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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 27 September 2007 00:00 |
FOXBOROUGH -- Nose tackle Vince Wilfork drew a large media crowd in the Patriots' locker room today, and said he's reached out to Bills QB J.P. Losman to let him know he did not intend to injure him in Sunday's game.
Wilfork and Losman have yet to connect. Wilfork, who has yet to hear from the NFL regarding a potential fine, feels his reputation is taking an unfair hit.
"Let me make something clear," he said while sitting at his locker, surrounded by cameras. "A lot of people probably listened to what I said and took it the wrong way. The only reason I talked about a fine is that they have a rule for quarterbacks -- if you hit them below the waist you're subject to a fine. A lot of people probably think that Wilfork doesn't care, he's looking for the fine. That wasn't the fact. I got penalized for that, there are consequences behind that.
"Did I mean to do that? No, far from that. Like I just said, if you know me as a person and a player, it wouldn't be an issue because they know I have too much respect and love for this game, and for players, for me to be a dirty player.
"So if you don't know me, don't judge me. Point blank, that's what I want people to know. You have a lot of people out there saying 'that was a dirty hit.' If you don't know me, get to know me. Because if you know me, that wouldn't be a question. I'm not a dirty player."
Wilfork was asked if he felt center Melvin Fowler was riding him on the hit on Losman, which came on the game's first play and knocked Losman out of the contest after three plays (knee strain).
"I have one guy tripping me up, and I have one guy hitting my left leg," Wilfork said. "Of course, that's the only reason I was falling. I'm mad at the reason, because he's hurt. That's a quarterback. That's what I regret. Him being a quarterback and getting hurt wasn't intentional."
Wilfork said he has some friends on the Bills and has reached out to Losman through them.
"I've tried to talk to him, as a person, to let him know how I feel about the whole situation. We have people blowing this thing out of proportion, saying how dirty I am. All these years I've been playing football, never once have I been labeled a dirty player. All of a sudden, I'm a dirty player. ...
"When I leave this earth, I'm going to leave with one thing, and that's my name. Don't bash my name because of one incident. As long as he understands that wasn't intentional, and that organization [understands], I'm fine."
Wilfork was asked to clear up how he landed on Losman, with his right elbow flexed as he was falling. The elbow made contact with Losman's knee.
"I have a million and one things going on in my mind," he said. "You're tripping, a 300-and-something pound [lineman] tripping, I have no idea what's going on. I don't know where my arm is at. Like I said, it wasn't intentional." |
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NFL 30 to Watch: Vince Wilfork, Nose Tackle, New England Patriots |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 17 August 2007 00:00 |
by Ryan Wilson
A regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.
When talking about the New England Patriots, Tom Brady usually is the first player to come to mind. And then, in random order, it's probably Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel, Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour and Laurence Maroney.
But arguably team's most valuable player on the team's most valuable unit, is nose tackle Vince Wilfork. New England is primarily a 3-4 defense, and everything runs through the defensive line. If the three fat guys up front aren't doing their jobs, the whole thing falls apart. That's where Wilfork, the team's 2004 first-round pick, comes in.
And head coach Bill Belichick thinks so much of Wilfork that he calls him "the most complete guy that I have coached at that position." That's pretty lofty praise from the Unabomber.
Wilfork has had to make an adjustment from his University of Miami days, when he was a "penetrating, 4-3" d-lineman. In New England, it's all about gap control, which means Wilfork's job isn't to get to the quarterback, it's to take up space. Belichick calls him "an excellent two-gapper", which allows the linebackers behind him to get to the ball. |
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Belichick's assessment of Wilfork on the nose |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 16 August 2007 00:00 |
By Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH -- Considering who is missing from the Patriots' vaunted defensive line triumvirate -- ends Richard Seymour and Ty Warren -- it's easy to forget about nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
But coach Bill Belichick paid Wilfork a large compliment yesterday, calling him the most complete player he's ever coached at the position.
"I've had some guys that maybe rush the passer maybe a little bit better than Vince does, but didn't play the run as well," said Belichick. "Or maybe played the run a little bit better and don't rush the passer quite as well. But I would say on balance, he's strong at everything."
"It's not like, this is his strength, but he's not very good at something else. He's pretty good at everything. From that standpoint, I'd say he would probably be the most complete guy that I have coached at that position."
Now in his fourth season, Wilfork made the difficult transition from the penetrating, 4-3 defense he played in at the University of Miami to the Patriots' gap-control, 3-4 system, establishing himself as the reliable anchor of the defense.
"He's an excellent two-gapper," said Belichick. "There isn't anything that he doesn't do well. He's smart. He very seldom makes a mental mistake. He's well-prepared. He studies the opponent well. A lot of times he's almost ahead of the play based on a formation or a certain look. He can really anticipate what's going to happen."
Belichick cited Wilfork's improvement as a pass rusher, something that allows him to be an effective three-down player.
"He can rush the passer, he can play on the goal line, he can play in the running game," said Belichick. "He's quick. He's explosive and runs well for his size. He's smart. There's not a lot of holes in his game." |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 12 December 2006 00:00 |
No word yet on Wilfork injury
By Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff
FOXBOROUGH -- He's not Tom Brady, and he'll never be the poster boy for the Patriots -- or anything, considering his 6-foot-2-inch, 325-pound frame -- but nose tackle Vince Wilfork might be the most difficult player to replace in the lineup outside of No. 12.
Interior linemen with Wilfork's blend of size, speed, agility, and playmaking acumen are tougher to find than a Bill Belichick smile after a loss. The third-year lineman is the focal point of the defense, clogging the middle, freeing up others to make plays, and corralling ball carriers on his own.
"He's the big fella that holds it down in the middle," said defensive end Ty Warren. "There's no other Vince in there. There's no one as strong as Vince and as explosive as he is, with his mass and everything. He's an integral part of this defense."
That's why New England will be at a loss if Wilfork is lost for an extended period. The tackle, who has started all 13 games and is fourth on the team with 81 tackles, injured his right leg during the third quarter of the Patriots' 21-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins Sunday at Dolphin Stadium.
Wilfork went down with 9:30 left in the period on a 4-yard run by Sammy Morris and never returned.
At the time, Morris had 10 carries for 31 yards. After Wilfork left, Morris racked up 92 more yards on 15 carries to finish with 123 yards. That made him the first 100-yard rusher New England allowed since Denver's Tatum Bell ticked off 123 in the third game of the season.
In fairness, Morris's total was inflated by a 44-yard gallop with two minutes remaining, after the outcome had been decided. However, that run was up the middle, where Wilfork would have been. It was the longest run New England has allowed all season and just the second rush of more than 20 yards.
Miami had capitalized on the Vince Void long before that, though.
On the series after Wilfork went out, Miami ran the ball four straight times with Morris, including a fourth-and-1 pickup. On the play following the fourth-down conversion, Joey Harrington hooked up with Marty Booker on a 32-yard touchdown pass.
In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins hammered in from the New England 11 on three straight runs, the last a 3-yard TD by Morris.
Artrell Hawkins, who was beaten by Booker on the first touchdown, said Wilfork's absence is like his physical stature: huge.
"Obviously, you want a Vince Wilfork and you want him healthy," said Hawkins. "He does a lot of intangible things that a lot of people may not particularly pay attention to in game-time situations. As a safety, as linebackers, he does a lot [for us] in terms of stuffing that run, and they just can't push him around. He's a big strong, very athletic player."
To date, the Patriots have the third-best run defense in the league at 86.4 yards per game. Without Wilfork, they'd turn primarily to second-year defensive lineman Mike Wright. Wright replaced Wilfork Sunday and finished with two tackles.
"When he went down, we knew he was gone, but I think the players that played behind him played pretty well, too," said Hawkins.
Wright has started one game this season, lining up alongside Wilfork at right defensive tackle when the Patriots opened in a 4-3 alignment against the Jets Sept. 17, but he is a regular in goal-line and short-yardage packages. Wright, who is also a key special teams contributor, has 24 tackles on the season.
"I'll be ready to play whatever role I need to play," said Wright.
He might take Wilfork's role, but he knows he can't take his place.
"There's not many guys out there that are that big, that are that low to the ground, that can also move and are that smart with the game," said Wright. "He's extremely smart."
Wilfork was smart enough to avoid the media and any further questioning about his injury. He was limping in the locker room following the loss to Miami but was nowhere to be found yesterday at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots hope that changes by Sunday, when the Houston Texas come to town.
"He's one of the foundations of the defense," said defensive end Richard Seymour. "It starts in the middle, so obviously we want him back this week." |
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