Vince Wilfork News

Wes Welker is just as adept at slipping underneath the coverage off the field as he is on it.

One of the issues that has come up regarding Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who is looking for a new contract after outperforming his rookie deal, is the length of Wilfork's first contract.

Questions from Patriots fans are answered on Boston.com as part of a weekly Tuesday mailbag.

While philosophies may differ, the most usual job description of the 3-4 nose tackle is to simply be a space eater.

If you were listing the top five questions facing the Patriots this preseason, what would your five look like? That's where this week's mailbag starts, and it seems like a good breaking point.

Patriots defensive lineman Ron Brace during Rookie mini camp at Gillette Stadium on Friday, May 1, 2009.

Wilfork had a personal best 66 tackles and two sacks while starting all 16 games on a defense that lost several veterans to injuries.

This is the third in a series of team-by-team breakdowns that will run on SportingNews.com before the start of training camp.

The BC d-lineman is ready for his next challenge. When it comes to drafting defensive linemen, the Patriots very rarely swing and miss.

Every Tuesday on Boston.com, questions from Patriots fans are answered as part of a weekly mailbag.

In the age of the 3-4 defense, good nose tackles are extremely hard to come by. The big men play an integral role in stopping the run and tying up blockers, sacrificing individual accomplishment for overall team success... by Michael Gleason 18 reads Opinion In the age of the 3-4 defense, good nose tackles are extremely hard to come by.

The rest of this week's mailbag. We often speak about the pending free agency of Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour and Logan Mankins but about Stephen Gostkowski? Nobody seems to mention him at all.

We all remember Tom Cruises' role in Jerry Maguire, a super-uber sports agent who wanted his client to get top dollar for his services.

Earlier this week, I unveiled the 2009 version of the " All-Notorious Offense ." It's now time to pull the sheet off the guys who play on the other side of the ball.

Looking through the comments on the blog and answering more questions ... 1) From IowaPatsFan That seems impressive that [Shawn Springs] keeps his own through notebook on receivers.

In one respect, Patriots OLG Logan Mankins and NT Vince Wilfork are in similar situations.

Guys, enjoy your little pre-training camp break after today. It's been a busy off-season and you all deserve some down time.

Adalius Thomas loves to joke around, just like the brash defensive coordinator he played for with the Ravens.

I like Vince not only as a player but as a character. He's a colorful guy and a fixture on this team.

Vince Wilfork [ stats ] learned this week how the Patriots [ team stats ] roll when it comes to player negotiations.