text: Expect 2-week Gap To Be The Norm Now - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel
  Expect 2-week Gap To Be The Norm Now
  SUPER BOWL - The Beat
  Hall of Fame Coach Bill Walsh views the two-week gap between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl as only fair. He'll get no argument from the NFL, which is getting back to its favored format after dealing with one-week breaks in three of the previous four seasons.
  "Two weeks is the norm for logistical reasons and a lot of other reasons," league spokesman Greg Aiello said. "All the planning, the moving of teams and fans getting to the game. It's so much more intense when there's only one week. Having that additional week elevates the game by setting it apart" from the NFL's typical one-game-a-week format.
  Only seven of the 38 Super Bowls have been preceded by one-week breaks, including last year, when the Oakland Raiders were blown out, 48-21, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  Walsh led the 49ers to three Super Bowl titles in 10 years as coach and had two weeks to get his team ready in each instance.
  "Having those two weeks to prepare really is the only equitable way to have the championship game because the hype is so intense and the demands so great in the week leading up to it that you can't really get anything done," Walsh said. "If you have a week at home before you go to the Super Bowl, you can probably get 75 percent of your preparations in."
  Aiello said there is a consensus among NFL owners that the two-week break is better, and the next four Super Bowls have been scheduled with that in mind, even though it means playing the title game as late as Feb. 6.
  DON'T MESS WITH TEXANS
  The Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots only can hope this trip to Houston will be easier than their last. During the regular season, the Texans beat Carolina and took New England to the waning moments of overtime -- both times at Reliant Stadium.
  So it stands to reason that they are in a good position to talk about the teams preparing for the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
  "I'm sure when each team looks down at the schedule and starts studying, they'll probably look at our game," Texans defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "Especially with two weeks to prepare."
  Houston and New England are among the minority of teams that employ a 3-4 defensive set. The Panthers will study the game film to see how the Texans scored two touchdowns in a 23-20 overtime loss to the Patriots, while the Patriots can use it to see how the Texans stifled the Panthers in a 14-10 victory.
  BILLS KEEP KRUMRIE
  The Buffalo Bills retained defensive line coach Tim Krumrie on Saturday. Newly hired Coach Mike Mularkey now has a staff of eight assistants. He still needs to hire coaches for the defensive backs and receivers.
  Krumrie joined the Bills last year after eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. He also spent 12 seasons playing defensive tackle with the Bengals, and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice.
  SPECIAL-TEAMS HIRINGS
  The St. Louis Rams hired Mike Stock as special-teams coach. Stock held the same job for the past three seasons with the Washington Redskins. He replaces Bobby April, who wasn't offered a new contract. The Redskins were fifth in the NFC in kickoff returns (22.5 yards) and kickoff-return coverage (20.6 yards). Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears hired Dave Toub as special-teams coordinator. Toub was an assistant special-teams coach for the Philadelphia Eagles the past three seasons and helped coach the defensive line. He spent three seasons as defensive line coach at Missouri and nine seasons as its strength and conditioning coach.