Vince Wilfork

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork made his weekly appearance on The Big Show on Monday afternoon to discuss the Patriots’ defensive effort in Sunday’s 38-20 win over the Eagles. Philadelphia scored on its first two drives of the game, but the Patriot defense stepped up its game from that point on, holding the Eagles to just a field goal for the rest of the first half and the third quarter before giving up a touchdown in garbage time in the fourth quarter.

Wilfork said the defense was well prepared and never saw the Eagles do anything the Patriots had not prepared for in practice. He did mention, however, that the Eagles neglected to do something the Patriots expected out of them.

“One thing they didn’t show that we thought we were going to get a lot of was screens,” Wilfork said. “This team is a real good screen team, and we got one [screen play]. But we were on high alert. Every time we got down on second-and-long or third-and-long, everybody was alert for a screen play because [LeSean] McCoy is such a big part of that offense. The tight end, a big, big part of their passing game.

“But we only got one. So we made the adjustment in the second half. We were going to start rushing a little more. We didn’t too much worry about the screens at the end, and I think once we did that, we started getting a little bit of more pass rush to Vince Young and we started to make some things happen.”

Wilfork also spoke, albeit indirectly, about the controversial Ndamukong Suh play from Thanksgiving Day in which Suh was ejected from the Lions game against the Packers for stomping on Green Bay offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith‘s arm.

Wilfork refused to comment specifically on the play. Instead, he shared his experience from an NFL hearing back in 2008 when Wilfork was nearly suspended for a late hit to then-Denver quarterback Jay Cutler‘s head. Wilfork avoided a suspension after his wife, Bianca went to New York and spoke with commissioner Roger Goodell, presenting him with a video that showed a less malicious angle of the play and explaining more about  Wilfork’s character to the commissioner.

Wilfork said he hopes Suh has that same kind of support from those closest to him.

“My way of going about it was, I had a bunch of support from my team, from the organization, from my players, teammates, coaches and my wife,” Wilfork said. “We had a support staff in place where when we went through it, we went through it. But at the same time, it was something that we got over. We moved on. I’ve been pretty clean ever since.

“It’s however they decide to do it. I don’t take anything away from that guy’s game. He’s a hell of a player, but I hope he has someone in his corner that can just guide him in the right direction, whatever that may be. If he listens, he listens. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t. You definitely need a supporting cast. I can just only speak from what I had, from this organization down, from my coaches, from my teammates to my wife. I had the biggest supporting cast that someone can ask for when it came down to that, so I’m going to leave it at that.”

Following are more highlights from the conversation. To hear the interview, go to the The Big Show audio on demand page. Read the rest of this entry »

Albert Haynesworth (AP)

FOXBORO — Albert Haynesworth spent his bye week watching football.

“I don’t know … what else are you going to watch on TV?” the Patriots defensive tackle said on Tuesday morning at Gillette Stadium. “I’m not a soap opera guy or watching Broadway or anything like that. On Sunday, that’s what you’re going to watch. Football. Monday night, that’s what you’re going to watch. Football.”

And Haynesworth spent some time watching the Steelers, who picked up their fifth win in six games Sunday with a 32-20 win over Arizona.

“They’re a good team. They’re kind of like where they were a year ago, and even better,” Haynesworth said of Pittsburgh, who will host the Patriots Sunday at Heinz Field. “They’re not any slouch or anything like that. They have a three-game winning streak so far, and they’re a strong team. They’re definitely going to be in the postseason this year.

“They’re a very physical team,” he added. “They don’t dance around. They’re not finesse whatsoever. Everybody runs hard. They don’t mind hitting … they like to hit. So it’s a very physical team. More physical than we’ve faced this year.”

After a back injury sidelined him earlier this season, the 30-year-old defensive tackle has played the last two games — he was on the field for 21 snaps against the Jets and 27 against the Cowboys, according to Pro Football Focus. Patriots coach Bill Belichick told WEEI on Monday there’s no issue with Haynesworth’s conditioning.
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Brian Baldinger

On Tuesday night, I had the chance to speak with NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, who spent 13 seasons in the league as an offensive lineman and has forgotten more about playing in the trenches than most of us will ever know. (Check out that story here.) He had plenty to say about the state of the New England offensive line in the wake of Saturday’s loss to the Lions, a game in which Detroit’s front four overwhelmed the Patriots early and set the tone for the game.

“Matt Light was in and out, and obviously [Nate Solder] saw some time out there and Detroit was able to get a good pass rush on him,” Baldinger said. “[Right guard Dan] Connolly went out and that hurt the team a little bit, and [right tackle Sebastian] Vollmer is a good offensive lineman, but he also had some problems.

“I mean, even [left guard] Logan Mankins had problems, and that’s saying something. I don’t care who is going to be single-blocking Ndamukong Suh, that guy is going to win those one-on-one battles.”

In our discussion, Baldinger also touched on several other Patriots-related points, including the work in progress that is the relationship between quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Chad Ochocinco.

“There’s really no timing between Brady and Ochocinco right now,” he said. “You just watch them, and there’s just no connection between the two. I know they had that one touchdown pass, but they’ve really forced the ball to him. It just looks like what Ochocinco is doing and what Brady is reading are two different things.”

But with the bad comes some good: Baldinger has been impressed with New England’s defensive front, saying that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has “completely changed his approach to playing defense” this season.

“He doesn’t have Casey Matthews or DeMarcus Ware, and the idea of lining up in a 3-4 defense and being successful, you can’t do that without the Mike Vrabels and the Willie McGinests,” Baldinger said. “So he thinks, ‘If I can’t get to the quarterback from the outside anymore, maybe it’s better to just crush the pocket from the inside. Let’s not allow these elite quarterbacks like [Peyton] Manning, [Drew] Brees and [Philip] Rivers to step up and throw the football.’ That’s why Haynesworth is here, so try to crush that pocket and crush people up front.”

Baldinger said that if Albert Haynesworth is right, he could be a game-changer for New England.

“Look, I don’t know what they can get from Albert Haynesworth. I’m not even sure what Belichick knows he’s going to get from him,” he said. “But if they get 25-30 snaps a game from him, you put Haynesworth and [Vince] Wilfork inside … good luck being that guard that has to single-block one of those guys.”

Logan Mankins

Lions defensive end Lawrence Jackson is not pleased with Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins following their confrontation during Saturday’s preseason game in Detroit.

After a second-quarter play, Mankins grabbed Jackson’s facemask before Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh rushed in to slap Mankins away (video can be seen here at the 1:20 mark). Mankins received a 15-yard penalty for his actions.

Jackson claims Mankins was responsible for the incident.

“Yeah, he’s a dirty bastard,” Jackson said Monday, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. “That’s all. He’s dirty. I kind of called him out on it. Things for a little rough.”

Added Jackson: “It seems like defense is always on the short end of the stick in the league. The offense gets away with a lot of stuff, especially the offensive line; 95 percent of it doesn’t get called. And stuff like this, I mean, you don’t let anybody mess with your brothers. It was nothing intentional, but we’ve got to stay together. That’s all.”

Suh, who was fined $20,000 by the NFL for his hit on Bengals quarterback in the preseason opener, received some criticism for his aggressive intervention, but he wasn’t backing down Monday.

“Do I regret it? No,” Suh said. “But the funny thing about the whole situation is that I wasn’t the one that got the 15-yard penalty for grabbing a facemask. The other funny piece about it is I didn’t know you can’t help protect one of your teammates in the act of duty.

“But it is what it is. I had a great conversation with, actually, the ref who saw everything. And he said, ‘Next time, make sure you let me handle it, but I understand what you were doing and helping your teammate out and removing him from the situation.’ ”

Suh said he’s not sure if he’ll be fined for the fourth time in his young career.

“I can’t answer that question,” he said. “That’s not my ruling and not where I sit. Not my decision. I’m going to continue to play hard and play within the rules, as I have been. When I’ll consider myself a dirty player is when my mom tells me that.”

Matthew Stafford has given Lions fans a lot to smile about after an 0-16 season in 2008.

The Patriots look to continue their preseason dominance tonight at Ford Field in Detroit (8 p.m. ET, WBZ-TV) but the task could be a lot more difficult than the first two conquests. The 2-0 Patriots travel to Motown to battle a 2-0 Lions team that some believe could challenge the Packers this year for supremacy atop the NFC North.

It was the Brian Hoyer – Ryan Mallett show in a 47-12 laugher over the Jaguars on Aug. 11 at Gillette. That was also the game rookie Stevan Ridley had three touchdowns, including two on the ground. One week later, they destroyed another Florida team, beating up the Buccaneers in the heat and humidity of Tampa, 31-14.

Tom Brady had a good start to the preseason with two touchdowns and a 111.4 rating. Chad Ochocinco had his first TD in a Patriots uniform, an eight-yard grab but caught just two balls for 14 yards.

Will Brady – as has been the case in the past – play into the third quarter in what is usually the “dress rehearsal” game for the regular season? “Coach just tells us to be prepared to play the whole game, all 60 minutes,” Brady said this week when asked about playing time in the third preseason game.

Will Brady – who will be looking across the line at Ndamukong Sug – look to target Ochocinco more than the four times he looked his way in Week 2?

And will we finally see Albert Haynesworth in game action in a Patriots uniform after battling conditioning and legal issues in the first three weeks of camp?

WEEI.com’s Patriots beat writer Chris Price breaks down 10 things to keep an eye on tonight.

Tonight in Detroit, they have a young, strong quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who had helped lead the Lions to preseason wins over the Bengals and Browns. Stafford was 6-of-7 with a pair of touchdowns in a 34-3 rout of the Bengals in the opener on Aug. 12. He followed that up by going 6-of-10 with 85 yards and a TD in a 30-28 win over Browns on the road a week later. He has yet to throw a pick this preseason.

They have a solid core of skill players around him in receivers Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson and running back Jahvid Best.

But maybe most of all, they have the potential of a devastating defensive line led by Suh, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams.

Add to that mix a third-year head coach in Jim Schwartz who has everyone believing in Detroit that this team, the NFL’s only winless team in history in 2008, could be on its way to the playoffs three years later.

Speaking of defensive lines, everyone in New England wants to know if they will see the Patriots debut of Haynesworth, Shaun Ellis and rookie running back Shane Vereen. Then there’s James Sanders.

Sanders – like Vereen – has been battling a sore hamstring that the team has played cautiously, wanting both to be close to full strength before putting them on the field in a game. Tonight might be the time for both to test their respective healing powers.

FOXBORO — Tom Brady remembers the first half last Thanksgiving in Detroit against then-super rookie Ndamukong Suh and the Lions.

The Lions made life tough on Brady, hurrying him several times, with Suh getting through for a sack (see below) on Brady’s first drive, as the Patriots offensive line was back on its heels. The Patriots trailed 17-10 at half before outscoring the Lions, 35-7, in the final two quarters to breeze to victory at Ford Field. Suh didn’t really bother Brady the rest of the game as he finished 21-of-27 for 341 yards, four TDs and a perfect rating of 158.3.

So this Saturday night is probably just the test Brady and the offensive line need to really see if they are close to game-ready for the regular season on Sept. 12.

“We played them last year, too, so we have a very good idea of the issues they present for the front, with the running backs included,” Brady said. “It’s a very talented group – a very talented front, especially pass rushing. They can get after the quarterback, so you’re not going to be standing back there holding onto it for too long – not that we do that very often anyway.”

Of course, it won’t just be Suh but Kyle Vanden Bosch and Corey Williams who can make life tough on Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Dan Connolly, Matt Light, Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer.

“But especially a week like this where all those guys really feed off the sacks, the negative plays, their crowd really feeds into it – really what was evidenced by us in the first half of the game last year,” Brady added. “That’s always a concern when you play a team with a good front, so there’s a lot of thought that goes into play calling, and obviously me making quick decisions and getting rid of the ball.”

While not being sacked, Brady was hit several times in the legs, including twice near the knees in last Thursday’s 31-14 win at Tampa. He doesn’t want to get hurt of course, but getting hit, Brady said Wednesday, does serve a purpose.

“That’s part of the preseason process – to have guys sack you and knock you on the ground so your body can kind of callous to those hits. Hopefully not too much, but enough where you can — that’s actually a nice thing to have happen for a quarterback is to get hit you kind of settle into the game because everybody goes out there with some anxiety, some nerves. The offensive linemen, it gets knocked out of them pretty quick because they’re able to hit somebody right across from the line of scrimmage. For a quarterback, it’s nice sometimes to take a hit and you really settle into the game.” Read the rest of this entry »