3 things to know about Colts coaching candidate Mike Vrabel

By Scott Horner
January 8, 2018

The Indianapolis Colts have reportedly interviewed Houston Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel for their vacant head coaching position. He was the linebackers coach for three years before that.

Here's why the Colts are interested in Vrabel.

The Belichick factor

The New England Patriots traded Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009. As Vrabel left, Patriots coach Bill Belichick released a statement about the linebacker.

"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."

Two years ago, Belichick said Vrabel used his time as a player as a tool to become an even more effective coach. From a Boston Herald story:

"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."

Some Belichick disciples don't have great records as head coaches: Eric Mangini was 33-47, Romeo Crennel 22-54, Josh McDaniels 12-20 and Bill O'Brien 31-31.

He has 'It'

A current NFL head coach who doesn't have a tie to Vrabel recently told Sports Illustrated's Peter King the following:

"Of all the guys in this pool, the one I’d say who has the chance to be the best head coach is Vrabel. It’s his presence, and the people he’s been around and learned from."

His players believe

Even though the Texans struggled defensively this season (last in scoring defense, 20th in yards allowed), Houston players believe Vrabel has what it takes to be a head coach.

"Whatever he does, he's a great coach," inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney said. "He pushed me to my limits, puts me in spots to make great plays. He brings the best out of everybody."

"He's a smart guy," Jadeveon Clowney said. "High-energy guy. He brings the best out of his players and he's a good coach."

New ECU coach hits the ground running

Editor’s Note: Ada News sports editor Jeff Cali had an exclusive interview with new East Central University head coach Al Johnson Friday morning. Following are some excerpts from that question-and-answer session. A community meet-and-greet with Johnson has been scheduled for Tuesday at JD’s Cafe and will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

By Jeff Cali
January 6, 2018


Ada News: You left the University of Wisconsin football team on a fun note. Tell me about the experience of the Orange Bowl victory over Miami.

Al Johnson: “The Orange Bowl was a great experience. It’s the first time I’d ever been. I’d been to some Rose Bowls and a lot of other bowls. It was a lot warmer than it was in Wisconsin or in Oklahoma, for that matter. I enjoyed it and the family enjoyed it, as well.”

Ada News: I’m sure it’s been a whirlwind for you since you arrived on campus. Tell me how things have been since you got here.

Al Johnson: “It was definitely a whirlwind. We left the morning of Jan. 2 and drove all day and into the night. We got here Tuesday about 10 o’clock. I got up early and got to work. You’ve just got to start prioritizing. That’s the big thing. You’re getting pulled in a lot of different directions. You have to do the HR and a lot of other things, but you really have to prioritize what needs to be done now. I have a nice long list (he shows me the list) of things to get done and mark a few off. For every one I mark off, three get added. But it will calm down. There’s just a lot to do right now with the transition.”

Ada News: A number of people have asked me why you would leave Wisconsin for little ol’ East Central. So why ECU?

Al Johnson: “I always say “why not?” This is a great university with a long tradition. This a great football town. When I moved to Dallas and played for the Cowboys, I met my wife. But I was also fortunate to meet a lot of people from Oklahoma (during his four years with the Cowboys). It started down in Hugo and kind of branched out. I was really drawn to Oklahoma because it was a lot like home. I grew up in rural Wisconsin, in a part of the country where people were genuine and you did business with a handshake. People were real. They weren’t trying to be somebody they’re not. You don’t always get that in big cities. That’s really what drew me to Oklahoma, the people.”

Ada News: I understand you were interested in the ECU football program before the head coaching position came open.

Al Johnson: “I was looking at this school for a long time before anyone on this campus knew who I was. I was watching from afar. When it actually did come available ... I decided to go with everything I had. Every person I had ever met with Oklahoma ties, I called and asked if they had ties to the university. I called every friend and every connection I had. Luckily, I had OU connections, I had Dallas Cowboys connections, and I used friends of friends who knew people who worked here. I used every connection I could to at least get my name out there to let them know I was interested. I just wanted a real look at this job and this opportunity.”

Ada News: Have you had time to sit down and meet with the returning Tiger football players yet?

Al Johnson: “I’ve only met a few returning players on campus. Timing wasn’t conducive enough to have a full team meeting. I did not want to go a month and a half from being named the new head coach to our first team meeting. So what I did is get the roster, get all their phone numbers and called all the players. I was able to get through to about 99 percent of them all. We had good conversations. It took three days, but it was worth it. I wanted to let them know I was here for them — that we are in this together. I wanted them to know I would do whatever I could to help them and this university. They had just gone through a whole month of being in limbo and not having a head coach. I didn’t want it to be another month before they heard from me. I had to answer the same questions and talk about the same things 75 times, but I believe it was worth it. I didn’t want them to go through Christmas and the holiday season not knowing what was in store for ECU football. For a lot of these kids, football is a very important part of their life. It’s what brought them to Ada, Oklahoma. I wanted them to be OK.”

Reflecting on the Todd Graham Era: Why he leaves a lasting legacy

Todd Graham runs with his team before a game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

January 4, 2018
Brittany Bowyer

To many, Todd Graham was nothing more than an NCAA college football coach at the largest university in the country. To some, Graham was the driving force behind a positive change in college football culture. While some were outraged with his firing and others were pleased, his imprint on the program cannot be denied.

It’s a well-known fact that when Graham arrived at Arizona State the program was an absolute wreck. There were a number of off the field incidents taking place, there was no sense of “student” in the term “student athlete” and relational turmoil between players was clearly visible on the field.

This all took place under the Dennis Erickson era, which spanned from 2007-2011. When the former athletic director Lisa Love announced that Todd Graham would be taking over at Arizona State, few could have imagined how much of a legacy he would be to the program.

It was not just his ability to raise graduation rates by putting an increased importance on the scholastic aspect of the student-athlete experience. Nor was it his ability to bring the school back into the national spotlight for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

It was his ability to motivate the players to be the best they can be both on and off the field. It was his ability to build character, and turn boys into men.

It was his ability to bring back a sense of tradition within the program, such as the installation of the Pat Tillman statue in Sun Devil Stadium and the tradition of giving the players a picture of someone special, reminding them of who they play for. It was bringing back camp Tontozona, where Sun Devil Great Frank Kush used to take the team to practice. It was bringing Frank Kush around as a guest, to remind the players of what it means to rep maroon and gold as a Sun Devil.

It was his generous contributions to the program in order to help build a state-of-the-art facility, which would have a positive impact on the current players as well as bringing in recruits. It was his ability to improve local recruiting efforts, which was lacking for many years in the past.

Among the many things unmentioned about Graham was how he believed in players that many coaches would overlook, and he would be able to get the most out of those players. It was his ability to bring in top Junior College recruits like Jaelen Strong and Marcus Hardison, giving them a chance to shine on the big stage when the NCAA wasn’t in the cards the first time around.

Graham also had a good number of players enter the draft and go on to play in the NFL, which was something that was lacking under Erickson.


Nov 25, 2017; Todd Graham celebrates after defeating the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Also often forgotten was how he was able to unite the players so they played as a team and got along better. He made the team feel like a family, truly embodying the term “Sun Devil Brotherhood”.

His faith in God helped play a part in this too, as he and a small group of players and coaches started going to church together every Sunday at the beginning of the season. By the end of the season, it became something that nearly every player looked forward to each week.

Finally, it was his 4-2 record over the Arizona Wildcats and his 46-32 overall record with the Sun Devils that will leave a lasting impact.

It says something when fans are pleading on social media to keep a head coach, even after a 7-5 regular season record. For Graham, and much of Sun Devil Nation, it was about more than just football… A culture that they hope will stick with the program despite Graham’s absence.