Adjustments haven't changed rookie

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If Vince Wilfork had one wish, it would be that his parents were here.

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Where he plays and when he plays may change from game to game, but what doesn't change is the pendant he wears around his neck to honor two people he will never forget.

"I've worn it ever since 2002; my parents both passed in 2002." Wilfork said. "It goes everywhere I go. Every time you see me, you'll see it. It's either around my neck or in my pocket. It's on me somewhere. I can't take it into games because I'll get popped. I have a chance of losing it. So I take it to the stadium with me, and it's the first thing I put on after a game. It's for remembering them. I'll wear it for the rest of my life."

His father, David, died of kidney disease and his mother, Barbara, died of a stroke about six months apart. He's moved on, now a husband and father of two. Wilfork is mature beyond his 23 years, and defies the flamboyant image of former University of Miami players.

"I'm not a talker," Wilfork said. "A lot of people think University of Miami players are party animals or something. It's not like that. Of course you have a Warren Sapp or a Ray Lewis, but they're one-of-a-kind guys. They've been in the league for a long time; they've been in the Pro Bowl for a long time. They're going to do what they want to do.

"Not all UM people are like that. I wasn't brought up that way. You'll never see me jawing at offensive linemen. You'll never see me dancing and all that stuff in a game."

When you're a prominent player at Miami, you're a movie star. You get a lot of media attention, play in front of big crowds, and play with and against the best players in the country.

It may help ease the transition to the NFL, but Wilfork, the Patriots' rookie nose tackle, says this week has been beyond anything he could have imagined.

"I think everybody has tried to prepare me for it, from Keith Traylor to Richard [Seymour], to the coaches." he said. "I think it's going pretty well. It's definitely amazing to watch all the hype and the media and all that, but I think our coaches and the veteran players have done a good job trying to make sure the younger players stay focused and I think I am."

When Ted Washington signed with the Raiders last offseason, nobody knew how the Patriots were going to replace such a prominent run stuffer. The Patriots had worked out Wilfork, but never expected him to be available when it came time for the 21st overall pick. He was, and they are grateful.

"I was not intimidated," recalled Wilfork when asked about being drafted by the Super Bowl champions. "When I first got drafted, it was a privilege to be part of a championship team. Everybody was glued to the TV when the Patriots drafted me. I felt they respected my game and my style of play, and that showed me the confidence they had in me. A Super Bowl champion is not going to draft just anybody. It was a blessing. I saw the same thing here that I saw at Miami. I felt like I was at home. Guys like to have fun, but they go to work every day. I never felt out of place."

Wilfork faced a big transition switching from a one-gap defense to a two-gap system. However, he had solid mentors in Seymour and even second-year player Ty Warren.

"They put me into the fire early," Wilfork said. "I knew I could do this. I dreamed of playing in the NFL as a kid. I didn't know I was going to come in and play as much as I did. The 3-4 was new to me; nose tackle was new to me. There was a short period of time I had to learn that. It was a totally different game."

Instead of letting it overwhelm him, Wilfork worked harder.

"I grinded for a long time," he said. "I didn't have a clue how to play nose tackle at first. The hardest part was being frustrated every day. All the big plays I made [in college], I'm not making them anymore. All the sacks I made, I'm not making them anymore. The coaches had to sit down with me and tell me this was my job. I had to be a patient player.

"Everything I had to do was backside. Until I understood that, I was going home mad every day because I wasn't making plays. Sometimes I'd come out [of a game] with no tackles, and that was real frustrating to me coming from the background I did.

"I'd go through practice and I would think I'm messing up, and I'd get in the film room and the coaches would tell me I was doing a great job. I didn't feel good about it, but it was an adjustment I had to make. I was a first-rounder; they expected me to play."

That he did. He tied up blockers, clearing the way for the linebackers. Before long, he didn't need advice from the veterans.

"I just love playing around this group of people," he said. "[Tedy] Bruschi got named to the Pro Bowl, so I'm proud of that. He [played] behind me [at linebacker] in my first year as a rookie and I was able to contribute to the team and help him make the Pro Bowl. That says a lot about this defense."

Wilfork will likely get a little misty before tomorrow's game. He'll wear his pendant until it's time to take the field. But even then he won't forget the two people that made this all possible.