Mike Vrabel - Am I The Only One Who Thinks He Sucks as a Pass Rusher?

[IcyPatriot]

It drives me crazy to hear Pass Rusher and Mike Vrabel linked together. he is flat out horrible IMO. 9.5 sacks against squat teams is a useless statistic. He has one move and only one move every snap ... the lower your shoulder bullrush to the QB. All season long he was driven 10 yards behind the QB play after play.

I think Vrabel is a great player and a damn fine linebacker ... but not as a pass rusher .. please .. I'd rather have vince wilfork bullrushing the QB ... at least he won't be 10 yards behind the QB play after play after play.

why does it bother me so much? It's like a player who is always on the ground ... you can't get into a play if your not in position to make a play. At least as an ILB Vrabel was in or near the play to make a play. But being 5-10 yards behind the QB play after play is no way to help your teamates after a pass or a run...not his fault either. He's doing what was asked of him ... but really ... I hope the pass rushing days of Mike vrabel are behind us for 2008-2009.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

It drives me crazy to hear Pass Rusher and Mike Vrabel linked together. he is flat out horrible IMO. 9.5 sacks against squat teams is a useless statistic. He has one move and only one move every snap ... the lower your shoulder bullrush to the QB. All season long he was driven 10 yards behind the QB play after play.

I think Vrabel is a great player and a damn fine linebacker ... but not as a pass rusher .. please .. I'd rather have vince wilfork bullrushing the QB ... at least he won't be 10 yards behind the QB play after play after play.

why does it bother me so much? It's like a player who is always on the ground ... you can't get into a play if your not in position to make a play. At least as an ILB Vrabel was in or near the play to make a play. But being 5-10 yards behind the QB play after play is no way to help your teamates after a pass or a run...not his fault either. He's doing what was asked of him ... but really ... I hope the pass rushing days of Mike vrabel are behind us for 2008-2009.

He's not really a pass rusher anymore. His job is to really collapse the pocket and force the QB to step up into the pocket and hopefully into guys like Seymour Warren and Wilfork.

His pass rushing has decreased but not to a point to call him sucky at it. He is very valuable to our team as an OLB.

 

[maverick4]

actually didn't vrabel get 12.5 sacks? i could be wrong.

also, his pass rush resulted in some big time, multiple memorable INT's

 

[BRiZ]

ding ding ding! Totally agree. Vrabel got garbage sacks this year against garbage teams, half his sacks came against the jets and washington, where is he in big games like Dallas or the SB? Nowhere....

Ill take Jason Taylor and Adalius Thomas on the outside thank you. Vrabel can warm the bench or go play on the inside.

 

[OsloRhino]

Despite the fact that our resident Miami jizz swallower here whinges about Taylor and co. he does raise a valid point about Vrabel being much better on the inside.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

ding ding ding! Totally agree. Vrabel got garbage sacks this year against garbage teams, half his sacks came against the jets and washington, where is he in big games like Dallas or the SB? Nowhere....

Ill take Jason Taylor and Adalius Thomas on the outside thank you. Vrabel can warm the bench or go play on the inside.

No wonder your dodging my response in the other thread. Your asking for the benching of one of our best players.

 

[DaBruinz]

Despite the fact that our resident Miami jizz swallower here whinges about Taylor and co. he does raise a valid point about Vrabel being much better on the inside.

Vrabel isn't much better on the inside. Its how he hurt his back 3 years ago. Vrabel doesn't want to play inside.

Also, I find it hilarious that people complain about Vrabel NOT being a pass rusher and then talk about the Dallas game and the play-offs.

1) Vrabel was putting pressure on Romo (flushed him from the pocket on several occasions if you actually bothered to watch the game)

2) Vrabel was drawing doubles on his side of the field later in the season. Particularly after Colvin went down. Teams were NOT doubling up on Seymour or Thomas.

Washington's O-line is hardly horrible. Especially considering that their starting LT (Jon Jansen) missed the entire season. Their starting RG missed all but 3 games.

Yes, Miami's O-line is horrible. But the Jets O-line is average.

You don't get 12.5 sacks if your NOT a pass rusher. Is Vrabel the rusher he was back in 2003 and 2004? No. He's lost a step. But he's certainly not better suited inside.

 

[Rob0729]

Although I think his 12.5 sacks may be a bit overrated. I think he is still disruptive in the backfield. Belichick has always said that sacks are overrated and pressuring a QB to make a wrong throw may be far more effective. I still think Vrabel does that very well as seen against the Steelers with him being held every play.

 

[Rob0729]

ding ding ding! Totally agree. Vrabel got garbage sacks this year against garbage teams, half his sacks came against the jets and washington, where is he in big games like Dallas or the SB? Nowhere....

Ill take Jason Taylor and Adalius Thomas on the outside thank you. Vrabel can warm the bench or go play on the inside.

It is unlikely that Jason Taylor will be a Patriot or Vrabel will be warming the bench any time soon.

 

[MrClutch]

Despite the fact that our resident Miami jizz swallower here whinges about Taylor and co. he does raise a valid point about Vrabel being much better on the inside.

Classic line.

 

[ALP]

It drives me crazy to hear Pass Rusher and Mike Vrabel linked together. he is flat out horrible IMO. 9.5 sacks against squat teams is a useless statistic. He has one move and only one move every snap ... the lower your shoulder bullrush to the QB. All season long he was driven 10 yards behind the QB play after play.

I think Vrabel is a great player and a damn fine linebacker ... but not as a pass rusher .. please .. I'd rather have vince wilfork bullrushing the QB ... at least he won't be 10 yards behind the QB play after play after play.

why does it bother me so much? It's like a player who is always on the ground ... you can't get into a play if your not in position to make a play. At least as an ILB Vrabel was in or near the play to make a play. But being 5-10 yards behind the QB play after play is no way to help your teamates after a pass or a run...not his fault either. He's doing what was asked of him ... but really ... I hope the pass rushing days of Mike vrabel are behind us for 2008-2009.

allright, ill say this just once....so try and get hte most of it...

if you have only ONE guy from the front 7 getting pressure on the QB, that guy is NOT going to be successful, b/c ANY o-line can protect against ONE guy (except, obviously, miami's)

you need at LEAST two guys rushing the passer successful to register any QB pressure...and vrabel did NOT have that last year after colvin went down, b/c AD was hardly rushing

do you understand? if we get a premier pass rusher on the other side of the defense, then vrabel's effectiveness will increase greatly

 

[IcyPatriot]

allright, ill say this just once....so try and get hte most of it...

if you have only ONE guy from the front 7 getting pressure on the QB, that guy is NOT going to be successful, b/c ANY o-line can protect against ONE guy (except, obviously, miami's)

you need at LEAST two guys rushing the passer successful to register any QB pressure...and vrabel did NOT have that last year after colvin went down, b/c AD was hardly rushing

do you understand? if we get a premier pass rusher on the other side of the defense, then vrabel's effectiveness will increase greatly

That's post is so hollow it's ridiculous.
We are not ... repeat ARE NOT a pass rushing type of defense.
So ... if you're only going to dedicate 1 guy to the job
then at least get a guy who has some moves ... ding ding ding.

 

[Deus Irae]

That's post is so hollow it's ridiculous.
We are not ... repeat ARE NOT a pass rushing type of defense.
So ... if you're only going to dedicate 1 guy to the job
then at least get a guy who has some moves ... ding ding ding.

New England was 2nd in the NFL in sacks last season, despite playing a relatively passive style of pass defense for long stretches of games. Why on earth would anyone be complaining about Vrabel and his pass rush under those circumstances?

 

[IcyPatriot]

New England was 2nd in the NFL in sacks last season, despite playing a relatively passive style of pass defense for long stretches of games. Why on earth would anyone be complaining about Vrabel and his pass rush under those circumstances?

Those were coverage sacks. Anyways ... what do you think ... is vrabel a good pass rusher or not.

 

[IcyPatriot]

New England was 2nd in the NFL in sacks last season, despite playing a relatively passive style of pass defense for long stretches of games. Why on earth would anyone be complaining about Vrabel and his pass rush under those circumstances?

Because I wish it was AD pass rushing and not Vrabel ... that's why. Ad would have had 20+ if he that job this year.

 

[DaBruinz]

Those were coverage sacks. Anyways ... what do you think ... is vrabel a good pass rusher or not.

So, now you are saying that Hobbs and Samuel created those sacks? Got news for you, they didn't.

Also, if you are going to say that Vrabel's sacks were "coverage" sacks, then I will say that Thomas' were also coverage sacks. You want to know what the difference is? I know that my saying it wouldn't make it any more true than you saying it.

 

[Deus Irae]

Because I wish it was AD pass rushing and not Vrabel ... that's why. Ad would have had 20+ if he that job this year.

Vrabel had 12.5 sacks this season. Thomas has never had that many. Thomas had a career high of 11 sacks in his contract year in Baltimore.

 

[ALP]

yes vrabel is a good pass rusher, but you can put the best pass rusher in the game today on our line, and if he is the only one getting free and being able to attack the QB, then the opposing offense will easily take care of that guy, first with double team from the O line, and then with a rb help, and then with the QB giong the other way

 

[patsox23]

Mike Vrabel is a very good pass rusher. It is unbelievable to me how many truly CRAPPY threads are currently in circulation. I really don't want to just b!tch about so many of them, but this is ludicrous.

 

[RayClay]

Our pass rush has been designed so that any of the four linebackers might rush.

With Vrabel and Colvin and the push from our Dline, we had a good pass rush, but those days of milling around before the snap and confusing the defense are gone.

Bruschi and Seau don't represent a credible pass rush threat, so we are a conventional outside rushing team with pressure up the middle from the line.

Take away either OLB threat and we have no rush.