Vrabel takes it one year at a time

Entering 11th NFL season, ex-Buckeye pondering future

By Christopher L. Gasper
August 26, 2007


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Mike Vrabel was the last player on the practice field, but he had company. After a recent training camp session, Vrabel was joined by his sons, Tyler and Carter, who were drop-kicking footballs through the goal posts. It was a glimpse into the possible post-football life for the Patriots linebacker.

It might not seem like it, but this is Vrabel's 11th season in the NFL and seventh in New England. The consummate Patriot, Vrabel, 32, has been so durable, adaptable and accountable that it's easy to take his accomplishments for granted. Like a car tire, he's just there and you don't fully appreciate him until he's not.

Vrabel's contract runs through 2009 and he is still playing at a high level -- last year he had his second straight 100-plus tackle season -- but it's no longer automatic he'll show up at Patriots training camp every year.

"I think you have to look at what the team wants to do and what the player wants to do and how he feels physically," Vrabel said. "I think to say, 'Well, I'm going to try to play so many more years,' I don't think guys do that. Guys like Rodney (Harrison) and Junior (Seau), they don't do that. They prepare for each year and go at it."

Vrabel, a former Ohio State All-American, does not have imminent plans to abscond to Columbus, where he spends the offseason. His focus is on football and the upcoming season, but he's too smart not to realize he's at a point in his career where the future is measured in games, not years.

Since joining the Patriots in 2001, Vrabel has played in 16 games every season but one -- in 2003, he missed three games because of a broken right arm. But how many more shots can he take, like the one he took last year, when he was kneed in the back of the head after making the game-sealing interception in a 28-21 win over the Detroit Lions? "Hmm … probably a few more," said Vrabel, sardonically.

"I plan to play as long as I can physically play."

Vrabel has been more indispensable than a Swiss Army knife. Because of injuries or the ineffectiveness of others, he has been switched to inside linebacker during each of the past two seasons, and since 2002 he has been used in goal-line situations as a tight end on offense, catching eight passes, all for touchdowns. But the Patriots have determined the best way to use Vrabel, at least defensively, is at outside linebacker.

When the Pats delved deep into their bank account to sign linebacker Adalius Thomas, many assumed Vrabel would move inside next to his pal, Tedy Bruschi. Instead, Thomas has switched inside and the Patriots have made a commitment to keep Vrabel outside, his natural position.

As an outside linebacker, Vrabel has been a productive pass rusher -- his nine sacks in 2003 are the most of any player during the Bill Belichick era in New England -- and a reliable run-stuffer, setting the edge in the team's 3-4 scheme.

Belichick said Vrabel's versatility on defense has been valuable, but he's just as valuable on the outside.

"Mike does a good job at the position that he primarily plays in, too," Belichick said. "So it's not like he's just a utility infielder."

Unlike Thomas's big splash, the signing of Vrabel, who didn't start in four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, barely registered. But it has been a win-win for both sides, to the tune of three Super Bowl titles.

"I've been very happy with the six, going on seven years that I've had here," Vrabel said. "I probably could have gone a different direction if I hadn't signed here in 2001. So I'm fortunate of my time here and try to make the most of it."

Seau said, "Vrabel is obviously one of the mainstays of this defense. He and Bruschi, Rodney, Rosey (Colvin) and (Richard) Seymour, these guys have really helped build what we're doing today and to have them as our nucleus and to keep them intact is a big key to our defense."

As for retirement, Vrabel has an interest in coaching. The son of a football coach, Vrabel has had limited discussions with Ohio State coach Jim Tressel about returning to his alma mater. Vrabel runs a football camp in Columbus with former Buckeyes teammates Ryan Miller and Luke Fickell as part of the Second and Seven Foundation, which the three started to promote literacy throughout central Ohio.

"Coaching 10-year-olds is a little different than coaching at the college level, but certainly we'll take a look at all the options when I do decide to retire," Vrabel said.

Winning, though, will extend any career.

"When you're winning, things go fast and weeks go by fast and time goes by pretty fast," Vrabel said. "When you lose, things slow down and practices are longer and the days are longer and the weeks are longer. The time I've spent here has gone by fairly quickly and that's partly due to our success."

Zastudil on Fire

By Mary Kay Cabot
August 31, 2007

Browns punter Dave Zastudil was sensational, pinning the Bears at their 10, 4 and 7 on his first three punts. Later in the third quarter, he boomed a 51-yarder that Jereme Perry downed at the 1.

"I think he's the best punter in the league," said Cribbs. "He's a great kicker and provides us with amazing field position. Once we start winning, he's going to the Pro Bowl."

Mike Adams downed Zastudil's first punt of 39 yards at the 10. His second, a 36-yarder, skipped out of bounds at the 4 and his third, a 20-yarder, was downed at the 7. The Bears failed to get past the 15 on each of those drives.

Pelini: Mastermind

MASTERMIND

Bo Pelini's defense didn't fare well at first, but now many consider the LSU coordinator the best in the country

August 19, 2007
By James Varney

BATON ROUGE -- LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini had barely finished his first game on the sideline in September 2005 before the angry growls erupted in Louisiana's purple-and-gold fever swamps.

Yes, the Tigers had beaten Arizona State 35-31 in a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback, but what does victory profit a team, the faithful bellowed, when it surrenders 560 yards? The questions mounted, and the headlines chronicled a beleaguered coach as he sought to reassure the mob that that LSU staple -- stingy defense -- was not a thing of the past.

The program seemed engulfed in chaos, operating in a city overrun with people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The unease only mounted when, in its next game, LSU blew a substantial lead against Tennessee in a game Katrina sent to Monday night at Tiger Stadium and lost 30-27 in overtime. The Times-Picayune intoned that, "questions remain about Bo Pelini's defense."

Consider the questions answered. Today, the short-lived furor over an allegedly porous LSU defense seems like complaints from some ancient regime. The early season alarm bells were quickly quieted as the Tigers reeled off nine consecutive victories and captured the Southeastern Conference Western Division crown.

By the end of that campaign, Pelini's boys had produced streaks of 16 and 10 quarters without allowing a touchdown and finished ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense. The Sun Devils' offensive fireworks proved an anomaly as the 242.8 yards per game the Tigers gave up was the program's lowest in 29 years.

Pelini, 39, insists the doubters never bothered him.

"We haven't changed much at all since I've been here; anybody who says we've made wholesale changes doesn't know what they're talking about," he said. "We've just done it better. There were a lot of circumstances surrounding that first game both on the field and off the field, and we just didn't play real good. I know the system works. I knew that what we were doing was the right way, and we just stayed with our plan."

Whatever minor tinkering Pelini did with LSU's defensive schemes, however, clearly is paying dividends. In 2006, the unit was even better. Once again the team ranked third nationally in total defense and ranked in the top five in three other defensive categories, leading the SEC in six.

Excitement is running high this year as eight starters return, and now the same fans who wondered if Coach Les Miles made a mistake luring Pelini to Baton Rouge from Oklahoma can be heard murmuring LSU may have the top defensive coordinator in the collegiate game.

On signing day in February when Miles introduced his staff to an appreciative crowd, the noticeably loudest roar came when it was Pelini's turn to take a bow. Despite the turnaround in opinions and the impressive results, Pelini said he feels unfulfilled.

"As a coach and as a competitor last year didn't come close to satisfying me, because I don't see the things we achieved. I see the things we left out there last year, and that will forever bother me," he said. "I've been blessed because I've always been around places with high expectations, and that's great. But the last two years in my mind, they're over. They mean nothing. Yeah, it's great to have established a foundation, but that ain't going to help us win any football games this year. We need to take it to that next level."

'A quality individual'

The high expectations and the granite foundation Pelini credits with his success were first laid in Youngstown, Ohio, a blue-collar town where steel production, church and football are the community's lodestars. A member of a devout Roman Catholic family, Pelini attended Cardinal Mooney High School where he met his future wife, Mary Pat, his senior year while she was sophomore.

"We've been dating ever since," he said.

Like most well-raised Buckeye sons, Pelini pursued his football dreams at Ohio State, where he was a free safety from 1987 to 1990 under coaches Earl Bruce and John Cooper and a co-captain his senior season. His coaching career began at Iowa the year after he graduated and then led to three stints in the NFL with the 49ers, Patriots and Packers. It's the kind of résumé that elicits Miles' highest praise, that of "a quality individual."

It was when he returned to the college ranks in 2003 that Pelini's reputation as a defensive guru began to blossom. At Nebraska that year, Pelini coached a defense that finished No. 1 in passing efficiency defense and No. 2 in scoring defense while tying a Cornhuskers record with 47 takeaways.

"It doesn't surprise me a bit Bo has had this kind of success, and I'm proud of him," Cooper, now retired, said from his home in Columbus, Ohio. "To be honest, he reminds me of myself, a guy that wasn't the greatest college football player but was always a student of the game and who made very few mental mistakes."

But the Nebraska program at that point was in turmoil since the departure of legendary coach Tom Osborne. His successor, Frank Solich, had gone 58-19 and was bowl bound, but the school fired him in November 2003 with officials fretting about a slip toward mediocrity. Pelini took over as interim head coach and guided the Cornhuskers to an Alamo Bowl victory over Michigan State.

It soon became clear, however, Nebraska was interested in fresh blood, and the school hired former Raiders coach Bill Callahan, who promptly sacked Pelini and six other assistants.

In a move that had to rankle the Cornhuskers faithful, Pelini then headed to hated Oklahoma where his friend, Sooners Coach Bob Stoops, made him defensive co-coordinator. That gig lasted just one year, although it was a season in which the Sooners ranked sixth nationally in rushing defense and played Southern Cal for the national championship.

"I went there because Bob Stoops was a good friend of mine, and it was the right thing for that year, but I had no desire to be a co-coordinator for a long period of time," he said. "After what happened at Nebraska, I wanted to be around a good friend and a stable place and see where I wanted to go next. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do at that point."

What he wound up doing was fielding a call from Miles, whom Pelini had coached against but never met. Miles, recently hired for the head coaching job at LSU after three years at Oklahoma State, brought Pelini in for an interview, and Pelini liked what he saw.
"I thought it was an intriguing opportunity," Pelini said. "A good place, a great conference and a lot of talent, obviously."

Playfully hardcore

Like many defensive coaches, Pelini has a reputation as something of a short-tempered martinet, but, in those segments of practice open to the media, the alleged hardcore mentality seems more the product of stereotype than fact. And while he maintains a professional demeanor, he's not averse to talking smack privately, even against his alma mater.

For example, on the night the Bowl Championship Series matchups were announced last year and LSU was celebrating its Sugar Bowl invitation, Pelini stood outside the football complex chatting with players.

"Hell, yes," he said, when asked if Florida had a chance in the national championship game against Ohio State. "I'm telling you, Ohio State's not that good. Who have they played anyway?"

His words proved prophetic in January when the Gators annihilated the Buckeyes 41-14. He smiles when asked if his bold prediction, a thing he would never make publicly, indicates some sort of split personality.

"When it's time to work, I work," he said. "But when I'm away from here, when I'm with the family, say, I'm not 'Bo Pelini: football coach.' Then I'm just 'Bo Pelini: father.'"

He can wear both paternal and boss hats during practice, a trait players say mirrors his talent at both the tactical and strategic level. At times, he will stand in the middle of the field, arms crossed, his gray LSU T-shirt with "BP" pressed in the middle, silently watching the linebackers or defensive backs. At other times during the searing heat of the recent camp, he would individually approach players who had finished a drill and speak with them one-on-one while simultaneously pouring cold water down their backs.

In one drill he seems to particularly favor, Pelini plays quarterback, slinging his wobbly, left-handed passes into a secondary committing its zones to memory.

"I think he knows when to sit back and let us do our thing and when to step in and get hands-on about it," defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey said. "I think he's great at the strategy, and the other thing is he gets people where they need to be. I look around, and I see a lot of people making plays on this defense, and that's because he has the strategy for getting people in the position to make those plays."

Players and Pelini invoke the same phrase when asked about the defensive goals at LSU: "relentless effort." The intricate sort of Xs and Os some people associate with tenacious defense are often less important, they claim.

"Multiple but simple," Pelini said when asked to define his philosophy. "Give a lot of looks and be able to do a lot in terms of confusing the offensive coordinator and the quarterback and the opposing offense. Keep it simple for the players, and keep the terminology consistent so the players always know what's going on."

Pelini's defenses excel at tackling. The first player to reach the ball carrier often makes the stop. The players say that stems from an understanding that stopping the run is job one, but they also are aware the Tigers' solidity up front allows for more creativity behind.

"We have a lot of packages -- four, five, six, even seven defensive backs," Pelini said. As a result, "because of all the things we do teams tend to play pretty conservatively against us."

Like any coach, he would like to see more takeaways ("we don't call 'em turnovers around here," Pelini snorted). While last year's interception total of 16 represented "our share," the five fumble recoveries was too meager a harvest.

"We haven't gotten as many fumbles as I would like for whatever reason," he said. "We've gotten the ball on the ground a lot, we just haven't done a good job of getting on the football. We want to have an attitude to get the football -- not to stop them and go three-and-out -- but to get the football."

Eye toward the future

What Pelini seems certain to get, in a move that will no doubt dismay his most vocal early critics, is a head coaching job somewhere else. That is the nature of the game, of course, especially for a coach who has performed repeatedly at a high level with several elite schools.

"You know Bo is going to be a head coach some day, there's not any doubt about that, and it could be as early as next year," Cooper said.

Pelini spoke with Michigan State last year about its head coach opening and some other schools he declined to identify. His one brush with head coaching -- leading Nebraska to that bowl win -- gave him some perspective on the top role.

"That's something I've been going through for the last couple of years," he said, barely disguising his bitterness at the experience with the Cornhuskers. "The only way I would have stayed at Nebraska, after the way it all went down, I wasn't staying there unless I was the head guy and even then that was a little iffy."

At present, he insisted his wife and children -- Kate, Caralyn and Patrick -- are happy with Baton Rouge, with their Catholic parish and their Catholic school. Consequently, he can devote himself wholeheartedly to the things that are expected to make LSU a defensive force and him an increasingly attractive candidate for departure.

"I figure good things will happen if I do my job the right way, and if they don't, they don't," he said, noting the Michigan State opening was wrong for a variety of reasons. "There are a lot of factors that go into something like that, and a lot of them are out of my control. And so I try to take the same attitude I try to instill in my players: Control what you can control.

"It's not just to get a job, it's to make sure you get the right job. And it's just that the right thing hasn't come up yet. I feel I'm fortunate now because I'm in a great place, and I can afford to be a little bit picky."