Patriots re-sign NT Vince Wilfork - puppies, sunshine and love for all!
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 5, 2010 8:56 PM EST
in New England Patriots News
Email
PrintThe story was broken by Mike Reiss on his twitter status and confirmed by Adam Schefter on his twitter with added details - big Vince is returning to New England on a 5 year, $40M deal - $18M signing bonus, $25M guaranteed. As Reiss points out, that makes Wilfork the highest paid Nose Tackle in the NFL (and justly so).
So much for the theory that the Pats won't offer market rate for their top players - they keep a top performer, a steady link to the Superbowl-winning days, a defensive leader, and a genuine all-round locker room influence. They also keep a member of the extended Pats family - Bianca Wilfork. This deal had to be done, and it so it was.
35 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Holy Jesus
he is big. You still need some CBs, Tim. Jennings.
/un-subliminal message
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
And you don't need all those WRs
(give NE Pierre Garcon)…
I did see the Texans splashed out and bought themselves a CB. Manning has new people to throw picks to blame on the O-line.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Huh?
Peyton didn’t blame anything on the O-line. He took responsibility for it.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: In an exothermic reaction, heat is a product.
Thank you, Chem 116, for teaching me stuff I already learned in high school chemistry. I always enjoy having my time wasted.
I didn't mean Manning himself; he didn't blame anyone
Bill Polian, however… “rant rant, O-line, rant, awful pass-protection, rant rant, ignore lack of sacks…”
I have no qualms with Manning. Bill “Break Doug Flutie’s legs!!” Polian, however…
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Polian
must, MUST be locked in a closet during press conferences stay away from the press from now on, I’ll give ya that.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 5, 2010 10:14 PM EST up reply actions
lol
can we have Gonzo?
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.....159 mph is my top speed..will top that this spring
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
(formerly mathew.40)
No.
We still want him.
"I am in favor of censorship ‐ not against what is supposed to be sexy or dirty, but against what is idiotic." -Jean Renoir
Random fact of the week from the empty void that is my mind: In an exothermic reaction, heat is a product.
Thank you, Chem 116, for teaching me stuff I already learned in high school chemistry. I always enjoy having my time wasted.
Um, No.
Buuuuttt, you CAN have Hank Baskett!!! lol
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Mar 6, 2010 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
I'd consider it
I mean, he really does know how to make the Colts lose in playoff games, after all. That has to help for all those AFCCC showdowns, right?
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
i rather have his wife for a day
and then get rid of her
Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
I love my ZX-6r Kawasaki.....159 mph is my top speed..will top that this spring
I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life
(formerly mathew.40)
I never had ANY doubt. (uncrosses fingers)
My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Mar 5, 2010 9:23 PM EST reply actions
Woooooo-Hoooooo
He is one happy camper right now, and when Big Vince is happy EVERYONE is happy!!!!
Keep the faith!
Sweet!
This was obviously the biggest issue for the Pats, and now they can shift into wheeling and dealing mode. Very happy to have Big Vince aboard for the long haul!
Glad to see TBC back, but that is a pretty fat contract for him.
Now sign Faulk, Neal, and hopefully Bodden too.
Neal re-signed, too
He has a shiny new 2 year deal.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
great news
I’m glad that, in this case, when the team said the franchise tag was being applied as a formality to continue negotiations, they meant it.
Antonio Bryant reported to the dolphins.
fuck me sideways, the dolphins are nabbing awesome guys.
YES, this is great for the Patriots
I am glad that Wilfork got what he earned. I think we all agree that this is a very fair deal.
I also like the message it sends
Do your job, and you will be rewarded. So much for the Patriots not paying.
next up: Mason?
Just saw on Rotoworld that the Ravens have said publicly that since they have signed Boldin, re-signing Mason “is no longer a priority.”
Given that Boldin and Walter are now off the market, that would make Mason the best veteran UFA WR’s available, no? I realize he is old so it would only be temporary, but unlike other older receivers who saw their production tail off last season (cough T.O. cough), Mason had a pretty darn good year: 73 catches, over 1000 yards, 7 TD’s. If he could do that as a #1 WR and with Flacco throwing him the ball, what might he be able to do as a #2 WR (weaker CB’s) and with Brady throwing him the ball?
You forget that Mason retired at the beginning of last season
and then changed his mind after training camp – in short, he pulled a Favre.
Meh. If Tate and Edelman are fine, I’d rather get a younger WR and split the third WR’s reps between them – the Colts have Garcon, Collie, Gonzalez who are all under 3rd year receivers. That’s one of the best WR batteries around, and it’s young. I’d rather replicate that, with Moss and Welker being the main targets and main source of experience, than a free agent old guy.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
fair enough
The only problem is, it’s unlikely we have Welker for the initial part of the season (I’m guessing PUP for the first 6 games of the season), unless his recovery is way ahead of schedule. And while I love Edelman and think he has the potential to become “another Welker,” he isn’t there yet and probably won’t be for another couple of years.
The point being, if Welker is out and your #2 WR is some random youngster you are breaking in, then Moss becomes the only real legit WR threat on the field. (This becomes heightened even more if we don’t get a legit pass-catching TE to replace Watson). As good as Moss is, he doesn’t do so great when he is getting constantly double-teamed, especially if the first guy is up in his face and hitting him at the line of scrimmage.
You put someone like a Mason out there, it changes the dynamic significantly. The guy isn’t a deep threat like Moss but he is the kind of guy who understands how to make first downs. I’d feel a lot better facing a third-and-nine with Moss – Mason – Edelman than I would Moss – (random young guy) – Edelman.
Oh, I'm not ruling a vet free agent or trade out
I just don’t know if I want Mason. He was a great player, but given the retiring-then-unretiring antics, I don’t know if he’s mentally there. I think part of it was he realised just how in the lurch he was leaving his beloved Ravens – with no Mason, Flacco had exactly zero targets that weren’t Ray Rice. Now Mason’s been replaced, he can retire gracefully, knowing he didn’t screw over his franchise. When I say I’d rather have a young receiver, I mean compared to Mason – if he did play this year and was second- or third-wheel, I’m not sure he’d be all that productive. At least giving a rookie or second-year guy reps would mean the young guy improves; Mason would just be there to give so-so production – he isn’t a deep threat, he’s ageing and is thus slower and less physical, and he’d be starting from scratch with a new QB. He could potentially be Galloway without the speed (although I suspect he’s a better WR than Galloway).
This year’s draft is pretty deep in decent, big, fast WRs, which has two effects. One, it means the Pats might pick up a good WR who can contribute from day one (might; it is a little unlikely). But the second knock-on effect is that a bunch of teams are going to end up with young, gifted receivers on their rosters. And that means they’re going to make room for them – probably by cutting expensive veteran receivers who are only going to give so-so production. The Gaffneys, the Caldwells, the Stallworths. So even if the Pats pick up a young guy (or they don’t), there ought to be some veteran talent in the free agent pool, especially after the draft and roster cutdowns. And that’s without even considering trade possibilties.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
well-reasoned
Very solid reasoning. I hadn’t considered the fact that more veterans are likely to be released once the draft is over.
If we were to go for a WR in the 1st round (doubtful, but with BB one never knows), Aurrelius Benn from Illinois is probably sitting there at that time (Kiper has him as #22 on his “Big Board.”) Big physical receiver, not a downfield blazer but fast enough to be a #2 or possession WR, known for being a big yards-after-catch guy. Had a really bad final (junior) season (stats-wise) mostly because QB Juice Williams (and the whole Illini offense) were pathetic. But if you look at his sophomore numbers you can see what he can do. And while few people remember it, it was he (not Dez Bryant) who was basically the consensus #1 WR prospect heading into this last college season, and at one point one of the major draft pundits had him as an early pick to be the #1 OVERALL selection. Obviously his stock has dropped some but if we don’t use the #1 pick on a defensive player (as I and basically everyone in the universe thinks we will), we could do a lot worse than Benn.
Oh, and my favorite stat about him: in 211 touches during his college career (149 receptions & 62 rushes)…he did not have a single fumble. Notice I didn’t say, “he didn’t lose a single fumble”… the guy never fumbled the ball, ever. Didn’t put it on the ground even once, in over 200 touches. The guy simply doesn’t turn the ball over.
Can he kick return?
I like the fact he can rush – versatility seems to be a thing Hoodie goes for in the skilled-position players he has gone out and drafted. But if you look specifically at his higher-round WRs and HBs, they’ve all been multi-dimensional.
Laurence Maroney can rush, catch passes and return kickoffs; second round WRs Bethel Johnson, Deion Branch, Chad Jackson can all return kicks and/or punts; Brandon Tate is a WR/PR/KR, and got his first touch on the O team on a rush for 11 yards. In fact, pretty much everyone Belichick and the Pats scouting department have looked at as a top-3 round O option have been kick and punt returners too. I suspect that’s deliberate – it’s a guarantee against having an outright bust if your high-rounder can at the very least return kickoffs.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
ya
In fact Kiper on his Big Board snippet (only one sentence) explicitly mentions his ability as a returner.
That being said, I still think we go defense with #22, whether Benn is on the board or not (and depending upon how things shake out, he might not be). And there’s no way he’s on the board when the first of our 2nd round picks comes up, that’s for sure.
Agreed
From past history of picking D-linemen with a first-rounder (Seymour, Warren, Wilfork), I suspect they’ll take a big beast like Jared Odrick to fill that Jarvis Green/Richard Seymour gap at RE. After that, it might be hunting season on OLBs.
Other teams just won’t part with those 300lb athletic D-linemen – it’s drafting or nothing. There’s always WRs around who are the odd guy out on somebody’s roster or plunge through the draft.
Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
by Comedic.Sans on Mar 6, 2010 11:03 PM EST up reply actions
Heck, sign him ...
That is a good year for any WR, except Welker or Moss (TD count) of course. Sign him sign him. Draft G Tate or A Benn at 22. OLB/DEs and TE in 2nd round. Heck, we’d be stylin.
Bringing Vince back is a big move
Now the Patriots won’t have to worry about a gaping hole in their defensive line.
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Mar 6, 2010 4:02 PM EST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Media requests: Please email patspulpit at gmail.com
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
