On Pro Football
FOXBORO — For a guy whose missed two weeks of training camp finishing up his rehabilitation, Mike Vrabel looks remarkable.
Donning the pads for the first time yesterday, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Patriots linebacker is lean and ripped.
Vrabel didn't just sit around as his mates toiled in the summer sun.
"You go through our defensive scheme just like any other practice, working with the training staff, running and lifting, there's a lot you can do," said Vrabel, now prepping for his 12th pro season.
"Old age (has kept me out), trying to get my rest, get back healthy. You realize how quick of an offseason it is when you play into February, and you're not as healthy as you've been in the past. You need a couple extra weeks going into training camp."
Perhaps Vrabel, now eight days from his 33rd birthday, felt a sense of urgency to return.
With the additions of Victor Hobson, who started the last three years for the Jets, and highly-drafted rookies Jerod Mayo (first round) and Shawn Crable (third round), the linebacking play has been impressive.
"I know those guys have been going at it for two weeks, I'm a little different scenario than those guys," said Vrabel. "They're a good group of guys that put football first, guys that are young and energetic, guys who enjoy football."
Stat mongers might not agree, but Vrabel has plenty to prove this season.
He rolled up a career-high 12.5 sacks in 2007, but the numbers were deceiving.
"I don't think a lot of those were on third down (when it matters most)," said Vrabel. "You have to be able to stop the pass when you know they're passing."
Vrabel, the Ohio State grad playing his eighth year in New England, might have been the NFL's dominant defender over the first 10 games, with 9.5 sacks to that point.
As the temperatures chilled, though, he tailed off. At times, the opposition paid him extra attention. Other times, he just got blocked.
But other than a 3-sack day against hapless Miami, Vrabel was shut out, right through the Super Bowl loss to New York.
In three postseason games, Vrabel registered three unassisted tackles total.
Even now, with Pro Bowl credentials on his resume, Vrabel hits camp with a point to prove.
"Overall, you get to this stage of your career, you'd like to do better on third down," said Vrabel. "I'd like to finish off some of those close sacks, instead of making them pressures."
He's not about to lose his regular spot on the defense. For now, though, Vrabel understands he is not the future. The young guns nipping at his heels, guys like Crable, are.
"Right now, other than Tom Brady, I don't think anyone on this team could tell you what his role is," said Vrabel, who said he'd be ready but probably won't play tomorrow night in the preseason opener with Baltimore. "We go out there and try to put different groups out on the practice field and get to know each other, kind of see what works and what doesn't work ... and who works well together. Hopefully I can start to be a part of that."
Vrabel is happy to carry his share of the load, like the rest of his camp-weary mates.
"This is my first year not starting at the beginning of camp, so it's certainly different, coming out today, getting the pads on. I finally feel like part of the team," he said.
"Just getting a little bit of work in like today and starting to move forward is a big plus for me."
A pretty big one for the New England defense, too.
Hector Longo is an Eagle-Tribune sportswriter. E-mail him at hlongo@eagletribune.com.
