By John McClain, guest columnist
The first time I heard Mike Vrabel and head coach in the same sentence was 2001 when the Bill Belichick-coached Patriots won their first Super Bowl.
As an NFL writer who covered the league for eight years after the Oilers moved to Nashville in 1997 and before I was assigned to the Texans’ beat in 2005, I spent a lot of time covering New England – regular season, playoffs and Super Bowls.
I got to know inside linebacker Ted Johnson, a seven-year veteran in 2001 who had played on Bill Parcells’ team that lost Super Bowl XXXI to Green Bay. We had a natural connection because Johnson had spent part of his childhood in Houston and was an avid Oilers’ fan.
(Photo courtesy Houston Texans.)
In 2001, second-year quarterback Tom Brady – in his first season as the starter in place of the injured Drew Bledsoe – was getting a lot of well-deserved recognition, but it was the Patriots’ linebackers who were the strength of the team.
Under defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, the Patriots’ linebackers were among the best groups in NFL history and would help New England win three Super Bowls.
Johnson played inside next to Tedy Bruschi. They were flanked by Willie McGinest and Vrabel. Interestingly, all but Vrabel are members of the media covering the NFL.