Vince Wilfork doesn't have time for bandwagoners

When Vince Wilfork speaks, everyone takes notice. That happened again on Sunday during his post-game press conference after the Patriots downed the Lions 34-9 at Gillette Stadium.

Speaking in regards to how many media members and fans made so much of the team's 2-2 start, Wilfork said the following, per Phil Perry of CSNNE:

"So many people saying how bad we were -- everything possibly negative people could say, they were saying about us," Wilfork said. "Our No. 1 job was to block out all the noise, ignore it, and just concentrate on what we need to do to get better. And that was our No. 1 goal, and that's still our number one goal.

"Now you look back 11 weeks later and we're one of the best teams in the league, so the same people that were saying we were the most terrible team in the league now are patting us on the back. We don't have room for them. We don't have room for bandwagoners, guys that just off the bandwagon when things get tough."

Granted, there was reason for the media and the fans to jump on the Patriots for playing so poorly in consecutive games. Additionally, part of the media's job is to seemingly make up stories to get readers, which trickles down to the fans because many of them believe much of what is written. That isn't a shot at other Patriots fans specifically, that happens all over the place in every sport.

One of the many things the Patriots do well is blocking out what others say about them. If they do read things, which I'm sure some do, no one is better at turning it into motivation than them. Wilfork is at the center of this. He is one of the unquestioned leaders of the entire team.

Everyone knew the team wasn't going to be as bad as it played back in September, and throughout this seven-game win streak, they've looked much like the team many believed they would be when training camp began last summer.

This team that we have now is a tough football team, mentally, physically," Wilfork said. "Bill asks a lot of us and we give a lot. We knew what it was going to take to turn it around and we did it. It was just putting one foot in front of the other each week and not worrying about what people say and how bad we are, how good we are. It was never about that. It was about us coming in here as a team and getting better as a team."

As I said in my previous article, the Patriots' defense played one of their best games of the season against Detroit. And as Perry points out, they caused Matthew Stafford to have one of the worst statistical games of his career. He finished the day going 19-for-46 for 264 yards and an interception. Additionally, for the second week in a row, the Patriots' run defense was stout, as they held Joique Bell to only 48 yards on 18 carries.

See you on Sunday, Vince.

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