Bill Belichick, the former head coach of the New England Patriots, is in the running to be the Atlanta Falcons’ next coach, but he has stiff competition from a familiar figure.
The Falcons interviewed Belichick twice after firing Arthur Smith following a poor season. Mike Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans head coach who played a crucial role under Belichick in New England, has also been interviewed twice at the Falcons’ facility.
Belichick left the Patriots after 24 seasons, including a rough 2023 season. Despite this, he is remembered for leading the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories alongside Tom Brady and Rob Kraft.
Vrabel was a vital part of that success, spending several years in the core of the Patriots’ defense before transitioning to coaching. After great success with the Tennessee Titans, he was let go and could possibly pose a challenge to Belichick’s next position.
Vrabel had a strong run at Tennessee, winning 54 games and losing 45 over six seasons. He even led the squad to the AFC Championship in 2019 and was named the 2021 AP Coach of the Year.
Vrabel is highly respected in the NFL, particularly by his former coach, Belichick. They’re both in contention for the Falcons’ top job right now, but Belichick made it obvious just a few months ago that he valued Vrabel when he was elected into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame.
“Mike’s one of the players, I would say, that really benefited from free agency,” remarked coach Bill Belichick. “He was on a very excellent squad in Pittsburgh, played behind two very good players, and didn’t receive much playing time defensively; he played in the kicking game. We had the opportunity here. We were utilizing a 3-4 defense. He was a 3-4 outside linebacker. It was a terrific fit for him, and there were two good players ahead of him in Pittsburgh.
“So, he came here, had a fantastic career, and was obviously a good fit for Willie [McGinest]. Willie was an excellent compliment to him. Having gone through the [Carl] Banks/[Lawrence] Taylor issue with the Giants. That’s a fantastic complement to having two good outside linebackers instead of one.
“Mike was a really intellectual, clever athlete who played inside linebacker for us when we needed him, which was not often, but he could do it. He was the type of player who would take reps at every position during practice, including free safety, strong safety, and occasionally defensive line. If we were trying to emulate a specific player, he would jump in and do that.
“It was competitive, especially between him and [Tom] Brady, and pretty entertaining at times. Mike had a fantastic attitude, a passion for the game, a lot of energy, and was really strong. Mike is a physically strong athlete who can handle tackles, certainly can handle tight ends, is a good power rusher, and has plenty of moves to match. His strength was his length, force, and intelligence. He was an effective tackler.”
