Gary Kubiak offers huge praise for Vince Wilfork

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)