Ask around for just who is the most impressively athletic player on the New England Patriots, and there are a lot of different answers you’ll get in return.
Of course there is back-to-back AFC Offensive Player of the Week Tom Brady, who has three Super Bowl rings and a supermodel wife to go with his rocket arm and daunting NFL records. And Wes Welker, an impossible-to-explain walk-on wideout at Texas Tech after being named the best high school football player in Oklahoma, who owns a variety of franchise and NFL records himself. And we can’t forget newly acquired wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who looks like he was chiseled out of stone and possesses super speed off the line of scrimmage.
There are plenty of great athletes on both sides of the ball, but you probably never thought defensive lineman Vince Wilfork would be high on that list, did you?
“Vince is a tremendous athlete,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said during his Sunday press conference after the Patriots’ 35-21 win over the Chargers. “People don’t realize how good his hands are, but he can throw it, catch it, catch punts. He wanted to return punts after we put him back there when he was a rookie in training camp. He’s a terrific athlete and he’s got really good hands, obviously.”
Wilfork, a 325-pound nose tackle who has been the anchor of the Patriot defense for several years, put his outstanding athleticism on display against the Chargers when he hauled in a game-changing interception just before halftime and ran it 36 yards back into San Diego territory.
“The pick was fantastic,” fellow defensive lineman Andre Carter told the media. “I know he was trying to high-step, but I think those hips were a little tight. It looked good, though. We were proud of him. Couldn’t have happened to a better person.”
Reading a screen pass from Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers to running back Mike Tolbert, Wilfork said he acted on instinct when he jumped in the passing lane and snagged the ball out of the air. Once he had a hold of the ball, all he thought about after that was finding paydirt.
“Yes, I did (think I’d score),” Wilfork told the media. “Anytime you get your hands on the ball you always think about scoring as a defensive player, because a lot of the times you don’t get a chance to touch the ball.”
The catch was impressive, but his run after the catch may have been even better. He rumbled up the sideline, focusing on the end zone with each stride and carrying the ball in a way that made even the biggest Patriot haters crack a smile. It looked like a monstrous Alaskan grizzly bear carrying a fresh baby salmon back to his family after a successful hunt in a cold Northern river. He would not let his catch go.
Wilfork ended up being tripped up by fellow teammate Devin McCourty, who was flagged for a block in the back as he was trying to aid Wilfork’s way to a touchdown, but even Wilfork got a laugh out of his first career interception.
Asked if he needed oxygen following the play, Wilfork responded with a laugh: “No. I am a well-conditioned athlete. I didn’t need any oxygen. I was good to go.”
He was just relieved that he made the play. If he didn’t, he said his teammates and coaches would have ripped on him pretty good.
“(Coach) Bill (Belichick) always says if you take a chance you better make it,” Wilfork said. “I guess I made it tonight.”
Wilfork’s interception evoked memories of offensive lineman Dan Connolly’s kickoff return last year against the Green Bay Packers. Connolly rumbled 71 yards before being brought down deep in Packers territory.
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