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January 28, 2004
Assistants for New England miss chances at head-coach openings
BLOOMBERG NEWS
HOUSTON
Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis, assistant coaches who helped the New England Patriots reach the Super Bowl, watched seven National Football League head-coaching jobs open since December.
As the Patriots advanced through the playoffs, they watched each one of the jobs get filled.
The two were forbidden by NFL rules from taking other jobs while their teams were still in the playoffs. Crennel said that the league should consider a ban on head-coach hirings until after the Super Bowl so that the league's most successful assistant coaches have a chance at getting better jobs.
"The commissioner and the NFL should consider doing something like that," Crennel said during media day at Reliant Stadium in Houston, site of Sunday's game between the Patriots and Carolina Panthers. "I think a committee should investigate and see if that's a possibility."
NFL rules allow coaches whose teams have a bye in the first round of the playoffs to interview during that week. Defensive coordinator Crennel met with five teams with vacancies - the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears and New York Giants - during a 48-hour span. Weis, New England's offensive coordinator, had interviews with the Bills and Giants.
As the Patriots continued to win and advance in the playoffs, the jobs were filled.
The Cardinals, Giants and Washington Redskins hired former coaches in Dennis Green, Tom Coughlin and Joe Gibbs, while the Falcons, Bills, Bears and Raiders turned to other assistants. Atlanta hired defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. of San Francisco, Buffalo named offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey of Pittsburgh, Chicago hired defensive coordinator Lovie Smith of St. Louis and the Oakland Raiders named Norv Turner.
President Mark Richardson of the Carolina Panthers, a member of the NFL's competition committee, said that the league would continue to examine its policy on head-coaching interviews.
"If you end up being one of the two teams in the Super Bowl, you don't want the distraction of losing a coach or having to replace a coach you've relied on all year," Richardson said. "On the other hand, you want your coaches to have an opportunity for advancement."
Coach John Fox of the Panthers went through a similar situation as the Giants' defensive coordinator in 2000. He was a candidate for the Cleveland Browns' vacancy, but as the Giants advanced to the Super Bowl and lost to Baltimore, the job went to Butch Davis.
"It can be frustrating," said Fox, who was hired as Carolina's coach before the 2001 season. "But in my experience, it's not getting the job, it's getting the right job. It'll work out for both of them at some point."
At 56, though, Crennel said he isn't sure how many more opportunities he'll get. He was considered last year for the 49ers' vacancy that went to Dennis Erickson.
"There's nothing really I can do about it because of the way the system is set up," said Crennel, who is in the final year of his contract with the Patriots. "I've had a good career and hopefully it'll continue. If head coaching is part of that, it'll be a great opportunity for me, but I can't control it."
Weis, 45, also wants the chance to lead a team of his own. He has one year remaining on his contract with the Patriots.
"I think I'm ready," Weis told reporters at media day. "But right now I'm ready to win the Super Bowl and that's what I'm concentrating on."
The Patriots have won 14 straight games, and New England players such as defensive end Richard Seymour are pleased that Crennel and Weis aren't headed elsewhere.
"For your own selfishness, you want those guys around and you're glad to have them around," Seymour said. "From a personal standpoint, you always want to see a guy go on to the next level. I definitely feel like their time is coming. In due time they will get the recognition they deserve."