still stunned

i totally understand why he is gone ... but i am STILL STUNNED that mike vrabel is no longer a new england patriot ... we are talking about the guy boston magazine several years ago said "even looked, in profile, like the flying elvis patriots logo" ... mike vrabel is now a kansas city chief

vrabel will be 34 in august ... the patriots need to get younger and quicker on defense now ... vrabel is due a $1 mil roster bonus on 3/2 ... and mike's contract is a healthy hit on the salary cap ... the patriots need salary cap flexibility now ... belichick is faced with the possibility of having to make a most painful salary cap cut ... kansas city needs alot ... they were 2-14 last season ... the chiefs need playmakers ... they need experience ... leadership ... a winner like a 3-time super bowl champion ... scott pioli knows mike vrabel as well as belichick ... scott knows the patriots salary cap position ... and he knows all the personnel decisions belichick is facing ... i understand ... still stunned

i will always remember mike vrabel as the all-pro outside linebacker on 4 new england patriots super bowl teams ... 8 years as #50 ... i will remember his intelligence and leadership qualities ... on and off the field ... i will remember his playoff strip sacks ... i will remember the special relationship he and belichick seemed to have ... most of all i will remember mike's 1-yard touchdown catch in super bowl 38 ... which gave the patriots a 27-22 lead in their eventual 32-29 win over the carolina panthers ... linebacker vrabel caught 10 passes as an eligible tight end in his patriots career ... all 10 for touchdowns ... mike was poster boy for the versatility belichick values so much ... i will surely miss this guy "vrabelizing" patriots' opponents next season ... but i surely do wish mike vrabel a strong finish to his career in kc

bill belichick's comments upon mike vrabels departure ... i wouldnt have expected anything less

"when mike arrived in 2001, we knew we were adding a solid outside linebacker. but where mike took it from there exceeded our highest hopes mike vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player: toughness, intelligence, playmaking, leadership, versatility and consistency at the highest level. behind the scenes, mike's wit and personality is one of the things we have all enjoyed about coming to work every day. the toughest aspect of my job is the day I stop coaching people like mike, who did everything in his power to contribute to team success. of all the players I have coached in my career, there is nobody I enjoyed working with more than Mike. In the same way people recognize guys like Troy Brown, we appreciate and thank mike vrabel. He is one of the very special patriots champions."