Houston Texans associate head coach Romeo Crennel has been in the NFL almost as long as new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has been alive.
The Pro Football Writers of America have nominated Crennel, who enters his 38th season in the NFL as a coach, for the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award, which is given out to assistant coaches who have spent a lifetime in the NFL.
The five-time Super Bowl champion assistant is no stranger to taking home honors from the PFWA. In 2003, Crennel won their assistant coach of the year award as the New England Patriots won three Super Bowls in 2001, 2003, and 2004, all with Crennel as defensive coordinator.
Prior to his arrival in New England, Crennel was the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2000. The previous three seasons he spent as defensive line coach under Bill Parcells with the New York Jets.
Crennel was a part of Parcells’ stint in New England from 1993-96 where he also coached the defensive line. Parcells was Crennel’s entry point into the NFL as he coached a variety of defensive line and special teams for the New York Giants from 1981-92.
The Texans have benefited from Crennel’s experience as defensive coordinator since 2014 when he arrived with coach Bill O’Brien. Only in 2017 and the upcoming 2020 season did Crennel step out of the role of defensive coordinator and take on a larger role as an associate head coach.
Crennel has been a head coach in his own right. From 2005-08, Crennel was the coach of the Cleveland Browns. Crennel took the job as the Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator in 2010, but eventually succeeded Todd Haley as interim coach in 2011 before getting the full-time gig in 2012.
O’Brien has leaned on Crennel in his previous six seasons with the Texans.
“He’s got a ton of experience,” O’Brien said on March 26, 2019, at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Ariz. “He has a really calm demeanor, which is good for me. He’s seen it all. So, you can go in there and you can ask him about situations, whether it be head coaching situations or defensive situations, and he’ll have a thought for you or maybe he’ll say, ‘Hey, I’ll get back to you tomorrow,’ or whatever it is. More than anything, he’s just a great person, great person.”
Crennel is going against Bill Arnsparger, Dick Hoak, and Rod Marinelli, Bobby Turner, Buddy Ryan, Floyd Peters, and Bobby McKittrick for the award.