No give in this defensive coordinator's plan

BALTIMORE -- The List gave Romeo Crennel hope. The Patriots' talented defensive coordinator already has faith, and in abundance. Faith in himself, faith in his coaching ability, and faith in the eventual effect demonstrated performance will have on the men who hire NFL head coaches.

But hope sometimes must come from outside your faith, as it did for Crennel last week after he was handed a list of the 10 previous award winners of the Pro Football Writers Association's Assistant Coach of the Year award, which he received at the Ed Block Courage Award dinner Tuesday night in Baltimore.

Each man on the list had either gone on to become an NFL head coach or, in the case of 2002 winner Monte Kiffin, had rejected a head job. Crennel has fallen short in his quest for such a job despite two Super Bowl victories, but this year his name was in the mix for nearly half of the seven openings, a sign that people have begun to notice his remarkable work.

That his accomplishments haven't led to an offer reflects more on a hiring system that seems to work against assistants whose teams reach the Super Bowl than it does on Crennel, yet to land none of the seven openings was a stiff disappointment. Still, as he looked at the list of previous winners, he took heart, smiling the warm grin that is so much a part of his personality.

"That's encouraging," Crennel said. "It was disappointing not to come up with one of the jobs this year, but looking at the precedent, a few other fellows in my position didn't, either [after coaching in a Super Bowl]. It happened to John Fox and to Marvin Lewis, but they ended up getting an opportunity. Hopefully, I will get in that position.

"You want your chance. I didn't get it yet, but I got more experience [in the interviewing process]. That's a positive. If we can continue to win, I think that's what will help me most."

There are worse fates then serving as defensive coordinator of a two-time Super Bowl champion, yet human nature can allow disappointment to harden into despair. Crennel understands that, but he believes he has been well-trained to avoid such emotions. He is already deep into the study of draft-eligible players while trying to ascertain what style defense will best fit his personnel. He is already dealing with loss (the departure of nose tackle Ted Washington) and gain (the acquisition of Rodney Bailey, a free agent defensive end from the Steelers) and the changes that may result.

"In this business of football, you have to adapt and move on," Crennel said. "Everything doesn't go the way you want or the way you plan. You can't just say, `Forget it,' and give up. Hopefully, people will recognize the quality that's there."

Bill Belichick certainly does. He has coached for 17 years with Crennel, dating back to when the two first came together under Ray Perkins with the New York Giants in 1981. Together they have won four Super Bowls, five conference championships, and seven division titles, a string of excellence that would be the envy of any coach in the game.

Belichick has been given much of the credit for the defense the Patriots have built, and deservedly so, but he has tried his best to deflect some of that in Crennel's direction. When it was speculated that it was Belichick who was calling the plays and forming the game plan, he publicly said it was Crennel. Considering that Belichick is one of the most brilliant defensive minds in the game, it is only logical that he play a significant role in the final product, but because he and Crennel have worked together for so long, they think almost alike. What one sees, the other quite often already has thought.

"The people you work with on a daily basis know the job you do," Crennel said of serving in the shadow of the game's most heralded coach. "They're in the meetings. They know what my role is. I really don't care who gets credit as long as we win. The whole staff is like that.

"Because Bill was a defensive coach and has a good defensive mind, some of the credit should go to him, but it's not like he's trying to hide the fact that I'm the coordinator. We've coached together so long we don't have to spend as much time together. We can speak in shorthand."

As much as he enjoys coaching with Belichick, however, it's Crennel's fondest wish that, a year from now, they only talk by long distance.

Breaking it down Crennel said the Patriots' defensive collapse in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl was a shock not only because of the number of points the Carolina Panthers ran up but the yardage they covered. "It was one of those deals where all of a sudden it looked like nothing was working," Crennel recalled. "The most disappointing part was we were giving up long touchdown plays, which we hadn't done all year. They got the long pass over us and a 33-yard touchdown run because we couldn't tackle. The first half we felt pretty good with the way things were going. We thought we had their running game and play-action passing under control. Then they got that first pickle out of the jar [a score just before halftime]." Crennel said he and the Patriots' staff had reviewed the tape but added, "We haven't overanalyzed it. Why we gave them up then, who knows? Guys who didn't normally give up those kind of plays were the guys involved. Maybe it was just the scope of the game, the magnitude of it." . . . Crennel is not the only Patriots assistant who is busy these days. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and his wife, Maura, are planning and setting up the Coaches for Hannah fund-raiser, a charity dinner to help create a better quality of life for children affected with autism and global delays. The couple's daughter, Hannah, has been affected by such developmental difficulties and Weis hopes the nonprofit Hannah and Friends Foundation can raise funds and awareness. The dinner, which will be attended by the entire coaching staff, will be April 5 at the Capital Grille in Chestnut Hill. In addition to an evening with the coaching staff, there will be a four-course meal at one of Boston's best restaurants. Tickets at $250 may be purchased by calling Staci Bailey at 617-928-1400. For more information on the Hannah and Friends Foundation, go online to www.HannahandFriends.org . . . Old friend Sam Gash just keeps rolling along. The hard-nosed former Patriots fullback signed a one-year deal last week with the New Orleans Saints, his fourth professional team. Gash spent six seasons with the Patriots, three in Buffalo, and three with the Baltimore Ravens, including their Super Bowl year. He started 10 games for the Bills last season. He did not have a single carry all year but remained a solid blocking back. Gash has shown incredible longevity at a position that grinds down most men to dust long before their 12th season in the league.

Concession stand? According to a report in the Washington Post last week, the negotiated settlement that led to Terrell Owens being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles by the Ravens resulted from a remark by NFL special master Stephen Burbank near the end of the hearing Monday. Burbank reportedly said to the NFL's lawyers, "You don't have a very good case, do you?" In less than 24 hours, a settlement had been reached in which Owens went to the Eagles for Brandon Whiting while the Ravens not only got back the second-round pick they had traded to San Francisco but also a fifth-round pick from the Eagles. Owens then signed a seven-year deal that included a $10 million signing bonus on a deal averaging about $6 million per season . . . Ex-Colt defensive end Chad Bratzke, attending the Ed Block dinner, had a succinct explanation of life in the NFL: "The pads don't keep you from getting hurt. They just keep you from getting killed." . . . St. Louis Rams president of football operations Jay Zygmunt is among the growing list of NFL executives wary of dealing with the Posten brothers. Two weeks ago, the agents who represent Ty Law and a list of other high-profile NFL players handed Zygmunt a contract proposal asking for a seven-year, $71 million deal for left tackle Orlando Pace. It included a demand for a $27 million signing bonus plus other guaranteed money. Zygmunt said of that proposal, "The offer speaks for itself. It's not an offer. It's a ransom note." The Rams' reaction kept the franchise tag on Pace until at least July 15 because the deadline has passed to sign such players to long-term deals. If such a deal is consummated before July 15, the team could not use its franchise tag on another player for the life of Pace's contract. Pace was also franchised last season after the Postens asked for a $23.75 million signing bonus and an $85 million contract. Zygmunt said the Rams are unable to even open negotiations when those kind of numbers are the starting point. The Rams believe it's no accident the Postens were asking for more than $34 million in guaranteed money for Pace only weeks after Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning received a $34 million signing bonus . . . Leigh Steinberg, who aided agent Shawn Trell in working out the trade that sent Joey Galloway to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Keyshawn Johnson, said Friday night that he has bought back his firm from Asante. Steinberg is no longer involved in the $44 million judgment he won from rival agent and former employee David Dunn. "That's not my fight any more," Steinberg said of the ongoing legal efforts by Asante to collect from Dunn, who filed for bankruptcy but continues to function as a football agent despite a two-year suspension leveled at him by the players' union. Dunn has been able to dodge that because the bankruptcy court stayed the execution of that penalty so he could work to pay off the debt . . . Steinberg has signed one of the top-rated college quarterbacks in Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger. He will hold a private workout for the San Diego Chargers Tuesday and a full workout for all teams later in the week. Steinberg has signed six QB draft hopefuls.

Tag-team negotiating Despite some reports that his presence in the negotiations with Galloway was a hindrance because it caused the Buccaneers confusion over who actually represents Galloway, Steinberg and Trell both denied there was a problem. Steinberg said his signature was on Galloway's previous contract on file with the NFLPA and that he and Trell took turns negotiating with Buccaneers general manager Bruce Allen. "Joey was obviously not their No. 1 priority since they signed 13 free agents before they made the trade," Steinberg said. Tampa reportedly was stuck on money but increased its offer to $2 million, plus $500,000 in incentives, on a one-year deal after the release of safety John Lynch freed up cap money . . . Steinberg proudly said he also had an unusual defensive line prospect going into the April draft. "I signed Igor Olshansky," Steinberg said. "He's a Ukranian Jew who came to the United States when he was 7. I'm sure his mother is wondering why he isn't going to become a doctor, but he can play." Olshansky played for the University of Oregon . . . Old friend and East Boston native Jermaine Wiggins gave the Panthers the shake last week, rejecting a three-year contract offer from the NFC champions to sign a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Why would he do that? Because Wiggins is betting on himself. He could have returned to the Panthers but at a wage he felt he might be able to exceed if he has a breakout year with the Vikings. Wiggins feels he will get a chance to catch the ball in Minnesota, and he thinks he can put up good enough numbers to either get himself a renegotiated deal with the Vikings or go into free agency next year with more leverage. Wiggins took the gamble even though he will enter training camp as the Vikings' No. 2 tight end . . . Former Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer was in Baltimore to receive the Ed Block award his teammates in Seattle voted him, and he received three thunderous ovations from the fans in Baltimore who still remember that he never lost a start in their Super Bowl season. Dilfer told of getting into a cab the night before the event with friends and the cab driver had no idea who he was. They began to talk football, and the unsettled nature of the Ravens' quarterback situation came up. Finally Dilfer asked what he thought of the guy who used to be their quarterback. "He was pretty good," the cabbie said, "but he must have asked for too much money." Dilfer, who was released despite being willing to stay for what barely would have amounted to a raise, said with a laugh, "Nah, I don't think so." . . . More than 100 NFL personnel people showed up at Florida State's spring pro day Tuesday, and one of them reports that linebacker Michael Boulware put on the kind of remarkable show that can make him millions. The younger brother of Baltimore pass rusher Peter Boulware ran a stopwatch-popping 4.45 in the 40-yard dash and then followed it up with the fastest times in the shuttle run and the three-cone drill. Not interested yet? He topped the field in the vertical leap and the standing broad jump as well. Boulware's problem, if he has one, is that he weighs only 229 pounds and stands barely 6 feet 2 inches . . . Here's a stunning surprise: Bengals running back Corey Dillon is unhappy. Dillon has told the Bengals he will not join the team for offseason workouts and wants to be shipped to the Raiders, Cowboys, or Broncos.

Material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.