FOXBOROUGH - Patriots coach Bill Belichick stood behind the lectern at his news conference yesterday and rattled off a list of things he liked about Sunday, a common and banal ritual on the Monday following a victory. The topics were mundane - third-down defense, perimeter blocking on punt returns - until Belichick broke protocol. He mentioned one player, and only one player, by name.
“Mike Wright had a tremendous game,’’ Belichick said. “About as good as a defensive lineman can play, really.’’
The Patriots relied on him, and Wright played, he believed, the best game of his life. Wright replaced Ty Warren as a starter at defensive end against the Bills, and by game’s end he had contributed from every position and in every way a defensive lineman can.
Wright played end, tackle, and nose guard. He made a sack, he dropped a running back for a loss, and he tackled a wide receiver 30 yards downfield. Playing without Warren and Vince Wilfork, the Patriots allowed 105 rushing yards - only 21 in the second half - to a Bills team determined to run the ball.
In his fifth year of a career spent entirely with the Patriots, Wright holds no illusions about his job. “I’m a backup,’’ he said. “That’s my role on this team.’’ He knows how infrequent opportunities like Sunday’s can be, and he knows the importance of seizing them.
Belichick rarely offers such strident public praise. Apprised of the remarks, Wright tried to suppress a smile in front of his locker yesterday. He couldn’t.
“It feels good, especially coming from Coach,’’ Wright said. “I try to up my standards a little bit every game. I expect a lot out of myself, and I think [Sunday] was just a product of my preparation and my hard work throughout the week.’’
Two plays defined Wright’s game, and the first came early in the second quarter. Wright knew he would play the entire game, and by early in the second quarter, Wright had settled into more of a rhythm than usual. He already had a sack, the first for the Patriots and his fifth this season.
The Bills had established their running game, and they called another off-tackle play to Marshawn Lynch. Wright burst through the line, chased Lynch down from the backside, and enveloped Lynch, dragging him down for a 3-yard loss.
“From then on, I was enjoying myself,’’ Wright said. “It was fun.’’
Wright forgets when, exactly, the moment came that changed his season. He entered the NFL undrafted, and he believes his work ethic provided him his career. Earlier this season, in the course of his daily routine, he saw something that shocked him.
