To me, it was kind of messed up, but who's to say what the heck he was thinking.
Cleveland Browns' Eric Steinbach calls New England Patriots' Mike Vrabel classless'
Tuesday, October 09, 2007Mary Kay Cabot
Plain Dealer Reporter
Browns guard Eric Steinbach blasted Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel on Monday for what he perceived as a cheap shot at the end of Sunday's 34-17 New England victory.
The incident could have resulted in injuries to Joe Thomas and Derek Anderson.
"It was a classless act, and you can quote me on that," Steinbach said. "The play was already dead. It was long after that. You can say it was only one guy, but that reflects on the team."
The situation occurred after a spike by Anderson at the Patriots' 10 with 11 seconds left in the game.
Just after Anderson's spike, Vrabel -- an Akron native, Walsh Jesuit graduate and former Ohio State star -- bull-rushed an unsuspecting Thomas, who staggered back a little and watched Vrabel fall down near Thomas' legs. Still tumbling, Vrabel fell into Anderson, whose back was turned by then. Vrabel hit Anderson's legs and tripped him up.
Steinbach, seeing his quarterback hit after a harmless spike, shoved Vrabel hard to the ground -- then center Hank Fraley pounced on him, followed by Thomas.
No flags were thrown for a late hit or unsportsmanlike conduct, but the Browns' linemen took matters into their own hands after the game, getting in Vrabel's face before he retreated to the locker room.
"To dive for a guy's knees like that [actually, Vrabel hit Thomas in the chest first and then slid down to his knees] and almost take out the quarterback?" said a still-miffed Steinbach. "When the game is already over with? It's unacceptable."
Steinbach called for the NFL to fine Vrabel, who declined to be interviewed by Patriots media on Monday.
"I hope [the league looks into it] because you do have to get fined for that," Steinbach said. "If he's going to keep going on like that . . . Maybe he doesn't care about $5,000, but it's still $5,000. I wouldn't want that reputation anyway, so I don't see that."
He also criticized the refs for not throwing a flag on Vrabel.
"Actually, it was so blatant for everyone to see, so I don't know if the refs were kind of lackadaisical because it was the end of the game or what," he said. "But regardless of where it's at in the game, if you're going to allow stuff like that to go on -- I thought we were trying to clean the game up. I wasn't too fond of that."
He said the play altered his perception of the Patriots.
"That's what kind of got me," Steinbach said. "Everyone's trying to emulate the New England Patriots, and everyone looks up to them in the NFL like they're the team that does everything right.
"Then how are you going to have a player go and do that during a game? That just doesn't show professionalism, and I don't care if the game was won or lost, you don't do a move like that."
Vrabel had another incident against the Browns in 1999, when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers and struck Tim Couch in the helmet with his forearm, drawing a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty and subsequent $5,000 fine. The penalty ultimately cost Pittsburgh the game, a 16-15 upset by the expansion Browns.
"We played them in Cincinnati three years in a row and I didn't see any dirty play," Steinbach said. "That was the first of it, but it was uncalled for."
Browns receiver Josh Cribbs didn't understand Vrabel's motives.
"Guys are motivated out there, and the adrenaline's pumping and sometimes you don't hear the whistle," Cribbs said. "I don't know why he did it, but I know he's not that type of guy that would purposely hurt somebody, and the Patriots are known for good sportsmanship."
Cribbs said the Browns were frustrated because they were so far behind, and "it was like, Hey, what's going on?' They want to defend our teammates as much as possible."
If he thought Vrabel did hear the whistle, "it would change my perception of him as an athlete," Cribbs said. "But I'm hoping he didn't hear it."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
mcabot@plaind.com, 216-999-4670