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

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Article from 2006 with some great quotes about why he'd be an excellent coach.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...linebacker-mike-vrabel-tedy-bruschi-belichick

Vrabel Patriots' fulcrum
Offense or defense, playmaker a leader in drive to repeat

January 15, 2006|By Alan Greenberg, Tribune Newspapers: Hartford Courant.

Linebacker Mike Vrabel, wearing his blue stocking cap and several days of stubble, had been talking about the challenges the New England defense faces Saturday night in Denver against the Broncos when his was asked what nose tackle Vince Wilfork's play has meant to the defense.

"Vince Wilfork is down at the other end of the locker room. Go ask him," Vrabel snaps. "Next question."

So how about an easier question: Are your parents proud of you?

"I hope so," Vrabel said. "I earned a degree [from Ohio State], Jen and I have given them two beautiful grandchildren. Growing up with a dad that coached, it's got to be cool to have a player at the next level."

Do Vrabel and his dad, a high school principal, talk about how cool that is?

"We don't really talk much about football," Vrabel says. "They mostly just want to see the grandkids."

Then, knowing he has strayed from the usual football blather into something Oprahesque, Vrabel, a crooked grin on his face, asks his own question:

"Do you want a hug now?"

Vrabel led the Patriots with 114 tackles (80 solo) while also playing special teams. He also performed his cameo role--tight end in goal-line situations--with such effectiveness, with three catches for three touchdowns, that he could probably make an NFL living doing just that.

And when the Patriots' new inside linebacker tandem of Chad Brown and Monty Beisel wasn't getting it done and Tedy Bruschi's return was still uncertain, the coaches at midseason shifted Vrabel from outside linebacker, where he had played his entire NFL career to inside linebacker.

A few years ago, when the Patriots moved Vrabel's former teammate, Roman Phifer, from outside to inside linebacker, the 245-pound Phifer, suddenly responsible for taking on 300-pound offensive guards, referred to his new job as "the headache drill."

The 6-foot-4-inch Vrabel, who looks a lot leaner than his listed weight of 261 pounds suggests, agrees.

"Monday and Tuesday are definitely a little different," Vrabel said. "You feel it in some different places. Your neck's a little more sore, your shoulders [are] a little more sore. But if it's helping us win, it's cool."

It's a cliche, but Vrabel, 30, really is what every football coach wants. Hostile, mobile and versatile. Cocky bordering on arrogant, a tough and tenacious leader, but eminently coachable. A great athlete whose intelligence Belichick touted after the Patriots won their first Super Bowl in Vrabel's first Patriots season. Vrabel, Belichick said, didn't make a single mental mistake all season.:bow:

And now that he's at inside linebacker, having to instantly diagnose plays from an unaccustomed angle?

"Mike gets better each week," Belichick said. "Once Mike understands it, then that's it. The great thing about Mike is you feel like you're never repaving the road. Once you go over something and he understands it, then that's taken care of.

"We've gone back and looked at how much better he has gotten taking on blocks, reading bootlegs and pass drops. The amount of improvement has been significant. I know he feels a lot better and more confident."

The Patriots wanted to try Vrabel at inside linebacker during the exhibition season, but that went awry when he sprained his ankle on special teams in the first half of the exhibition opener at Cincinnati and didn't return until the season opener.

His first start at inside linebacker was Oct. 16 in Denver, a lousy Patriots performance in which they fell behind 28-3 before rallying to make it close before losing 28-20. Vrabel and the Patriots return to the scene of that crime Saturday night.


"I feel better, more comfortable," Vrabel said. "Denver is a very unique offensive style. Buffalo (the Patriots' Oct. 30 opponent, after their week off) is a two-back power running game. Indianapolis is a very unique offensive style. The first three weeks, I never saw a play the same way."

Drafted by the Steelers on the third round (91st overall) in 1997, Vrabel saw most plays from the sideline. Judged too small to play defensive end, he had to learn to play linebacker. He was a good special-teams player, and Steelers coach Bill Cowher loved his attitude. But the Steelers had a great group of linebackers and Vrabel started only two games in four seasons.

Frustrated at being a spare part, Vrabel, a pre-med major at Ohio State, said that at one point he thought about returning to his native Akron and getting a construction job.

More likely, he'd have gone to law school. The Vrabels had a new baby and a small apartment. He wanted a change.

That was in March 2001, as Belichick, having just finished a 5-11 season in his first year as New England's head coach, was looking to retool his defense. He thought Vrabel, an unrestricted free agent, might be a good fit. Vrabel, eager to leave Pittsburgh, agreed.

Some 32 sacks, 495 tackles, seven interceptions and eight receptions for touchdowns later, it couldn't have worked out better for either side.

"Mike is the ultimate team player," Belichick said. "He'll do whatever you ask him to do."

When Vrabel was at Ohio State, he was one of the guys who kept the other players in line. Before his senior year, he was the guy who persuaded most of his teammates to stay in Columbus during the summer and work out rather than goof off. Vrabel said he'd like to coach someday, after taking a few years away from football, although he can't see keeping the workaholic hours that NFL coaches do.

"I'm not sure how many [coaching] jobs you can take where you can be at home each night to have dinner with your kids," he said. "There's maybe two [colleges] like that."

Coach Vrabel. Dispensing sarcastic humor and football wisdom. Perhaps even a hug.
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DaveyBoy;1946852; said:
Michigan did very well with Mattison

Vrabel is off the charts

imagine Vrabel wearing his SB rings into recruits' homes as well as his Rose Bowl ring (I think he had one). Today's 16 year olds still know who he is.
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The show Pawn Stars always has a multiple choice question for the viewers half way through the show. Recently the question was; what is the most expensive piece of jewelry in the store? The answer was a 2005 New England
Patriot Super Bowl ring.
 
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stowfan;1946897; said:
He went to high school at Walsh Jesuit, I'm sure he's smart enough he'll catch on.
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NJ - You read these garbage comments about Walsh and smart? :wink2:

Honestly, I like the idea, but I wish he had some coaching experience especially since we have a new head coach with no head coaching experience and we lost Hazell. I just wonder how much time Fickell will have for the defense. At least Heacock would be able to provide some stability and guidance on the defensive side.
 
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http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...ce-mike-vrabel-joins-buckeyes-coaching-staff/

?Very good chance? Mike Vrabel joins Buckeyes? coaching staff

Posted by John Taylor on July 7, 2011, 6:48 PM EDT


When Jim Tressel abruptly resigned on Memorial Day and assistant Luke Fickell was promoted to head coach, a hole was created on the Buckeyes? coaching staff.
Based on the word we?ve been receiving over the past few days, that hole could be filled very soon. And by an individual very familiar to members of the Buckeye Nation.
Two university sources have told CFT that, while it?s not a done deal, ?there?s a very good chance? former Ohio State defensive lineman and current Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel will fill the vacancy on the defensive side of the ball. One source stated that an announcement could made as early as this coming Monday.
The move, were it to happen, wouldn?t come as a complete surprise as Vrabel and Fickell are longtime friends after being teammates ? and roommates ? at OSU in the mid-nineties.
The 14-year veteran has yet to retire from the NFL and has been actively involved in the ongoing labor saga, although he would be a free agent if/when a new collective bargaining agreement is reached; his deal with the Chiefs expired following the 2010 season. Should this OSU opportunity come to fruition, a retirement announcement, obviously, would be part of any announcement of his hiring by the Buckeyes.
cont...
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