No sideline job for Crennel

"I told several people that by the middle of June or middle of July, I may be climbing up the walls," he cracked.

Crennel's decision to sit out isn't due to a lack of interest from teams. He surely would have been a coup for a team such as Kansas City, with former Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli in his first year there as general manager and Todd Haley taking over as head coach. Denver, where former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is in his first year as coach, would have been another natural option.

But health, primarily, dictated Crennel's course of action. He had hip replacement surgery in February - a month after he was fired as head coach in Cleveland - and decided that he'd focus solely on rehab. That meant that the only coaching opportunity he'd seriously consider was returning to the Browns in a different role.

"I felt like if I was able to stay in Cleveland, it wouldn't have been a major transition, because you kind of know what's going on and the guys you're working with know what to expect, but it didn't work out that way," said Crennel, who guided the Browns for four seasons.

"When I didn't have the job in Cleveland, I felt like I'd put more of an emphasis on getting myself healthy, so when I came back, I'd be able to put all the energy into football and not have to worry about the hip. Next year we'll see what's available and make some decisions from there."

It's not often that a head coach is willing to remain with the team that fired him, but Crennel was prepared to do so because of his feelings for Browns owner Randy Lerner.

"I like him personally," he said.

Crennel's coaching career began at Western Kentucky in 1970, and he's been on the sideline every season since - 11 in college, 28 in the NFL. His NFL break came under Bill Parcells with the Giants in 1981. Crennel has five Super Bowl rings - two from the Giants in 1986 and 1990 and three with the Patriots (2001, '03, and '04).

At 61, he's not considering retirement.

"I've been doing it for so long that I think I'm going to get antsy," he said. "My plan is to get back in it if the opportunity is there and available.

"You miss the competition, the locker room, dealing with players and coaches. That's such a big part of my existence to this point, so not being around those guys on a daily basis, it will be an adjustment."

At the same time, Crennel is looking forward to following the game from an outside perspective.

"It's been a long time that I haven't been involved in football, so this is something totally different, unique to me," he said. "I think that you have to adjust your mind-set the best you can, and change the emphasis.

"During football season, you don't get to spend as much time with your family, so that's one of the things you get to do a little bit."

Easy adjustments for Taylor

Newest Bengal out to prove he’ll be a star in stripes

"There are two things with Maualuga," explained NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock. "If you take him in the first round, you have to be convinced he's a three-down linebacker, and there are some teams that weren't convinced he'd play on third down [i.e. the passing down].

"The second thing is that he had some issues early on, off the field, and that was an issue that some teams didn't want to deal with.

"So he slid a little bit. I don't think it's really as pronounced as others have said, as I thought he might be in the mid to late 20s. But he's a good football player. I know the Bengals are excited to have him."

Mayock believes the Bengals' 4-3 scheme is a good fit for Maualuga, who projects to play middle linebacker in a system similar to what he played at Southern Cal.

But Maualuga couldn't hide his disappointment on draft day, and he later apologized to reporters for not expressing more excitement about joining the Bengals, calling his actions immature.

Bengals season ticket-holders seem to be a forgiving group, though. Taking part in a teleconference Thursday with six of the team's draft picks, they were particularly enamored with Maualuga, whom they deemed one of the steals of the draft.

According to Jeff Berding, now in his 15th year as the team's director of sales and public affairs, there were 3,904 fans on the call, and 93 were cleared to ask questions.

"There were probably six questions for each of the draft picks, but for Rey, there were over 40," Berding said. "People were pretty passionate about it, and I think it's because he has a real identity with the way he played football at USC. There is certainly a heightened enthusiasm with having him here."

When Maualuga was asked by a season ticket-holder how he feels about being the steal of the draft, his response was one of a player who enters the NFL with some added motivation.

"I'm going to come here with a chip on my shoulder and play football," he said. "I'm going to make sure the coach knows he did not make a mistake in blessing me."

Etc.

1. Offensive tackle Phil Loadholt (54th overall): With a significant void at the position, the Vikings considered taking a right tackle in the first round but were happy to land Loadholt.

2. Linebacker James Laurinaitis (35th): He's likely to start at middle linebacker in what the Rams hope will be an attacking 4-3 defense under first-year coach Steve Spagnuolo.

3. Center/guard Max Unger (49th): The Seahawks have been disappointed with former first-round pick Chris Spencer at center, but Unger will bring a sharper edge and could start immediately.

4. Offensive tackle Eben Britton (39th): The Jaguars plan to insert him at right tackle and hope he grows alongside first-round pick Eugene Monroe, who will be on the left side.

5. Safety Louis Delmas (33d): The Lions, in need of playmakers in a lot of areas, nabbed him at the top of the round, and he should quarterback the back end of their defense.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.