A great catch

I was listening to the Sports Hub on the drive to work Saturday. Two guys whose names I can't remember (which is why they are working Saturdays too) were talking about the news that Mike Vrabel, three-time Super Bowl champ linebacker for the Pats, had announced he was retiring from the NFL.

One of the nameless voices said "Vrabel made a lot of big plays for the Patriots. He was a good player but not one of the all-time great Pats." Vrabel not a great Patriot? That's why he's working the radio on Saturdays.

Mike Vrabel is not only one of the all-time great Pats, he is one of the all-time great stories. The Patriots listed him as a member of the team's 50th anniversary lineup. SI put him on their all-decade team for the '00s. In my rankings of the best players during the Belichick era, I have Vrabel at number six.

VRABEL: A key piece.

Vrabel was one in a long line of great Ohio St. linebackers. He stood out almost every Saturday afternoon that I watched. I loved the Big Ten back when it still only had ten teams. I was a big fan. Vrabel was a guy I wanted the Pats to take. I always want them to take the Buckeye linebacker.The Steelers took him in the third round in '97 and he played four disappointing seasons. Except whenever he played the Pats and Drew Bledsoe. He killed Bledsoe. But he didn't do enough of that against the rest of the league's QBs to earn a new contract. That's where Belichick and Pioli made one of the key moves that turned the team into a champion.

The Pats signed Vrabel prior to the 2001 season. He was added to a linebacking corp that had Bruschi, McGinnest, and Ted Johnson. Three players who were entering the prime of their careers and who -- if they could all stay healthy -- were capable of making lots of plays. Vrabel made four players on the verge of developing into stars. And on the verge of becoming leaders. At the time of the signing it was seen as a low-risk, high-reward move. Nobody knew just how high that reward would be. Not even Belichick.

Vrabel started every game at outside linebacker that season. He teamed up with a rejuvenated McGinnest to make a formidable pass rush. They may not have had as many sacks as some other great LB tandems, but they had more clutch sacks. And more clutch plays.

Vrabel and Buschi became the brains of the team. McGinnest and Harrison were the intimidators. Brown and Faulk were the heart. Brady was the fire. But Vrabel and Bruschi were the brains. They connected with their coach on a level not often seen. It translated to almost always being in the right place at the right time. The feeling was always that the Pats were a step ahead of the other team. (I know, that illegal video library might have had something to do with it, but not much). The main reason the Pats were the smarter team was because Vrabel and Bruschi were always the most prepared players on the field on every play. And that spread through the whole team. That quality defined the team's dynasty.

Vrabel not an all-time great Patriot? Just a good player?

The video above is full of game-changing sacks, tips, tackles, and picks. Oh. And 10 touchdown catches. There were so many great plays with #50. Go to the 4:10 mark and you will see his biggest play. The Pats were trailing the Rams 3-0 early in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXXVI. The heavy underdogs were delivering big hits all over the field but to that point the Rams were still carrying the play. That all changed with one swipe of Vrabel's arm. As QB Kurt Warner rared back to fire a pass, Vrabel was on top of him and -- in a move he learned from Willie -- he raised his right arm and smashed it into Warner's facemask. The hit forced a weak pass that Ty Law cut in front of and took down the sideline for a touchdown. Pats 7-3. That play was the moment that the Pats -- and their fans -- knew that they could win.

Should there have been a blow-to-the-head flag thrown? Oh, yes there should have been. But like a lot of things over the past 10-plus years, the call went the Pats way on that play. Just like things went the Pats way the day Belichick and Pioli signed Vrabel.

One last honor for Vrabel... NFL Network ranks him seventh on the list of 10 most versatile players.