Wilfork thinks that the Pats defense needs to improve.
Vince Wilfork thinks that the Patriots young players on defense will benefit from going through OTAs.FOXBOROUGH – When Matt Light retired, he didn’t waste anytime hitting up the media circuit to offer his opinion on his former teammates.
During one of his first interviews on ESPN, he began criticizing the New England Patriots’ defense, saying that the team needed to find playmakers to put around Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo and Patrick Chung.
A comment like that could have easily upset the guys he used to call teammates, but it turns out that they actually agree with him.
“I think he’s right,” Wilfork said.
“Being a young defense, I think with the lockout and all of that, I think we struggled at certain points with some of the things we did.”
Struggle, they did. New England’s defense finished last season ranked 31st in total defense after having allowed 6,577 yards, 4,703 of which came through the air.
The team focused heavily on improving the issues through free agency and the draft, where it selected two defensive players, defensive end Chandler Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower, in the first round.
Wilfork also believes that having a full slate of offseason activities should help the young unit form an identity.
“I think the OTAs are good for us and are definitely good for a younger team. We’ve got a younger defense and I’m not saying we’re too young, but at the same time it helps to be able to get together and get the little things out of the way that can make a big, big difference down in the season,” Wilfork said.
“I think some of those things we can get done now. We’re trying now. With OTAs we’re trying and every day we put something different in and every day guys are coming in to work. That’s what it’s going to take. You have to strive to get better and that’s where I’m at right now – striving to get better and hopefully my teammates are doing the same thing.”
Wilfork was then asked to assess the play of Jones and fellow rookie defensive end Jake Bequette, a third-round pick out of Arkansas, but said it was too soon to start handing out grades.
“I don’t want to go there with these guys,” Wilfork said. “I just want to wait and see how we unfold as a team and that’s later down the road. Right now it’s so early and the main thing I’m focused on is getting myself back and going and getting myself back to good playing shape and moving back around and then we’ll go from there.”
“Like I said, it’s hard for this organization to not be successful in picking up guys and whoever they bring in they think they can help this ball club. There’s no question in my mind that down the road we’ll be happy about everything.”