Vince Wilfork

With the Patriots going big on defense during Thursday night's NFL draft, Vince Wilfork, the biggest Pat of them all, huddled his boys at Milford's Pinz Entertainment complex to raise funds for the Joslin Diabetes Center. Showing up for the annual event, hosted by Wilfork and his wife, Bianca, were Kevin Faulk, Gerard Warren, Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty, Jerod Mayo, Ron Brace, Kyle Love, Zoltan Mesko, Ryan Mallet, Matthew Slater, Ras-I Dowling, and Sergio Brown. WCVB anchor Bianca de la Garza emceed.

By Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff FOXBOROUGH — Here are some observations from today's practice that was open to the media. Before I begin, a few disclaimers. It is VERY, VERY early, so don't go flying off the handle about anything. Things will certainly change in time. This is the third practice the Patriots have had. We don't know what was done the other two, or whether this was a "let's try a few things" sessions. Also, the Patriots know the media is watching.

INDIANAPOLIS - It has become a tradition for Vince Wilfork to invite his fellow defensive linemen into his suburban home once a week, ostensibly to watch film of the previous game and talk about ways they can improve. But that is just a convenient excuse. For Wilfork, the get-togethers are his way of passing on the lessons taught to him by former Patriots Richard Seymour and Willie McGinest. Some are about football because that is their shared craft. But most are about life. "I want to see how guys are as people," Wilfork said yesterday as the Patriots continued preparations for the...

With the Patriots going big on defense during Thursday night's NFL draft, Vince Wilfork, the biggest Pat of them all, huddled his boys at Milford's Pinz Entertainment complex to raise funds for the Joslin Diabetes Center. Showing up for the annual event, hosted by Wilfork and his wife, Bianca, were Kevin Faulk, Gerard Warren, Patrick Chung, Devin McCourty, Jerod Mayo, Ron Brace, Kyle Love, Zoltan Mesko, Ryan Mallet, Matthew Slater, Ras-I Dowling, and Sergio Brown. WCVB anchor Bianca de la Garza emceed.

FOXBOROUGH - Next Sunday, amid all the Super Bowl pomp and ceremony, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork will share a pregame ritual with owner Robert Kraft. Two kisses. One on each cheek. For the super-sized player and the owner, it will be an emotional moment very different from all that will follow on the field. "I used to give Myra Kraft a kiss before every game," said Wilfork. "Now, he gets two kisses - one for him and one for Mrs. Kraft. I always do it, before every game.

Vince Wilfork subbed for Santa Claus last night at Franciscan Hospital for Children. The Pats lineman, who's roughly the same size as jolly old Saint Nick, teamed with SBLI president Bob Sheridan and Franciscan's interim chief executive Donna Polselli to bring a little holiday cheer to patients. Also there were Legal Sea Foods' Roger Berkowitz and Entercom's Julie Kahn. Pictured (from left) with Wilfork are Sheridan, and 8-year-olds Ahmed Al Mahri and Emily Beer.

FOXBOROUGH - So, Vince Wilfork, what did that football look like, lying there on the turf? The idea, of course, is that a very bright man will make someone's story sing with a colorful reference. Hey. It was worth a shot. "A football," he said. That's it? A football? Not a piece of gold, not a winning lottery ticket, not the deed to his quarterback's new $20 million California mansion, not the key to byes and home playoff games? A plain, ordinary, brown Wilson NFL game football?

Nine years ago, Vince Wilfork and his wife Bianca had an unusual idea for how to combat diabetes: They decided to throw a party. Allow the big man to explain: "My father was diabetic throughout my childhood," the New England Patriots lineman said last week. "The first year we did it, it was basically a remembrance thing. My wife said, ‘Maybe this is something we can do every year to bring attention to the cause.' " Wilfork was 7 when David Wilfork Sr. was diagnosed with diabetes.

By Julian Benbow, Globe staff FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots haven't been swept by a division rival since 2000 when they went 5-11 and the Jets and the Dolphins took Miami both took two games from them. After starting the season 4-2, a seven-game losing streak blew a hole in the Bills season, but if they have anything left to play for its sweeping the division champs. For that reason, the Patriots are cautious going into their season finale. "We owe them one,"said Vince Wilfork.

FOXBOROUGH - The talk all week leading up to yesterday's AFC Championship game was about the stars. For the Patriots, it was quarterback Tom Brady throwing to Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, and Wes Welker. Ravens talk centered around Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, and Ray Lewis, running back Ray Rice, and whether quarterback Joe Flacco could get it done. Nobody talked about Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. How foolish. The heartbeat of the team thumped louder than anyone in the 23-20 victory at Gillette Stadium...

For years, a majority of Patriots fans have lived by the mantra "In Bill We Trust. " But that belief in Bill Belichick wavered last season when New England lost back-to-back games in Weeks 8 and 9 after struggling to beat Dallas in Week 6, before its bye. By the end of the season, however, the trust was restored, as Belichick led a team with a statistically terrible defense to the Super Bowl. That trust will be tested again during the draft – fans have been clamoring for a young pass-rushing specialist, a player who can pin his ears back and get to the quarterback, and also would like to see...

Sir Isaac Newton taught us that mass times acceleration equals force. When a 6-foot-3-inch, 346-pound man (mass) runs a 40-yard dash in 4.98 seconds (acceleration), NFL observers start to think he could be quite a force in the middle of a defensive line. Dontari Poe is that potential force. The Memphis defensive tackle was the talk of Indianapolis during the NFL combine when he posted his 40-yard time, a 29 ½-inch vertical leap, and bench-pressed 225 pounds 44 times.

Nine years ago, Vince Wilfork and his wife Bianca had an unusual idea for how to combat diabetes: They decided to throw a party. Allow the big man to explain: "My father was diabetic throughout my childhood," the New England Patriots lineman said last week. "The first year we did it, it was basically a remembrance thing. My wife said, ‘Maybe this is something we can do every year to bring attention to the cause.' " Wilfork was 7 when David Wilfork Sr. was diagnosed with diabetes.

The Patriots made defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene the newest member of their team Wednesday, signing the veteran to a three-year deal. The pact includes a $3.85 million signing bonus, though the rest of the financial details were not known. New England shifted its focus to the 6-foot-4-inch, 292-pound Fanene quickly after Red Bryant opted to re-sign with the Seahawks Tuesday. Fanene offers similar versatility, having played all along the defensive line for the Bengals in his seven years in Cincinnati.

Super Bowl XLVI referee John Parry summed up Wes Welker's fourth-quarter drop in three words that now ring painfully true for those around the Patriots: "That's the game. " Parry's words were caught by NFL Films microphones; the game's lead official and a couple of players were wearing microphones for the game, and "Sound FX: Super Bowl XLVI" debuted on NFL Network on Wednesday, with the best of what the mikes and cameras picked up. Other highlights from the show: In warm-ups, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft embrace, with Kraft telling Brady, "You have that look...

Super Bowl XLVI referee John Parry summed up Wes Welker's fourth-quarter drop in three words that now ring painfully true for those around the Patriots: "That's the game. " Parry's words were caught by NFL Films microphones; the game's lead official and a couple of players were wearing microphones for the game, and "Sound FX: Super Bowl XLVI" debuted on NFL Network Wednesday, with the best of what the mikes and cameras picked up. Other highlights from the show: In warm-ups, Tom Brady and Robert Kraft embrace, with Kraft telling Brady, "You have that look in your eyes.

Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork is one of many former University of Miami football players named in a Yahoo! Sports report that details a former booster's role in providing improper benefits to players from 2002 to 2010. According to the report , Wilfork received an outright payment of $50,000, as well as other gifts and services, from Nevin Shapiro. Shapiro is currently in jail for his role in a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme. A separate page of the Yahoo!

FOXBOROUGH -- By practically any measure, Vince Wilfork has had an excellent NFL career. In his eight seasons, he's made four Pro Bowls, been named second-team All-Pro four times, and won a Super Bowl as a rookie with the 2004 Patriots. But it's hard to remember any single game in which the defensive tackle was as dominant as he was tonight. Wilfork had six tackles (three solo), a sack, and three tackles for a loss in the Patriots' 23-20 victory over the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium.

By Greg A. Bedard, Globe Staff INDIANAPOLIS — A somewhat stunning 21-17 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI closed the book on the Patriots' 2011 season in disappointing fashion. Let's take a look back. WHY DID THE PATRIOTS LOSE? In my opinion, because the offense didn't make enough plays. And the entire unit was to blame. From Tom Brady, to an offensive line that got leaky at the end, to a limited receiving corp, it just wasn't enough. The offense put the defense in a 9-0 hole thanks to a safety, and then the defense held the Giants to two field goals until...