NFL Notebook: Chiefs hire Crennel

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 10, 2012 12:00 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? Going 2-1 and stunning then-undefeated Green Bay as Kansas City's interim head coach meant a lot more than gratification for Romeo Crennel.

It also persuaded the Kansas City Chiefs to give the affable defensive specialist a second chance to be an NFL head coach.

The Chiefs announced Monday that Crennel was the official replacement for the fired Todd Haley, removing the interim tag he bore for the last three weeks of the season.

"The three games had a lot to do with where we arrived at this decision," general manager Scott Pioli said. "Some of the things we saw was a great deal of accountability and consistency. There was also a different energy to the football team. A lot of it had to do with those last three games."

Warm and personable, the 64-year-old Crennel is a sharp departure from Haley. Often called a "players' coach" he's been known to write off mistakes as youthful indiscretions. Ironically, being soft with players was a criticism when he was fired after four years as head coach in Cleveland with a 24-40 record.

He was an instant hit with Chiefs players while serving as Haley's defensive coordinator the past two years. After the Chiefs beat the Packers 19-14 on Dec. 18 in their first game with Crennel in charge, the Chiefs chanted his nickname, "RAC! RAC!" as they ran up the tunnel.

He was always considered the front-runner to replace Haley, even though Pioli said he interviewed "more than half a dozen" candidates.

"I'm not exactly sure what a player's coach is," Crennel said. "Sometimes I think players think that a coach who is on their side is a player's coach, who always rules in favor of them may be a players' coach. I know that's not always the case with me. I think that basically, I'm a good guy. And I think this is what players appreciate ? players appreciate honesty. Players appreciate you telling them like it is. They don't always want to hear it. But that's what they appreciate. I try to tell them what I believe, what I feel and how I think it should be done."

Packers fear worst with coordinator's son missing

The Green Bay Packers canceled player availability on Monday, bracing for bad news as authorities searched for the missing 21-year-old son of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin amid fears that he had drowned in an icy Wisconsin river.

Police in Oshkosh, Wis. have been searching for 21-year-old Michael T. Philbin since Sunday evening. He disappeared at about 2 a.m. Sunday after an outing with friends in the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus area, about 50 miles from Green Bay.

Joe Philbin spent Monday in Oshkosh, where divers recovered the body of a man between the ages of 20 and 25 from the Fox River in late afternoon after a security guard reported hearing cries for help from someone on the ice. Oshkosh Police said no foul play was suspected, but the man's name was being withheld until his family is notified.

Chargers to stay in San Diego in 2012

The San Diego Chargers are staying put next season.

Owner Dean Spanos said Monday that the team will not exercise its right to move the NFL franchise for at least another year.

The Chargers want to allow more time for efforts to build a new downtown stadium. Spanos and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders say in a joint statement that they will work closely together to make that happen.

Sanders leaves office at the end of this year due to term limits.

Each year through 2020, the Chargers can announce intentions to leave San Diego on condition they pay off bonds that were sold to expand Qualcomm Stadium in 1997.

New Jaguars owner Khan shakes up front office

New Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has dismissed Paul Vance as the team's senior vice president of football operations and general counsel. Vance had been with the organization since its inception.

Khan promoted Sashi Brown to senior vice president and general counsel. Brown had served as assistant general counsel since 2005. In an email to team employees, Khan says Vance will be available as a consultant.

It's unclear whether Khan will make more changes. Vance had been the franchise's general counsel since 1994. He was promoted to senior VP of football operations in 2001 and credited with helping the team solve salary-cap problems that plagued former coach Tom Coughlin's final few years.

Falcons' VanGorder to take over Auburn's defense

AUBURN, Ala. ? Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has returned to the college ranks to take the same job at Auburn.

Auburn announced the hiring Monday of VanGorder, who has run Atlanta's defense for four years.

VanGorder's move continues his pattern of moving back and forth between college and NFL positions. He is the former coach at Georgia Southern and former defensive coordinator at Georgia, where he won the 2003 Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach.

VanGorder left Georgia to become an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005 before coaching at Georgia Southern and moving back to the NFL with the Falcons.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for me and my family at this point in my career, both professionally and personally, to become the defensive coordinator at Auburn," he said. "I'm looking forward to working at a school with the success and tradition of Auburn, and for a coach like Gene Chizik, who has led the program to a national championship. I'm very appreciative to the Atlanta Falcons and Coach Mike Smith for the experience of the last four years. It's a great organization and will have continued success in the future."

The Falcons finished the regular season ranked sixth in the NFL in rushing defense and 12th in total defense. Their season ended with Sunday's 24-2 loss to the Giants in an NFC wild-card game.

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