Wilfork suffered Achilles tear, likely out for season
Vince Wilfork, the 350-pound heart of the New England Patriots' defense, is likely out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Head coach Bill Belichick said at his press conference Monday the Patriots were still gathering medical information, but later in the day told WEEI it was "unlikely" Wilfork would play again this season.
"We'll just have to see how things turn out here. But he's an outstanding player, we all know that," Belichick said. "He gives us great leadership and he's a strong contributor on and off the field and in the locker room and everything else. We'll just have to see how things come together for him and also what, obviously if he's not there, it will mean everybody having to pull a little bit more weight on their end."
Wilfork was carted to the locker room with the injury Sunday night at Atlanta. He missed only six of his first 147 career games but was listed as questionable last week with foot injury.
He reportedly tore his right Achilles tendon.
Backups Michael Buchanan and Joe Vellano performed well at Atlanta. Both Buchanan and Vellano recorded sacks of Matt Ryan.
"Joe is a hard-working kid," Belichick said. "He was a productive player in college and he played a lot of spots at Maryland: he played end, he played tackle, he played some on the nose. He has good instincts, kind of has a nose for the ball and a good feel for what's going on. He's really worked hard to, of course, come in and as an undrafted player and earn a spot on the roster. He's had an opportunity to get some playing time as we went through preseason and he took advantage of those opportunities, made a few plays, had some production and it probably led to a little bit more opportunity and so forth."
Linebacker Jerod Mayo said the Patriots talk regularly about the "next man up" stepping in, but the locker room was clearly in a state of mourning over Wilfork's expected loss. He's not only a massive body to occupy blockers and a playmaker who rarely leaves the field, the five-time Pro Bowl defender is a co-captain and the voice of the defense.
"Obviously Vince has been a staple for a long time and he rarely goes out with injuries so it was very shocking and surprising to see my friend go down like that," Mayo said. "... It definitely caught me off guard a little bit because I'm used to always having him in there with me."