DE Mike Vrabel (All B1G, All American, Pro Bowl, All Pro, Super Bowl Champion)

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Pats? LB knows how to score

Vrabel has 10 TD receptions


By Dennis Waszak Jr.
Associated Press Writer
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ? Mike Vrabel?s hands are big, thick and scarred ? and they might just be the most reliable pair on the New England Patriots.
He only has 10 career catches, including two this season, but they?ve all been for touchdowns. Not too shabby for a Pro Bowl linebacker.
?If you?re saying I can catch the ball when I?m wide open, yeah, I think I can do that,? Vrabel said with a grin Thursday.
If Tom Brady and Randy Moss weren?t enough to worry about, the New York Giants also have to keep their eyes on Vrabel if he jogs onto the field with New England?s offense during the Super Bowl
?I?m kind of jealous,? center Dan Koppen said, keeping a straight face. ?I mean, he?s a defensive guy and he?s getting the ball thrown to him and he?s making touchdowns. He has tremendous hands. He has them in practice, and if you have a guy like that, why not use him??
Which is exactly what coach Bill Belichick thinks. He?ll often put Vrabel, a former high school tight end, into the game as a blocker when the Patriots are near the goal line.
?It?s selling out to stop the run and Mike is used both as a blocker and a receiver in many of the situations he?s been thrown to for TDs,? Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.




Cont...

 

[Buckskin86]

No move too radical for versatile Vrabel
Globe Staff / February 2, 2008

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Retirement was sounding good to Mike Vrabel before the season. Vrabel, 32, had played 10 NFL seasons and won three Super Bowl titles. He could play inside and outside linebacker, and he could line up with the offense in goal-line situations and "catch the ball when I'm wide open."

There was not much missing from his career.

But the Patriots had plans for Vrabel. They had signed unrestricted free agent Adalius Thomas for an inside linebacker slot, giving Vrabel a chance to play outside on a regular basis.

Vrabel's former role had gained him quite a bit of glory, enough to satisfy his career ambitions. But had Vrabel retired, he would have missed out on not only another Super Bowl appearance (against the New York Giants tomorrow), but also a chance to perform for an undefeated team.

Vrabel set a personal record for sacks (12?) this season, the most by a Patriot since Andre Tippett's 12? in 1987, and he made his first Pro Bowl.

Versatile Vrabel always on the move for Patriots - The Boston Globe

5 minutes with . . . Mike Vrabel
Kevin Murphy
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 1, 2008 06:34 PM

Patriots outside linebacker Mike Vrabel, an 11-year NFL veteran, is seeking his fourth Super Bowl victory and another possible trip to the end zone on offense.

5 minutes with . . . Mike Vrabel

1/31/08

Vrabel no outsider; Thursday notes By Paul Perillo, Patriots Football Weekly

Mike Vrabel has been a solid player for the Patriots throughout his seven years in New England, but his full-time return to the outside in 2007 has led to the best season of his 11-year career. A look at Vrabel plus some notes from Thursday's media access.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. ? Most players don?t peak in their 11th NFL season, but one could make a strong argument that?s been the case with Mike Vrabel.

The Patriots jack-of-all-trades linebacker has been one of the team?s steadiest contributors during his seven years in New England. Since arriving as a free agent back in 2001, Vrabel has been a staple in the Patriots defense. But that staple has been attached to a number of different areas over the years. At first he appeared to be an outside pass rusher who could get to the quarterback. Then he added some pass coverage responsibilities to his job description.

Vrabel no outsider; Thursday notes

 

[Buckskin86]

Vrabel's numbers are adding up. He has 542 tackles, 371 solo, and 44 sacks in seven seasons with the Patriots. These figures speak to consistent production of the highest level.

Commentary
Michael Arace commentary: Versatile, reliable Vrabel is Hall of Fame material all the way
Sunday, February 3, 2008
By michael arace

Pending further developments, there are 16 linebackers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There are six Ohio State Buckeyes (Sid Gillman, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Jim Parker, Paul Warfield and Bill Willis) in Canton -- seven if you count coach Paul Brown. Obviously, these are very exclusive clubs, and it's likely that Mike Vrabel will add to their ranks at some point in the next 20 years.

Vrabel sneaks up on you, doesn't he?

Scouts Inc. recently took every player who will suit up for Super Bowl XLII and ranked all of the Patriots and Giants, from 1 to 106.

Vrabel was No. 10 on the list. That underrates him, but, then, what else is new?

Vrabel was a tight end when he reported to Ohio State from Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls. The Buckeyes apparently had enough big receivers, so Vrabel was moved to defensive end. No problem.

Vrabel's set school records with 36 sacks and 66 tackles for losses. He was a first-team All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. His record for sacks in a season (13) stood for 10 years, or until Vernon Gholston broke it in the recent national championship game against LSU.

This was good enough to get him picked at the bottom of the third round of the NFL draft. Apparently, there were 90 players better than Vrabel -- including four of his OSU teammates, Orlando Pace, Shawn Springs, Rob Kelly and Ty Howard -- when he came out in 1997.

The Columbus Dispatch : Michael Arace commentary: Versatile, reliable Vrabel is Hall of Fame material all the way

 

[Buckskin86]

VRABEL THE TD MAKER

Mike Vrabel is considered one of the top outside linebackers in the NFL, but he doesn't limit his skills to that position alone. Vrabel occasionally is used in goal-line situations on offense and had two touchdown catches during the regular season. Any secret to his success?

"If you want me to catch the ball when I'm wide open, I think I can do that,'' he said.

Vrabel said playing different sports as a kid has helped him at the NFL level.

"Early on, I played a lot of sports, played basketball, football and did track and just played tight end in high school and then I got to Ohio State and remember coach [John] Cooper saying, 'We have plenty of tight ends; we need defensive ends,' so I never really played tight end after that," Vrabel said. "I always tried to work out with the quarterbacks, catch the ball, run routes and then that just evolved into the goal-line package."

BOB GLAUBER'S NFL HOT READS -- Newsday.com

 

[BB73]

Jerry Rudzinski talks about his former Buckeye teammate.

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Captain's Corner: Vrabel's Success No Surprise





Former Buckeye Mike Vrabel has become a mainstay for the NFL powerhouse New England Patriots. Jerry Rudzinski played at Ohio State the same time Vrabel did, and he says Vrabel's success comes as no surprise. Read why in this version of the Captain's Corner.

Cont'd ...

 

[Buckskin86]

Vrabel is in
Vrabel was voted a new member of the NFL Players Association's executive committee yesterday. The appointment came on the same day the union voted Titans center Kevin Mawae its president, replacing Troy Vincent, whose two-year term had concluded

Patriots' eyes are on Buckeye Gholston - The Boston Globe

 

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Bucknuts.com$ (Matt Natali)

Vrabel Talks NFL Draft, More............Vrabel discusses the NFL draft, the loss in the Super Bowl and the linebackers at tOSU.

 

[Buckskin86]

Ranking the top 25 NFL linebackers
Posted: July 21, 2008
War Room scouts

14. Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots. Vrabel had a stellar '07, and despite his age (he will turn 33 in August), he remains a very versatile and productive performer. A tremendous pass rusher, the Pats also rely on him to defend the run, drop into coverage, and even take part in the goal-line offense. Vrabel will regularly be moved inside and outside and be called upon to match up based on an offense's strengths, which is what really makes the Patriots' scheme work.

SportingNews.com - Your expert source for NFL Football stats, scores, standings, blogs and fantasy news from NFL Football columnists

 

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Scout.com$

All-Time Greatest ? No. 35: Mike Vrabel............3-time All-Big Ten and 2-time All-American selection. Holds the record with 66 tackles for loss and 36 sacks in a career.

 

[Buckskin86]

Mike Vrabel falls into line
By Rich Thompson
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 -

Patriots outside linebacker Mike Vrabel was removed from the physically unable to perform list yesterday.

But that doesn?t mean he will be performing for the home crowd when the team hosts the Baltimore Ravens in its first preseason clash tomorrow night at Gillette Stadium.

?It feels real good just getting in a little work like today, and starting to move forward is a big plus for me,? Vrabel said. ?I expect to play every time Bill (Belichick) puts me in there, and if Bill wants to put me in there, I?ll play.

?One day of practice usually isn?t enough for Bill. You have to have pads on for more than an hour and a half, but I feel good conditioning-wise out there running around. I?ve got to start stringing these practices together.

?This is my first year not starting at the beginning of camp. That?s been the biggest thing for me, not being able to get started with my teammates. I?ve got the pads on now and I feel like I?m part of the team.?

Vrabel was vague about why he was on the PUP list, but it may simply be fatigue. He is entering his 12th NFL season and turns 34 on Aug. 14. Vrabel played in 16 regular-season games (15 starts) last season, started all three postseason games and participated in his first Pro Bowl.

?I just think it was old age,? Vrabel said. ?I?ve been trying to get some rest and get back healthy. You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February. You?re not as healthy as you?ve been in the past and you need a couple of extra weeks going into training camp.?

Mike Vrabel falls into line - BostonHerald.com

Published: August 06, 2008
Vrabel returns with something to prove

FOXBORO ? For a guy whose missed two weeks of training camp finishing up his rehabilitation, Mike Vrabel looks remarkable.

Donning the pads for the first time yesterday, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Patriots linebacker is lean and ripped.

Vrabel didn't just sit around as his mates toiled in the summer sun.

"You go through our defensive scheme just like any other practice, working with the training staff, running and lifting, there's a lot you can do," said Vrabel, now prepping for his 12th pro season.

"Old age (has kept me out), trying to get my rest, get back healthy. You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February, and you're not as healthy as you've been in the past. You need a couple extra weeks going into training camp."

Vrabel returns with something to prove - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

'Old man' Vrabel back at practice
Vrabel returns from PUP list
Patriots outside linebacker Mike Vrabel meets the media after coming off the physically-unable-to-perform list.
By Mike Reiss
Globe Staff / August 6, 2008

FOXBOROUGH - Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel returned to the practice field yesterday with a clean bill of health and his usual sense of humor. Asked why he started the preseason on the physically unable to perform list, missing the first 17 practices of training camp, he was quick with a reply.

"Old age," he said. "I was trying to get some rest, get back healthy. You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February and you're not as healthy as you've been in the past. You need a couple extra weeks going into training camp."

Vrabel, who turns 33 Aug. 14, might be on the back nine of NFL life, but he's proven to be still effective. His 12 1/2 sacks last season led the Patriots.

Having spent the majority of his offseason in his native Ohio ("It's so beautiful in the winter"), Vrabel said he reflected on the 2007 season and ways he can get better. Not surprisingly, he focused on one area of his expertise: rushing the passer.

"I just think that overall, you get to this stage of your career, you want to do better on third down, and I'd like to finish off some of those close sacks - instead of making them pressures, trying to find a way to finish," he said.

Vrabel also pointed out that the Patriots' ability to generate pressure with the standard four rushers is an area of focus in training camp.

He said that just as he's learned from coach Bill Belichick that successful teams must stop the run when they know the opposition wants to run, the same is true in the passing game.

"Third and 8, they drop back, I think those are the opportunities when we have to put the pressure on," he said. "You can't always blitz. It can't always be six guys, so it's going to be up to the guys up front, to be able to rush four guys and get some pressure."

Vrabel, who likely won't suit up in tomorrow night's exhibition opener against Baltimore, expressed excitement about his return to the field. Prior to yesterday, he had been spending time with the training and weight staff, or in the film room going over the defense, when his teammates were on the field.

'Old man' Vrabel back at practice - The Boston Globe

Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Better with age
Vrabel finally off PUP list
PATRIOTS TRAINING CAMP
By Jennifer Toland TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]

FOXBORO? Coming off one of the best seasons of his career, Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel is ready for 2008.

After spending the first 12 days of training camp on the physically unable to perform list, Vrabel was activated yesterday and joined his teammates for an afternoon practice session behind Gillette Stadium.

?Anytime you?re able to get back on the practice field you?re excited,? Vrabel said. ?Obviously I was excited to come out and put pads back on.?


There was no word on what Vrabel?s injury was, but the 12-year veteran who?ll turn 33 next week, joked that it was ?old age? that landed him on PUP.

?You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February,? Vrabel said, ?and you?re not as healthy as you?ve been in the past, you need a couple extra weeks going into training camp.?

And the extra time has been beneficial.

?I feel great conditioning-wise, out there running around,? Vrabel said. ?I just have to string some practices together.?

Worcester Telegram & Gazette News

Vrabel finally present and accounted for
BY MARK FARINELLA / SUN CHRONICLE STAFFWednesday, August 6, 2008

FOXBORO - The nature of Mike Vrabel's absence from practice for the first 12 days of the Patriots' training camp is still a mystery.

But the missing-person alert has been canceled. Spenser's off the case. Vrabel is alive, well and back in uniform.

"It was tough, not being able to get started with the rest of my teammates and working my way back in," the veteran outside linebacker said after practice Tuesday on the fields behind Gillette Stadium. "Coming out today and putting the pads on, I finally feel like I'm a part of the team."

Vrabel spent the first two weeks of the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list for undisclosed reasons. Ever quick with the quip, he offered his own reason for the delay when he met with the media after Tuesday's practice.

"Old age trying to get some rest and get back healthy," he said. "You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February. You're not as healthy as you have been in the past, and you need a couple of extra weeks going into training camp. "But I got a little bit of work in today, and starting to move forward is going to be a big plus for me," he said.

Last year was a long year but a very successful one for Vrabel, who went to his first Pro Bowl after posting 12.5 sacks, the most by a Patriot since new Pro Football Hall of Fame member Andre Tippett posted the same number in 1987. And if his duties as an outside linebacker weren't enough, Vrabel also scored two more receiving touchdowns - bringing his career total to 10 - as a tight end on goal-line situations.

Entering his 12th NFL season, eight of them with the Patriots, Vrabel will turn 33 years old a week from Thursday. But despite the number of miles on his odometer,

and the need he had to spend two extra weeks out of camp, Vrabel said his enthusiasm level is as high as ever.

"Any time you're able to get back on the practice field, you're excited," he said. "Obviously, I was excited to come out there and put pads on. I know those guys have been going at it for two weeks and I'm in a little different scenario than a lot of those guys, but I'm still certainly excited to put the pads back on."

The Sun Chronicle Online - Sports

Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel considers business unfinished
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
BY ROBERT LEE
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO ?? In the days leading up to Super Bowl XLII, Mike Vrabel said he had thought long and hard about retiring before the 2007 NFL season.

After all, he said, he never dreamed of being a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams and being selected to the Pro Bowl when he entered the league in 1997 as a third-round draft pick out of Ohio State.

But when the Patriots signed Adalius Thomas in the offseason last year, it meant that Vrabel, who had been playing inside linebacker, would have a chance to move to his more natural position, outside linebacker.

He also still felt healthy and he had the passion to continue playing, so Vrabel returned and remained part of one of the most storied teams in NFL history.

He also had a career season, setting a personal record for sacks with 12.5, which was also the most since Patriots Hall of Famer Andre Tippitt racked up 12.5 in 1987, and Vrabel was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel considers business unfinished | New England Patriots | projo.com | The Providence Journal

 

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Scout.com (Free)

Patriots Remove Vrabel From PUP...............

 

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An age-old question at linebacker

Veteran unit bolstered by dab of Mayo

By Stephen Harris
Thursday, September 4, 2008 - Updated 3h ago
Boston Herald Sports Reporter

The average age of the four players who led the Patriots [team stats] linebacker corps in tackles last season is nearly 35, which is hardly the optimum age range for peak NFL production.
Tedy Bruschi [stats], who had 99 tackles in 2007, is 35. Adalius Thomas (82) is 31. Mike Vrabel (77) is 33. And Junior Seau (76) is 39.

I'm not going to sit here and analyze why we just didn?t play very well,? said Vrabel. ?You can have all the schemes and packages you want, but when you go out there, individually you?ve got to win against the guys you?re playing against. That?s making tackles, putting pressure on quarterbacks, breaking up passes.?

I don't know how much any of us are going to play,? he said. ?But in a 3-4, you?ve got four linebackers in the field. They need to be active. They need to be able to make plays. That?s always what we?ve thought around here, whether it?s making tackles or interceptions or getting your hand on a ball. I wouldn?t say (the 3-4) is set up mostly for us, but we?ve got to go out and make plays. There?s four linebackers and there?s three defensive linemen. So our production needs to be pretty key.?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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PATRIOTS? MIKE VRABEL TO SPEAK AT ST.MARY?S FUND DINNER

FALL RIVER ? New England Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel will be the featured speaker at the annual St. Mary?s Education Fund Fall Dinner set for Tuesday, October 14, at White?s of Westport.

Proceeds from the evening support the St. Mary?s Education Fund, which provides need-based scholarships to students at Catholic elementary and middle schools in the Fall River diocese.

While Patriots fans are well aware of Vrabel?s solid contributions to their team over the years, what?s likely less-known is his commitment to tackling the problem of illiteracy.

He is a co-founded of what is called the 2nd & 7 Foundation, whose purpose is to promote literacy with a particular focus on influencing children to read.

Vrabel also has a special interest in Catholic education in the Fall River diocese: his two sons attend a Catholic elementary school here while the Vrabel family resides in the diocese during football season. The children complete their school year in a Catholic school in Ohio during the off-season.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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Mike Vrabel said his use of a headset in his helmet would likely be an ongoing experiment for him and defensive coordinator Dean Pees. "It helped in the Jets game, for the most part," Vrabel said. "Dean's getting used to it and I'm getting used to it." On one play, Vrabel said he failed to switch helmets. "When I went out there I could hear Dean talking and I thought, 'I think I forgot to change it,' and I did." A penalty is supposed to be called when two players on the same team have the communication device on the field at the same time . . .

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

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Ricky Williams hit a sticky issue

Block on Mike Vrabel draws ire

By Karen Guregian / Patriots Notebook
Monday, September 22, 2008 -
Boston Herald General Sports Reporter and Columnist

FOXBORO - The Patriots [team stats] weren?t happy about getting smoked. They also weren?t too thrilled about a block Ricky Williams threw on linebacker Mike Vrabel on Ronnie Brown?s 62-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of yesterday?s 38-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins [team stats].
Rodney Harrison [stats], in fact, called it dirty. When asked if it was because Williams hit Vrabel below the knees after Brown already had scored, Harrison answered in the affirmative.
?You said it better than me,? Harrison said. ?There?s no place in the game for that. (But) it?s part of the game. You have to protect yourself. It?s disappointing that guys don?t take care of each other, but we?ll just have to be on guard, because there?s some dirty stuff out there.?
Both Vrabel and the Dolphins running back engaged in some pushing and shoving and were called for offsetting unnecessary roughness penalties following the touchdown.