Patriots Hall-of-Famer Mike Vrabel Reveals Origins as ‘Receiver’

Former New England Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel was one of the most versatile players in franchise history, having caught 10 touchdowns passes during his Pats tenure.

FOXBORO — Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel may currently be controlling the sidelines in Nashville. However, there is still a great deal of New England Patriots ‘Blue’ in his bloodline. 

Vrabel, who was recently named as the 34th inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame, met with the media via video conference on Thursday, to thank the organization, as well as to share some interesting insight on his eight seasons in New England. 

“I think obviously very rewarding,” Vrabel said of his Patriots tenure. “It certainly set me up I think, for a great future — whether that was to be able to transition to Kansas City, or  ultimately to become a coach.”

Vrabel joined the Patriots as a free-agent in 2001. His signing remains one of the greatest in team history. Although he finished his playing career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Vrabel will forever be remembered as a Patriot. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), as well as a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2007. He was selected as a member of the New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team, as well as the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team (2000–2009).

Though he remains grateful for his numerous accolades, the 47-year-old still regards his time spent with teammates as the most-lasting memories as a Patriot. 

“I loved coming to work with the players, and I think that that’s something that I’ll always miss,“ Vrabel said. “What we had in the locker room is something I always want to try to recreate. The players were the ones that were trying to hold each other accountable, and not in a negative way, but just in a positive way, and how you push guys and how you work and how you want to prepare.”

Throughout his time in New England, Vrabel defined the word ‘versatility.’ He primarily started at both inside and outside linebacker. Unsurprisingly, the ex-Pats linebacker mentioned fellow positional teammates — and Patriots Hall of Farmers — Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest with helping him to quickly learn and enact New England’s playbook.

However, he often lined up on offense in short-yardage and goal-line situations. In this instance, he revealed a surprise when crediting former Pats quarterback Drew Bledsoe as one of the driving forces behind his use as a goal-line pass catcher. 

“I would mess around with Drew,” Vrabel said with a slight laugh. ““Just go out before the game, a few hours before, goof around, run routes and catch balls for the quarterback. Then I think he might have said, ‘Hey, Charlie [Weis,] this guy could probably actually do something.’ It never materialized (at first), and then maybe the next year, (Weis) might have said, ‘Give this a try, learn the plays.’

As a Patriot, Vrabel caught eight regular-season passes and two more in the playoffs. All 10 of his receptions were for touchdowns, including touchdown receptions in back-to-back Super Bowl wins over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXVIII and Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

Vrabel will now join the Pats Hall’s Class of 2023, along with former assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia, who was named as a contributor by team owner Robert Kraft when the nomination committee held their annual meeting in April.

The date and time for the 2023 Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony is expected to be announced shortly after the revealing of NFL schedules, rumored to be taking place on May 11. 

---

Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

Follow Patriots Country on Twitter and Facebook

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Patriots? Click Here

More Patriots coverage from Sports Illustrated here.