice to 67 yards on 21 carries. When the Ravens passed, the plan was to move quarterback Joe Flacco out of the pocket as much as possible, and the results were mixed. Flacco was solid (22-of-36 for 306 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT), but the Patriots' defense had the last laugh.

It's a defense with a rising confidence, one that looks similar to the 2006 Indianapolis Colts, a team that received a major boost with the return of injured safety Bob Sanders for the playoffs that season. They might not be at the same level of Sanders, but Spikes and safety Patrick Chung, who both missed seven of the final eight regular-season games, have had a Sanders-type impact.

"I'm very proud," said linebacker Jerod Mayo, the unit's other captain. "Just getting guys back healthy has been a major contribution -- getting Spikes, getting Chung back -- [and] just the consistency up front."

Both Spikes and Chung bring a noticeable edge to the D, which was also reflected in how Spikes responded to criticism the unit received over the course of the season.

"Talk is cheap. You can say whatever. You have to play the game at the end of the day and defense wins championships," he said. "Look at the outcome [Sunday]. That's all I have to say about that."

It spoke volumes.

"Watching the defense has been great, how it's evolved," Kraft said. "I go back to '96 when we went to our first Super Bowl, really the defense played a big role in helping us. We know our defense has really improved a great deal. I think having Brandon and Patrick back made a great difference."

It has, but don't forget the old standby. When it comes to the Patriots' defense, it starts with Wilfork.

"Just to see all the excitement from all the guys -- the fans, the players, the coaches, guys that have never been in this situation -- it brings back memories," Wilfork said.

"You're going to the Super Bowl; everybody plays this game for this moment," Wilfork said. "It's been tough. We had to deal with certain situations, but you know, this team handled it pretty well. They never gave up. They're very, very passionate about what they do, they love this game, and I can take the field with anybody like that."

They'll do it one more time, in Super Bowl XLVI.

Wilfork, of course, will be leading the way.


(espn.com)

Several Ravens fans have pointed out that, after Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff made like Gary Anderson late in the AFC title game, Pats defensive lineman Vince Wilfork removed his helmet in the field of play.  And several Ravens fans wonder whether the maneuver should have resulted in a penalty that would have given the Ravens another shot at the failed field goal attempt.

The first name that first comes to mind in such situations?  Dwayne Rudd.

In Week One of the 2002 season, the former Browns linebacker believed he’d tackled former Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, ending the game.  Rudd celebrated by removing his helmet and throwing it.  But Green had managed to lateral the ball to tackle John Tait, who carried it 28 yards to the Cleveland 25.  The officials then moved the ball half the distance to the end zone, awarded the Chiefs an untimed down, and a 30-yard field goal from Morten Andersen (whose foot eventually won for Atlanta the game Gary Anderson blew for Minnesota) delivered the victory, 40-39.
Today, Wilfork’s helmet removal should have resulted in a penalty.  But it wouldn’t have altered the outcome of the game.

“A post-possession foul, i.e. after the play is over, the penalty spot is enforced from the succeeding spot,” NFL spokesman Michael Signora told PFT by email.  “So it would be half the distance to the goal, and Patriots football.”

In other words, the officials’ failure to penalize Wilfork for removing his helmet in the field of play had no impact on the outcome of the game.  The field goal had been missed, the Pats had secured possession, and the infraction would have simply moved the Patriots from their own 22 to their own 11 for the final snap of the game.

That won’t make Ravens’ fans feel any better.  But at least they shouldn’t feel any worse.


(profootballtalk.com)

The Patriots have been highly successful in Vince Wilfork’s eight years with the team. But the defensive tackle is only wearing one Super Bowl ring, which he won in his rookie season in 2004.

Wilfork fully grasps the opportunity he has to earn his second ring in two weeks after the Patriots defeated the Ravens, 23-20, yesterday in the AFC Championship game.

“It’s a special feeling,” Wilfork said. “To be in this situation was a great feeling but you have to cherish this moment. This is America’s game, this is America’s sport. Everyone is going to be watching. Everybody was watching tonight. Even whoever we face in the Super Bowl, guess what, they had a chance to see us, this game a little bit. You have so many people just watching this football game. All the eyes are on you. Every move, every interview, every play: you have to make the best of it. Hopefully you can prepare well and walk away with a ‘W.’ Like I said, I’ve been on both teams – a win and a loss. I hate losing, especially in this game. I’m going to have to do everything I can to help my teammates and I’m pretty sure that it won’t be hard to get that same attitude from these guys.”

Early in his career, Wilfork expected that trips to the Super Bowl would be an annual occurrence. After a string of disappointing postseason performances, Wilfork has come to appreciate how difficult it is to reach this point.

“Everybody plays this game for this moment,” Wilfork said. “This is what we play for. At the beginning of the year, you have 32 teams at the bottom and everybody is climbing the ladder to get to this moment right here. Luckily, we got to this moment. It’s been tough. Nothing’s been easy. We had to deal with certain situations, but you know, this team handled it pretty well. They never gave up. They’re very, very passionate about what they do. They love this game and I can take the field with anybody like that.”

Wilfork was a monster today, leading the way for the much-maligned defense’s best effort of the season. He had six tackles (three for a loss) and a sack. The Ravens running game never got going, partly due to Wilfork’s constant presence in Baltimore’s backfield.

“It’s just a good football game,” Wilfork said. “You saw a great football game tonight. You’ve seen a classic of two football teams that didn’t want to budge. (It was a) physical football game and plays being made, but not many. Every yard was tough. That’s what you saw tonight. You saw just a great, great effort and it came down to the last couple of seconds. But, two guys don’t want to have to lose. I’m happy to be on the winning side.”


(bostonherald.com)

FOXBOROUGH -- Vince Wilfork spent his Sunday night controlling the line of scrimmage, earning six tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack during New England's 23-20 AFC Championship victory against the Baltimore Ravens. But it was the timing of Wilfork's plays, more than the quantity of them, which set his performance apart.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Ravens faced third and three on the Patriots 30-yard line. Almost as soon as Ray Rice received the hand off, Wilfork snuffed the run three yards behind the line of scrimmage. That forced a Baltimore fourth down, and the lost yardage also might have encouraged Baltimore to go for a first down rather than attempting a field goal.

Wilfork struck again on the fourth down, grabbing Flacco's shirt and forcing an errant pass that gave New England possession.

"I thought Vince had a lot of big plays today," said Bill Belichick. The Patriots coach later added, "He leads the way for us on defense – he and Jerod (Mayo). Vince is obviously our most experienced player and he's been a great leader, great captain all year."

"I knew it was going to happen," said linebacker Brandon Spikes of Wilfork's dominant night. "All through the week he was taking steps – getting us together as a whole unit, doing all the smaller things, all the extra stuff that made sure we were ready for this game. His performance just says it all. If you put in the work, that's the outcome you get."


(masslive.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Three trips to the Pro Bowl apparently were not enough. Anchoring the defense only on certain occasions would not do, either.

No. New England Coach Bill Belichick wanted more from Vince Wilfork this season, despite Wilfork’s exceptional play in his first seven years with the Patriots, which included helping the team make two Super Bowls and win one.

It is safe to say that Wilfork probably exceeded Belichick’s expectations. He is headed to his fourth Pro Bowl, but, more important to him and his coach, the Patriots are in Sunday’s A.F.C. championship game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Wilfork was an almost ubiquitous presence on defense for the Patriots this season, one of only two defensive players to start all 16 games. (Linebacker Rob Ninkovich was the other.) And he was on the field most of the time. In front of a crowd of news media members that included TV crews, linebacker Jerod Mayo said Wednesday: “You rarely see a defensive lineman playing 90 percent of the snaps. He’s one of those guys, I don’t want to say his weight on camera, but he’s a big guy, you can all see that. That’s very impressive in its own right.”

Wilfork, who is listed at 325 pounds, bounced from position to position, playing tackle, nose tackle, when the Patriots went to a 3-4 defense, and even defensive end for one game. He led the defensive line in tackles with 74, although he noted Wednesday that his wife thought he was not making enough of them. For the first time in his career, he scored a touchdown, recovering a fumble in the end zone during the Patriots’ 34-27 victory at Washington on Dec. 11.

“I thought he had an outstanding year last year, but this year he has even gone a step higher,” Belichick said. “He has played a lot of plays. He has become an every-down player, not just a situational player. He has performed whatever role we asked of him, done a lot of different things for us and done them well. He has shown a lot of versatility.”

Even more memorable were Wilfork’s two pass interceptions — “legendary,” Belichick called them. One came against San Diego, the other against Oakland, and Wilfork rumbled a total of 47 yards after the picks.

“A lineman’s dream,” Wilfork said. “I think having the ball in your hands as a lineman, that’s a dream come true. Too bad it wasn’t a touchdown.”
While Wilfork has had another notable season, he is also part of a defense that has been consistently porous, starting with the surrendering of 488 yards in total offense to Miami in the season opener. The Patriots were ranked last in the A.F.C. in total defense for 15 of the regular season’s 17 weeks. They were ranked next to last the other two weeks.

The main weakness, however, was not along the defensive line, where Wilfork does his dirty work. It was the secondary. New England’s pass defense was ranked last in the A.F.C. for all but one of the 17 weeks (and next to last in the other week.) In only four of the Patriots’ 16 games did an opposing team pass for fewer than 300 yards. The rushing defense, however, was never lower than eighth over all in the conference.

Asked if he thought the Patriots’ overpowering offense made the defense less critical, Wilfork said, “I don’t believe that.”

He added, “If you can’t stop anyone, you can’t win.”

Wilfork is the sole defensive holdover from the Patriots’ last Super Bowl championship, when they defeated Philadelphia, 24-21, in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. That Patriots team had defensive players like Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, Rosevelt Colvin and Rodney Harrison. This one? Not quite so intimidating.

But where naysayers see bad defensive statistics, Wilfork sees a unit good enough to help the Patriots to a 13-3 regular-season record and the No. 1 seeding in the conference. Where doubters point to a porous secondary, Wilfork counters with the team’s conference-leading plus-17 turnover margin, which included 23 interceptions, the most in the A.F.C.

And the Patriots’ defense is coming off perhaps its best game of the season, having shut down Tim Tebow and the Broncos last weekend. Denver managed just 252 total yards, and the clearly flustered Tebow was 9 of 26 passing while being sacked five times.

“All year we had confidence,” Wilfork said. “The main thing is guys believe. There is not a week that we come in here and guys don’t believe what we are capable of doing as a defense. It can take us a long way.

“We don’t want to be good; we want to be great, especially at this time. You want to be able to make the game-changing plays and great situational plays. All that comes in, but this team won’t go away.”

No, it has not. This will be the sixth appearance in an A.F.C. title game for the Patriots under Belichick. They have only lost once, at Indianapolis in January 2007. They have not lost any at home, and Wilfork wants to make sure it stays that way Sunday.


(nytimes.com)

Matt Birk (Ravens center, 6-4, 310 lbs, 14 years experience) vs. Vince Wilfork [stats] (Patriots [team stats] nose tackle, 6-2, 325, 8 years)

Advantage Birk:
There’s not much, if anything, the 35-year-old Harvard graduate hasn’t seen on the football field. Birk has the edge with intelligence and experience. He was named the sixth smartest athlete by the Sporting News. The six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection surely won’t get caught up in the moment of the AFC Championship Game.

Advantage Wilfork:
The 30-year-old Wilfork is in the prime of his career compared to Birk, who will retire at the end of the season. And he has momentum. The four-time Pro-Bowl and four-time All-Pro selection totaled 1.5 sacks last Saturday against the Broncos and despite being doubled nearly every play, he’s put up some of the best numbers in his career this season. And by doubling him, it opens up other defensive linemen like Kyle Love.

What’s at stake:
It’s essential that the Patriots get pressure on the quarterback and that starts with Wilfork. During their 33-14 playoff loss to the Ravens in 2010, the Patriots had zero sacks or hits on Joe Flacco. The defensive line also needs to stop the run. In 2010, Ray Rice torched them for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The battle of the trenches very well could determine this game.

Skinny:
Wilfork routinely abuses centers with a quick burst and solid leverage, overwhelming them with power and a rare motor for a big guy. While Birk has seen it all and can still get it done, his endurance probably will be a factor. Initially, he may be able to stay with Wilfork, and rangy for a center, Birk could keep Wilfork off him initially. But considering the shape Wilfork is in, Birk won’t be able to hold him off for long. Expect plenty of help from each guard.


(bostonherald.com)

Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, in his weekly appearance on The Big Show, said that New England's defense played good football for the entire game the first time this season in their playoff victory against the Broncos Saturday night. The Patriots defeated Denver, 45-10, advancing to the AFC Championship game this Sunday in Foxboro. Wilfork said the team's bye week helped shore up a defensive unit that struggled with inconsistency all season.

“The week we had off with the bye really helped us in different aspects of the game,” said Wilfork. “Everyone used their time well. We're looking for better football in the postseason. Now that we've seen it, guys can understand how it feels to play 60 minutes of good football. It felt real good. We want to keep this feeling and everyone knows it starts in practice.”

New England's next opponent is the Ravens, who defeated the Texans on Sunday in the divisional round, 20-13. Wilfork went to college with one of the anchors of Baltimore's defense, Ed Reed. He praised Reed's ability to make plays on the field, but knows Reed's intangibles and work ethic set him apart.

“[Reed] is the type of player that works so hard in the film room and practice,” said Wilfork. “He wants to know what you're doing. He is very smart when it comes to playing football. That's something you can't teach. He's a special, special player.”

Although, Wilfork called the defensive performance the most complete game New England has had all season, the four-time Pro-Bowler said the Patriots need to take their play to a whole new level in order to advance to the Super Bowl.

“Good won't get the job done right now,” he said. “You have to chase greatness. Trust me there's a bunch of guys out there who are taking there game to a whole new level out there on the field...We're looking to take a step forward. We can't take a step backward or stay the same. We have to get better.”


(weei.com)

Frank Gore, Vince Wilfork, Ray Lewis, Jimmy Graham and Ed Reed all made the 2012 Pro Bowl, this being Graham’s first Pro Bowl selection of his career. This will be Gore’s 4th Pro Bowl (2nd consecutive), Wilfork’s 5th Pro Bowl (4th consecutive), Ray Lewis’ 14 Pro Bowl (7th consecutive) and Ed Reed’s 9th Pro Bowl (7th consecutive).

Chris Myers and Andre Johnson have been named alternates. Stay tuned for a couple of more players to be named alternates soon.

By the way: The Florida State Seminoles have ONE Pro Bowler and the Florida Gators also have only ONE Pro Bowler.

Since the 1959 Pro Bowl a proCane has been on a Pro Bowl roster 51 out of 52 seasons. Since the 1984 Pro Bowl, a proCane has been named to the Pro Bowl for 28 straight years. Check out the full history of every single proCane in a Pro Bowl below.

Trailing 17-0 at halftime, Vince Wilfork and his Patriots teammates talked at halftime about needed just one play to grab the momentum and turn around the game.

Turns out he was the one that made it, with an assist from Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore.

When Moore bobbled the snap on third and 8 at the Miami 40 at the 10:48 mark of the third quarter with the Dolphins leading 17-3, Wilfork pounced on the mistake, recovering the fumble at the Miami 38.

Seven plays later, Tom Brady found Deion Branch for a 1-yard touchdown, and the Patriots suddenly trailed by only seven points.

"We said we need only one play to get it started as a team," Wilfork said after the Patriots' 27-24 victory that secured a first-round bye in the postseason. "All the while, we never gave up on one another and never said anything negative to one another.

"Going down 17-0 is a pretty big deficit, but once again, this team showed it's character. We believed in each other and stepped up and once we got going, all we needed was that one big play. Once we got it, it opened everything on offense, special teams, and defense."

Wilfork said that locking up the first-round bye was not something that the Patriots were about to celebrate.

"A bye is a bye," he said, "We still have another game to play."


(boston.com)

Near the end of the Patriots' victory over the Broncos today, after the Patriots stopped the Broncos one last time, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork dropped to one knee and performed Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow's signature move.

"Yeah, I Tebowed," Wilfork said. "Absolutely. Everybody in the world was hearing about this guy, and he's a very good athlete. I said it last week, he's a winner. You look at his whole resume, and he knows how to win. Every time you speak to a team, or to little kids, about winning, I'm pretty sure his name is going to come up. So, however he do it, he do it."

"I'm pretty sure I won't be the last one [to Tebow], and I wasn't the first one."


(boston.com)

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has come on strong as of late, making four tackles and pouncing on a fumble against the Redskins. He’s been more active than he was earlier in the season, pushing the pocket on passing plays even while drawing two blockers.

Wilfork’s prowess at preventing the quarterback from stepping up in the pocket will be huge on Sunday against the Broncos.

Quarterback Tim Tebow is more dangerous with his legs than with his arm, and teams can’t simply go after him like they can most passers. Instead, they must be cautious, walling him in with defensive ends and pushing the pocket with tackles.

Wilfork’s ability to build a barrier himself will never be more important. If the Patriots limit Tebow's ability to scramble, that takes away his biggest weapon. Tebow has 517 rushing yards, with 220 yards coming from scrambles. If he has to run into Wilfork enough times, he will be less likely to scramble. Then, he’s just another quarterback.



(sportingnews.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and defensive lineman Vince Wilfork were limited participants in Wednesday's practice for non-injury reasons, the team announced in its first injury report of the week. It is possible both players, as veterans, received a reduced workload for the late-season practice.

In addition, wide receiver Deion Branch was added to the injury report as limited with a groin injury.

Offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, who missed last Friday's practice for non-injury reasons, was removed from the report.



(espn.com)

The comments of former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, now a football analyst on NBC, rubbed at least one Patriots player the wrong way.
Harrison opined on a broadcast Sunday that quarterback Tom Brady’s episode of sideline frustration vs. the Redskins was in part due to feeling like he had to score every time down the field because “he knows he’s playing on a really bad defense.”

“They’re going to get in trouble in future games because that defense doesn’t seem like they’re going to get any better,” Harrison said. “You’ve got wide receivers playing safety, wide receivers playing nickelback. You cannot survive in the league with wide receivers doing that.”

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork admitted yesterday in an interview on WEEI’s “The Big Show” that he hears criticism of his team and can’t help wanting to respond sometimes.

“I want to do it all the time and tell them to shut ... up. But everybody has a job to do,” Wilfork said. “You have to respect their job. People have opinions. It’s just an opinion. If that’s how they feel, that’s how they feel. The only thing we can control is this locker room.”



(bostonglobe.com)

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork was not happy with former teammate Rodney Harrison saying QB Tom Brady is frustrated because "he's playing with a really bad defense." Said Wilfork: "I want... to tell them to shut the (bleep) up. But everybody has a job to do."





(cbssports.com)

Reggie Wayne started a new streak last week by scoring 56-yard TD (his 1st TD since Week 1) finishing the game with 5 receptions for 122 yards and Jimmy Graham added 2 TDs to go along with his team leading 84 yards on 5 receptions for the New Orleans Saints in their victory over the NY Giants in Week 13 of the 2011 NFL Season.

This Week there were FIVE proCane TDs. The day was started off buy Vince Wilfork who scored his first career NFL TD by recovering a fumble in the end zone and was capped by a Frank Gore TD.

To see the old full 149 week streak click here.

Week 14 2011:
Vince Wilfork - 1 TD - New England Patriots
Jeremy Shockey - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Greg Olsen - 1 TD - Carolina Panthers
Santana Moss - 1 TD - Washington Redksins
Frank Gore - 1 TD - San Francisco


Week 13 2011:
Willis McGahee - 1 TD - Denver Broncos

Week 12 2011:
Reggie Wayne - 1 TD - Indianapolis Colts
Jimmy Graham - 2 TDs - New Orleans Saints

LANDOVER, Md. — Patriots [team stats] defensive tackle Vince Wilfork [stats] held the ball close and trotted off the field. After pouncing on a fumble for his first career touchdown in the first quarter of the Patriots’ 34-27 win over the Redskins, he headed right for the sidelines.

He had a date with his wife, Bianca, who was in the stands.

“I told her, anytime I do anything with a ball — interception, fumble recovery — and she’s in arm’s reach, she’s getting the ball,” said Wilfork, who did deliver the football to Bianca. “She was waiting for me.”

It was the third huge play for Wilfork this year, to go with his two interceptions. He finished yesterday’s game with four tackles, one for a loss.

Patriots defensive end Andre Carter sacked Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman in the Washington end zone. The ball came loose, and Wilfork got up, raced for it, and dove on top of it to give his team a 7-0 lead with 2:54 elapsed.

“I saw the ball come out and basically just tried to get it.” Wilfork said. “Let the refs decide if it’s a fumble or what. I had to fight for it. It’s you against everybody else fighting for the ball. Luckily, I got it and started fast for our defense.”

Grossman was 19-of-32 for 252 yards and two scores, but also threw a late interception to Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo to lose it for the ‘Skins. He knew his fumble was avoidable.

“I felt like I was right on the cusp of getting rid of the football,” Grossman said. “I believe I was cocking back to throw. It can’t happen.”



(bostonherald.com)

LANDOVER, Md. - Against the Chargers in Week 2, Vince Wilfork recorded his first career interception and was chugging toward his first career touchdown, but was brought down before the end zone.

Two weeks later against the Raiders, Wilfork got his second interception, but again didn’t reach pay dirt.

Yesterday, he got the score that had eluded him, though Wilfork said it didn’t happen as he’d envisioned.

Three plays into the Redskins’ second possession, on third and 9 from their 5-yard line, Andre Carter beat rookie left tackle Willie Smith and drilled Rex Grossman in the back, forcing a fumble in the end zone.

Rob Ninkovich was the first Patriot to get a hand on the ball, and then Wilfork came diving in to grab it, holding on at the bottom of a pile for his long-awaited first touchdown.

“It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but a touchdown is a touchdown,’’ Wilfork said. “I saw the ball come out and I just went to get it; I’d let the refs decide if it was a fumble. I had to fight for it in the pile.’’

Wilfork kept the ball, and presented it to his wife, Bianca, who travels to every road game.

“Any time I do my thing with the ball, if she’s in reach she’s getting the ball,’’ he said. “She was waiting for me.’’

Bianca was thrilled.

Century club

“Vince has certain personal goals he has set for his career, and getting a touchdown has always been one of them,’’ she said in an e-mail. “I was so proud of him, between that and his two interceptions this year, we are just grateful and humbled.’’ After making one catch for 8 yards in the first half, Wes Welker played a bigger role in the second half, finishing with seven receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.



(boston.com)

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork had been having a down statistical year until last week’s win over the Colts.

During that game, Wilfork came alive. He had a sack and 10 tackles, drawing double teams and making the defense revolve around him. No doubt he will be a focus for the Redskins this week. But Wilfork’s stats don’t tell the whole story.

In reality, he’s having one of his best seasons as a pro. The Pro Bowler has two interceptions – always a crowd favorite – but it’s his ability to be disruptive while drawing two blockers that make him special.

Perhaps the best attribute is that Wilfork creates a run-stuffing unit that has stood out against even the best rushing attacks. Along with defensive tackle Kyle Love and ends Andre Carter and Brandon Deaderick, they are making life easy for linebackers like Jerod Mayo. It has also changed the entire complexion of the defense.

Because of their brute force up front, the Patriots have been able to use cornerbacks as safeties, without worrying about giving up physicality. They’ve gotten away with players like Sterling Moore and Nate Jones on the back end because they don’t have to stop the run. The added speed has helped the entire group.



(sportingnews.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- With the Patriots' switch to a base 4-3 defense this season, the workload for veteran defensive tackle Vince Wilfork has spiked. Through 12 games, Wilfork has appeared on 729 of the team's 852 defensive snaps this season (85.6 percent), second on the team to only cornerback Kyle Arrington (732 snaps).

By comparison, Wilfork has averaged approximately 66 percent of total defensive snaps over the past three seasons, including roughly 71 percent of snaps in 2010. The next closest defensive lineman on this year's roster is Andre Carter (663 snaps), while the other starting defensive tackle, Kyle Love, has logged less than half as many snaps (384).

So how is Wilfork feeling?

"I feel 100 percent fresh," Wilfork said with a smile on Thursday. "I’m telling the truth. Right now, I think everyone feels the same way. You have rookies that feel a certain way, guys that have been around -- it’s a long season, but this is the time when you have to be able to take care of yourself, take care of your body, put the right things in your body, and do the extra little thing to keep you healthy. It’s not going to be pretty, you're not going to wake up and feel like you did four months ago -- that ain’t going to happen.

"I feel good. Me, personally, I cant complain about the way I feel. I’ll tell you what, I feel a lot better than I did a couple years ago -- knock on wood there. But everybody is in the same same boat. It’s a grind. It's a tough level to play at, but it’s the NFL, you have to. When you talk about the best of the best, it don’t get any better than this. This is what separates good teams from the bad teams, right now, the good players from the bad players. You have to be able to hold up, do the extra little things just to keep it going, keep focused on your job."

Wilfork is coming off maybe his best individual effort of the season in Sunday's win over the Colts in which he registered a team-high 10 tackles, including a sack. But Wilfork was adamant that individual stats mean nothing and that the victory is his only gauge of success.

Looking ahead to Washington, he stressed that -- despite stats that suggest the Redskins struggle on the ground -- the Patriots are preparing with the No. 1 goal of stopping the run. Washington ranks 31st in the league with 87.5 rushing yards per game, and 28th in yards per rushing play at 3.78 yards per trot.

"This team runs the ball pretty good," said Wilfork. "[Redskins coach Mike] Shanahan has had success everywhere he’s been when his offense is running the ball. We know that, and that’s not going to change. It starts with the running game. We can’t be in third-[and-short situations], we’ll have a long, long night. We have to be able to buckle up on first and second down and win those downs, get them in long-yardage situations, then be able to actually get after the quarterback and get a chance for some turnovers. It’s going to start up front, it’s definitely going to start up front with us. If we don’t play well, it’ll be a long day."

Wilfork said he relished the opportunity to go against a run-heavy offense.

"Shanahan is old school. You look at them, they're physical, and one way you can gauge a team and how tough they are, is [by asking], 'Can they run the football.' And they do it. They run the ball. People can say whatever they want to say about it, but trust me, this team right here can run the football. They have some guys that can run it. I don’t care what backs they put in, I don’t care what linemen they shuffle around, they're all physical and they all take pride in running the football. It's a big, big challenge for us. As a defensive player, you have to live for these games. It's one of these games where there won’t be much trickery, you won’t do a lot of guessing. It's just knowing what a team wants to do. [Stopping the run is] the one thing we want to do."



(espn.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Three takeaways from captain Vince Wilfork's news conference at Gillette Stadium on Thursday (11:30 a.m.):

1. Andre Carter's impact. Wilfork was asked what Carter (11th NFL season) has brought to the team, and he touched on his veteran leadership and how he's been an example for others to follow. Wilfork has noticed Carter's work ethic. "That’s one thing that I’ve taken from him, as a veteran myself, just being able to work every day, however your body feels, just fighting through," he said. "That’s what he’s brought and it shows. On Sunday, it shows. He’s 100 miles per hour. The guy never gets tired. We all have to pull our own weight, but just by seeing a guy work like that, however long he’s been in the league, makes it easier for us to go out and contribute."

2. Starting fast, finishing strong. Regardless of record, Wilfork said any time the Patriots face the Colts it means something, and added that he feels the Patriots have a target on their back. He called it a rivalry game. One of the themes this week from the coaching staff is to "start fast" and "finish strong", as 60 minutes of football has been stressed.

3. Channeling his inner Belichick. Wilfork expressed surprise that the Colts are 0-11. "Looking at the guys on film, it’s tough to see [why] they haven’t won a game, to be honest with you, because they’re making plays, but it’s just the little things," he said. "That’s one thing I’m looking at from my point of view. They have the plays downfield, they have the big runs and stuff like that, but it’s just the little things that are holding them back. I’m pretty sure they’re saying the same thing and they’re absolutely right. ... Trust me, you’re not looking at a terrible football team when you’re looking at 0-11 or the Indianapolis Colts this year."


(espn.com)

With no Bill Belichick press conference on Thursdays, one of the team's defensive captains steps to the podium. Today it was Vince Wilfork.

While the Patriots' defense has shown improvement in recent games, Wilfork said the unit is not content.

"I think you can ask any football team or any professional team, ’Are you satisfied with where you are?’ and you’re never satisfied but you have to keep striving, you definitely have to, to be the best you can be — individually and as a team," He said. "If you just look at film on yourself and critique yourself, it makes the team better. The last thing you want to do is go out there and put the team in a situation where they can’t trust you. That’s one thing we preach around here is, ’Make sure you’re doing your job because the guy next to you is depending on you.’ When we do that, things work out great, but when we don’t, we have problems; it’s a breakdown. That’s one area where you can always continue to get better at. Each day, find something you can get better at and it starts with yourself. Don’t look at the big picture; take care of the little things, the little technique stuff, the little conditioning, whatever it may be. That’s small because the small stuff always takes care of the big things and that’s one thing we’ve been doing."


(boston.com)

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork isn’t having the kind of statistical year he usually does. Aside from his two highlight-reel interceptions, he has just 25 tackles along with his two sacks in a more attacking defense.

He’s taken some time to acclimate himself to 4-3 scheme. But Wilfork’s true importance comes in how he allows others to make plays. For teams who thrive running the ball— like the Chiefs on Monday night—they will have to double-team him. Everyone does.

That allows single-blocking on players like defensive ends Andre Carter and Mark Anderson, and the pair combined for five sacks on Sunday. That’s huge.

When Wilfork isn’t on the field, like one drive in the second quarter of the Jets game, replacements Kyle Love and Gerard Warren don’t draw two blockers. That affects the entire scheme.

In fact, the 6-foot-2, 325-pounder may be the most essential player on defense, and that will be the case against the Chiefs, too. Captain Jerod Mayo often gets free of blockers because of Wilfork’s shield.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(sportingnews.com)

Vince Wilfork unloaded a minor Tom Brady bomb Wednesday morning on "The Dan Patrick Show."

The hefty defensive lineman has seen his star quarterback chop up opponents time and again, but there are moments in life -- tucked away at the Patriots' complex -- when "angry Tom" emerges.

And scares nobody.

"He can try to yell, but we laugh at him because he sounds funny," Wilfork said. 

"He's got a high-pitched voice when he yells, you know. It's totally different when he's talking, but when he starts yelling at folks -- it's quite amusing."

Somewhere, Mike Tyson feels listened to.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nfl.com)

FOXBORO — Vince Wilfork [stats] has heard the criticism of the Patriots [team stats] secondary. How could he not?

Following the loss to the Steelers, one that saw quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pass for 365 yards, the defensive backs have been roasted on every form of media available. Yet the captain Wilfork wants one aspect of the situation clear: If you’re going to blame anyone, blame everyone.

“We all take part in that,” Wilfork said. “You’re not going to sit back and say, ‘You know what, they catch a ball because they’re not covering.’ It’s part of us up front, too, not being able to get to the quarterback quick enough. It works hand-in-hand. It’s not track where you can go out and throw the shotput and run the 100-yard dash, win the medal by yourself. You win together.”

Wilfork put the onus on the front seven to pressure the quarterback, even after a week that included five sacks. He wanted to make sure the secondary members didn’t feel like it was all their fault not getting off the field on third down or allowing a 20-yard in-cut.

“Twenty yards down the field?” Wilfork said. “That gives us a lot of time to work up front, get to the quarterback. So, we have to take some of the blame, too. And we are. So, one thing this team does, and this defense does, is we keep working. Bill (Belichick) challenges us every week and we keep working. Work hard, just have to work harder. But that’s what we do.”

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(boston.com)

Patriots NT Vince Wilfork [stats] and his line received some reinforcements at practice this week, with DE Brandon Deaderick and DT Ron Brace joining the workouts after being on the PUP list. No one is sure whether they'll be activated, though.

"Whoever Bill (Belichick) puts out there, we have confidence in," Wilfork said. "That's how it's going to be."

But considering Wilfork has played about 80 percent of the snaps this year, more than ever, I wondered if he'd welcome a break. Turns out... not so much.

"I don't know, I always want to be on the field," Wilfork responded. "No matter how you slice it. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't, depending on how many snaps I've been out there or how I'm feeling at the time. That's why I always work hard toward conditioning. Being a big guy, playing a lot of snaps, you really don't see that around the league anymore. Because you have guys that come in and give guys breaks at times. But I'm the type of person, I'm going to do whatever I can to stay on the field, because I want to be on the field. I want to be out there in every situation. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it don't. But I'm prepared for it. I love to play. I love to play because if I'm on the field, I feel like there's a better chance to help my teammates. And when I'm off the field, the guy who's in for me, I'm confident he can do his job. But I always want to be on the field. I'll play both ways if you let me. But I don't think that'll last too long at this level."

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(bostonherald.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he's always had to be aware of where Vince Wilfork is on the field, but with two interceptions to his credit this season, now he's forced to worry about where the Pro Bowl defensive tackle might be lurking in the passing game as well.

"The big guy in the middle, he never seems to leave the field," Roethlisberger said Wednesday during a conference call with the New England media. "But he makes plays in the run game and [chuckling] he's even making plays in the passing game now.

"You definitely have to be aware [of where Wilfork is]. He's a heck of a job for our center and guard, but he seems to move around. I even saw him rush off the edge one time, I think against Oakland... he rushed on the tackle. So, whoever is against him, he's one of the premier guys in this league. I gotta be aware of where is in the passing game as well now."

Talking about his health, Roethlisberger said he's fine and that "everything came out with positive results from tests" on his knee after Sunday's win in Arizona. Asked how he feels near the midway point of the 2011 season, Roethlisberger noted he's got the "typical Week 7 body" and stressed that it's "nothing that's going to stop me or hinder my play."

As for what the Patriots have been able to do to hinder his play, Roethlisberger said it's an ability to mix up their defenses.

"They do a good job, switching from 3-4 up front to 4-3 or 3-3, and mixing it up on you," he said. "If you get into certain type of situations, they like to bring linebackers from the outside, bring them from both sides. For me, it's just being able to identify them and pick up those blitzes. If you can't, you’re not going to be able to get the ball off."

Roethlisberger was 30-of-49 passing for 387 yards with three touchdowns and an interception against New England last season, but also got sacked five times as the Patriots emerged from Heinz Field with a 39-26 triumph.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

The bye weekend offered an opportunity to step back, tie up loose ends, and update some statistical files. In doing so, the increased role of defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was one area that stood out.

Wilfork is one defender who seems most affected by the team's scheme change from a 3-4 to 4-3.

In previous years, Wilfork has been more of a two-down player. He'd play on first and second down, then almost always come off the field in more obvious passing situations. This year, Wilfork is staying on for all situations, with the opportunity to pass rush in addition to his traditional run-stopping role. In Oakland, for example, he played all but one snap.

Here is Wilfork's playing time breakdown through the first six games over the last three seasons (as charted in press box, small margin for error):

2009 -- 214 of 354 (60.4 percent)
2010 -- 277 of 422 (65.6 percent)
2011 -- 361 of 412 (87.6 percent)

Part of Wilfork's increase this year is tied to injuries along the defensive line. Albert Haynesworth missed two games with a nagging back injury, while interior sub rushers Mike Wright and Myron Pryor have landed on injured reserve. Because of that, more was needed out of Wilfork through six games.

The Patriots have Wilfork and Kyle Love as their top interior defensive linemen on the depth chart, with Haynesworth and Gerard Warren next in line. They now have Ron Brace and Brandon Deaderick as possible options, as both practiced for the first time last week after opening the year on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.

With the added depth, Wilfork's playing time could be trimmed a bit from what we've seen over the first six games.

But the days of Wilfork as a two-down player, coming off the field in most every passing situation, clearly seem to be over. His role, perhaps more than any other player on defense, has been altered the most with the team's scheme change.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

As an organization, the Patriots always like to let their play on the field do all the talking rather than engaging in a war of words with other teams through the media. Vince Wilfork might be the best at it, as just last week he turned down the opportunity to respond to Cowboys center Phil Costa's assesment of Wilfork as a "speed bump."

But in the heat of battle against the Jets and with a microphone under his jersey, Wilfork showed some of the fire that generally is kept under wraps.

In a segment on Sound FX, Wilfork was mic'd up for the Patriots' win over the Jets in Week 5. Following Wes Welker's 73-yard catch-and-run behind vaunted cornerback Darrelle Revis, the camera showed Wilfork enjoying the show from the sideline.

"Take that, Revis," Wilfork said.

After the cornerback caught up with Welker and eventually tackled him, though, Wilfork was still impressed.

"Hey," Wilfork said to Kyle Love, "Revis can run a little bit, huh?"

Other highlights include:
▪ Wilfork telling Bill Belichick to throw the challenge flag on Deion Branch's fumble -- a call that was eventually overturned
▪ No. 75 showing some leadership and rallying the troops after the Jets scored
▪ Wilfork telling Brian Waters that he looks like a "black Tedy Bruschi" (Waters wears Bruschi's old  No. 54)
▪ Wilfork assuring Chad Ochocinco that he's "getting there" and is showing improvement each week
▪ Wilfork telling an official what down it is in order to correct the sign on the sideline

Click here to watch the video.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.

FOXBORO — Thank you, Twitter.

If not for Twitter, most of us around here would have never heard of Dallas Cowboys center, Phil Costa, whose subtle jab at New England Patriots defensive tackle has gone viral.

On Costa's verified Twitter account, he was asked by a Cowboys fan about Wilfork.

The question read, "You ready for Wolfork (sp) big guy? He's a mountain. Good luck on Sunday Phil."

Simply saying thanks would have done the trick for Costa, a second-year center with eight career starts to his credit. Giving Wilfork his props as an All-Pro defensive lineman that you're looking forward to facing? Yeah, that could have worked for Costa.

Instead, he opted for Door No. 3.

Here's his response:

"appreciate it…of course im ready he's more like a speed bump than a mtn…#cowboys are ready to roll!"

As you can imagine, Costa's words made their way back to Wilfork.

"That's fine," Wilfork chuckled, when told of Costa's comments. "I play on Sundays. I'm not a media guy, get it back and forth. I'll be there Sunday. He can tell me that, then. I don't care about all that stuff."

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(csnne.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork were not present for the media access portion of Thursday's practice, after both having practiced on Wednesday.

Green-Ellis was limited in Wednesday's session with a toe injury, though Wilfork's absence was not injury-related.

While their absences put into question both players' availability for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, their participation in Friday's practice will shed more light on their status.

With no defensive tackle on the practice squad, the Patriots were down to three defensive tackles in Thursday's practice: Kyle Love, Gerard Warren, and Albert Haynesworth.


(espn.com)

Comments

NFL Films had a microphone on Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork during Sunday's win over the Jets, and parts of the Sound FX piece is now posted on NFL. com (link here). A segment like this takes you right on to the field with Wilfork.

At one point, Wilfork tells offensive lineman Brian Waters -- who wears No. 54 -- that he was giving him Tedy Bruschi flashbacks. That was one of the more humorous parts.

There was one moment, after a Jets touchdown, in which Wilfork looks at everyone in the huddle and says, "Why do we look so sad? This is football, baby. Let's make a play!"

Wilfork also talks to receiver Chad Ochocinco on the sideline, telling him that he's growing every week as a player.

Those were a few parts that stood out -- along with Wilfork calling for the offense to run the ball and taking joy in Wes Welker's 73-yard catch with Darrelle Revis trailing in coverage -- in a segment that you really have to watch (not just read) to appreciate.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

In a fun segment on Sunday's NFL Countdown show on ESPN, Tedy Bruschi interviewed former teammate Vince Wilfork about his newfound prowess for intercepting passes. Wilfork has two interceptions this season: the first two of his career.

Now that he's among the elite pass defenders in the league, why shouldn't he have an island, a la Darrelle Revis?

Wilfork, who credits Randy Moss for helping him learn ways to catch a ball, had some fun with his answer to Bruschi's tongue-in-cheek question about the differences between "Wilfork Island" and "Revis Island."

"Revis, he'd probably have palm trees and stuff like that," Wilfork joked. "Me, I'd have a horse track and a fishing lake. I'd have my own racetrack with my horses ... and a nice house and a family."

Wes Welker's take: "I think they'd have a luau all the time (on Wilfork Island). A pig roast and everything else. I think it would be a good time."

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

OAKLAND -- The Patriots' defense gave up another 300-yard passing game Sunday against the Raiders, but here's a far more sobering statistic for the New England secondary: Through four games, the team leader in interception return yards is 325-pound defensive lineman Vince Wilfork ... and it's not even close.

For only the second time in his eight-year career -- but the second time in three weeks -- Wilfork produced another highlight-reel interception, snaring a Jason Campbell offering in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 31-19 triumph at O.co Coliseum.

After rumbling 19 yards with the interception, Wilfork now boasts 47 return yards on his two picks. That's essentially double the yardage produced in the team's five other interceptions by Kyle Arrington (3 INT, 27 yards), Sergio Brown (1 INT, 2 yards) and Patrick Chung (1 INT, 0 yards).

After suggesting that his interception against San Diego in Week 2 might have been a once-in-a-career moment, was Wilfork baiting Campbell this time around?

"No, to be honest with you, I don’t know what I did," he said. "I have to go back and watch the play. One thing with a lot of quarterbacks is, when it comes to passing it, they want to go deep then come back to their security, that’s their checkdowns or cross or whatever it may be. I was just happy to be in the right place at the right time."

Even still, Wilfork showed his athleticism by stepping in front of an offering for Darren McFadden on a crossing route. Wilfork then stiff-armed an offensive lineman to get in the open, before dragging a few more bodies on the return.

"Vince has got great hands," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "People don't realize that because he's not a skill player, but he can catch the ball, catch punts and everything else. When he gets his hands on it, he's like a vacuum cleaner. He sucks it right in there. It was a big play for us and great awareness on Vince's part. He's a hard guy to bring down. You have to gang-tackle him."

Funny, that was the scouting report on McFadden all week. But there was Wilfork thwarting the league's top running back.

"The most important thing, we got the W," Wilfork said. "It wouldn’t have meant anything if we wouldn’t have got the W. I think it was a good team win. I think this whole week we challenged each other. Bill challenged us, we challenged each other. We were very competitive in practice. This was like one of the best weeks of practice we had, ot a lot of mental errors in practice. We had a good week of preparation and it showed. We went out and played ball."


(espn.com)

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork made his weekly appearance on The Big Show Monday, discussing the team's loss Sunday in Buffalo and taking a look ahead to next week's meeting with the 2-1 Raiders.

The Patriots led by a score of 21-0 in the second quarter before the Bills mounted a comeback and won, 34-31. The Bills joined the Packers and Lions as the league's only 3-0 teams, while the Pats fell to 2-1.

"That game could have easily gone either way," Wilfork said. "I just hate when we give a game away. Some of the things we did were not like us, but it happened. You learn from it, you coach from it.   As players, you have to learn from it and get better. That's one thing we want to do, is get better. If we don't, we're going to be in trouble." 

Wilfork put much of the blame for the loss on the defense, which allowed big plays throughout the game to the likes of Buffalo running back Fred Jackson and receiver Donald Jones. The Patriots have allowed the most passing yards to opponents and have allowed 79 points through three games.

"It's always crucial to be a persistent football team, and right now, I think [we're] inconsistent as a defense," Wilfork said. "You can put our defense there. Inconsistent. We show flashes on the film where when we do it right, it's not a problem. Early on in the game, even later in the game when we had them backed up the first time three and out, we got off the field and then come right back around and [they] go 90-plus yards, or whatever it may be. There are things that we certainly have to get better at, but we have to play more consistent. If we don't do that, it's going to be a long season for us. 

"Guys are trying. I don't question any of our guys' toughness. I don't question of those guys' ability. They want to do the right thing, but you know what? When you play the game of football, you win some, you lose some. … We have to get back on track, and that starts with a good week of practice. One thing we can't allow is for last game against the Bills to carry over in Oakland." 

Wilfork described the Raiders as a team that thrives on "down and dirty football." Oakland is coming off a 34-24 victory over the Jets on Sunday.
"They present a physical team," Wilfork said. "They want to play smashmouth football. They're old school. That's what they want to do. Once again, we'll be challenged."

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(weei.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Impossible as it may seen, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork arrived at Gillette Stadium on Monday morning and hadn't yet seen a replay of his interception in Sunday's win over the San Diego Chargers.

Despite countless replays on SportsCenter and local news broadcasts, Wilfork had managed to avoid it until he sat down for a little film review.

"I didn't come in just to watch that play, I always look at the game before we go in as a defense, just to critique myself, and see what we we did well and what things we didn’t do well," said Wilfork. "When I got to that play, I slowed it down and looked a couple times. I won’t lie. I watched it a couple times. That was first time saw it.

"My wife [Bianca], she was all on it. She had the papers, the SportsCenter stuff -- wherever it was out there, she got it, trust me. Me, I'm kinda laid back, I try not to let it affect anything that's going on in the future, especially this week. The [worst] thing I can do is go out there Sunday [vs. Buffalo] and play the worst game of my career, then everybody will turn to me and say, 'Hey, if you weren’t thinking about that interception, you probably would have played better.' I have to turn the page."

But turning the page is easier said than done, especially when the interception (and ensuing rumble down the sideline) is the first topic of conversation with every new person he sees this week.

"When I go places, the first thing people want to talk about is that play," said Wilfork. "I had some people saying that’s the greatest play they’ve ever seen and these people are 60 years old. So they’ve been around for a long time and I'm pretty sure they’ve seen a lot of football. To rank that as one of the best they've seen, that’s an honor."

Wilfork met with the media Thursday morning to talk not only football, but also to announce a new "Tackling Diabetes" program in conjunction with the Joslin Diabetes Center. Fans of Wilfork can pledge $7.50 or $75 for each tackle No. 75 makes this season. Check out the video below to hear Wilfork talk about diabetes impact on his life, as his father, David, passed away from complications of his diabetes while Wilfork was a student at the University of Miami.

(nfl.com)

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork held a press conference today to discuss his partnership with Joslin Diabetes Center and the “Tackling Diabetes” initiative. Fans can donate $7.50, $75 and $750 for Wilfork’s exploits this year to benefit the Vince Wilfork Foundation and Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund. The program kicked off during the Chargers game.



And yes, Wilfork is giving his own money, too.

“This is going to be one of the times that I’m going to ask for help,” Wilfork said. “I’m doing it, my wife is doing it, I have friends doing it, my brother is doing it – it’s a lot of people. We’re involved also. It’s not that I’m just asking everybody else for money; I’m actually putting money up myself. There’s where we’re at with this. Once again, like I said I want to thank EMD Millipore and Joslin for getting me on the team and hopefully we can be successful with this and hopefully I can report back to you guys how well we’re doing with it. It’s going to be something fun. It makes me more excited now to go out and make tackles for a cause. That just adds one more element to my game that makes me play even harder now. That’s where we’re at with that.”

"Some of you guys may know –- you might not know -– my relationship with diabetes comes from my household, growing up in a household with my father being ill for 13, 14, 15 years," said Wilfork. "As a kid, I’m 9- and 10-years[-old] at the time, seeing my father going through what he had to go through. I had to give him shots at times, he was so weak. I had to bathe him, had to take him to the restroom. There was a lot going on that my brother and I had to deal with. That’s why this is really close and dear to my heart. I know how it can affect a household firsthand because I was one of those people that had to deal with it.

"Luckily, God blessed me where I could be a healthy young man and blessed my family to be healthy, but not everybody is able. That’s why it’s very, very close and dear to my heart to actually come and bring more awareness to raise money to try to find and try to fight and tackle this disease, because it affects us more than we think. I know a lot of people probably have friends and family members that are cancer patients, they’re beating [it] -– I put it right up there with cancer. Every year I throw my draft day fundraiser to raise money for diabetes. There’s not one year that comes and goes that I don’t get new people either showing up to my doorstep or showing up to the fundraiser just telling me stories about how they are affected by this disease. Through the years, we’ve raised a lot of good money. Last year, I think we raised over $100,000, so it’s growing. One thing I want to do is to get my fans and my team involved with this. Everybody knows playing football is not just one individual, so I think that’s where the fans and friends can play a huge part in this."

Wilfork is pretty confident he’ll get some love for a cause so dear to his heart.

“Like I said, with the fans and the support that we have around here, I don’t think I’ll have any problem getting some support from everyone,” Wilfork said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m happy. I believe it’s going to be a fun year, it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be cool, something new to change up and [we’ll] see how well it does.”

(bostonherald.com)

FOXBORO — A perspiring Vince Wilfork ate up the limelight much like he attacks his dinner. He didn't want it to end.

Tom Brady, in his matching gray slacks and sweater with his carefully combed hair, watched from one wing of the podium. Deion Branch, casual in an untucked shirt and long hair, laughed on the other side.

Sunday was a good time to be a New England Patriot.

Drew Bledsoe was a very humble and classy figure at the halftime ceremony Sunday celebrating his induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

What an afternoon to be any kind of Patriot at Gillette Stadium — current, former or even just a fan.

It is only week two of the 2011 season, as Brady and coach Bill Belichick and all the Patriots remind us, but the numbers for Brady and this ridiculous Patriot offense are piling up. Unless the NFL's high injury attrition rate attacks Foxboro, there is no reason to think this is going to change.

You thought Brady was good while torching Miami for 517 yards last Monday night?

How about this? He had 240 yards by halftime Sunday while hitting on 20 of his first 23 throws. Two of those went for touchdowns.

He finished with 423 yards against the highly-regarded Chargers, completing 31 of 40 throws, three for touchdowns. It seems everywhere he looks these days, a New England receiver is running free.

There is an embarrassment of riches in Foxboro, tailor made for the passing world the NFL has become.

With the spotlight on this record-setting offense, it's easy to overlook the defense. Well, most of the time.

You can't really overlook Mr. Wilfork. When he wants to speak, there's no stopping the 6-2, 300-and-whatever pounder (he's listed at 325). When he grabbed the podium Sunday night, he didn't want to let go.

Wilfork couldn't contain himself after getting his first career interception, a play on which he read his keys correctly on a screen, stepped in Philip Rivers' passing lane, reached up and deflected the ball, caught it and took off.

Thirty-five yards later, San Diego running back Mike Tolbert ran Wilfork down. It was one of the game's pivotal plays, with just nine seconds left in the half, and set up a 47-yard field goal and a 20-7 halftime lead.

What a sight. What a play.

The best description, short and succinct, came from Patriot defensive end Andre Carter. "The run was ugly, the pick great."

For one day we shall put aside Brady's numbers, and with them Deion Branch's eight catches for 129 yards, and the two touchdowns from Rob Gronkowski and the others from Aaron Hernandez and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Allow Wilfork the stage.

It's not often a defensive lineman steps up there, and Sunday Wilfork used it for all he could.

"Anytime you get your hands on the ball you always think about scoring, as a defensive player," he started.

Did you need oxygen, he was asked. "No. I am a well conditioned athlete," he joked.

He was asked why he didn't line up sometimes at tight end, as rookie tackle Nate Solder did.

"You talk to Bill about that. Like I said, we always talk smack about who is the better athlete, defense, offense, you name it. I think I put the defense ahead of the offense right now. I think the offense was ahead because of Troy Brown playing some defense, and actually coming out with some picks. But I think I pushed us back ahead."

Belichick used part of his interview to extol the virtues of his large defensive lineman on this most unlikely story.

"Vince is a tremendous athlete," Belichick said. "People don't realize how good his hands are, but he can throw it, catch it, catch punts. He wanted to return punts after we put him back there when he was a rookie in training camp."

Rivers was still shaking his head, giving Wilfork all the credit for his football brains and his athleticism.

"There was no way I could ever see him coming," he said. "I'd throw that one again every time. He made a great play — I don't know if that was something they looked at."

Aside from Wilfork's clutch play and post-game standup routine, the defense did do the job. Yes, it allowed San Diego 470 yards, and 10-of-12 third-down conversions. But it also came up with a second-quarter goal-line stand, two picks and two fumble recoveries. It was the definition of the bend-but-don't-break philosophy.

Whether that works in the long term is to be determined. Sunday, it worked.

Next Sunday, it's on to Buffalo and the rampaging Bills. Wilfork's got the taste now, though, and that's a danger to anyone or anything in front of him. Especially a bison.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(southcoasttoday.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Maybe it was because Vince Wilfork was lumbering for his life. Or maybe it was because the Gillette Stadium crowd was ecstatic to see the big defensive lineman intercept his first career pass and head for the sideline.

Either way, the building was vibrating during the second quarter of the Patriots' 35-21 victory against the Chargers on Sunday.

Wilfork thought the Chargers were trying to free up running back Mike Tolbert in the right flat, so Wilfork stayed back, jumped on Philip Rivers' pass, corralled it and returned it 36 yards. It set up Stephen Gostkowski's 47-yard field goal before the buzzer that gave New England a 20-7 halftime lead.

In the present, Wilfork was thrilled to make a play that helped the team win, but in the long term, he was just relieved that he doesn't have to hear his teammates make fun of him for dropping an interception.

"I am just happy I caught it because if I didn't catch it, I am pretty sure my teammates would have let me have it," Wilfork said.
Wilfork was hoping to take it to the house.

"Anytime you get your hands on the ball, you always think about scoring as a defensive player," Wilfork said. "Because a lot of the times, you don't get a chance to touch the ball."

Wilfork's last interception came in high school, but his teammates weren't overly surprised that he made the play. Wilfork has shown some athleticism in practice, working as a quarterback when the offense and defense switch sides and once catching a punt to give the team the night off during training camp.

"I am a well-conditioned athlete," Wilfork said with a laugh.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(nesn.com)

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork doesn’t get many chances to touch the football. It’s not like old times, when Wilfork returned punts in high school.

Or, at least, it’s not usually. It was today, as Wilfork’s key interception — captured here — keyed the Patriots 35-21 win over the Chargers.

Want to hear him talk about it? Check out some highlights from Wilfork’s interview…

On if Wilfork thought he had a chance to score: “Yes I did. Anytime you get your hands on the ball, you always think about scoring as a defensive player because a lot of the times you don’t get a chance to touch the ball. That’s the first interception of my career. I was joking about it with (Pepper Johnson) and I said, ‘I might end my career without an interception. I forgot who I was talking to when I asked another teammate of mine if they had one. They said they hadn’t, so you never know.”

On situation football and what worked: “We play a lot of situational football around here and in that situation with two minutes left, we kind of know what they were trying to do. I wasn’t saying I was right, but I saw the running back take out, so I was thinking screen and from the look I got from my guard, I anticipated it could be a screen. I actually got in his throwing range, so I made a play and Bill always says if you take a chance, you better make it. I guess I made it tonight.”

On if he needed oxygen: “No, I am a well-conditioned athlete (laughing), I didn’t need any oxygen. I was good to go.”

On if he’s ever had a interception before: “In high school, I had one. I actually intercepted a screen play in high school. I jumped up and the ball was getting lobbed on my head, and I actually picked it, didn’t score, but the quarterback caught me. He was already in front of me. No one caught me from behind.“

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(bostonherald.com)

(Boston, Massachusetts) September 16, 2011 -  Bianca & Vince Wilfork and Joslin Diabetes Center will be “Tackling Diabetes” with the support of EMD Millipore during this year’s Patriots season, raising money for the Vince Wilfork Foundation and Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund. The program will kick off this Sunday, September 18, with the Patriots’ first home game at Gillette Stadium and continue though the final regular season home game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, January 1, 2012.   

Fans of Vince and the important work of the Joslin Diabetes Center will pledge $7.50 or $75.00, in honor of our beloved #75, for each tackle Vince makes during the regular season.  One-time individual or corporate donations are also encouraged ranging from $75 to $7500.  WEEI will be promoting the program on its sports radio show weekly.  Fans who participate have the opportunity to meet Vince at a VIP reception and to win amazing prizes throughout the season!

“Tackling Diabetes” is a very personal effort for the Patriots defensive tackle and his wife Bianca. Vince’s Dad, his most devoted fan, passed away from complications of his diabetes while Vince was a student at University of Miami. His Dad never had the chance to see him play with the Patriots, or become a loving husband and father based on the example his parents had shown him.

“Bianca and I realize how precious life is and we are dedicated to doing all we can to prevent others from having to suffer the loss we did because of diabetes. We created the Vince Wilfork Foundation to support care givers and researchers, like those at Joslin Diabetes Center,” according to Vince Wilfork. “The folks at the Joslin work to educate about prevention, offer healthier, longer lives to children and adults living with diabetes and their researchers are racing towards a cure; we know our challenge to “Tackle Diabetes” will bring in support from the best fans in the NFL.”

“The Joslin Diabetes Center is grateful to Bianca and Vince Wilfork for their efforts on behalf of Joslin’s High Hopes Fund,” said Joslin President and CEO John L. Brooks, III. “The High Hopes Fund supports the Center’s greatest needs in research, education and clinical care, making it possible for us to look forward to a future without diabetes.”

“Tackling Diabetes” is a positive way to take part in the game. It asks fans to participate withVince Wilfork in meeting or beating his 57 tackles during the 2010 regular season, knowing the funds raised by the Vince Wilfork Foundation and Joslin Diabetes Center’s High Hopes Fund will help provide life-changing and life-saving research for one of America’s fastest-growing diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 25.8 million Americans suffer from diabetes, with some 2 million new cases each year.  The CDC estimates that by 2050, one-third of Americans could develop diabetes.  The current annual economic cost of diabetes in the U.S. is estimated to be more than $218 billion.

To get involvedMake a $7.50 donation for every tackle that number 75 makes to the Vince Wilfork Foundation and the Joslin Diabetes Center High Hopes Fund! Visit http://events.joslin.org/wilfork  to register.  Or for more information, Erik Ryan at erik.ryan@joslin.harvard.edu or 617.264.2531

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(wickedlocal.com)

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots voted six players to be team captains for the upcoming season: QB Tom Brady, DL Vince Wilfork, LB Jerod Mayo, WR Matthew Slater, OL Logan Mankins and CB Devin McCourty.

The captains are two more than the Patriots had last season. Slater is the special teams captain as he enters his fourth season. McCourty is a captain in just his second season. Mankins is a captain as he enters his seventh season.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(boston.com)

Patriots DT Vince Wilfork met with reporters yesterday, speaking for the first time in public on the University of Miami controversy. When that was over, the topics moved toward the field. Wilfork is pretty psyched about the newly aggressive defense, and he didn’t mind saying so.



Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork addressed reporters as a group for the first time since a Yahoo! Sports report that he received benefits while attending college at Miami.

Wilfork entered the locker room with about four minutes remaining in the allotted time for reporters to be present. He was asked about the last week.

"It's tough," he said. "But you know what? I released a statement a couple days ago, and that's where I'm at with it. I'm going to move forward. I'm done with that situation. I'm just focused on my football career. One thing I don't want to do is be a distraction to this team, to this organization. I won't be that. My teammates stuck behind me 100 percent, my family, the organization. I'll move forward. I'm definitely towards the Detroit Lions now and it feels good to be around a great group of guys. It feels real good."



(espn.com)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork expressed excitement at getting back on the practice field, offered praise for potential teammate Albert Haynesworth and suggested he'd be OK with shuffling his position so long as it aids New England in winning games. Here's some highlights from his 12-minute chat with the media after Thursday's morning walkthrough outside Gillette Stadium:

On getting back to work: "Just happy to be back. It’s been a long time for us, for all of us, for myself. It’s time to get to work. We have a lot in front of us right now, going into the playbook, great deal of commitment to where we want to be. That’s where we’re at now, starting with the meetings and the walkthrough and just start putting it together."

On Albert Haynesworth as a player and potential teammate: "I think he’s a great player, hell of a player. I had a chance to play in the Pro Bowl with him. I think he’s a great athlete... One thing we try not to do is see what’s going on around the league because our hands are full right now. No more two-a-days, that knocks half of your practices away. We’re in that study room, watching film, getting back, and trying to move forward. Whatever that is, that’s what we’re going to do. If it’s with certain people, it is, if it’s not, oh well, this ship is moving, moving fast, moving quick. I'm just excited to be back."

On leadership in locker room without old stalwarts: "That’s the past. What we have is what we have. We've had some great players come through here. We have some pretty good players now. I’ve been with some good players and I’ve got some great, great teammates now. But all that doesn't matter right now. What matters right now: How fast we can go in this film room, get into this playbook and come out here and put it together. That’s what our focus is."

On playing defensive end in the past: "It was different, but you never know what happens. I always classify myself as a defensive lineman, so whatever I can do to help my team, I’ll do. I’m just blessed [coach] Bill [Belichick] had the faith in me to do what I did. Whatever it takes to win, I’m all for it. I'd go to war with my teammates any time, we love to win. Right now, we're far away from that right now. We haven’t even practiced yet. With time, if we have the commitment, there’s no doubt in my mind we can get to a level that we are comfortable with."

On teaching the Patriot Way to newcomers: "That person, he’ll see how we do things around here. Point blank. We’ve had guys come through here with a rap sheet, [people saying] that, 'He can’t be handled,' or 'This guy can't do this.' You know what, it worked out fine for us. So, I don’t think it’ll be a big problem for us. Like I said, that’s the organization’s call on who they bring in and who they don’t bring in. As a teammate, when we’re on the field, we’re all working together, we want to be the best."

On Belichick's plan for afternoon session: "I don’ know. What does he have for us? I’m pretty sure it’s something we need."

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

(hurricanesports.com)

Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork ranks No. 35 on the NFL Network Top 100 players poll, as voted by players.

Wilfork was presented by Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who like Wilfork attended the University of Miami. Some soundbites from Vilma on the NFL Network broadcast Sunday night (video from NFL.com here):

1. “Big. Big. I just watched him get bigger and bigger and bigger.”

2. “He was with me in college for three years, I played against him twice a year when I was with the Jets, and the best thing about him is that as big as he’s gotten, it looks sloppy, but when you watch him on film it’s not. He’s very explosive, very athletic.”

3. “From college, we knew he had good feet, which is pretty impressive for a guy his size to have feet like that. All those things you want in a defensive tackle, that rough, down-in-the-trenches-type mentality, he has that. He’s going to disrupt it. If you’re one-on-one, he’s going to make the tackle. You have to double him.”

4. “You turn on the film and watch that and you know, that was because of him. [Another player] may have gotten the stats, but that was because of Vince.”

5. “He lets you know ‘this is how I’m going to set the tone’ and you love that, especially in a d-lineman, where it’s that big personality. He wants to be that guy who takes the leadership as far as being on the field and showing you how I’m going to play.”

6. “He has a Super Bowl under his belt. He’s got three Pro Bowls under his belt. Year in and year out, you look and watch on film, you [say] ‘He’s a helluva player.’”

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

One of the nice parts about Twitter is that it opens an immediate window into a player's mindset that you wouldn't otherwise know about. Such was the case today with Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork -- @wilfork75.

Wilfork read a post on Pro Football Talk that detailed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's remarks to Tennessee Titans season-ticket holders, in which the topic was the 18-game regular-season. Goodell was quoted as saying: "We do think it is attractive to season-ticket holders. I hear that all of the time from our season-ticket holders. We have not abandoned our position on that. We do think it is the right thing for the game. It improves the quality of what we do, and it improves the value for you as season-ticket holders. . . . We do think it is a benefit for everybody, but we want to do it the right way, and we want to do it responsibly. That includes the players’ perspective.’’

Perhaps because Goodell mentioned the players' perspective, Wilfork chimed in on Twitter.

"Sure fans and tix holders would like to have 16 since right now we have [none]!!" he tweeted. "... Just stating the obvious right now; no one [knows] the fate of what we've always had in place, let alone worrying about expanding ... Don't get me wrong, I understand the not wanting to pay full price for pre-season; not disputing that. Just [don't] know if 18 [games] is the solution."

Wilfork then told his 28,000-plus followers that he is optimistic things will work out.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.


(espn.com)

Comments

MILFORD — Patriots [team stats] players have been informed they can show up at Gillette Stadium today at 8 a.m. to begin offseason workouts.
The lockout, from that perspective, is over for now, with free agency soon to follow.

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork [stats], who held his annual draft day fund-raiser last night at Pinz Entertainment, plans on being in Foxboro bright and early.

“We did get information (from the Patriots) saying we’re expected to start at 8 o’clock. We’re expected to be working out,” said Wilfork, who had a big turnout for his event, which raises money for diabetes research. “So they’re expecting us to be around. I’m pretty sure everybody’s gotten that call. With that call, that means you’re going back to work. So be there, and see what happens after that.”

While Wilfork plans to report, he can’t speak for the rest of his teammates. They’re scattered all over the place, which is probably a similar scenario with other NFL teams.

For instance, quarterback Tom Brady [stats] was last spotted on the West Coast. Chances are, he won’t be among the crowd in the Gillette weight room today.

“Some guys are out of town, some guys are on vacation, some are out of the state, so you never know who can get back,” Wilfork said. “I just think with the owners opening it up (today) at 8 a.m., either you’re going to be there or you’re not. They opened the doors because legally they had to. So they’re doing their part. Now it’s up to the players to do their part if they want to attend, if they can. If not, like I said, with vacations, you never know what people have on their agendas.”

Wilfork is one player who pulled his kids out of school locally and enrolled them in Florida because he was going to spend the bulk of his time there thanks to the lockout.

“I made a decision to move my family down to Florida, get them out of this weather, and be down there for the offseason because of the lockout,” Wilfork said. “I’m pretty sure a lot of people went back to their hometown. But we just have to wait and see. Owners can’t get too mad, coaches can’t get too mad if (today) comes and you have 10 people in the room. You can’t be mad about that. I think the guys who can get here, will be here. Whatever happens, they’ve covered their tail by opening up the doors. Now it’s all on the players who’s going to show, who’s not going to show. For whatever reason it is, that’s what it’s going to be.”

Players will find out more in the coming days in terms of when organized team activities officially begin, as well as minicamps, etc. Now, all of that may get thrown out the window down the road if the league goes ahead with another attempt at a stay of the ruling that nullified the lockout.
Wilfork said with the chaos that went on this week, and if the players are locked out again, he fears mostly for the fans.

“They’ve gotten the bad end of the stick throughout all of this,” he said. “Us as athletes, we want to be working out, we want to be with the team, we want to be in our facilities, getting in the hot tubs, cold tubs, eating together back again. But for the fans, they’re the ones sitting back and saying, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ They’re the ones who’s bought season tickets. Some teams have already collected on those tickets. So, the fans are getting the bad end. So I really hope we settle something not only because this is what we do for a living, but because of the fans. If the fans don’t buy tickets and support us, how do you make money? So, let’s be real right now. If the fans aren’t spending, how does a team make money? You have to look at that.

“As players, we always appreciate the fans we have. Being up here in New England, we have some of the greatest fans. They’re die-hard fans. These are the fans, when we’re playing in 10-degree weather, with snow coming down, our stands are still filled. So I definitely feel bad for the fans.”

Last night, the fans showed their support. Pinz was packed for Wilfork’s charity event, and the big guy was truly heartened.

“We had our fingers crossed,” Wilfork said, referring to his wife, Bianca, who works the event with him. “With the lockout, Thursday night, a school night, they’re not on vacation. But the outcome is great. We’re amazed. A lot of credit goes to the people who came out. I’m pretty sure a lot of people have to go to work tomorrow. But for the cause, it’s amazing.”

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(boston.com)

BOSTON -- Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork is used to grinding away in the offseason, working out at the team facility and being part of organized team activities. This year has obviously been different, a result of the NFL's unsettled labor situation.

Wilfork's workouts have been at his Florida home, where he's also considered a life without football.

"The time you have off, you really have a chance to sit back, enjoy, and let your body heal correctly, because most of the time you're getting back in football so quick that injuries don't heal as well," he said at Matt Light's Lockout Breakfast at the Liberty Hotel. "I think this time there are more negative things people look at, but you can take some positives out of it as a player -- to sit back and heal correctly.

"This time off, you really sit back and think a lot. I tell my wife [Bianca] all the time that I could get used to retirement. She just gives me a look like, 'You're crazy.'

"That's one of those things that does go through your mind. I'm coming up to eight years [in the NFL]. I'm pretty sure it runs through people's minds, retirement. You never know, man, [with] how long this thing gets dragged out, but hopefully it will be over soon and we can all be back to doing what we love."

Wilfork said he believes there will be a season in 2011, it's just a matter of when.

"It's so much to lose as fans, owners and players, not to have it," he said.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(espn.com)

Thanks to pictures he’s posted on his Twitter account, we’ve seen Vince Wilfork [stats] doing rope exercises to help keep in shape as NFL players remain in lockout limbo.

So what else has the Patriots [team stats] Pro Bowl nose tackle been up to as the owners and players take a break from court-ordered mediation?

Well, after exchanging several e-mails with the big man last week, we got a pretty good idea. For starters, he’s busy preparing for his annual draft day fund-raising party. But we’ll get to that in a minute.

Along with doing his daily workout regimen, he’s been tending to his garden at his offseason home in Florida. That’s right. Big Vince has gone greens. He’s out in his yard, inspecting the plants, making sure they’re healthy and warding off pests that may kill his produce.

“Right now, I have collard greens, corn and green beans,” Wilfork wrote. “I usually do tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, lettuce and whatever else I want to try.”

Wilfork indicated he’s always wanted a garden to grow fresh fruits and vegetables, and a few years back, a good friend of his, Wayne Carboni, who owns a landscaping company in Franklin, helped him get one started at his Franklin home.

This year, because of the lockout, Wilfork has been in Florida since the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in January, so he started a garden at that home, as well, so he could maintain his green thumb.

“(Because of the lockout) I’ve had a great chance to actually put my garden in, and be here long enough to watch it grow,” Wilfork said. “Usually, I plant everything in the middle of June and then I am back in New England so fast I don’t get to see it, so this is good.”

Wilfork, a true renaissance man, has also been working on perfecting his homemade barbecue sauce and dry rub. That’s in between workout session so he’ll be in shape whenever the lockout ends. He works out twice a day, once in the morning, and again in the afternoon when his 13-year-old son D’Aundre gets home from school.

“I haven’t gotten together with my line guys yet,” Wilfork wrote, referring to his teammates on the defensive line. “Maybe after the Kentucky Derby (May 7). But I keep in constant contact with them.”

Of course, Wilfork and his wife Bianca have everything in place for their fund-raiser on Thursday at Pinz Entertainment in Milford.

The cause remains diabetes research and finding a cure. Wilfork lost his father to the disease and remains staunch in his efforts to support the cause. After years of hosting the party on Saturdays, the previously traditional opening day of the draft, having the marquee first round moved to Thursday night, and the starting time pushed back an hour this year hasn’t helped attendance. But the Wilforks have persevered.

“Thursday made the event a little tough, but it still turns out great (last year),” Wilfork wrote. “This year, we are keeping our fingers crossed with it being Thursday, the NFL pushing the start time back a little later, moving it up a week because of the holiday weekend, so now we have a work week, instead of April vacation, not to mention the whole lockout. So we have a ton of obstacles this year, but diabetes doesn’t pause or stop because of those things. So we can’t either.

“The only thing that stops is people breathing, as diabetes takes their life from them like it did my dad. So we keep pushing on, trying to find a cure. I try to stress on these social media outlets, it doesn’t take much. Twenty-something followers on Twitter, if everyone donates one dollar, that’s amazing.”

Already, four days before the event, Wilfork indicated there’s been some sizeable contributions, and he’s extremely grateful.

“I have once again been overwhelmed by the outpouring of donations that I get for my fund-raiser,” Wilfork wrote. “(Saints linebacker) John Vilma just sent in a large donation. (Former Patriots teammate) Jarvis Green, and my agent Kennard McGuire have all made significant donations. And Mr. (Robert) Kraft and the Patriots have always supported my foundation and event, even though they have their own event the same day.

“But it’s the everyday people, the ones who live paycheck to paycheck that touch me the most, whether it’s one dollar, 10 dollars or 100 dollars. I know they made a choice and a sacrifice to send that money in and believe me, the ones who can not contribute financially, they spread the word, they send their well wishes, and they share their own heartbreaking stories of how diabetes affected them.”

Who does Wilfork like in the draft from his alma mater, Miami? Any prospective Patriots [team stats] in the mix?

“(Allen) Bailey and (Leonard) Hankerson are my top picks out of THE U!!” he wrote, referring to the Miami defensive lineman and wide receiver, both of whom had pre-draft contact with the Pats.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(boston.com)

The Patriots are expected to keep Vince Wilfork more at nose tackle in 2011, rather than kicking him to end as they did last year. Wilfork played over 40 percent of his snaps at "five technique," mostly because Patriots ends combined to miss more than 30 games.


Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(fantasysp.com)

As for nose tackle Vince Wilfork, he’s been out doing some promotional work for the Big Y supermarket chain.

This is what Wilfork tweeted earlier today from one of his stops: ”Well, since I am unemployed, I’d like to thank @bigyfoods for giving me a job.”

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(bostonherald.com)

Here is a photo of three of the 10 proCane Pro Bowlers in Honolulu this past weekend. Vince WIlfork, Ray Lewis and Brandon Meriweather ar throwing up “The U” in Honolulu.

HONOLULU — Vince Wilfork [stats] doesn’t know what the future holds in terms of a lockout. But one issue really gets his juices flowing.

The Patriots [team stats] nose tackle isn’t afraid to say how much he hates the idea of the proposed 18-game schedule, and if the league and players’ union ultimately agree to incorporate that into a new collective bargaining agreement, which may be the case, that would be incredibly “stupid’’ in his eyes.

Wilfork, speaking after the AFC’s 55-41 Pro Bowl loss to the NFC at Aloha Stadium, was answering the Herald’s question about whether or not he was worried about a lockout, when he launched into a diatribe about a potential 18-game season.

“It’s going to do whatever the NFL wants to do, anyways. It’s one of those things where you just have to sit and see what happens,” Wilfork first said with respect to a lockout. “But I can tell you one thing. Eighteen games don’t make no sense. Eighteen games turns into 20 games because the two preseason games you have to play your veterans and your starters. So that’s 20 games. If you look at it from that standpoint, it’s a stupid thing.

It’s just too stupid to be adding games.”

Wilfork went on at length about the penalty playoff teams would have to pay, and how their offseasons would be cut short and impacted by adding two regular-season games to the schedule, albeit shortening the preseason. He also got into the added health implications and risks for players having to go through the grind of an extended season.

“Playing 20 games, then going into the postseason, I think that will hurt the better teams,” he said. “You wind up playing two seasons because of all of those games. So you never get a chance to get your team back, or their bodies back. So again, I think 18 games would be real stupid.”
The union might have to make that concession, Wilfork is reminded.

“I hope not,” he said. “You talk about concussions now with a 16-game season, you just think about what would happen with 18 games, and with other injuries? It would be real crazy if you have some of your key players missing games because they can’t make it through. If you get to Games 17 or 18, and your key guys are missing, what happens then? I don’t know, it’s all crazy. I just think it’ll be real stupid if they do that. That’s all I’m saying.”

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(boston.com)

OFFENSE
Quarterback-Tom Brady, New England.
Running Backs-Jamaal Charles, Kansas City; Arian Foster, Houston.
Fullback-Vonta Leach, Houston.
Tight End-Jason Witten, Dallas.
Wide Receivers-Roddy White, Atlanta; Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis.
Tackles-Jake Long, Miami; Joe Thomas, Cleveland.
Guards-Logan Mankins, New England; Jahri Evans, New Orleans.
Center-Nick Mangold, New York Jets.
Kicker-Billy Cundiff, Baltimore.
Kick Returner-Devin Hester, Chicago.
---
DEFENSE
Ends-Julius Peppers, Chicago; John Abraham, Atlanta.
Tackles-Haloti Ngata, Baltimore; Ndamukong Suh, Detroit.
Outside Linebackers-Clay Matthews, Green Bay; James Harrison, Pittsburgh.
Inside Linebacker-Patrick Willis, San Francisco; Jerod Mayo, New England.
Cornerbacks-Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland; Darrelle Revis, New York Jets.
Safeties-Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh; Ed Reed, Baltimore.
Punter-Shane Lechler, Oakland.
---
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback-Vacant.
Running Backs-Michael Turner, Atlanta; Adrian Peterson, Minnesota.
Fullback-Ovie Mughelli, Atlanta.
Tight End-Antonio Gates, San Diego.
Wide Receivers-Brandon Lloyd, Denver; Calvin Johnson, Detroit, and Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City (tie).
Tackles-Jason Peters, Philadelphia; Sebastian Vollmer, New England.
Guards-Chris Snee, New York Giants; Carl Nicks, New Orleans.
Center-Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh.
Kicker-David Akers, Philadelphia.
Kick Returner-Leon Washington, Seattle.
---
DEFENSE
Ends-Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants; Justin Tuck, New York Giants.
Tackles-Vince Wilfork, New England; Kyle Williams, Buffalo.
Outside Linebackers-Cameron Wake, Miami; DeMarcus Ware, Dallas.
Inside Linebackers-Brian Urlacher, Chicago; Ray Lewis, Baltimore.
Cornerbacks-Devin McCourty, New England; Charles Woodson, Green Bay.
Safeties-Nick Collins, Green Bay; and Antrel Rolle, New York Giants, Eric Weddle, San Diego, Malcolm Jenkins, New Orleans, Quintin Mikell, Philadelphia, Chris Harris, Chicago, Michael Huff, Oakland, Michael Griffin, Tennessee, and Darren Sharper, New Orleans (tie).
Punter-Mat McBriar, Dallas.



(miamiherald.com)

It was surprising that Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork didn't speak to the media after Sunday's loss, but he was apparently livid over the way the Jets celebrated and showboated on the field. Then, it was even more surprising the captain didn't speak again Monday. Wilfork has always been a stand-up guy, and he spoke a ton after the Pats' playoff loss to the Ravens last year, so something must have really bothered him. He did, however, make an appearance on WEEI on Monday.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(nesn.com)

BOSTON -- New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said he didn't think the benching of receiver Wes Welker for the first offensive posession of the game had an effect on the team's playoff loss to the Jets, but made it clear that he didn't agree with the decision.

"I don't think it was a big deal, the comments Wes said or the benching. People have opinions and in my opinion, I wouldn't have done it because of what the game meant," Wilfork said during his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI on Monday. "To each his own. I'm not questioning the head man's judgment at all -- it's just my opinion."

Welker was apparently benched for comments to the press last week in which he subtly poked fun at the foot-fetish flap involving Jets coach Rex Ryan and his wife.

Wilfork added that he didn't even know Welker had been benched for the first offensive series until after the game.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, in his appearance on WEEI earlier in the day, also said that the benching wasn't a factor in the Patriots' loss.

"That has no bearing on the way that we played as a team," he said. "I think that's just, I don't know, I don't think it had any effect on the game. What has the most effect on the game is the way that we played."

But Brady acknowledged that Welker's comments were in line with his teammate's sense of humor.

"That's Wes' personality," he explained. "Wes is a very fun, positive, energetic person. With all the things that were coming out of New York, I think Wes just thought it would be funny to combat it in his own way."

"I don't think that's any reason why we lost the game," he said.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(espn.com)

Though his aching body and the temperature outside are undoubtedly telling him it's the playoffs, it must feel like the beginning of training camp for New England Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork. When he scans the locker room, and sees the less-than-household likes of Landon Cohen, Eric Moore and Kyle Love, you'd forgive Wilfork for flashing back to the dog days of August.

While the serving of youth has worked out for the top-seeded Patriots, it has forced Wilfork into an unquestioned role as both leader and workhorse.

Wilfork, a quiet player who prefers to lead by example, was first forced in the direction of that role last year with the departure of Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. But the situation was a tricky one for both player and team because the former first-rounder was in the final year of his six-year rookie deal and in a contentious dispute with management over his desire to be paid like a top defensive lineman.

Some speculated that Wilfork would hold out. He instead chose to play the season, and would be rewarded with a five-year $40 million deal this past March, a contract that included an $18 million signing bonus.

With his future secure, Wilfork's role as a team leader has felt more natural to all parties involved. It has also been borne of necessity. The Pats have lost Ty Warren, Mike Wright and Ron Brace for the season, meaning Wilfork has filled the dual role of playmaker and teacher for the perennial AFC East champs.

Playing defensive line for the Pats requires a unique combination of size, unselfishness and discipline. During his seventh year in the league, Wilfork has worked to instill that discipline into the younger defensive linemen.

"It's very tough coming into a system like this and being successful right away," said Wilfork. "It's very tough. At times it's not perfect. At times I go out and do some things that I look at [on] film and think, 'What was I thinking?'

"It's very tough in a scheme like this. But these guys, they get it. Me being a pretty accountable guy, I want to make sure that these guys coming in that are going to help [us] know how we do things."

The situation has also spelled more snaps for Wilfork.

The only defensive player on the postseason roster to win a Super Bowl, Wilfork was forced to play a season-high 75 snaps in a 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers back in December, and that included playing on third down, something the 325-pound nose tackle had rarely done.

Quantifying Wilfork's performance can be difficult, because his excellence won't show up on the stat sheet in tackles or sacks. The 325-pounder (according to the team) posted two sacks in the regular season finale against the Dolphins, his first QB takedowns since 2008.

What the Miami (FL) product does more consistently is to occupy two offensive linemen, freeing up the linebackers playing behind him. Perhaps the best reflection of Wilfork's play this year was LB Jerod Mayo leading the league with 175 tackles. The effort helped both players earn Pro Bowl citations, including Wilfork's third in the past four years.

Bill Belichick said no one appreciates a good nose tackle like a middle linebacker, calling a good nose tackle a linebacker's best friend and comparing the Wilfork-Mayo duo to Hall of Famers Joe Greene and Jack Lambert with the 1970s Steelers. If you single-blocked Greene he made the play, and if you double-teamed him it would be Lambert on the tackle. Belichick notes the dilemma for opposing offenses.

"It's always hard when you have a guy on the line of scrimmage that's tough to block," Belichick said. "It makes it really tough to get up and get the linebacker behind him. The quicker you leave that defensive linemen to get the linebacker, then the harder it is for whoever is blocking him to keep him out of the play so the runner can get up to that second level."

Wilfork figures to make life exceedingly difficult for the Jets on Sunday, as the team's line attempts to create holes for RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Part of the challenge will be in simply locating the 29-year-old behemoth Wilfork, who has lined up everywhere from outside the shoulder of the offensive tackle to over the head of the center this season. It is that versatility that helped earn Wilfork his third Pro Bowl selection in 2010.

The Jets do have some positive history to point to against the Pats, however.

New York's 28-14 victory over New England way back in Week 2 saw New England gutted for 136 rushing yards on 32 carries. Tomlinson averaged 6.9 yards per carry (11 carries, 76 yards) that day, and when the Pats blew out the Jets 45-3 in the second matchup, Rex Ryan's team still gained 152 yards on the ground.

The Pats run defense in the season's second half was similar to a punter on a team with a top offense -- it was rarely tested because of big leads. Overall, it allowed 4.2 yards per carry, a middle-of-the-pack 16th in the NFL. If the Jets have their way, Wilfork and his New England cohorts will have life much tougher than usual.

With struggling quarterback Mark Sanchez not proving much of a threat, the team will undoubtedly come out playing what Ryan refers to as Jets football -- get a lead, play great defense, run the ball and don't let the other team get it back.

Tomlinson, nearing the end of his career, would love nothing more than a playoff victory against the Pats after losing to them twice in consecutive playoff runs, including 2006 when the Chargers were 14-2 and the No. 1 seed.

Tomlinson had 23 carries for 123 yards in that game, but Patriots receiver Troy Brown stripped Chargers safety Marlon McCree in the closing minutes after McCree made an interception that would have probably sealed the game. San Diego lost 24-21 when Nate Kaeding missed a game-tying field goal in the final seconds.

Wilfork could be seen dancing and waving goodbye to Chargers fans after the win. The Pats hope for a repeat celebration Sunday from their largest leader on Sunday.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(cbssports.com)

6 proCanes made early exits out of the NFL playoffs after he wildcard round this weekend.

Reggie Wayne (Colts), Javarris James (Colts), Jon Vilma (Saints), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jeremy Shockey (Saints), Antonio Dixon (Eagles) all lost their respective games and will start their offseason.

Below are the remaining proCanes in the NFL playoffs.

AFC: Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Tavares Gooden (Ravens), Willis McGahee (Ravens), Brandon Meriweather (Patriots), Vince Wilfork (Patriots).

NFC: Kelly Jennings (Seahawks), Spencer Adkins (Falcons), Devin Hester (Bears), Greg Olsen (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers).

New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork was fined $10,000 by the NFL for his third-quarter hit on Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne in the season finale last Sunday.

Wilfork sacked Henne on the play, but was ruled to have made helmet-to-helmet contact, for which the Patriots were penalized 15 yards. Wilfork's fine was for driving Henne into the ground.

Meanwhile, Dolphins defensive lineman Paul Soliai was also fined $10,000 for roughing the passer. His third-quarter hit on Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer -- on the play in which Hoyer connected with receiver Brandon Tate for a 42-yard touchdown -- drew the fine.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(espn.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Vince Wilfork continued to take his game to new levels during his 2010 Pro Bowl season, and one of the most remarkable aspects of this campaign has been his ability to get it done amid a revolving door of defensive linemen.

In the last week alone, the Patriots placed defensive linemen Ron Brace and Mike Wright on injured reserve, while also temporarily suspending rookie defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick. They also signed Atiyyah Ellison Wednesday and then released him Saturday.

Of the Patriots' current crop of seven defensive linemen, two of them -- Eric Moore (Dec. 3) and Landon Cohen (Dec. 22) -- have been added in the last five weeks. Three others -- veteran Gerard Warren, rookie Kyle Love and Deaderick -- were added in the offseason, while Wilfork and second-year lineman Myron Pryor are the only two who were with the Patriots last season. Pryor, though, missed seven consecutive games with a back injury.

The never-ending series of changes started almost immediately when the Patriots had issues with Derrick Burgess in training camp and placed Ty Warren on injured reserve Aug. 13. They've also placed rookie Kade Weston and Darryl Richard on IR.

Even with all of that, Wilfork has turned in his best season, despite the fact that he's almost always getting to know a new linemate.

"It’s very tough coming into a system like this and being successful right away," Wilfork said. "It’s very tough. At times, it’s not perfect. At times, I go out and do some things that I look at [on] film and think, ‘What was I thinking?’ It’s very tough in a scheme like this. But these guys, they get it. Me being a pretty accountable guy, I want to make sure that these guys coming in that are going to help [us] know how we do things. If that’s watching more film or staying after and working with some guys, that’s what it is. Whatever they need for us to be successful, that’s what we’re willing to give.

"I think all year we’ve been working very, very hard all around, every position. Some things [that] we don’t do a lot of, we spend a little bit more time on. At this point in time, there are some things that you can do a lot better, some things that we haven’t done all year but we did in camp, some of those things might come up now. We have to approach it and we have to know what we have to do when those things come up. But, these guys, like I said, you’re professional. When you’re at this level, you’re professional. It’s very hard to come and be successful at this level, at this time especially, on a team like [ours with] the schemes that we run. It’s pretty tough, but we manage to do it. It’s hard work. That’s all it is, hard work paying off."

Click here to order Vince WIlfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(nesn.com)

That's Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork, and tomorrow this issue of Sports Illustrated will hit the stands and mailboxes as it serves as the magazine's NFL playoff preview.

It is the 23d time the Patriots have been on the cover, which is the sixth most among NFL teams. In this issue, NFL writer Peter King says the Patriots look "like a better team than the 2007 team that entered the Super Bowl 18–0.” He goes on to predict the Patriots will beat the Green Bay Packers 30-24 in the Super Bowl.

This is either good news or bad news, depending on how much you believe in the SI cover jinx, which holds that teams or athletes featured on Sports Illustrated's cover are destined to fail. It gets refuted more often than not, but it'll be a conversation starter nonetheless.

Wilfork is the first defensive tackle to be on the cover by himself since 2008. Wilfork's presence on the cover may be fitting, considering the challenges facing the Patriots defensive line.

There was plenty of news involving the Patriots last night, including rookie defensive lineman Brandon Deaderick being placed on the reserve/suspended list by the team.

Any detailed reaction to the news will have to wait as the Patriots are off today and coach Bill Belichick is not scheduled to address the media. The team will return to Gillette Stadium tomorrow.

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(boston.com)

17 proCanes will participate in the 2010 NFL playoffs. 8 from the AFC and 9 from the NFC. Below is a list of the players.

AFC: Reggie Wayne (Colts), Javarris James (Colts), Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Tavares Gooden (Ravens), Willis McGahee (Ravens), Brandon Meriweather (Patriots), Vince Wilfork (Patriots).

NFC: Kelly Jennings (Seahawks), Jon Vilma (Saints), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jeremy Shockey (Saints), Antonio Dixon (Eagles), Spencer Adkins (Falcons), Devin Hester (Bears), Greg Olsen (Bears), Sam Shields (Packers).

FOXBORO — Vince Wilfork [stats] wasn’t about to be shut out again.

After being held without a sack last year, Wilfork entered yesterday’s regular-season finale in jeopardy of a repeat. But the Patriots [team stats] defensive lineman ended his drought with a pair of third-quarter sacks in a 38-7 win over the Miami Dolphins [team stats] at Gillette Stadium.
“I joke with (defensive line coach Pepper Johnson) all the time that I can’t go 0-for again this year,” Wilfork said. “And you know what, God answered my prayers and I made a couple of plays today.”

Wilfork broke through Miami’s line on a first down early in the third quarter and drilled quarterback Chad Henne. Wilfork’s first sack in 33 games was marred by a 15-yard personal foul for a helmet-to-helmet hit.

Wilfork seemed surprised his hit drew a flag, and three plays later he took out his displeasure on Henne, dropping the quarterback for a 7-yard loss on third down.

“All year we’ve been working our tails off rushing the passer, and every time I come free either he’s getting rid of the ball or someone’s picking me up or (there is) a scramble — whatever it may be,” said Wilfork, who earned his third Pro Bowl selection this season. “I was pretty excited to come in and be able to get a sack.”

Wilfork highlighted another strong day by the Pats defense. The unit, which was maligned early in the season, allowed an average of 9.4 points in the final five games.

“We fought all year,” Wilfork said. “When things weren’t going well, everybody just pulled together and we fought. And the last couple of weeks or months — I want to say after the Cleveland game — there’s something different about this ballclub. We’re clicking. We just trust one another out there on the field. We put the team first. Everyone is unselfish and we’ve been just having fun.”

For Wilfork, things took a sharp turn after the 34-14 blowout loss to Cleveland on Nov. 7. The Pats have won eight straight games since that wakeup call.

“The road wasn’t smooth all the way and I think the Cleveland game really was a gut check,” Wilfork said. “They beat us down pretty bad — physically, mentally, you name it. They did whatever they wanted to do. I think from that point on guys really buckled down . . . I think from that point on, guys just really hated that taste of losing.”

Wilfork has no desire to experience that taste again, as the Patriots head to the postseason as the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

“Any little slippage and your season will be done,” Wilfork said. “We worked hard for a bye, so we deserve it, but at the same time we’re going to make sure we’re taking care of what we need to take care of.”

Click here to order Vince Wilfork’s proCane Rookie Card.



(bostonherald.com)