Vince Wilfork huge lift

FOXBORO - Nose tackle Vince Wilfork [stats] was on the Gillette Stadium field two hours before the game, testing out his sprained left ankle and consulting with team doctor Thomas Gill. Turns out, the Pro Bowler was healthy enough to play.

It provided a huge boost for the Patriots [team stats] in their 27-21 win against the Ravens yesterday. Wilfork had two tackles, one for a loss, with a pass deflection.

“Nothing fazes that guy,” said fellow defensive lineman Mike Wright, who had two sacks and three quarterback hurries. “He’s a tree stump so you can pretty much count on Vince being there. He’s a presence, the core of the defense.”

Wilfork was not available for interviews, but his wife, Bianca, sent out a Tweet before the game joking about his playing status.

“Not sure if i like u playing today,” said Bianca, under the Twitter moniker, Mrs75. “but its not like u have your phone so we can talk about it ”

The Patriots allowed the Ravens 116 yards on the ground, with 50 coming on one run by Ray Rice. When Baltimore attempted to run the same play on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Wilfork clogged the hole and Gary Guyton made a stop.

“It looked like there were a lot of bodies in there,” coach Bill Belichick said, “and there wasn’t a lot of movement on the line of scrimmage.”



(bostonherald.com)