Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Hall Call for Big Vince: Vince Wilfork Elected to New England Patriots Hall of Fame — 5/21/22

Episode Date: May 23, 2022

Big Vince will be getting his call to the Patriots Hall. The New England Patriots announced on Tuesday that former defensive lineman Vince Wilfork has been voted by the fans as the 32nd inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Host Mike D’Abate provides his thoughts on Wilfork’s career and his well-deserved induction.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember that Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. I'm your host Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Also your host of the Locked

On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. While you're out there doing some weekend wandering through that

Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, Big Vince is finally getting his call to the Patriots Hall of Fame. Earlier this week, Vince Wilfork was called to the Patriots Hall of Fame, 32nd member, 32nd inductee of that Hall of Fame, and could not be more well-deserved for Vince. Definitely happy for him. And we haven't had a chance to talk about that too much this week on Locked On Patriots. Again, some scheduling snafus, but catching you up over the weekend here,

starting on Monday with our main man, Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com, OTA coverage and continuing coverage of your New England Patriots. Back on track, back on schedule, and back to being number one in your program, we hope. And we thank all of the loyal listeners of Locked On Patriots for all your patience and everything that you do to help keep Locked On Patriots exactly what it is, which is your daily home for news notes and analysis, infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions. But today, folks, again, the Patriots announced this on Tuesday,

meaning Vince Wilfork's induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame once again the 32nd inductee into the Pats Hall back in April Vince had been selected as one of three finalists for enshrinement and that included former Pats linebacker current Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Grable he was a finalist for the sixth straight time former offensive lineman, Logan Mankins. He was a first-time finalist. And the Patriots elect big Vince, and you can't argue with this, folks. Logan are not worthy of induction. They're definitely worthy of induction, and they will be inducted, I'm sure, at some point.

But Will Fork, just to me, is the prototypical Patriots Hall of Famer, and there's no doubt about it. 21st overall selection by the Pats in the 2004 NFL Draft, and Big Vince was beloved during his time here in New England. 11 seasons with your beloved Patriots after playing his collegiate football for the University of Miami. One of the more dominant nose tackles in college football at the time came in here and really redefined the position for the New England Patriots,

helped them to two Super Bowl victories, five Pro Bowl selections, four combined all-pro selections for Vince, and a place on the franchise's 50th anniversary roster. Also served as a seven-time team captain during his New England tenure. That's not a Pats Hall of Fame resume. I don't know what is. In my humble opinion, that's worth a red jacket. It's also worth a gold jacket. But that's an argument for another day, and I don't want to bring the mood down too much here.

I do believe Vince will get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but today is all about his Patriots enshrinement. And again, Vince is one of the great characters, one of the great players I've ever had the privilege of covering during my time covering the Patriots. I was there when he announced his retirement a few years ago and seeing the true love that Vince has for the game, for the organization, for Mr. Kraft, Coach Belichick, really an inspiring thing to watch and to see his career come full circle, signing that symbolic contract, retiring as a Patriot. It's exactly how he wanted to go out.

And we know that he took his final snaps in a Houston Texans uniform and he did quite well for Houston while he was there. But that one day contract in 2017, August, really, I think, meant the world to Vince because let's face it, 148 games across, you know, the regular season slate that he was able to provide 517 tackles, 16 sacks, five forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, three interceptions and a touchdown all in his career. Tremendous, tremendous numbers. And I believe, and sounds like Vince does as well, and he believes he was one of the best defensive tackles in NFL history, if not the best. And I'll get into that in just a moment. Vince, definitely not shy about his accomplishments, nor should he be. But the man that he impressed most, whether it be coach Belichick, whether it be the fans, whether it be his coaches, his teammates, really when it comes down to it, folks, it's all about impressing the main man. And that is team president, team chairman,

CEO, Robert Kraft, who issued the following statement on Wilfork's induction, really praising Vince's positive impact on the organization, not just on the field and off the field. And I'll read that to you here. And I'm quoting Mr. Kraft verbatim. It's my pleasure to announce Vince Wilfork as our 2022 Patriots Hall of Fame selection. For more than a decade, Vince was a dominant defender in the trenches, anchored some of the best defenses in Patriots history. His contributions on the field propelled the Patriots to four Super Bowl

appearances during his 11 year career. He was a big man with an even bigger personality and a huge heart. He quickly became a fan favorite in New England. I look forward to presenting him his Patriots Hall of Fame jacket. Vince becomes the sixth player to be selected by the fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Did it in his first year of eligibility. Not an easy thing to do when you take a look at the amount of Brady Belichick era Patriots that are now starting to trickle into the Hall of Fame. Drew Bledsoe did it in 2011. Troy Brown did it in 2012. Teddy Bruschi in 2013. Ty Law in 2014. And Kevin Falk in 2016. First year

eligible, they get in and Vince Wilford joins that elite group and you're talking some of the greatest Patriots in team history now Vince is going to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame and that means for those of you in the area it'll mean a trip up to Foxborough and the Hall Plaza outside the hall presented by Raytheon will be where that ceremony takes place dating time not set for it yet generally we're talking in the fall. That's usually when these happen. I've seen them happen in the summer, too. So as I like to say, keep a sharp eye, folks.

We'll update you here on Locked on Patriots. And I'm sure you'll find all of the information that you need on Twitter from the Patriots site. But again, congratulations. Big congratulations to Big Vince. And he is worth every single penny in terms of what the Patriots invested in him, but he's worth every single accolade that is being thrown his way. And speaking of accolades, Vince Wilfork is definitely not shy about sharing those because he spoke with the media earlier this week, and I have some feelings on that, things that

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timeline. Earn up to $1 per square foot per year in lease payments. Go to catalystpower.com slash locked on Patriots to learn more. Patriots fans, once again, we are talking about the hall call for big Vince today Vince Wilford becoming the 32nd inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame and if you're like me and I'm sure most of you are Vince is just one of the most lovable characters that's ever put on a Patriots uniform he's a great personality we love the overalls we love the ribs hat no question about it but we love what this man did on the field. And one of the great joys that I have in being able to cover this team is to be able to interact

with some of the players, players that I grew up watching. And now I find myself writing about them. I find myself getting a chance to interact with them. And I'm truly blessed for that. I'm far from being the senior member on the Patriots beat. I'm a relative novice when it comes to that. But hearing him interact with some of the great members of this beat, such as Mike Reese, Tom Curran, guys who have covered him for a number of years, really was heartwarming. And we had the chance to speak with Vince on the day he was inducted last Tuesday. And the thing that I got out of this more than anything was the story he told about how he got the call. He essentially slept in, wasn't really doing much, looked at his phone and saw a 508 area

code. And it was a missed call. He was wondering what might be going on. There was a lot going on with the family at the time. I believe he said a family member had a birthday party, something to that effect. But what really struck me about Vince Wilford is just the nonchalant way in which he just picked up the phone, called it back, and didn't really have a whole lot of expectation. Now, he knew this call might be coming. He knew he was a finalist. He had spoken to the press team with the New England Patriots, Stacey James and his team, had informed him that he may be hearing from the team right around this time. But Vince is unpretentious. He did not expect anything. Just picked up the phone, called it back. On the other end of the phone is the personal assistant of Mr. Robert Kraft and

handed the phone to Mr. Kraft. And he was the one that informed Vince that he had in fact been chosen as the 32nd inductee. A humbling moment for any athlete, I'm sure. And you could hear the appreciation in Vince's voice as he told the story. And I'll quote exactly what he said. He says, being able to wake up to that beautiful music, and he said this while speaking with the reporters on Tuesday afternoon, that beautiful news of being selected in the Patriots Hall of Fame, it means the world to me. And you could hear it in his voice once again. He truly, truly is honored by this. And, you know, he's been a regional fan favorite since the moment he stepped on a field in Foxborough.

You know, the team had a lot of success during the time in which he was here. And I definitely had a hand in it, folks, if we're being honest. But he's been able to share his talent on the field but also his enthusiasm for the game and really has helped to bridge I think generations of Patriots fans and even though he retired in 2017 Vince is still wowed by the amount of support that he's received from Patriots fans throughout the years and he really and truly is very appreciative of that and I'm going to read you another quote from what Vince had to say when he talked about the

fans and he said quote the one thing that I really love about it is the fan base we have here in Boston you can't compare it and even mention the Celtics and right now I know they're embroiled in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Bruins have their stark raving fans, the Red Sox do as well. It really is a brotherhood in Boston. You really do have that type of mentality where it is New England versus everybody. And Vince understood that. And I think he tapped into it during the time that he was here. He went on to say, quote, here's something about being a New England guy, being a fan and playing sports there. One thing I know, the fans love their sports and they love their athletes. As the athletes that take the field, we love to embrace that. And I've never played in a stadium with the type of fans that we've had. And he played in Houston. There are definitely some

good fans over there that I'm sure made an impact on him as well. But the time that Vince spent in Boston was truly something special to him. And you can hear it every time he speaks of it. Appreciative of what the fans did, because after all, folks, let's face it, the fans were the ones that voted him in. And I think that is really an important part of what Vince's, for lack of a better term, what his affection and what his appreciation really, really state. And a fun fact that I was able to extract, a couple of my colleagues in the media were the first to report this.

Along with Tom Brady, Wilford holds that distinction of being only one of two players able to bridge the team's pair of championship eras. And this is something I hadn't thought of, but I realized it as Vince got that call. He won his first championship ring as a rookie in 2004. That was the team that defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. And then his second in over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. He is aware of that success.

And that's something that I think Vince is very proud of. The fact that he was able to play in both eras of the Patriots dynasty. And we're saying it like it was a long time away. It really was. So for the course of two decades, which is remarkable, sent all of the credit to Robert Kraft, to Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization. And, you know, I think that in so many different ways, Vince really attached himself to this area, but he attached himself to the field. And he always realized that the way to really endear yourself to the fans in New England, but also the way to make an indelible mark on the NFL is to let your play on the field dictate who you are. And Vince Wilford did that as well as

anybody. He's got so much appreciation for the fans, but he is also very cognizant, and you heard this in his voice on Tuesday, of attributing that success to what he did on the field. And the fact that he was a multi-year Pro Bowler is not something that happened by happenstance. That's by design. Vince Wilford is very confident in his place in pro football folklore. And I kind of alluded to this in the previous segment, and I'll read you a quote, and some and some are going to sit there and say well that might be a little bit of bravado but if you know Vince the way most of you do I don't think you'll take anything wrong in this and

here's the quote I've always regarded myself as one of the best defensive tackles the best nose tackle that ever played the game it's not going to get any argument from me, folks. I agree with him. Wilfork stated again, and people can fight me on it. Good luck with that. I wouldn't tangle with Vince Wilfork. He's still as tough as they come. People have their opinions on it. These are Wilfork's words now, folks.

But I'm just telling you where I stand because I was that one guy that can go from left to right defensive end and anywhere in the middle. So I was a nightmare for offenses trying to right defensive end and anywhere in the middle. So I was a nightmare for offenses trying to figure out where I'm going to be. He's absolutely right on that, folks. What struck me was that Vince did not go on to pump his own tires here. Vince gave instead and really deflected all of the credit onto his head coach, Bill Belichick. And this is something that I think is important to remember for all of the vitriol that's thrown bill belichick's way not locally but nationally um about him being tough to play for him being a slave driver the players that play for him have such appreciation of what he's done for their career and you could hear it again

in vince's um you know voice and i'll him once again, because I don't want to misquote him. I don't want to misrepresent what he said. These are Vince's own words. All that credit goes to Bill Belichick, Bill Fork said. That's totally Bill trusting me enough to be able to learn those positions and not only play those positions, but play them at a high level. You could throw anybody out there and try something, but I played those positions at a very high level. could throw anybody out there and try something but i played those positions at a very high level so it's not like he was just putting me out there just because we didn't have extra bodies or anything like that no he put me out there because he knew that i was capable of doing what i needed to do out there and that truly is the type of coach the type of respect i should

say between a coach and a player that you really find that's not only rare in this league, but it creates some of the greatest relationships between coach and player that you can find. Obviously, you've heard Bill Belichick speak glowingly about some of the great defensive and offensive players that are played for him, always making the distinction that the greatest player to play for him was Tom Brady. Probably a very, very close second, if not a one-on, a type situation is Lawrence Taylor in his years with the Giants. But you've heard him describe some of his players with that type of glowing recommendation, that type of glowing memory. Teddy Bruschi comes to mind when I remember Bill Belichick calling him the perfect player and even getting emotional when Teddy retired. We didn't speak to Bill about Vince's retirement yet. We'll get a chance to do

that this week, I'm sure. But Bill did offer the following statement through the Patriots press team. And again, glowing recommendations you would absolutely expect from Bill Belichick to Vince Wilford. And Bill's statement reads, Vince exemplified all of the things that define football greatness. Vince's rare physical ability was obvious, but it was his professional approach to the game, his competitiveness, his toughness, and his dedication to the team that set him and several of his teams apart. Vince Wilfork is an all-time great player. And folks, I think Bill Belichick has said it best. I can't say it any better myself. His greatness is

not going to be determined by individual accomplishments, accolades, or even that type of glowing evaluation from his coach. In my humble opinion, I think Vince Wilfork is great because of his desire to win and perform at the highest level. To me, that's what made him a Patriots Hall of Famer. That's what earned him that red jacket. That's what I believe will earn him a gold jacket when the time comes, and I think he will get his moment in Canton. Vince summed it up very well himself, and I'll close today with that sentiment where he says, quote, I accomplished something that many players probably think and want to have in their career. I'm blessed to be in a position to do that. It's an honor to be regarded as one of the best that's ever done it for the Patriots.

I love it. And Big Vince, I think I can speak for Patriots Nation when I say we love you right back. Congratulations, and it's well deserved and well earned. Pats fans, thank you once again for tuning in today and for honoring Vince

Wilfork here on Locked On Patriots. Once again, apologies for this show coming out a bit late. Scheduling snafus continued to happen. As you know, I have had a pretty tumultuous year with some family issues, but things are getting back on track. I do thank each and every one of you that have taken the time to write, inquire, and find out what was going on.

It truly means an awful lot to me. But for those of you that listen each and every day and got on Locked On Patriots to be a part of your New England Patriots coverage, again, I can't thank you enough. And I really do appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. So in that vein, until next time, Foxborough faithful, continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast wherever you get your podcasts,

including smashing that subscribe button to YouTube. I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone.