New England Patriots defensive lineman Vince Wilfork said his team's shoddy defensive effort Sunday in a 25-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers could not be blamed on the release of cornerback Leigh Bodden.
"Absolutely not. Absolutely not," Wilfork said of whether Bodden's release on Friday affected the defensive effort. "Coach is always making decisions that is best for the team and the organization. ... Everybody is focused on going out and doing our job. We didn't do it well, of course, but at the same time, I think we prepared well. We just didn't execute the way we wanted to."
The Patriots were shredded for 427 yards and 29 first downs Sunday in Pittsburgh, but Wilfork said he sees the potential for New England to develop into an elite defense.
"The stuff that we're doing is very simple to fix," said Wilfork. "We're not going to beat ourselves up. We're not going to hit the panic button. ... Things that we've done, we can fix them."
"Our best football has to be coming soon. Each week is going to be a challenge for us," said Wilfork. "We have to go out and fix it. It starts tomorrow."
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