Vince Wilfork still driven after all these years

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)