After making the New England Patriots a dynasty, one would assume that Tom Brady was the undisputed leader of the locker room. But according to former Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
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Some players inspire through performance and strategy, like Brady. Then there are those who command respect through presence, attitude, and relatability.
And Talib, while saying “it was f***ing Vince Wilfork” who stood taller than Brady in the Pats’ dressing room, was not trying to diminish Brady’s leadership but instead highlighting how leadership can take many forms in an NFL team.
During a segment of The Arena: Gridiron, Talib elaborated on how, while Brady may have been the quarterback and on-field leader, the real leader in the locker room and among teammates was Wilfork. “Vince Wilfork was the leader in the f***ing locker room,” he said.
“Maybe on game day he’s the leader, but he ain’t even in the locker room, he was like the coach. He would take off his sh*t, shower, and boom, he was in the coach’s office. In the locker room, the police and sh*t, keeping it together was Vince Wilfork,” added Talib.
Drafted in 2004, Wilfork quickly became one of the core anchors of Bill Belichick’s defense. His ability to clog running lanes, eat up double-teams, and dominate the trenches made him indispensable.
Wilfork is considered to be one of the greatest defensive tackles in NFL history and was named both to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Standing at 6’2” and over 325 pounds, Wilfork was the heartbeat of the Patriots’ defense for over a decade. His ability to dominate in the trenches helped the Patriots extend the early 2000s dynasty through the 2010s resurgence. Wilfork was traded to the Texans in 2015, where he ended his career in 2016.
Even off the field, Wilfork was known for his larger-than-life personality, from dancing in the locker room to his famous overalls outfit at training camp to his reputation as a devoted family man. And if Talib is to be believed, he was also the glue that kept the Patriots locker room together, stepping in as the leader when Brady wasn’t around.
