Bill Belichick 'Proud' of Patriots Hall of Famer

Mike Vrabel will become the latest Bill Belichick pupil and signing to enter the New England Patriots' Hall of Fame.
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Bill Belichick's hardly surprised that Mike Vrabel has stuck around as an NFL head coach. Vrabel, after all. did pretty much everything else when Belichick was his boss with the New England Patriots. 

Vrabel is the latest name from the Belichick era to earn immortality at Patriot Place, as he's set for induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame this summer alongside tenured assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia. The head coach of the Tennessee Titans is set to have a busy summer involving his former place of business: before the two sides do preseason battle on Aug. 25, they'll partake in joint practices at the Titans' facility. 

Belichick expounded upon the glory of the Vrabel era as the Patriots wrapped up minicamp activities this week. Vrabel's eight years in Foxborough (2001-08) produced three Super Bowl victories and entries into several box score departments, including eight receptions ... all of which went for touchdowns.

"I love Mike and what he did for us here,” Belichick said, per Michael David Smith of NBC Sports. "He gave us a lot of leadership with a lot of energy, toughness and football character. He was a great addition."

"I look forward to working with him again this summer in Tennessee, and at his induction later in the fall. There are a lot of great Patriots from my era as a coach in the Hall of Fame. I’m proud to put another one in, especially on the defensive side of the ball there."

Like so many other contributors from abroad to the Patriots' championship picture, Vrabel rose from relative obscurity en route to championship glory. He was primarily a special teams contributor for the Pittsburgh Steelers after joining that group as a third-round pick out of Ohio State. 

Since his retirement from the field, which came after two years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Vrabel embarked on a coaching journey that took him back to school at OSU and later the Houston Texans. He has worn the Titans' top headset since 2018 and has amassed a 48-34 record. Tennessee's .585 winning percentage is tied with the Patriots (as well as Dallas and Pittsburgh) for the seventh-best in the NFL in that span.

"I have a good relationship with Mike all the way back to when he was at Ohio State," Belichick declared. "Since, I’ve followed his coaching career, obviously from Ohio State, to Houston, to Tennessee. I had a great opportunity to work with Mike."

Belichick's goodwill toward Vrabel will likely stop at the induction podium: his former protege owns a 2-1 record in three meetings, including a 20-13 win in the 2019-20 AFC Wild Card round. 


Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Geoff Magliocchetti