Mike Vrabel settles debate on whether he’s part of Bill Belichick coaching tree
Mike Vrabel, the newly hired head coach of the New England Patriots, joined Mike Felger of 98.5 The Sports Hub for an exclusive interview at the NFL league meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. During the interview, Felger prompts Vrabel about if he sees himself as a coach from the Bill Belichick “coaching tree.” Here’s the transcript of that interaction…
Vrabel: “When you see me and you see me coach or you see me interact, do you feel like I’m from that lineage?”
Felger: “No.”
Vrabel: “Me neither.”
Felger: “So you don’t consider yourself part of Belichick’s coaching tree?”
Vrabel: “I never worked for Bill Belichick as a coach. There was a lot of things that I learned from him as a player that I’ve used, but just like with Urban Meyer, or just like with anybody else that I’ve worked for, I try to take those things, but do it in my own personality, my own style.”
Felger: “Do you stay in touch with Bill?”
Vrabel: “We talk. I mean, we haven’t talked in, you know, a little bit. But I know where to find him. He knows where to find me.”
Felger: “Do you think he belongs in the league?”
Vrabel: “Well, that’s not up to me. If I owned a team, I certainly wouldn’t be coaching one.”
Felger: “Would you hire him if you were owning a team?”
Vrabel: “We’d go through the process. There’s a hiring process.”
The full interview with Vrabel can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger & Mazz on Monday, March 31 at 3 p.m. ET.
