It is reasonable to wonder if a 32-year-old fat man coming off a season-ending Achilles tear might still be able to play at a high level.
But according to the guy across from him in practice, Vince Wilfork is as explosive as ever.
“I did not notice anything -- he was not any slower, or any less explosive, that’s for sure,” Eagles center Jason Kelce said, via Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. “As a matter of fact, the first one-on-one he did, I was expecting [something different], and I set him on the line, and he hit me with a good swim move that I wasn’t expecting. So he still has that explosiveness, still looks like the same great player that he’s always been. . . .
“The first thing you notice going against him is that he’s very intelligent. He’s a guy that’s really going to get every edge he can on you, and he’s a guy that has a multiplicity of maneuvers. Everyone thinks he’s a big, powerful guy and he only has one facet to his game, but he’s actually pretty quick for his size and he has great technique, and it felt like the same old guy I’ve been up against before, which is never an easy task.”
If Wilfork is indeed back to being Wilfork, it will be a huge boost for the Patriots defense, which struggled from the inside out last year in his absence.