New England Patriots Links 12/02/11 - Wilfork: Colts Still Rivalry Game With or Without Manning

Vince Wilfork responds to a question about what playing the Colts means to him.

It's a rivalry game. Like you said, the record doesn't mean anything to us. This is the National Football League and we know any given Sunday, a team is going to try their best, especially against us, to try to wear us out and beat us up to prove a point. We're always walking around with a target. One thing we have to do is, we have to be ready to go; start fast and finish fast. That's one of things that we put an emphasis on is being able to put a whole game together, not just 48 minutes or 58 minutes, but 60 minutes of good football together. That's our goal.

Really, it's not about the record; it's really not. We're not looking at the record; we're looking at a Colts team that, over the years, always played us tough. Guys get injured all the time, you play with injuries all the time, you play with key players sometimes that aren't out [there], so we're not looking at that as an issue for us. We're looking at how well we can play as a football team, the New England Patriots, how well we can play on Sunday. That's what it's going to be all about: who can play the best football on Sunday. Records have nothing to do with it. That's our goal, that's definitely our goal – to start fast and finish strong. If we can do that, we'll be okay.

Ian Rapoport reports Brian Waters says what makes the Patriots a good team is how they respond to crushing defeats as well as resounding wins.

"I just think we’re a good football team," Waters said. "We still got a long way to go. And there’s a lot of season left before you’re at the point where you can call yourself championship-level or not. But we got a good football team. And if you can grow upon that, I think you got a chance of doing really well."

"The professional is the one that really carries this thing over differently than where I’ve been before."

"That’s where you find out what type of team you have," Waters said. "What happens after the big wins and what happens after the great defeats. To bounce back and not allow that to get you off-track, that shows a great attitude for this team."

Eric Adelson interviews RB Fred Taylor, who touched on the difference between his former coaches Jack Del Rio, Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin.

"Ninety percent of my enjoyment in New England was due to Coach Belichick -- the respect he demanded," Taylor says. "If you were the vet or the first-year guy, he yelled at you the same, chewed you out the same. Same thing with Coach Coughlin."

TEAM TALK

• Patriots-Colts Thursday Injury Report.
• Erik Scalavino tells us what happened Thursday at Gillette.
• Press Conference: Vince Wilfork (13.23 min. video)
• Player Interviews: Sterling Moore (3 min.), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (3.21 min.) and Rob Gronkowski (3.08 min.)
• Patriots Today - Colts come to Foxboro. (3.43 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Watch these two in Week 13. (2.13 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Who's in, who's out at practice. (1.10 min. video)
• Patriots Today - Stadium opens doors to Super Bowl. (2.06 min. video)
• Locker Room Uncut - Hear from Gronkowski, Green-Ellis. (2.07 min. video)
• PFW in Progress - 12/01/11: Patriots-Colts preview. (2 hour program)

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss mentions how this week has been a bit different when it comes to Belichick and the media.
• Mike Reiss serves up some quick hits from the media-access period in the locker room Thursday.
• Christopher Price thinks the Patriots running game should get plenty of chances this week against Indy.
• Tedy Bruschi warns that despite the expected mismatch, New England can't let up on the Colts.
• WEEI highlights Devin McCourty's appearance on the Dennis & Callahan show. He won't say if he'll be playing, but at least he's back practicing.
• Mike Reiss highlights Bill Belichick's breakdown of some key plays from the Patriots win in Philly.
• Jeff Howe reports Marcus Cannon is ready for the possibility of more playing time in light of Sebastian Vollmer's injury.
• Phil Perry says Nate Solder is ready for the tough task ahead against Indy's DEs.
• Monique Walker notes Pats punter Zoltan Mesko is having a strong season.
• Jeff Howe notes James Ihedigbo remembers watching Patriots' playoff victories against Colts from his UMass dorm.
• Christopher Price is disappointed we're missing out on the Gronk Bowl.
• Mike Reiss charts the game-by-game breakdown of base vs. sub defenses utilized by the Patriots.
• Mike Reiss updates us on where Patriots players stand in Pro Bowl fan voting.
• Ian Rapoport Patriots Notebook: Vince Wilfork says the film shows the Colts to be a talented team that's still making plays; Pat Chung practiced yesterday leaveing backup Sterling Moore hoping to still get playing time elsewhere; Devin McCourty says he's "feeling good"; Rob Gronkowski won't be playing against his brother Chris, who is injured; Tiquan Underwood spent extra time catching passes after his drop on Sunday; Rookie Marcus Cannon may play with Sebastian Vollmer out with a foot injury.
• Shalise Manza Young Patriots Notebook: For the second time in three weeks, the Patriots are preparing for a QB they have never seen; Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen were both listed as limited in practice yesterday; Brandon Spikes and Sebastian Vollmer did not participate; Rob Gronkowski was looking forward to having his two brothers on the field with him on Sunday, but injuries stopped that from happening; Tom Brady is the second-leading vote getter for the Pro Bowl so far.
• Mike Reiss heard in the media room yesterday that the Patriots were in the No. 4 spot from a Boston media standpoint.
• Shalise Manza Young posts a recap of her weekly online chat. Taylor Price caught in catch-22.
  
• Mike Reiss offers the transcript of his weekly online chat.
• Jim Lazar blames Peyton Manning for wrecking the rivalry and ruining the best matchup of the year, and then makes his Week 13 picks. Pats 48-13.

NATIONAL NEWS

• James Walker (ESPN) Did Bill Belichick take a swipe at Colts?
• Josh Katzowitz (CBS Sports) Top Ten with a Twist: Second-year players. Rob Gronkowski tops the list.
• Kevin Fishbain (Pro Football Weekly) Patriots-Colts matchup of the day: RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis vs. Colts run defense.
• Kevin Fishbain (Pro Football Weekly) Five questions with Patriots color commentator Gino Cappelletti.
• Kevin Fishbain (Pro Football Weekly) Patriots QB Mallett humbled in rookie season.
• Staff Report (Nat'l Football Post) NFP Friday forecast.
• Peter King (SI) Weekend Pickoff: Week 13. Pats 31-9.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Week 13 picks. Both pick Patriots over Colts, 42-13 and 38-17.
• Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) Week 13 picks. Pats over Colts 29-17.
• Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News) Week 13 picks. Patriots 45, Colts 10.
• Jon Saraceno (USA Today) Week 13 picks. Pats 41-13.
• Video (ESPN) Accuscore report for Pats-Colts.
• Chris Burke (SI) NFL playoff picture, Week 13.

VIEW FROM INDIANAPOLIS

• Phillip B. Wilson (Indy Star) Patriots' Rob Gronkowski is matchup nightmare.
• Phil Richards (Indy Star) How they match up: Jerraud Powers plus Colts CBs vs. Wes Welker and Jerod Mayo vs. RB Donald Brown.
• Phil Richards (Indy Star) Colts have confidence in Donald Brown.
• Craig Kelley (Colts.com) BC Eagle flies home.
• Phillip B. Wilson (Indy Star) Doctors OK Peyton Manning for more intense rehab.
• Mike Chappell (Indy Star) Colts face defining decisions on Peyton Manning, No. 1 draft pick.
• Bob Kravitz (Indy Star) Luck tandem cannot work for Colts.