Elandon Roberts Earns High Praise From Fellow Unconventional Touchdown Catcher Mike Vrabel
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick is many things. A conventional coach is not one of them.
Over the years, Belichick has used star defensive players on offense, and he's used star offensive players on defense, sometimes in conference championship games, and sometimes in Super Bowls.
This year, after injuries to both James Develin and Jakob Johnson, Belichick needed to get creative to fill his fullback void. For that, he turned to Elandon Roberts, arguably the hardest-hitting linebacker on the team. Roberts hadn't played an offensive snap since middle school, but he's stepped in nicely as the lead blocker for Sony Michel. Last weekend against Miami, he ended up with a 38-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown.
That type of versatility earned some serious praise from Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, a man who knows a thing or two about shifting from linebacker to offense.
"He's a valuable player it would seem like for them," Vrabel said in a conference call. "I know that when Bill asks you to do a lot of things, it's that he trusts you. So, he's helped them out quite a bit."
Vrabel, who played in 125 regular-season games and 17 playoff games for New England at linebacker, enjoyed a stint as a goal line tight end. Between 2002 and 2007, he was targeted 11 times in regular-season games, making eight catches for just 11 yards but scoring touchdowns on all eight of them. In the playoffs, he had two catches, both for touchdowns -- and both in Super Bowls. He caught a touchdown to give New England a lead late in the fourth quarter against Carolina in Super Bowl XXXVIII, and he caught a touchdown to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead in the third quarter of Super Bowl XXXIX against the Eagles.
That personal history certainly helps Vrabel appreciate what Roberts has done, but the Titans' head coach said he's had an eye on Roberts going back to the linebacker's collegiate career at the University of Houston.
"I've known Elandon since he was at Houston. I coached there and he was with the University of Houston. I was a fan of his, went and worked him out. I would have loved to be able to coach him," Vrabel said. "He loves ball, he seems to be a great teammate. He's a physical player and really has helped their running game. Big touchdown last week and then was able to play defensive snaps and contribute on special teams."
