Vince Wilfork unmoved
PAPER WEIGHT: A motivational sign hangs on the locker of Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork (inset) yesterday in Foxboro.
By Karen Guregian | karen.guregian@bostonherald.com | Boston Herald
FOXBORO – Vince Wilfork is worried about not having a contract extension from the Patriots. That's no secret. But the clock is ticking toward free agency next year, and recently, there was a window during the bye week when the two sides could have gotten together and made some headway on a new deal.
They could have found some common ground and gotten closer to hammering out an extension that would ultimately keep the nose tackle in these parts for many years to come, which has been Wilfork's long stated desire.
Only that didn't happen.
Wilfork told the Herald yesterday scuttlebutt suggesting there had been movement toward a new deal was nothing more than a bunch of "bullcrap."
No matter. He just marches on, and continues to play the best football of his career. And down the road, his performance should produce a very big pay day, be it with the Patriots or someone else.
What's interesting, is that Bill Belichick may have unwittingly tacked on a few more dollars to the bundle by showing potential suitors that Big Vince could also play defensive end in a pinch. He played a majority of snaps there Sunday against Miami, so he's turned into an even more attractive catch.
The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Wilfork held the edge quite well while taking on 6-7, 317-pound Dolphins tackle Jake Long. With Jarvis Green out with an injury, Belichick correctly figured Wilfork had a better shot handling Long, given his strength and quickness, than Mike Wright, who played the nose.
"It is what it is," Wilfork said, borrowing that familiar refrain, when asked about the move.
He doesn't like it when it's insinuated he's playing well because there's a contract at stake. For him, it's more about not wanting it to become a distraction. That's why he posted a hand-written note at his locker, which reads: "Do my job."
"You can come here and forget about what you're here for. There are a lot of things going on with me, with the contract, that's one thing I want to make clear to myself," Wilfork said. "So every time I come to my locker, I remind myself what I'm here for. 'Do my job.' That's just to remind me, because I have to sit at this locker every day . . . every time I see it, it reminds me what I'm doing, why I'm here. It makes me get in my book even more."
Wilfork has 33 tackles but has yet to register a sack. Of course, it's more about being a force up the middle to draw double teams so others can make plays. It's also about helping to shut down running attacks, and the Pats are fifth best in the league at that. When asked if he thought he was playing the best football of his six-year career, Wilfork took the humble route.
"I won't say that. My thing is, I just try to do what I can do to help my teammates. If that's getting better each week, I try. Lord knows I try my best," he said. "What I put out on the field, I want my teammates to feed off of. That's one thing, I lead by example. I'm not a big talker. I let my work speak for itself."
Wilfork knows he and his teammates will have to bring their "A" game Sunday night when they take on Peyton Manning and the Colts. He knows this will be the toughest test to date for the Pats defense. He knows what Manning can do. He knows how frustrating it can be to think you have him, when really, you don't.
"Sometimes you know it's a pass and you still can't get to him, or the ball's coming out and he's scott free," WIlfork said. "It's very rare that you see somebody get turned free and don't make the play. But against a guy like this, he's got weapons everywhere. He can dump the ball out anywhere. He has great guys around him.
"We have to do a great job. Just keep it coming, hopefully we'll get to him, frustrate him a little bit. But it's going to be hard."
Karen Guregian | Sports Beat Columnist/Patriots
Karen Guregian has been a member of the Boston Herald sports staff since 1984, performing a variety of jobs. Since 2007, she's covered the Patriots full-time.
karen.guregian@bostonherald.com
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