Wilfork reflects on career ahead of Patriots Hall of Fame induction

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Vince Wilfork was one of the more important pieces of the New England Patriots dynasty. This weekend, he'll be recognized for the contributions he made during his 11 years with the organization.

The five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle will be officially inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. He'll don a red jacket after being voted in by fans in his first year of eligibility.

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Before the ceremony, Wilfork took some time to reflect on his career and what being inducted means to him.

"Playing the game, I never thought about being in the position I'm in now," Wilfork said on Wednesday's The Gameplan. "Everybody used to always talk about my career when I played, but I was one of those guys, I'm like, I play football because I love it. But now, retired and sitting back and understanding the role I played in a lot of guys' lives with the organization and my career looking back at it, it's an honor.

"It took a lot to get where I got to. And the fans made it a lot easier, because the support and just what we had. Not just the Patriots, but being in Boston with all of the support around the city from other sports and other organizations within those sports, it was amazing. So I'm very honored and thrilled to be sitting here today with this weekend coming up."

Wilfork is considered one of the best defensive tackles in NFL history. The 6-foot-2, 325-pounder helped the Patriots to Super Bowl titles in 2004 and 2014. In 13 NFL seasons (189 games), he tallied 16 sacks, 560 tackles (39 for loss), five forced fumbles and three interceptions. He was a First-Team All-Pro in 2012 and a Second-Team All-Pro three times: in 2007, 2010, and 2011. 

Wilfork is the 32nd inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Saturday's ceremony is set for 4 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium and is open to the public.

You can watch the full "The Gameplan" segment with Wilfork below:

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