mike vrabel

New England’s Pro Bowl linebacker Mike Vrabel is in Kansas City undergoing a physical so that he can then be traded to the Chiefs. General Manager Scott Pioli is reaching out to bring in a player familiar with his system, and New England is a willing trade partner.
Look, Vrabel may be 33, but NFL linebackers have a long shelf life. Plus, he made the Pro Bowl and had 12.5 sacks in 2007. He’s far from washed up, and who would know that better than Scott Pioli? I’m sure the Patriots are trying to get younger, so this deal makes sense for them, too.
We’ll have to wait and see what we give up, but for now I like it. This gives us a defensive leader and Pro Bowl-caliber player, albeit an aging one, who knows Pioli and his system. Vrabel is also one of those mean bastards you hate when they are on somebody else’s team, but love when they are on yours. This instantly starts to chip away at the losing culture in our locker room.
He’s also a pretty damn good goalline tight end. The way things are going with our vets — GULP! — we might need one of those.
This also looks like a definite sign that we are moving to the 3-4. Not only that, but a sign that we want to be competitive, and competitive soon. This also shows that the Pats are willing to deal with us, which could mean that a Matt Cassel trade is also on the horizon.
Kansas City, I think you are going to love this guy!