Pats Wilfork Unfazed By Peppers Talk

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork has heard the scuttlebutt about New England courting Julius Peppers. He's also heard the speculation about how much they'd have to pay Peppers and how that eventuality - if it ever came to pass - would affect Wilfork.

Wilfork's deal is up at the end of the 2009 season. As one of the five best players at an increasingly valuable position in the 3-4 happy NFL, he figures to command big dough.

Last month, Wilfork sounded mildly dissatisfied with progress toward a new deal in a conversation with the Boston Globe's Chris Gasper.

He's found serenity now.

"I hear everything," he said Friday. "My friends tell me everything but I can't control it and I'm not paying attention. I'm not worrying about none of this. They know how I play. They know what I do in the community. They know me, I know them. I'm happy. I said what I had to say a couple months ago and that was it. I don't have anything else to say about where things are because I'm happy. If it doesn't work itself out, then it wasn't meant to be."

Nose tackle is the most key position in the front-seven of a 3-4 defense. Wilfork, a first-round pick in 2003, has now become fully adapted to the way the Patriots like it played. A Pro Bowler in 2007, he'd rather stay in New England than go elsewhere. Right now, though, he says he's fixating on 2009.