Wilfork fined for hit on Bills' QB
(FOXBORO — Vince Wilfork has been a terror for opposing offensive lines.
He has made a living in opponents’ backfields, stuffing runs and bringing down quarterbacks.
With exceptional speed and quickness for a 325-pound defensive lineman, Wilfork has been called a lot of things in his career, but never a dirty player.
That was until Sunday, when he fell into Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman’s left knee, which caved inward, on Buffalo’s first play from scrimmage. He was given a 15-yard penalty for hitting Losman late on a four-yard completion to Marshawn Lynch.
Losman sprained his MCL and was forced to leave the game two plays later after he was strip-sacked by Ellis Hobbs. Wilfork said yesterday that he has heard a lot of negative things said about him in the press. He said that he did not hit Losman late on purpose and defended his reputation.
“I got a million and one things going on in my mind,” Wilfork said. “If you’re tripping and you’re 300 and some pounds, I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know where my arm is at. Like I said, it wasn’t intentional. That’s the main thing I want to get out [to everyone]. It wasn’t intentional. For everybody to think that I’m a dirty player, or that was a dirty blow, not at all. If you know me as a person, you understand that.”
One angle of the replay appeared to show that Wilfork was pushed into Losman by Buffalo center Melvin Fowler. According to the NFL Network’s Adam Schefter, however, the league doesn’t agree with that assessment.
Citing a league source, Schefter said that Wilfork will be fined $12,500 for the late hit.
“When I leave this earth, I’m going to leave with only one thing and that’s my name,” Wilfork said. “Don’t bash my name just because of one incident. As long as he and that organization understands that that wasn’t intentional, I’m fine.”
Wilfork said that he has many friends on the Bills team but he has not yet talked to them.
“My main thing is my character, my name,” said Wilfork, who has been playing football since he was 4. “People are doing some crazy things with my name right now, labeling me as a dirty player and like I said, I’m far from that. I’ve got too much love for the game. I’ve got too much respect for the game and too much respect for the players to be labeled a dirty player.”
These teams can score
Fans are expecting an explosive game Monday night between New England and Cincinnati. The game will feature two of the top offenses in the league.
New England ranks third in passing yards per game (289.3), fourth in rushing yards per game (151.7), and first in total offense per game (441). Combine that with Cincinnati’s porous defense, which ranks 29th in yards allowed (403) and 30th in scoring (32 points allowed per game), and you would think that the Patriots, which are scoring 38 points per game, are going to put up even more than that on Monday.
Cincinnati, however, has ranked near the top of the NFL in turnover defense, which concerns New England coach Bill Belichick.
“Defensively, this is a turnover-driven team,” Belichick said. “Cincinnati has been at the top of the league in turnovers the last few years. They’re up there again. They’re very conscious of getting the ball out one way or another, whether it be by scheme or by technique or by the style of play that their players use.”
“They have great speed and I think the entire scheme is set up to force offenses into bad plays,” Tom Brady said. “They put pressure on the quarterback and I think that’s why those turnovers are so high.”
because they’re forcing quarterbacks to get rid of the ball Cincinnati’s offense is ranked fifth overall in the NFL in total yards per game, averaging 393.0 yards and 31 points per game. New England, however, has a proven defense, giving up only 11.7 points and 207 yards per game.
“We have to make plays when we have an opportunity to make plays and even when you’re not in position, you still got to make plays,” New England defensive back Hobbs said.
“They are such an explosive offense, the wide receivers they have, Carson Palmer, he has the ability to put the ball in there. … Carson, he can do it all well. He can throw the long ball. He can hit the comebacks. He can hit the in routes, this and that, so we have to tighten up on the coverage and just make plays.”
Injury report
Quarterback Tom Brady (right shoulder), outside linebacker Rosevelt Colvin (ankle), cornerback Randall Gay (thigh), running back Laurence Maroney (groin), guard Stephen Neal (shoulder), receivers Donte Stallworth (knee) and Kelley Washington (hamstring), Wilfork (shoulder), safety Eugene Wilson (ankle), defensive end Mike Wright (knee), and guard Billy Yates (shoulder) all had limited participation in practice yesterday for the Pats.
Bengals Linebacker Rashad Jeanty (shin), running back Rudy Johnson (hamstring), safety Ethan Kilmer (knee), and receiver Tab Perry (hamstring) are all listed as “out” for Monday’s game.
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