Wilfork Thinks Pollard Should Be Fined Because 'Fair Is Fair'; NFL Disagrees

First things first: Vince Wilfork is not a dirty player. At least according to Vince Wilfork. Actually, I believe him, and by most accounts, he's a solid individual and a very, very good football player. But sometimes, [poop] happens. Take, for instance, last season against the Bills when Wilfork went low on quarterback J.P. Losman.

Yeah, that looks like a cheap shot. Wilfork was subsequently fined, and now that the Patriots will be without their savior, he thinks Bernard Pollard, the guy singlehandedly responsible for torpedoing New England's Super Bowl aspirations, should suffer a similar fate.

"Last year, I was there, I was tripped up and falling and I still got fined and flagged for the same exact thing. But I was tripped up. I didn't dive at anyone's legs, I didn't cut a running back getting to a quarterback. And when I got fined last year, they said I got flagged because you're not allowed to hit a quarterback below the waist," Wilfork said.

"You take it for what it's worth. I've been in that same position and been flagged and fined for it, so whatever happens, happens. I'm very interested to see what happens."

When Wilfork was informed that the NFL ruled Pollard's hit a legal one, he was unimpressed. "Well, it's a problem. It's going to be a problem ... Like I said, I've been there." And he was just getting warmed up:

"Fair should be fair. They got me, point blank. I don't want to get singled out. Don't make me feel like I'm getting singled out. If you're going to do a job, be consistent at what you do. This falls into the same category as mine, no if's, and's or but's. He hit the quarterback below the waist. I hit a quarterback below the waist. I got fined. I got flagged. He didn't get flagged. And from what I'm hearing, he didn't get fined.

"It's a problem. So the NFL can do what it wants to do, but it's a problem. If you're going to make that call, be consistent with that call. He was there. He could have thrown the flag. ... We'll see where it goes. I'm [upset] about it because I've been through this."

You'd think this would go without saying, but not every low hit is exactly the same. Say, for example, if an offensive player pushes you into the quarterback. In that case, the defender isn't at fault. See Pollard or Kimo von Oelhoffen. For defenders that freely choose to dive at a quarterback's knees they will incur a 15-yard penalty and a fine. It's not rocket surgery.

Hat tip: TSB