Vrabel Provides Offense

Mike Vrabel has joked with the New England Patriots about switching from defense to offense. Sunday he proved he has what it takes to make the move.

Not only did he collect two sacks and force a fumble, but Vrabel, a Patriot linebacker, also lined up at tight end in the fourth quarter and caught a one-yard touchdown pass for a 29-22 lead.

“I’ve been trying to tell them I can make a career change,” he said. “When I wasn’t playing in Pittsburgh, I should have played tight end. I would have seen the field a lot quicker.”

The play, called “136 X Cross Z,” went off without a hitch. The Patriots have had it in their playbook all season and practiced it from time to time. Vrabel’s touchdown was the first offensive touchdown scored by a defensive player in a Super Bowl since Chicago’s William “The Refrigerator” Perry pounded into the end zone on a one-yard run in Super Bowl XX. Coincidentally, he scored on the Patriots.

“Tom put it in there and I didn’t drop it,” said Vrabel, who talked to reporters with his 3-year-old son Tyler on his lap. “I just had to pretend like it was a kid. It was an unbelievable feeling because I knew all week that I had a chance.”

And the way Vrabel sees it, if the ball’s coming his way, he’s going to catch it.

“That’s the one thing I don’t worry about,” he said. “I’ve got decent hands. If I can get to it, I can catch it.”

-- Sam Farmer