SEARCH NEILCORNRICH.COM
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Bill Belichick: Mike Vrabel used to 'drive Brady crazy' on practice field
Former Patriot linebacker Mike Vrabel.
By Chris Mason
December 9, 2015
FOXBORO — When the Patriots traded Mike Vrabel in 2009, Bill Belichick felt so strongly about the linebacker that he issued a statement.
"Mike Vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player," it read. "Toughness, intelligence, play-making, leadership, versatility and consistency at the highest level."
It's only fitting that such a coachable player went on to be a coach. Vrabel is currently serving as the linebackers coach for the Texans, and Belichick leapt at the chance to talk about his former player this morning. He said he knew Vrabel would pursue this career path.
"Mike and I talked about that a lot," Belichick said. "(As a player) he'd give me advice, and I'd say, 'Mike, when you're a coach, you should go ahead and do that. Here's why we're not going to do that.' Or, 'That's a great idea. We can do that. I'm glad you brought that up.' Mike's not afraid to make a suggestion."
Belichick believes Vrabel is using his time as a player as a tool to become an even more effective coach.
"I think Mike's got a great mind for it, great passion for it. He's got great playing experience. He can draw on things. I never played in this league. I can't draw on those," Belichick explained. "I think there's definitely an advantage. I don't think that's a ticket. There's a lot of other things that go into it, too, but I mean that's something that, if it's used properly, I think it's valuable."
As a Patriot, Vrabel played on both sides of the ball. He gained notoriety as a linebacker, but also played tight end in red zone situations. According to Belichick, he was also moonlighting as a free safety.
"Mike was a great player who played in different systems," Belichick said. "He played different positions. He played on offense, defense, special teams. He played tight end. He played linebacker. Honestly, he would play free safety in practice for us once or twice a year, especially when we were up against a guy like Ed Reed who really knew what he was going to do. Just say, 'OK, sit back there and go with what you see. If you want to gamble, gamble.'
"And Mike, he would love that. He'd drive Brady crazy. It's Ed Reed, you didn't know where he was going to be. He was usually wherever the ball was. He somehow got there. So, Mike did that. You could just see his overall passion for the game, whether it was offense, defense. He had a great total understanding of the game and loved to play it. Loved to play tight end. If it was a big receiver, he'd play receiver (on scout team)."
Popular Posts
-
By Austin Belisle September 14, 2017 Duct tape may prove a quick fix for leaky pipes, but as every DIY repairman knows, a patchwork ...
-
By Matthew Coller September 27, 2017 After spending big in free agency and spending their top two draft picks on offense, the Minneso...
-
By BILL REITER March 6, 2010 CLEVELAND | The Mercedes S550 pulls up to the hotel silver and sleek and shining with the gleam of money and po...
-
By ALBERT BREER February 04, 2019 3. Patriots pass rusher Trey Flowers—who rapped with Meek Mill on stage at the Super...
-
September 11, 2017 By Kyle Ratke A day before facing off against the New Orleans Saints to kick off the 2017 season the Minnesota Vik...
-
From Peter King's "Ten Things I Think I Think" February 15, 2010 6. I think these are the five unrestricted free agents who co...
-
Kenny Nosay February 29, 2024 When it comes to the NFL, only the best of the best, truly can compete in this league. Most of the NFL’...
-
By Steve Berkowitz January 19, 2011 College football still loses marquee coaches such as Jim Harbaugh to the NFL. But it increasingly is bec...
-
The Patriots signed defensive tackle Markus Kuhn to a one-year contract in April. The Associated Press By Rich Garven August 23, 2016...
-
Ex-players like Jake Coker, who led the Crimson Tide to a national championship three years ago, join others who sell policies By ...