Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George Vrabelis a former American football linebacker and current linebackers coach for the Houston Texans in the National Football League. He played college football at Ohio State University, where he earned consensus All-American honors. He was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He also played professionally for the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. After spending three years coaching linebackers and defensive linemen at Ohio State, Vrabel joined the Texans...
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth14 August 1975
CityAkron, OH
I think you get this certain stigma that ?This guy can do a lot of things,? but you just want to be able to help the team, ... It?s fun because it?s something different. It breaks up the year a little bit when you go over there in offensive meetings or another meeting to learn a different position. It makes everything go by a little faster.
He has made his fair share of big plays here. Game-winning and game-changing plays. So when you look at it that way, we are getting a guy who can come in and make those kind of plays and help us.
(New England) has a great group of guys and we've been successful. Also to have a little bit of personal success has been nice,
You look over there and guys are warming up the whole game.
It's not done just to get a guy into the game.
Our development as a group is not good. You look at where we're at defensively and what we've done, and it's not good. That has nothing to do with new guys/old guys, it's got a lot to do with guys that have to play better, everybody.
We'll find out ... as this season progresses. We've always had the ability to change things simply to give us the best chance to win. It's not done just to get a guy into the game.
He's obviously made his fair share of plays here. He's made game-changing and game-winning plays. I think that when you look at it like that, you're getting another guy out there that has the ability to make those types of plays and help us.
If I stood here and I had eight sacks and four picks, something like that, then I could say, 'Well, some other guys need to step up.' That's not the case. We all have to play better. We all realize that. We've got the guys in here that can do it. Guys have proven that they can do it.
Our worst game last year was opening night against the Colts. We need to take this and build on it and move forward. We think we're a better defense than what we showed . . . but we need to go out and prove it.
I think we've got the best coach in the league. I think that was proven again tonight.
I think you could take that and turn it around to a number of positions,
I think if you're going to give up 400 yards a game, you'd better be pretty good in the red zone. That's been our saving grace. It wasn't enough last week because obviously we lost. But we can do it. You just can't do it some games and then not some (other) games. You can't be good against the run one week (and not the next). It's (about) consistency.
That's what is all-important to everybody in here, ... that you make the decision that's in the best interest of your family.