Mike Vrabel is in his first year as the New England Patriots’ head coach. It’s a big year for him and the team, as he hopes to drag a talented young roster out of the rebuilding stage and into playoff contention. This weekend, he faces the team in which he spent the first four seasons of his career in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaking at his press conference Friday, Vrabel had a lot of praise for the Steelers.
“I think a well-run family organization,” Vrabel said via Patriots.com. “Just the Rooney family, I was very lucky to be brought into the NFL by that organization. Learned a lot, great veterans that showed us what it was like to be a pro. I had guys like Dermontti Dawson, Mark Bruener, you know, could go on and on and on. That’s the NFL that I knew. It was impressive.”
The Steelers used the 91st overall pick on Vrabel back in 1997. He went on to a long and prosperous career from there. Vrabel knows a lot about the two organizations taking the field at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. He spent his rookie contract in Pittsburgh, and then went to New England, a place he called home for the next eight years. He earned his only Pro Bowl appearance, as well as first-team  All-Pro recognition back in 2007.
Now he’s in his second stint as a head coach, after leading the Tennessee Titans for a few years. And for both Mike Vrabel’s Patriots and Mike Tomlin’s Steelers, this is a massive game.
For New England, it’s a chance to make a statement. The Patriots have been in a retooling phase ever since Tom Brady left. Now, they’ve got their young quarterback in Drake Maye, and added a lot of talent around him this offseason. The Patriots are still some years away from Super Bowl contention, but many have them pegged as a Wild Card candidate this season. A win over a talented Steelers roster would vault them to 2-1 and give them a lot of confidence moving forward.
For Tomlin, it’s about getting the most out of that talent. The Steelers added so many big names this offseason. But you wouldn’t be able to tell by the way they’ve played through two weeks. The Steelers were somewhat lucky to scratch out a win against the Jets, and were punished at home by the Seahawks. Now, Arthur Smith has to get his offense going against a coach in Vrabel that knows him quite well from their days with the Titans.
There are plenty of interesting storylines come Sunday. Mike Vrabel coaches against his former team, and also his former coordinator in Arthur Smith. He’s got a lot of respect for the Steelers, but Pittsburgh hopes, and needs to get the best of him come Sunday afternoon.
