NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2013 #30 Vince Wilfork (by Leander Forbes)
3. Vince Wilfork, New England (9): Wilfork has built up his stamina over the past few years and now plays in many pass situations that years ago he would have been subbed out for. Wilfork has outstanding range along the line of scrimmage and that’s the reason New England plays him at DE more often than he lines up in his original NT position.
Any time you can add veteran guys on your club that want to win, and know how to win, it’s always a plus,” Wilfork said. “Tommy coming from Oakland, you could just tell he loved to compete. He wanted to win. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen a lot out there in Oakland. But as an athlete, looking at another athlete, with the type of motor he has, the way he played, how he go about his business, you can tell he’s hungry still. “It puts us in a better situation. It’s going to be a privilege to play alongside him. It’s going to give us a good rotation and good depth on our defensive line . . . as long as we stay healthy, we have a good chance of being competitive.
Vince Wilfork Mic’d Up (by Billy Spikes)
Yes please. Seems like there’s a number of talented defensive tackles that should be available at the bottom of the first round, early in the second.
Brandon Lloyd — When New England and Baltimore squared off in Week 3 of the regular season, Lloyd racked up nine receptions for 108 yards on a team-high 12 targets. Most frequently working in Ravens right cornerback Cary Williams’ coverage, Lloyd dominated on pass patterns down the sideline. While the rest of Baltimore’s defense has improved since that early-season meeting, Williams has remained the Ravens’ primary weakness in the secondary. Expect quarterback Tom Brady to once again attack Williams with Lloyd in Sunday night’s AFC Championship Game.
Vince Wilfork — Wilfork was every bit deserving of his All-Pro selection this season, but Week 3 against Baltimore wasn’t among his shining 2012 moments. Wilfork got pushed around by Ravens right guard Marshal Yanda as tailback Ray Rice totaled 150 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore’s thrilling 31-30 win. In order to contain Rice in the rematch, the Patriots are going to need a better performance from their decorated nose tackle. Wilfork is New England’s anchor in run defense.
Dead on stuff in this one…
Midway through November we were asking ourselves What’s wrong with Vince Wilfork?, but the anchor in the middle of New England’s line has since upped his game. He ranks fourth among all defensive tackles this season with an 8.7 Run Stop Percentage. On the second level, Brandon Spikes leads all inside linebackers with a 14.0 run defense grade, and Jerod Mayo has the second-highest Run Stop rate of all 4-3 outside linebackers with a 10.6 mark. If Houston is looking for a weakness in the Patriots’ run defense, targeting its rookies on the outside could be a start. Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower both rank in their lower half of their positions with 5.0 and 6.8 Run Stop Percentages, respectively.
