There may, in fact, be a "strong possibility" of Eric Mangini remaining the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers under new head coach Chip Kelly, but that doesn't mean Mangini will simply be handed the job. A pair of reports from early Tuesday, from Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, Houston Texans linebacker coach Mike Vrabel will travel San Francisco to interview for the Niners defensive coordinator position as well.
Vrabel, who played for 14 seasons in the NFL as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, started his coaching career with the Ohio State Buckeyes in December 2011 after retiring from the league only four months earlier. After three years with OSU overseeing the linebackers and the defensive line, Vrabel made the jump back to the NFL, joining Bill O'Briens Texans staff as linebackers coach.
As a player Vrabel was part of the vaunted Patriots dynasty that, during his career, won three Super Bowls. He boasted considerable versatility and would not only line up all across the Pats defense, but also on offense as a goalline tight end. Vrabel scored 12 touchdowns on 12 receptions on the offensive side of the ball, both with New England and later with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Vrabel is, in many ways, a product of the Bill Belichick coaching tree. He coached under Luke Fickell at OSU in 2011, then Urban Meyer in 2012 and 2013, and then under O'Brien, a former Belichick disciple, in Houston for the past two seasons.
