KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City defensive coordinator Greg Robinson is a candidate to become head coach at UCLA, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said Wednesday.

Robinson, the Chiefs' defensive coordinator for the past two years, was not available to comment.

Vermeil, almost as an aside at the end of his post-practice meeting with reporters, said he had spoken earlier in the day with UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero about Robinson.

"All I can say right now is that he's considered a candidate,'' said Vermeil, who was head coach at UCLA in 1974-75. "Whether they give Greg a shot there, I don't know.''

A Los Angeles native, the 51-year-old Robinson was an assistant coach at UCLA from 1982-89 and then moved into the NFL as a coach with the New York Jets.

"He coached there eight years,'' Vermeil said. "He certainly knows what it is to coach at UCLA and the competition against USC.''

Bob Toledo was fired this week after seven years at UCLA, which has been a .500 team since winning 20 straight games during a streak that ended four years ago. The Bruins have also lost their last four games to archrival Southern California, including the last two by a combined 58 points.

Robinson was defensive coordinator with Denver when the Broncos won two Super Bowl titles, but has been criticized in Kansas City this year for having a complex defense that is ranked last in the NFL.

Before a recent surge by the defense, there were calls around town for Vermeil to fire Robinson. But the defense has generally played much better in the past six weeks.

Asked what advice he would give Robinson, Vermeil said, "Go take it. You only get one opportunity to coach at UCLA. Go take it.''