"Somewhere, Mike Vrabel is cringing..."

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Patriots head coach traded Mike Vrabel and Matt Cassel to the Chiefs. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Last season with the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel, along with a couple others, was considered one of the leaders on defense.  So much that Bill Belichick entrusted him with the responsibility of wearing the radio piece in his helmet to communicate with the sideline.

Yes, like the quarterback, one defensive player can wear a helmet with a radio in it, and Vrabel was that guy.

The Patriots head coach was asked about the defensive communication with Vrabel at the helm last year:

Q: With all the new faces on defense and now with Jerod Mayo out for a little bit, has communication been a problem?

BB: I would say it's probably better than it was last year, that wouldn't take much. Is it as good as it needs to be? No. There's always room for improvement. But I would say it's definitely improved over last year, not that that was a real high bar.

OK, what?  Was Belichick talking about Vrabel?

Ian Rapaport, Pats beat reporter for the Boston Herald, certainly thinks so.

"Ouch," he said in reply to the quote.  "Somewhere Mike Vrabel is cringing..."

Why? The Pats were 8th in points allowed last season (and fourth the year before that and second the year before that).