Today in Patriots History
Mr. Versatility: Vrabes
Happy 49th birthday to Mike Vrabel
Born Aug 14, 1975 in Akron, Ohio
Patriot LB, 2001-2008; uniform #50
Signed as a free agent on March 16, 2001
Mike Vrabel was a 1997 third round pick by Pittsburgh, out of Ohio State. He never started in four seasons with the Steelers, departing when his contract expired and he became a free agent. Ironically his only notable play during that time involved the Pats. Vrabel sacked
Drew Bledsoe to clinch a 7-6 Steeler victory over the Patriots in the '97-'98 divisional round playoff game. That turned out to be the first of twenty postseason games for Mike.
Bill Belichick saw something in Vrabel that he liked, and signed Vrabel in 2001; it was probably one of the best decisions he made in his twenty-plus years as a general manager. Mike became a starter and proceeded to play in 125 regular season games plus 17 playoff games with the Patriots from 2001 to 2008. His presence was missed after being traded to KC, even if he was 34.
In 2007 Vrabel forced three fumbles, had three sacks, recovered an onside kick, and caught a touchdown pass -
all in one game. He finished his career with 10 receptions on 14 targets - with all ten going for touchdowns. On defense Vrabel was an effective force not only at defensive end and outside linebacker, but also when injuries necessitated him to play inside linebacker in 2005 and 2006.
Over eight seasons with the Patriots, Vrabel recorded 606 tackles (412 solo), 48 sacks, 11 interceptions (with one touchdown), 24 pass deflections, 13 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
Late in the 2001 season Vrabel intercepted a pass in a game at the Jets. The turnover was clutch, triggering a momentum change which led to the Patriots outscoring New York 17-3 in the second half, to win 17-16. Then in Super Bowl 36 it was Mike Vrabel who applied the pressure on
Kurt Warner that forced a bad pass that was intercepted by
Ty Law, returned 47 yards for a touchdown.
Early in the 2002 season Vrabel lined up as a tight end and grabbed a one-yard TD pass to give the Pats a 14-7 lead at San Diego. In doing so Mike became the first New England defensive player to catch a touchdown pass since 1974, when
John Tanner caught a two-yard TD from
Jim Plunkett. Little did any of us know at the time this would be the first of many.
The following year Vrabel had three sacks in a 9-3 win over Cleveland; at the time it was the most sacks in a single game in franchise history, tying
Henry Thomas' record set in 1998. (That mark has since been surpassed by
Willie McGinest with 4.5 in '06, and
Andre Carter with 4.0 in '11.) Mike had 9.5 sacks in '03, the most by any Patriot in the Bill Belichick era, and most by a Patriot since McGinest had the same amount in 1996. All that was accomplished despite missing three games Vrabel capped off the 2003 season with a strong postseason, finishing with three sacks - including two in Super Bowl 38. He also had another touchdown reception in the fourth quarter which was crucial, changing a 22-21 deficit to a 29-22 lead with 2:51 left to play; that was the first offensive touchdown by a defensive player in a Super Bowl since Refrigerator Perry scored in SB 20. And earlier in the game Vrabel's hit on
Jake Delhomme late in the first half caused a fumble which was recovered by
Richard Seymour deep in Carolina territory. The Patriots would score four plays later to take a seven point lead. Super Bowl 38 was simply an incredible game by Vrabel.
On December 26, 2005 Mike Vrabel became the first player in NFL history to record two touchdowns and a sack in a single game, since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
Herm Edwards had no answer for Vrabel that day; Mike also had a game-high six tackles as the Pats won 31-21 in New Jersey. In 2006 Vrabel was captain on a Pats defense that set a franchise record by allowing just 14.8 points per game. That defense allowed 237 points, the fewest by any Patriot club in a 16-game season.
Along with his versatility, Mike Vrabel was clutch. He had four strip-sacks in the postseason. The first came with the Steelers to clinch a 7-6 Pittsburgh win in the 1997 divisional round against
Drew Bledsoe. There was another on Jake Delhomme in the Super Bowl (see above), and a year later one on
Peyton Manning in the 20-3 win against the Colts. Vrabel also had a strip sack on
Philip Rivers in the epic 24-21 2006 divisional round game against the Chargers; that was recovered by
Tully Banta-Cain and led to a
Stephen Gostkowski field goal.
Mike Vrabel is a member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team of the 2000s as well as the
Patriots 50th Anniversary Team, alongside linebackers
Andre Tippett (HoF),
Nick Buoniconti (HoF) and
Steve Nelson (who
should be in the HoF). In 2020 Vrabel was named to the Patriots All-Dynasty Team, and in 2023 he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
The Patriots had a record of 14-3 in the postseason with Mike Vrabel playing for them, and he missed just three regular season games in his eight seasons with the Patriots. In 2007 Vrabel was a first team All Pro.
After retiring as a player following the 2010 season, Vrabel was the linebackers and defensive line coach at Ohio State for three seasons. His NFL coaching career began in 2014 with the Houston Texans as their linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator, before becoming the head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2018. During his time in Nashville the Titans improved from third place to second to a pair of firsts in the AFC South, compiling a 41-24 record from 2018-21, with playoff victories at New England and Baltimore in the 2019 offseason. All that occurred while navigating an undesirable quarterback situation that compelled the difficult decision to bench
Marcus Mariota, the second overall pick of the 2015 draft. The Titans regressed to 7-10 and 6-11 though, and fired Vrabel after the 2023 season.
Best of Mike Vrabel | Offense and Defense Highlights (4:04)
A look back at the career of Mike Vrabel | Patriots.com (14-page slide show)
Mike Vrabel: A career retrospective | Patriots.com (21-page slide show for Pats HoF voting)
Get the latest official New England Patriots news and analysis.
www.patriots.com
Apr 30, 2019:
Patriots Hall of Fame: The Case For Mike Vrabel | Patriots.com
July 13, 2019:
Mike Vrabel's wife responds to his 'I'd cut off my d--- to win' comment
After gaining a ton of attention in the media, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel's wife Jen has responded to the "cut of d---" story.
titansized.com
Mike Vrabel is in his sixth season with the Titans after being named the 19th head coach in franchise history on Jan. 20, 2018. During his first five seasons in Tennessee, Vrabel led the Titans to a 50-37 overall record, four winning seasons, three posts
www.tennesseetitans.com
Oct 22, 2020:
The Patriots Hall of Fame announced its all-dynasty team as part of an exhibit celebrating the franchise’s success in the past two decades. The team was picked by a combination of fan voting and a panel of experts knowledgeable about the Patriots from 2001-2019. Every member of the team played...
www.boston.com
Feb 10, 2022:
Mike Vrabel guided the Tennessee Titans to a 12-5 regular-season record, a second straight AFC South title and the AFC’s No. 1 seed in 2021.
www.tennessean.com
Oct 22, 2023:
www.patriotshalloffame.com
Jan 9, 2024:
The Tennessee Titans have fired coach Mike Vrabel, the team announced Tuesday.
www.espn.com
July 26, 2024:
Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill talked about the team's decision to fire Mike Vrabel and draft Will Levis on a podcast recently.
www.tennessean.com
"I dont know what their reasons were for letting (Vrabel) go," Ryan Tannehill said to Russini. "But I'm thankful for my time with him and how he impacted my career."
Tannehill added that he thinks Vrabel was one of the best coaches he ever played for.
"He did a lot of great things," Tannehill said. "How we prepared as a team, how we educated the team on a weekly basis. Situationally, I always felt like we were really good. Game management, I felt like we were really good.”
July 30, 2024:
It was surprising when the Titans fired Mike Vrabel in January after the club finished 6-11 in 2023.
www.nbcsports.com
Aug 13, 2024:
Vrabel, now a consultant for the Browns, has taken on myriad roles for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
www.espn.com
Mike Vrabel's son Tyler is a 6'6, 315 lineman who played LT and RT at Boston College, and spent two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Boston College offensive lineman Tyler Vrabel, son of Titans coach Mike Vrabel, did not get selected in this weekend's NFL Draft.
www.tennessean.com
