Chiefs Press Release On Crennel Hiring

The Kansas City Chiefs named Romeo Crennel as the club’s defensive coordinator on Thursday. Crennel enters his 29th season as a coach in the National Football League. He has coached in six Super Bowls and has been a member of five teams that have claimed Super Bowl wins. He joins the Chiefs after a four-year stint as head coach of the Cleveland Browns (2005-08).

Crennel inherits a Chiefs defensive unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in total defense (388.2 ypg) and 31st in rushing defense (156.5 ypg) a year ago. Kansas City was eighth in the league in three-and-out percentage in 2009 after ranking 31st in that category a year earlier. The Chiefs finished the 2009 campaign 15th in third-down percentage (38.1%) after ranking 31st in that area a year earlier at 47.4%. The Chiefs also registered 19 of their 28 takeaways in the final eight games, including 12 of the team’s 15 interceptions.

Prior to joining the Browns as head coach in 2005, Crennel served four seasons as New England’s defensive coordinator (2001-04). During that four-year span, the Patriots won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX) and he was named the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003. Prior to a stint as defensive coordinator/defensive line coach in Cleveland (2000), Crennel spent three seasons as defensive line coach with the N.Y. Jets (’97-99), where he worked with current Chiefs head coach Todd Haley as a member of Bill Parcells’ staff. Crennel also served on Parcells’ staff with New England (’93-96) and was part of a Patriots squad that earned a berth in Super Bowl XXXI.

Crennel’s initial NFL coaching experience came with the N.Y. Giants from ‘81-92. During that 12-year span, he was part of New York’s victories in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. He also enjoyed collegiate coaching stops at Georgia Tech (’80), Mississippi (’78-79), Texas Tech (’75-77) and Western Kentucky (’70-74). The Lynchburg, Virginia native was a four-year starter on the defensive line at Western Kentucky.