Mike Vrabel Early years . Vrabel was born in Akron , Ohio . He attended Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls , Ohio , and played for the Walsh Jesuit Warriors high school football team . College career . Vrabel accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Ohio State University , where he played defensive end for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 1993 to 1996 . He compiled twelve quarterback sack s as a sophomore , thirteen as a junior , and forty - eight tackles and nine sacks as a senior . As a senior in 1996 , he was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American . Vrabel finished his career at Ohio State by being named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in both 1995 and 1996 , becoming only the second player to ever win the award twice ( Wendell Bryant of Wisconsin being the other ) . He totaled thirty - six sacks and sixty - six tackles for a loss . He was named to the Ohio State Football All - Century Team in 2000 , and in 2012 was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame . Due to Vrabel having played at Ohio State , and former Patriots teammate Tom Brady having played for the Buckeyes ' arch - rival , Michigan , the two players make an annual wager over the outcome of the yearly meeting between the two schools . Professional career . Pittsburgh Steelers . Vrabel was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round ( 91st overall ) of the 1997 NFL Draft . He spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh . His most notable play as a Steeler came in his rookie season , when he sacked Drew Bledsoe in the 1997 - 98 AFC Divisional Playoffs to clinch a 7 - 6 win for the Steelers . In ' 98 he had 12 tackles , 2 . 5 sacks , 0 fr , 0 int , 0 yds 0 tds . In ' 99 he had 9 tackles , 2 sacks , 0 fr , 0 int , 0 yds , 0 tds . in ' 00 he had 15 tackles , 1 sack , 1 fr , 0 int , 0 yds , 0 tds . New England Patriots . Vrabel played in every game his first season in New England , starting 12 . Vrabel exemplified the versatility sought by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick : in addition to his work as a linebacker , Vrabel frequently checked in as a tight end in short - yardage situations , which made him an eligible receiver . Belichick took advantage of this in Super Bowl XXXVIII : in the fourth quarter , Tom Brady threw a 1 - yard touchdown pass to Vrabel , making Vrabel the first defensive player to score a Super Bowl touchdown on offense since William " Refrigerator " Perry did so for the Chicago Bears " against " the Patriots in Super Bowl XX in 1986 . Vrabel was one of the defensive stars in that game as well ; he had two sacks ( one forcing a fumble ) of Carolina ' s Jake Delhomme , and was a contender for the Super Bowl MVP award that went to Brady . Despite Brady ' s penchant for throwing to Vrabel in such situations , teams were often unable to cover Vrabel properly . In Super Bowl XXXIX , Vrabel caught a 2 - yard touchdown pass despite being held by Philadelphia ' s Jevon Kearse ; that catch is pictured on the cover of the " 2005 NFL Record and Fact Book " . The reception made him one of 17 players to catch two or more touchdown passes in Super Bowls . Vrabel finished with twelve career receptions , all for 1 - or 2 - yard touchdowns ( one in 2002 , two in 2004 , three in 2005 , and two in 2007 in the regular season , and one each in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX ) with the Patriots and one in 2009 and 2010 with the Chiefs ( thrown by former Patriot Matt Cassel ) . According to the website Cold Hard Football Facts , no other player in NFL history has as good a record of converting receptions to touchdowns . His versatility was good enough for NFL Network to rank him # 7 on their Top 10 episode of the Greatest Versatile Players . In week 8 of the 2007 season , Mike Vrabel forced 3 fumbles , had 3 sacks , recovered an onside kick , and scored an offensive touchdown against the Washington Redskins , for which he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week . In December 2007 he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time , as a starter ; in January 2008 he was named to the NFL All - Pro team . On December 26 , 2005 , on the final " Monday Night Football " game on ABC , Vrabel became , according to the Elias Sports Bureau , the first player — since the official recording of sacks began in 1982 — to have two touchdown catches and a sack in the same game . Though right outside linebacker had been Vrabel ' s primary position in the Patriots ' 3 - 4 scheme in his first four seasons with New England , in 2005 Vrabel moved to inside linebacker , because of the limited effectiveness of inside backers Monty Beisel and Chad Brown , although he had never before played inside in the NFL . By the time Tedy Bruschi had returned from injury , he and Vrabel were the two men starting inside . Rosevelt Colvin successfully filled Vrabel ' s old spot , and many cite the change in positions as a major contributor to the Patriots ' rebound in the second half of the season . Vrabel moved inside again late in the 2006 season , after Junior Seau broke his arm . Kansas City Chiefs . On February 27 , 2009 , the Patriots traded Vrabel , who was in the last year of his contract , to the Kansas City Chiefs for an undisclosed draft pick . The following day it was revealed that Patriots traded both Vrabel and Matt Cassel in exchange for the Chiefs ' second - round pick ( # 34 overall ) in the 2009 NFL Draft . Mike Vrabel retired from football in early July 2011 to join the Ohio State Buckeyes coaching staff . Coaching career . Ohio State . Vrabel retired from professional football after 14 seasons on July 10 , 2011 . He has joined his alma mater of Ohio State as linebackers coach . On December 21 , 2011 new Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer decided to keep Vrabel on as part of his coaching staff as defensive line coach . Houston Texans . In January of 2014 , after spending three years as a Buckeyes assistant , Vrabel left Ohio State to become the linebackers coach for the Houston Texans . Personal . Vrabel is married to his wife Jen , and they have two sons , Tyler and Carter . Vrabel founded the " Mike ' s Second and Seven Foundation " with Ohio State teammates Ryan Miller and Luke Fickell to promote literacy in the Ohio area . He and his wife have also donated to several charities . In March 2011 , Vrabel was arrested and charged with a Class D felony for theft at an Indiana casino . According to reports from Kansas City television station KMBC and ProFootballTalk . com , the incident involved eight bottles of beer at a deli in the Belterra Casino . Vrabel was released after posting $ 600 bond . Vrabel is an only child .