Mike Vrabel
refer to caption
Vrabel with the Titans in 2022
No. 96, 56, 50
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1975-08-14) August 14, 1975
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:261 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school:Walsh Jesuit
(Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
College:Ohio State
NFL Draft:1997 / Round: 3 / Pick: 91
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
As player
As coach
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:740
Sacks:57
Interceptions:11
Forced fumbles:19
Head coaching record
Regular season:54–45 (.545)
Postseason:2–3 (.400)
Career:56–48 (.538)
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR
Coaching stats at PFR

Michael George Vrabel[1] (/ˈvreɪbəl/; born August 14, 1975) is an American football coach and former linebacker. He most recently served as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL) from 2018 to 2023.

He played college football at Ohio State, where he was a consensus All-American, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. In a four-year stint with the Steelers, he was mainly a reserve player before joining the New England Patriots as a free agent in 2001, where he gained a larger role as an eventual starter and was key member of their early 2000s defenses. With the Patriots, he became a three-time Super Bowl champion and a First-team All-Pro during his eight-year tenure. Noted for his versatility, Vrabel scored a receiving touchdown in consecutive Super Bowls, Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX, becoming the only primarily defensive player to score in two Super Bowls. He then finished his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, after being traded there in 2009.

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 linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator, before becoming the Titans' head coach in 2018.

Early years

Vrabel was born in Akron, Ohio. He is a 1993 graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School in nearby Cuyahoga Falls, where he was a standout on their football team coached by Andrew Slome.[2]

Playing career

College

Vrabel accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Ohio State University and played defensive end from 1993 to 1996. He compiled twelve quarterback sacks as a sophomore, thirteen as a junior, and forty-eight tackles and nine sacks as a senior.[3] As a senior in 1996, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Vrabel finished his career at Ohio State by being named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in both 1995 and 1996, becoming the first of two players to ever win the award twice (Wendell Bryant of Wisconsin being the other). He accumulated 36 sacks and 66 tackles for a loss.[4]

He was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000, and in 2012 was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.[5]

National Football League

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in
(1.93 m)		 270 lb
(122 kg)		 34+1⁄4 in
(0.87 m)		 9+5⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		4.93 s1.70 s2.88 s4.43 s7.77 s29.5 in
(0.75 m)		8 ft 6 in
(2.59 m)		23 reps
All values from NFL Combine[6][7]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Vrabel was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (91st overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft.[8] He spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. His most notable play as a Steeler came in his rookie season, when he strip-sacked Drew Bledsoe in the 1997–98 AFC Divisional Playoffs to clinch a 7–6 win for the Steelers. Vrabel had 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 1998; 9 tackles and two sacks in 1999; and 15 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery in 2000.

New England Patriots

Vrabel at Super Bowl XLII in 2008

Vrabel joined the New England Patriots as a free agent for the 2001 season.[9] He played in every game on defense, starting in 12. He would occasionally come in as an eligible receiver, lining up as a tight end. Bill Belichick took advantage of this in 2004 in Super Bowl XXXVIII. In the fourth quarter, Tom Brady threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Vrabel, making Vrabel the first defensive player to score a Super Bowl touchdown on offense since William "Refrigerator" Perry did so for the Chicago Bears against the Patriots in 1986's Super Bowl XX. Vrabel was one of the defensive stars as well; he had two sacks (one forcing a fumble) of Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.

In Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, Vrabel caught a two-yard touchdown pass despite being held by the Eagles' Jevon Kearse, a feat pictured on the cover of the 2005 NFL Record and Fact Book. The reception made him one of 17 players to catch two or more touchdown passes in Super Bowls.

Vrabel finished with ten career receptions in just 14 targets, all for touchdowns.[9] He caught one in 2002, two in 2004, three in 2005, and two in 2007 in the regular season, and one each in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX, all with the Patriots, and one each in 2009 and 2010 with the Chiefs (thrown by former Patriot Matt Cassel). According to the website Cold Hard Football Facts, no other player in NFL history has a better record of converting receptions to touchdowns. His versatility was good enough for NFL Network to rank him #7 on their Top 10 episode of the Most Versatile Players.

In Week 8 of the 2007 season, Vrabel forced three fumbles, had three sacks, recovered an onside kick, and scored an offensive touchdown against the Washington Redskins, for which he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In December 2007, he was selected to start at the Pro Bowl; in January 2008, he was named to the NFL All-Pro team for the 2007 season.

On December 26, 2005, on the final Monday Night Football game on ABC, Vrabel became, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the first player—since the official recording of sacks began in 1982—to have two touchdown catches and a sack in the same game.[10]

Though right outside linebacker had been Vrabel's primary position in the Patriots' 3–4 scheme in his first four seasons with New England, in 2005 Vrabel moved to inside linebacker, because of the limited effectiveness of inside backers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown, although he had never before played inside in the NFL. By the time Tedy Bruschi returned from injury, he and Vrabel were the two men starting inside. Rosevelt Colvin successfully filled Vrabel's old spot, and many cite the change in positions as a major contributor to the Patriots' rebound in the second half of the season. Vrabel moved inside again late in the 2006 season after Junior Seau suffered a broken arm.

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 27, 2009, the Patriots traded Vrabel to the Kansas City Chiefs for what was originally announced as an undisclosed draft pick.[11] The next day it was revealed that Patriots traded both Vrabel and Matt Cassel in exchange for the Chiefs' second round pick, the 34th overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.[12]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckIntYdsAvgLngTDPDFFFRYdsTD
1997PIT 150171431.5000.00002100
1998PIT 1109632.5000.00000000
1999PIT 1005412.0000.00001100
2000PIT 1505321.0000.00000100
2001NE 16126340233.022713.515090000
2002NE 16138258244.5100.00050200
2003NE 1395237159.52189.014044100
2004NE 16157154175.5000.00030000
2005NE 161610873354.522311.524T151000
2006NE 16168954354.5300.02043100
2007NE 161577552212.5000.00004000
2008NE 16146240224.0155.05041100
2009KC 1414524392.0000.00062100
2010KC 16164830180.0000.00011000
Career[13]20614074051122957.011736.724T14119900

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckIntYdsAvgLngTDPDFFFRYdsTD
1997PIT 201101.0000.00000000
2001NE 3311740.0000.00000000
2003NE 33181533.0000.00011000
2004NE 33141132.0000.00001110
2005NE 2215871.0000.00000000
2006NE 33201552.0000.00011000
2007NE 336330.0000.00010100
2010KC 113030.0000.00000000
Career[13]20188860289.0000.00033210

Coaching career

Ohio State

Vrabel retired on July 10, 2011 to become the linebackers coach at Ohio State.[14] On December 21, 2011 new Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer decided to keep Vrabel on as part of his coaching staff as defensive line coach.[15]

Houston Texans

On January 10, 2014, Vrabel was hired by the Houston Texans as a linebackers coach.[16] During his three seasons as linebackers coach, the Texans ranked third in the NFL in yards allowed per game.[17] In January 2016 news outlets reported that the San Francisco 49ers offered Vrabel their defensive coordinator job; Vrabel declined the offer and remained in Houston.[18] In January 2017, the Texans named Vrabel as their defensive coordinator, moving previous coordinator Romeo Crennel to assistant head coach.[19] He coached players such as J. J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus and Benardrick McKinney.[17]

Tennessee Titans

Vrabel in 2019

On January 20, 2018, Vrabel was hired as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans on a five-year deal.[20][21] On September 16, 2018, Vrabel beat the Houston Texans 20–17 in Week 2 for his first career win as a head coach.[22] On September 30, 2018, he led the Titans to a 26–23 overtime victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 4 upset.[23] On November 11, 2018, Vrabel beat his former longtime coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in a 34–10 Week 10 victory.[24] Under Vrabel, the Titans' defense improved from the 13th-ranked defense in 2017 to the eighth-ranked defense in 2018.[17] Vrabel and the Titans narrowly missed the playoffs by one game and finished the 2018 season with a 9–7 record.[25]

The 2019 season saw the Titans once again finish 9–7; however, this would be enough to make the playoffs as a sixth seed. During a 16–0 shutout loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 6, Vrabel elected to bench quarterback Marcus Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill, a move that led to the Titans winning seven of their final ten games despite starting 2–4.[26]

In the wild-card round, Tennessee upset the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 20–13, led by running back Derrick Henry's 204 yards from scrimmage, to advance to the divisional round.[27] The Titans pulled off another upset against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, winning 28–12 behind another breakout performance from Henry with 202 scrimmage yards along with a passing touchdown on a trick play.[28] With the victory, the Titans advanced to their first AFC Championship in seventeen seasons, where they were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl LIV champion Kansas City Chiefs 35–24.[29] For his work in the 2021–22 NFL season, he was named the AP Coach of the Year. Vrabel was dismissed from the Titans on January 9, 2024, following a 6–11 record in the 2023–24 season.[30]

Head coaching record

TeamYearRegular seasonPostseason
WonLostTiesWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
TEN2018 970.5633rd in AFC South————
TEN2019 970.5632nd in AFC South21.667Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Championship Game
TEN2020 1150.6881st in AFC South01.000Lost to Baltimore Ravens in AFC Wild card game
TEN2021 1250.7061st in AFC South01.000Lost to Cincinnati Bengals in AFC Divisional Game
TEN2022 7100.4122nd in AFC South————
TEN2023 6110.3534th in AFC South————
Total54450.54523.400

Personal life

Vrabel and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Tyler and Carter.[31] Tyler started on the offensive line for the Boston College Eagles football team for three years and declared himself for the 2022 NFL Draft.[32] Undrafted, Tyler was signed by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 preseason.[33] In September 2019, Carter committed to play baseball at Wabash Valley College.[34] Carter then spent two seasons with Volunteer State Community College, before transferring to Tennessee Tech for his final year.[35] Vrabel founded the "Mike's Second and Seven Foundation" with his former Ohio State teammates Ryan Miller and Luke Fickell to promote literacy in the Ohio area.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Vrabel Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Ohio State football: Mike Vrabel retires from Kansas City Chiefs to take job as Buckeyes' linebacker coach". Cleveland.com. Associated Press. July 11, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Mike Vrabel". New England Patriots. December 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mike Vrabel Bio". The Ohio State University Official Athletic Site :: Football. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ Bill Livingston (September 21, 2012). "For Ohio State's John Simon, every week is a big game". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Mike Vrabel is Living Proof the NFL Combine Doesn't Tell All". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Mike Vrabel, Combine Results, DE – Ohio State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ "1997 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Titans name Mike Vrabel next head coach, tapping Pats line after missing McDaniels".
  10. ↑ Monique Walker (October 29, 2007). "For Vrabel, both sides now". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  11. ↑ Gasper, Christopher L. (February 28, 2009). "Vrabel trade confirmed". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  12. ↑ King, Peter (February 28, 2009). "Chiefs complete trade for Cassel". Sports Illustrated. CNN. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Mike Vrabel Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  14. ↑ Smith, Erick (July 11, 2011). "Mike Vrabel to retire from NFL and join Ohio State coaching staff". USA Today. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  15. ↑ Brian Bennett (December 21, 2011). "Meyer, Belichick see strengths in Vrabel". College Football Nation Blog. ESPN. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  16. ↑ Bennett, Brian (January 9, 2014). "Mike Vrabel to coach Texans' LBs". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  17. 1 2 3 "Mike Vrabel". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  18. ↑ Cohn, Grant. "Why Mike Vrabel said no to 49ers' D-coordinator job". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  19. ↑ Barshop, Sarah (January 18, 2017). "Texans to promote Mike Vrabel to DC; Romeo Crennel stays as assistant HC". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  20. ↑ Bogage, Jacob (January 20, 2018). "Titans hire Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel as head coach". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  21. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (January 20, 2018). "Titans Hire Mike Vrabel for Head Coaching Job". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  22. ↑ Davenport, Turron (September 16, 2018). "With Titans depleted, Mike Vrabel pulls out all stops for first win". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (September 30, 2018). "Titans Win Overtime Thriller Over Eagles, 26–23". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  24. ↑ Bowers, Rachel; Dunphy, Mark (November 11, 2018). "Mike Vrabel and the Titans thoroughly beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  25. ↑ "2018 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  26. ↑ "2019 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Wild Card – Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots – January 4th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Divisional Round – Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens – January 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  29. ↑ "AFC Championship – Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs – January 19th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Titans make 'difficult' call to fire coach Vrabel". ESPN.com. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Vrabel returns to Ohio State as coach". NCAA.com. July 11, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  32. ↑ Patel, Niraj (January 18, 2022). "Tyler Vrabel Declares for 2022 NFL Draft". BC Interrupted. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  33. ↑ Dajani, Jordan (August 31, 2022). "Falcons sign Tyler Vrabel, son of Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, to practice squad". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  34. ↑ Vrabel, Carter [@cv1and_only] (September 1, 2019). "...With that being said, I have decided I am going to commit to Wabash Valley College, to continue my academic and athletic career! Go Warriors" (Tweet). Retrieved September 30, 2019 – via Twitter.
  35. ↑ Organ, Mike (May 21, 2023). "Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel's son Carter will play baseball at Tennessee Tech". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Mike Vrabel Biography". Patriots.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
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