Comments on: Should The Patriots Re-Sign Vince Wilfork?

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:01:33 +0000

Not a chance, MAYBE if hes there in the 4th round but no way they draft him in the 2nd.

Do you really want Tom Brady OFF the field on ANY offensive snaps? thats crazy

By: HardyW

HardyW — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:21:56 +0000

“Wilfork’s tragic family history of diabetes which claimed his father at a young age is something that could become a factor for Wilfork himself.”

It *has* to be illegal to take this into account in personnel decisions, doesn’t it?

By: Timbuk3

Timbuk3 — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:06:42 +0000

Adam Vinatieri left for a Patriots-like situation in a dome for the rest of his career. I don’t fault him for that but seeing how much he has been injurred, I don’t miss the big drag on Pats salary cap compared to price and production of Gostkowski. Heck, they could have kept Robbie Gould for that matter.

Samuel, Branch, and you might as well add Givens, all cashed in on their good fortune to have been drafted by the Pats and helping to win the Superbowl. I don’t fault them for that either but while the jury is out on Samuels, is anyone arguing that the Seahawks and Titans got the better end of those other contracts? No way.

As far as the diabetes arguement for Vince, I know more about that than most and let me say that Type 2, which runs in his family, will not pose a risk to his value or contribution in the short term. The affects would be later down the road but he is well aware of this as he speaks about this frequently and he is clearly taking care of himself in this regard.

The question about Wilfork is what do you do if you don’t have him? The problem recently wasn’t Vince, it was the players behind him. Now, you have cash to improve those but you have to replace Vince. Is Peppers worth that money? I would say he has less ambition in general than Vince and the game really is about heart.

If Vince was all about the money, then he would have already made a stink, and I mean a big stink, and probably would have gotten the Hobbs/Seymour/Samuels treatment along with a bus ticket. He is saying the right things and we can all enjoy the drama but he will likely be back, or he will be hugely overpaid by the Browns, Chiefs, Packers or Broncos to such an extent that we may be glad we didn’t match the offer. Would you argue that it would be more fun to play for any of those teams that it would be to play for the Patriots? Only Suh might be a reasonable trade and we would never get that for Vince.

By: TallGuy

TallGuy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:21:32 +0000

Also if Vince Wilfork thinks he is going to land a huge money contract in New England then he would be the first. Pretty much everyone on this team has taken the hometown discount to be on a competitive team and have the chance to win a championship. Tom Brady makes peanuts compared to the other elite QB’s in the league. That’s why Adam Vinatieri, Asante Samuel and Deion Branch left the team for richer waters though it’s doubtful the last two will ever reach the level they once enjoyed with the Pats.

By: TallGuy

TallGuy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:03:16 +0000

Vince Wilfork maybe a big guy but he is losing his explosiveness. His 2009 stats were a big drop from 2008 and resembles his rookie year. I think the Pat’s are concerned about his weight and I don’t believe that he is now 325 pounds. His NFL Combine weight was listed as 323 and that was six years ago! There has to be a reason why the Patriots haven’t locked him up to an extension by now or even talked about it if he is that important to the team besides the pending CBA agreement.

By: Chris Warner

Chris Warner — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:48:18 +0000

My issue with the whole “Wilfork doesn’t pressure the QB” argument is twofold: one, a 3-4 defense doesn’t require the linemen to penetrate into the backfield; two, without Wilfork (or a rare player of equal ability), how do the Pats expect to get teams into the 3rd and long situations that require a pass-rusher? Without a stout line, teams will be able to run on NE all day.

Also, with all due respect, I don’t think Wilfork being double-teamed means teams have wised up to him. It’s always the NT’s job to take on multiple linemen and take up space.

I’d hate to see Vince go. No, the D wasn’t great this year, but how does taking away the best part of it make it better?

By: TallGuy

TallGuy — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:24:55 +0000

Teams have wised up to Vince Wilfork and doubled teamed him all season long. The Patriots rarely got pressure on opposing quarterbacks this season and it would be interesting to see what we could get for him in trade.

By: rob

rob — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:17:15 +0000

This is going to be Matt Cassel 2.0. Franchise tag applied – pre-draft trade made.

Wilfork’s a great athlete, but he seems to be getting larger practically each week. It’s hard to see the team putting big long term dollars to a guy like him, as good as he is. Let a team like the Raiders or the Seahawks do that, and hopefully use a second round pick you’d get for him to get a young playmaker.

By: David

David — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:51:13 +0000

I used to think along the same lines, until this season. I don’t think its about “the system” any more – the Patriots lack quality players on D, and need more. You don’t get there by trading away your best defensive player. The mantra has always been depth over quality, but I think we need to return to a focus on quality – we need play makers, we need players that opposing teams need to scheme around, or be wary of, and we’re sorely lacking in this area right now (on D, that is)

By: David

David — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:47:17 +0000

But that’s not his role. The Nose Tackle is to occupy two blockers, and create matchup issues elsewhere along the line. The Patriots priority has always been to stop the run, and the NT plays the key role in this regard.