Vince Wilfork: 18-game season would be ‘stupid’

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)