Romeo Crennel is recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the NFL. Last season, Crennel served as the coordinator of a record-setting defensive unit while celebrating his fourth Super Bowl championship. He was recognized by the Pro Football Writers of America as the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003.
Now in his 24th season in the league, he returned to the New England Patriots when he was named the defensive coordinator on Bill Belichick’s staff on Feb. 1, 2001. The hire reunited the two coaches, who began coaching together as assistants on Ray Perkins’ staff for the New York Giants in 1981. This season will be their 18th campaign together, during which time they have earned four Super Bowl titles, five conference titles and seven division titles. While with the Patriots, Crennel and Belichick have contributed to victories in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII in addition to New England’s AFC title in 1996.
In 2003, the New England defense was among the best units in NFL history, propelling the Patriots to a 15-game winning streak that culminated with a victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII. New England allowed a league-low and franchise-record 14.9 points per game, while also leading the league with 29 interceptions. The dominance of the defense was evidenced by the team’s three shutouts, equaling the franchise shutout total from the previous 17 seasons combined. The Patriots defense was at its best at Gillette Stadium, where it allowed only 9.6 points per game and surrendered just four touchdowns in the regular season. Over one stretch, the Patriots did not allow a touchdown on 62 consecutive opponents’ possessions in Foxborough, a streak that spanned more than five games worth of clock time. New England was the first team in 65 years to keep its opponent out of the end zone in four consecutive home games in a season. While proving adept at stopping opponents’ offenses, the Patriots defense provided some potent offense of its own, leading the NFL with six defensive touchdowns, including five interceptions returned for scores, tying a team record.
Crennel began his latest tenure with the Patriots in 2001, and in that season - much like it did in 2003 - the defense played an integral role in propelling the Patriots to a season-ending win streak to claim the first Super Bowl title for the franchise. The 2001 Patriots surrendered just 272 points (17.0 ppg), ranking sixth in the league and fourth in franchise history for fewest points allowed. By the end of the season, the defense was in a zone, especially in the "Red Zone." In their last five regular season games, the defense surrendered just seven field goals and one touchdown. The Patriots won all five of those games and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in three years.
The Patriots defense created opportunities for the offense in 2001 by recording 22 interceptions (second in the AFC, sixth in the NFL), 12 more than they had in 2000. Five of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns, setting a single-season franchise record. In the playoffs, Ty Law added another interception, which he returned 47 yards for a touchdown in the 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Crennel, who was the defensive line coach for the Patriots from 1993 to 1996, returned to the Patriots sidelines in 2001 after three seasons with the New York Jets (1997-99) and a season as the defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns (2000). During his season in Cleveland, the Browns recorded 42 sacks, a 17-sack improvement from the 1999 season.
In his three seasons as the Jets’ defensive line coach, the New York defense was among the stingiest in the NFL, never allowing more than 20 points per game for a season. In 1997, he successfully incorporated a rotation of six new defensive linemen on a unit that allowed just 287 total points (17.9 points per game), second in the AFC and sixth in the NFL. The following season, he added four new linemen to his rotation, and the formula contributed to an improvement from the year before as the defense allowed just 16.6 points per game, finishing second in the league.
His first tenure in New England was a four-year assignment as Bill Parcells’ defensive line coach, beginning in 1993 and ending with an AFC Championship and Super Bowl XXXI appearance in January of 1997. In 1994, the Patriots qualified for the playoffs for the first time in eight years after winning their last seven games of the regular season. The defense allowed just 13.3 points per game during that seven-game stretch. In 1996, the Patriots defense allowed just 12.8 points per game in the final five contests of the regular season to propel the team back to the playoffs. The Patriots were victorious by scores of 28-3 and 20-6, respectively, in two playoff games to claim their second conference title in franchise history and advance to Super Bowl XXXI.
Crennel began his professional coaching career in 1981 as a special assignments/special teams/defensive assistant coach with the New York Giants. He became the special teams coach in 1983 and was assigned the defensive line position in 1990, a position he has since coached for 14 seasons. In 12 seasons in New York (1981-92), the Giants qualified for the playoffs six times, won three division titles and two Super Bowl championships. In his first season in New York, the Giants qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1963 with a 9-7 record. It was their first winning record in nine seasons.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, in 1970. He was named defensive line coach the following season in 1971. In 1975, he started a three-year tenure at Texas Tech as a defensive assistant on Parcells’ defensive staff. In 1978, he was named the defensive ends coach at Mississippi. After two seasons at Ole Miss, he accepted a position at Georgia Tech in 1980, where he spent his final season in the collegiate ranks before being hired by the Giants in 1981.
