Patriots' Vince Wilfork: Texans are NFL's 'best'

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)