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Finally: Romeo Crennel Hired as DC

AcresHomesTexan

No Longer Arlington: Escaped From Jerry's World
Staff member
We actually played more of a 5-2 hybrid and when we went to nickel, we usually shifted to 4-3. The main issue is whether our DL was being asked to shoot the gaps or play 2 gaps and our D was about shooting gaps. Most of Crennel's DLs have been 2 gap, read and react types of defenses.

BUT.

Crennel has coached both 4-3 and 3-4 defenses although he tends toward 3-4. I don't expect us to go Clowney but if we do, it's because Crennel thinks he can put something together that gets the best out of both JJ and Clowney.
O'brein fas said that he expects to play in nickle 70 percent of the time. This means Clowney would be playing pass rusher all of that time.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
[IMGwidthsize=400]http://i.imgur.com/uVDhkoS.jpg[/IMG]

Dave Zangaro ‏@DZangaro
Here are 10 facts about #Texans new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel: http://bit.ly/1igY0yq
James Palmer ‏@JPalmerCSN
Catch my one on one interview with Romeo Crennell, the #Texans new defensive coordinator, from the #SeniorBowl on @CSNHouston at 6 pm ct.

"You never know how quickly you can turn a team around." - Romeo Crennel on turning #Texans around after one bad season.

"Well JJ Watt, if we had 10 more like him we'd be pretty good." - Romeo Crennel new #Texans defensive coordinator

Crennel said after sitting down with Bill O'Brien he saw a FB coach & a normal guy. Said BOB has brought some good people with him. #Texans

"I enjoy football and getting back in it and playing the way Bill (O'Brien) wants 2 play will be a good fit for me."Romeo Crennel #Texans DC

Romeo Crennel said he liked the #Texans because "it felt like a good fit". RC added he already knew a lot of people in the organization too.
 

Dutchrudder

Hall of Fame
Hey if he wants to do that, I'm all for it. However, I hope he tells Rick and McNair to pay him 1 dollar next year, and then up his salary for the next 2-3 years. Let the KC franchise waste their money on him, and keep McNair happy.

Suppose he would normally get 1.5m a year over 4 years for a total of 6m. I'd give him $1 in 2014, and $1,999,999.33 for the other 3 years. I think that would be pretty awesome if he's game.
Well, look at that... :D


The Houston Texans agreed to terms Monday on a three-year deal with Romeo Crennel to take over as defensive coordinator.

Crennel was widely believed to be the favorite to become Bill O'Brien's defensive coordinator because of their ties as former New England Patriots assistants, even though the two men had never worked together.

With his $3.5 million salary this season from the final year of his contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, Crennel will earn more than $7 million over the three seasons, according to a league source, including $1.8 million from the Texans in both 2015 and 2016.

Last week, the Texans hired former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel to be their linebackers coach.

Vrabel played under Crennel but also was Ohio State's defensive line coach. O'Brien was impressed with what he saw from the Buckeyes' linebackers when he served as the Penn State coach for two seasons in the Big Ten, sources said.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10321864/romeo-crennel-agrees-3-year-deal-houston-texans-defensive-coordinator

Looks like Crennel's salary will go like this:
2014: $0
2015: 1.8m
2016: 1.8m

Total 3.6m over 3 years at 1.2 APY. That's very reasonable for a guy with his resume.
 

ChampionTexan

Hall of Fame
Well, look at that... :D
Well, shucks, I was hoping you'd quote the post two before the one you quoted...:D

...This is even if you choose to ignore the fact that he'd probably get a minimum of a 3 year contract (O'brien's is supposedly for 5) thereby guaranteeing income for two years more than he's guaranteed if he voluntarily takes another year off. (and FWIW, I don't know if there's NFL rules, or anything else related to the offset that addresses the structuring of coaches contracts, but if not, it could even be written to minimize the impact of the 2014 offset)
 

PHILLYTEXANFAN

Saddle Up Partner
Romeo turned Hali into a OLB. He was 3 rd best DE in 06. Most scouts wrote him off as an OLB, than he met Romeo and the lightbulb went on


Your man... Pots and pans
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
Ted Johnson was just interviewed........he stated that at the Patriots, he played under Crennel for 7 years. He stated something that got my juices going...............Crennel builds his D with LARGE LBs and DLs..........especially fat boy in the middle, ala Ted Washington!:)
 

Norg

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
gee if yall like ol school Deee just like wade had then well get rdy


to get torched BY Elite ... uhh I mean by QB's Weekly I mean we got blown out by MC lovin and who else chad henne ad rookie QB's
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
gee if yall like ol school Deee just like wade had then well get rdy


to get torched BY Elite ... uhh I mean by QB's Weekly I mean we got blown out by MC lovin and who else chad henne ad rookie QB's

????????? Crennel, very unlike Wade, will not have the same look.............on every play.......against every team.......against every QB.:bat:
 

kiwitexansfan

Hall of Fame
Will wait and see on the hire.

My gut instinct isn't so hopeful. My fear is that his best years are behind him and that he will stick to what worked, instead of seeing what will work.
 

ChampionTexan

Hall of Fame
So with the Pats out of the playoffs, does this mean we should expect to hear something about George Godsey as our other coordinator soon?
 

Number19

Hall of Fame
In a description of Crennel's 2-gap 34, the OLB's are described as "...passrushers on the edge, one who is a more one-dimensional pocket assaulter and the other who is a swiss army knife of abilities..."

Aldon Smith is 6'-4"/265 lbs & Tamba Hali is 6'-3"/275.

Now, J.J. Watt is a bit larger at 289 lbs and 6'-5", but rather than putting him at DE, why wouldn't he be a better fit as the "one-dimensional pocket assaulter"?
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame
John P. Lopez ‏@LopezOnSports 2m
Sources tell me former Texans DB coach Vance Joseph will be named co-defensive coordinator with Paul Guenther of the Cincinnati Bengals.
A triumvirate at DC..........
 

mussop

Hall of Fame
In a description of Crennel's 2-gap 34, the OLB's are described as "...passrushers on the edge, one who is a more one-dimensional pocket assaulter and the other who is a swiss army knife of abilities..."

Aldon Smith is 6'-4"/265 lbs & Tamba Hali is 6'-3"/275.

Now, J.J. Watt is a bit larger at 289 lbs and 6'-5", but rather than putting him at DE, why wouldn't he be a better fit as the "one-dimensional pocket assaulter"?
How about Clowney as that guy lined up next to Watt ?
 

mussop

Hall of Fame
Ted Johnson was just interviewed........he stated that at the Patriots, he played under Crennel for 7 years. He stated something that got my juices going...............Crennel builds his D with LARGE LBs and DLs..........especially fat boy in the middle, ala Ted Washington!:)
If thats the case, (god I hope it is) we have a lot of work to do his offseason.
 

_King_

Guest
Crennel says he's not building his defense around jj. Says it will not be about an individual but rather the team. Whatever makes the team more successful.

I like that. Plus I think watt will still get his.

One thing I've noticed is that the guys that I've seen comment so far from the staff have been about the team. The previous staff would gush about individual players. I haven't gotten that vibe from these guys.
 

kiwitexansfan

Hall of Fame
crennel says he's not building his defense around jj. Says it will not be about an individual but rather the team. Whatever makes the team more successful.

I like that. Plus i think watt will still get his.

One thing i've noticed is that the guys that i've seen comment so far from the staff have been about the team. The previous staff would gush about individual players. I haven't gotten that vibe from these guys.
link?
 

dalemurphy

Hall of Fame
It is hard to understand why fans are sometimes so protective of player self interests. The coaches want to win. Crennel/Obrien are not coming to the Texans simply to diminish JJ Watt's statistical impact. Of course the new staff will not maximize the play making ability of Watt. Any system, at the NFL level, built around one player is destined to be defeated.

The basic principal of the 2gap system is that it creates offensive uncertainty and opportunity for anyone of the back 8 players to become a difference-maker on a given play. What Wade's system lacked was disguise. Every year Crennel has a defensive coordinator his defensive rank in the red zone and turnovers were significantly higher than yards allowed. People attribute this to a "bend but don't break" philosophy. I think that is errant. His system can be very aggressive. However, it simply doesn't offer the offense high reward opportunities that can be recognized by the quarterback or predictably attacked by the play caller... An offensive coordinator could know with virtual certainty that he can isolate any CB or non-blitzing LB in man coverage on 3rd down. Crennel's defense does not offer that. Vic Fangio runs a very similar system in SF... watch them and note how many different coverages and blitzes are run in a game.

Good offenses can scheme against one player, particularly if they know the team's philosophy is built around giving that player opportunities to make as many plays as possible. By the way, Watt's skill set is such that he will be an incredible asset for Crennel's defense... If he plays DE, he will be excellent taking on blockers and pushing the pocket and playing the run at the LOS... He will also be amazing dropping into zones on zone blitzes... Similarly, despite his size, he can/may be used as the strong side OLB... Primarily rushing the passer but also very capable of dropping into the flat and other zones.... I actually think he'll be asked to drop 10 lbs and play the Willie McGinest position on defense.

Still, who cares! One of the reasons why talented players like JJoseph and KJackson haven't been consistent play makers is because they weren't put in position to make plays... They were asked to chase WRs in man coverage long enough for Watt to make a play... That's why our interceptions are so low... If KJ and JJo are put in position to jump routes, blitz, etc... you will see a lot more plays from them and see them give up much less... Any system is going to minimize some players' opportunities and highlight others. After this year's fiasco, I'm excited to see other players on the defense make plays and help the team win.
 

Playoffs

Hall of Fame
Video: http://www.csnhouston.com/texans/going-1-1-new-texans-dc-crennel


Brian T. Smith ‏@ChronBrianSmith
Crennel hopes to tailor #Texans' defensive scheme to team's personnel. #NFL

Romeo Crennel said #Texans will run a "multiple defense," adding that "you're going to see a little bit of everything." #NFL

#Texans' Crennel will soon begin roster evaluation. Defering to O'Brien -- who's already worked his way through game film -- right now.

Crennel acknowledged the opportunity to coach #Texans' Watt, Cushing is very exciting. Thinks team was more talented than 2-14. #NFL

#Texans' Crennel said he's still at the first stage of his new job and has yet to evaluate the team's roster in detail. #NFL

Asked about 3-4 vs. 4-3, #Texans DC Romeo Crennel said team will use multiple defensive schemes next season. #NFL
 

AcresHomesTexan

No Longer Arlington: Escaped From Jerry's World
Staff member
MOBILE, Ala. — New Houston Texans coordinator Romeo Crennel has yet to break down his new team's defensive personnel, so he's not prepared to say what his grand plans are with this unit. But Crennel did say, when asked whether the Texans would run a 3-4 defense (as they have the past several seasons) or a 4-3 front (as they are rumored to be switching to), Crennel, in essence, answered yes to both.

“We're going to run a multiple defense,” Crennel told a small group of media Tuesday after the North team practice at the Senior Bowl. "You’re going to see a little of everything."

The reason to offer multiple fronts?

“Part [of it is] personnel,” Crennel said. “Knowing who you got and what their strengths and weaknesses are will go a long way to determining how much we run of whatever we run.”

New Texans head coach Bill O'Brien already has watched every snap of every game this past season, and Crennel said he plans to do the same with his new squad following the Senior Bowl this week. But the chance to work with J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing and others does have him eager to get to work.

"That is exciting," Crennel said. "J.J. makes plays."


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/texans-defensive-coordinator-romeo-crennel-plans-multiple-front-231200317--nfl.html
 

mussop

Hall of Fame
MOBILE, Ala. — New Houston Texans coordinator Romeo Crennel has yet to break down his new team's defensive personnel, so he's not prepared to say what his grand plans are with this unit. But Crennel did say, when asked whether the Texans would run a 3-4 defense (as they have the past several seasons) or a 4-3 front (as they are rumored to be switching to), Crennel, in essence, answered yes to both.

“We're going to run a multiple defense,” Crennel told a small group of media Tuesday after the North team practice at the Senior Bowl. "You’re going to see a little of everything."

The reason to offer multiple fronts?

“Part [of it is] personnel,” Crennel said. “Knowing who you got and what their strengths and weaknesses are will go a long way to determining how much we run of whatever we run.”

New Texans head coach Bill O'Brien already has watched every snap of every game this past season, and Crennel said he plans to do the same with his new squad following the Senior Bowl this week. But the chance to work with J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing and others does have him eager to get to work.

"That is exciting," Crennel said. "J.J. makes plays."


http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/texans-defensive-coordinator-romeo-crennel-plans-multiple-front-231200317--nfl.html

But Crennel did say, when asked whether the Texans would run a 3-4 defense (as they have the past several seasons) or a 4-3 front (as they are rumored to be switching to),


What is that all about? Where did this rumor come from? Has anyone heard that we will be switching to a 4/3?
 

bah007

Hall of Fame
I'm actually in favor of being more multiple on defense. It's one thing that Seattle does so well, even though they are mostly known for their secondary play. The ability to give 34, 43, or 52 looks without changing the personnel on the field is valuable, as you can give the offense so many looks that they can't completely prepare for each one, and instead must spend time preparing for all of them.

It's pretty much the same philosophy that O'Brien has on offense. The more multiple you can be, the more you can take advantage of each opponent's specific weaknesses.
 

AcresHomesTexan

No Longer Arlington: Escaped From Jerry's World
Staff member
But Crennel did say, when asked whether the Texans would run a 3-4 defense (as they have the past several seasons) or a 4-3 front (as they are rumored to be switching to),


What is that all about? Where did this rumor come from? Has anyone heard that we will be switching to a 4/3?
I had not heard the rumor myself, but between O'Brien's earlier hints and Romeo's direct statement of being multiple, we have the best answer that we are going to get until we start to see them play.
 

AcresHomesTexan

No Longer Arlington: Escaped From Jerry's World
Staff member
I'm actually in favor of being more multiple on defense. It's one thing that Seattle does so well, even though they are mostly known for their secondary play. The ability to give 34, 43, or 52 looks without changing the personnel on the field is valuable, as you can give the offense so many looks that they can't completely prepare for each one, and instead must spend time preparing for all of them.

It's pretty much the same philosophy that O'Brien has on offense. The more multiple you can be, the more you can take advantage of each opponent's specific weaknesses.
I suspect that we there will be plenty of personnel movement on both sides of the ball in games. I believe that there will be a ton of packages versus the same 11 giving looks w/o substituting. I think that there will a better use of the entire 46 game day roster than we used to here.
 

leebigeztx

Keep it Movin!
The one thing I really remember about RAC defenses is versitility. The pats defense had common traits that went back in time. All of the lbs,except ted were college de's. Mcginist,bruschi,vrabel,and even when the got colvin from the bears. That's because those guys when they blitzed,even from ilb spots knew how to beat blockers. The double a gap blitz by wade used to do very little damage because other than cushing,they didn't know how to beat blockers even on a blitz.

Another common trait is dl flexibility. Pats were a 4-3 unit at first,but after they got wilfolk,they were primarily 3-4. Through injury and team scheme,they would do 4-3 also. Against a qb with wheels,you might be more 3-4 by hav ing more athletes on the field,but vs pocket passers, it might be more 4-3.

In the secondary,again versitlity. If possible,crennel will play a lot of cover 3,cover 4. He will also invert the safety and corners to allow the safety get the better jam and turn him lose on the cb. He will play some man,but he is really good inside the rz. His redzone coverage is pretty basic which allows guys to play fast.
 

deucetx

Rookie
But Crennel did say, when asked whether the Texans would run a 3-4 defense (as they have the past several seasons) or a 4-3 front (as they are rumored to be switching to),


What is that all about? Where did this rumor come from? Has anyone heard that we will be switching to a 4/3?
All I have seen is he said the defense will be based in the 3-4 but multiple. Also stated he has worked with small DT and big so that is yet to be determined. But unlike others I don't put too much thought on that. You're almost in nickle and dime more than base.

Asked what kind of defense he would run, Crennel said the Texans would be based out of the 3-4, but be a multiple defense. "We expect our guys to be flexible and be able to do more than one thing," Crennel said. Zierlein also asked Crennel for his preferences on nose tackles. Crennel said he's played with small ones and big ones and what he did this time around was to be determined.
http://espn.go.com/blog/houston-texans/post/_/id/3663/rtc-more-talk-of-texans-coordinators
 

Tailgate

Fall of Hame
Not sure why anyone is trying to get something out of his comments. From listening to him it seems he is in MAJOR coach speak mode righ now. To me, it seemed like he barely even knew all the defensive players names (other than the obvious ones) at this point and was just answering every answer w tons of BS and leaving all options open because he himself has no clue yet.
 

Texn4life

All Pro
Yeah, his interviews have been less than inspiring thus far. I hope he is just some mad defensive scientist, but he sounds more like a really nice but bad politician at this point.
This must be your first time ever hearing Crennel speak. That's his personality. He is a super nice guy which is why his players love him, but he's a defensive mastermind. I don't care how a guy speaks to the media. I just want him to dial up the right schemes at the right times and make sure good players are on the field. Don't need him to be a crazy person like Rob Ryan.
 

DBCooper

Outlaw
Contributor's Club
This must be your first time ever hearing Crennel speak. That's his personality. He is a super nice guy which is why his players love him, but he's a defensive mastermind. I don't care how a guy speaks to the media. I just want him to dial up the right schemes at the right times and make sure good players are on the field. Don't need him to be a crazy person like Rob Ryan.
People keep talking about these scheme thingies.

I'm excited to see them in action!
 

CloakNNNdagger

Hall of Fame


TEXANS D-LINE




One thing that struck me last year is that, because Wade's philosophy, by the second half, ALL of our starter DL were too pooped to function worth a darn. Crennel will have big boys who will ROTATE regularly. That in itself should make the rush defense game AND the pass rush game remarkably better.
 

Marshall

Not pretty, but ALIVE!


TEXANS D-LINE




One thing that struck me last year is that, because Wade's philosophy, by the second half, ALL of our starter DL were too pooped to function worth a darn. Crennel will have big boys who will ROTATE regularly. That in itself should make the rush defense game AND the pass rush game remarkably better.
I have to take up for Wade on this one. His scheme calls for rotation, but injuries and poor play required leaving the only guys playing well in too long. Crennel will only be able to rotate when he has healthy players playing well at something.
 

mussop

Hall of Fame


TEXANS D-LINE




One thing that struck me last year is that, because Wade's philosophy, by the second half, ALL of our starter DL were too pooped to function worth a darn. Crennel will have big boys who will ROTATE regularly. That in itself should make the rush defense game AND the pass rush game remarkably better.
Ive been crying about our depth on defensive front seven for two years. We don't have anyone to rotate. Can't wait to see who we add.
 

Number19

Hall of Fame
Ive been crying about our depth on defensive front seven for two years. We don't have anyone to rotate. Can't wait to see who we add.
How are we going to add quality on defense? With our salary cap, about all we can afford is league minimum FA's. Drafting a QB 1-1, we can upgrade two positions in rounds 2 and 3. After that, the picks become marginal.

Out of necessity, our defense will mostly consist of players already on the roster; and we hope the new coaching staff can work some magic.
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
Ive been crying about our depth on defensive front seven for two years. We don't have anyone to rotate. Can't wait to see who we add.
Hopefully they've finally decided to fix the trenches on both sides of the ball. Unlike previous regimes.

This appears to be the case, because they have talked mainly to OL/DL at the Sr. Bowl according to Optimum Scouting.
 

steelbtexan

King of the W. B. Club
Contributor's Club
How are we going to add quality on defense? With our salary cap, about all we can afford is league minimum FA's. Drafting a QB 1-1, we can upgrade two positions in rounds 2 and 3. After that, the picks become marginal.

Out of necessity, our defense will mostly consist of players already on the roster; and we hope the new coaching staff can work some magic.
Unlike previous regimes I fully expect BO'B to hit on at least 4 picks in this yrs draft, probably 5 after seeing the depth of the draft and the advantage of drafting 4-1/5-1. It would help if BoB let Rick pick talented but troubled players in rds 5-7.
 

Number19

Hall of Fame
Unlike previous regimes I fully expect BO'B to hit on at least 4 picks in this yrs draft, probably 5 after seeing the depth of the draft and the advantage of drafting 4-1/5-1. It would help if BoB let Rick pick talented but troubled players in rds 5-7.
You're certainly correct about depth of this draft. There is an all time record jr class entering the draft - nearly a hundred. Some find this troubling. The overall quality of next year's sr class will be that much less.
 
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