Vince Wilfork is the newest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, and his long-time coach released a glowing statement about the nose tackle on Wednesday morning.
“Vince exemplified all the things that define football greatness,” Bill Belichick said. “Vince’s rare physical ability was obvious, but it was his professional approach to the game, his competitiveness, toughness and dedication to the team that set him, and several of his teams, apart. Vince Wilfork is an all-time great player.”
A five-time Pro Bowler, Wilfork won a pair of Super Bowls under Belichick — 2004 and 2014 — and is the only Patriot other than Tom Brady to have a ring from both legs on New England’s dynasty. He beat Logan Mankins and Mike Vrabel in a fan vote to earn enshrinement, and on a conference call earlier this week, spoke very highly of Belichick’s role in his success.
“I believe I was probably one of the best true two-gap nose tackles that ever played the game, and I would put that against anyone,” Wilfork said. “I played from left to right. I played five (technique), four, three, two, one on both sides. You don’t have any noses doing that, and when you can find one, you can let me know. So I’ve always regarded myself as one of the best defensive tackles and the best nose tackle to ever play the game. And people can fight me on it. People can have their opinions on it. But I’m just telling you where I stand, because I was that one guy that can go from left to right defensive end and anywhere in the middle.
“I was a nightmare for offenses trying to figure out where I’m going to be, and all that credit goes to Bill Belichick. That’s totally Bill trusting me enough to be able to learn those positions and not only play those positions, but play them at a high level. You can throw anybody out there and try something, but I played those positions at a very high level, so it’s not like he was just putting me out there just because we didn’t have extra bodies or anything. No, he put me out there because he knew that I was capable of doing what I needed to do out there.”
Wilfork will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame this fall at Gillette Stadium, but the date and time have yet to be determined.
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