The 1-7 Kansas City Chiefs got an early jump Monday on what promises to be an offseason flush with change.
Romeo Crennel started with the man in the mirror. The embattled coach stepped down from his role as defensive coordinator and named assistant Gary Gibbs to the position, according to Adam Teicher of The Kansas City Star.
On the field, the Chiefs turned heads by waiving cornerback Stanford Routt just eight games into his first season with the team. Crennel was vague on the move, saying only the "relationship" with Routt didn't work out.
Both moves acknowledge broad mistakes in Kansas City. Crennel is holding himself accountable for a defense that ranks 17th in the NFL but has crumbled in recent weeks. Crennel told The Star he stepped down to adopt a more global approach with his sinking team.
Routt didn't help matters. The former Oakland Raiders corner signed a three-year, $18 million contract in February, but he failed to fill Brandon Carr's shoes. Routt was deactivated for Thursday night's loss to the San Diego Chargers and leaves town as a free-agency blunder that falls directly at the feet of general manager Scott Pioli.
Gibbs has been the Chiefs' linebackers coach since 2009. His promotion doesn't promise to change the world, but it might help Crennel grab the reins of a team that has spiraled into chaos.
"We have a young team, you know?" Crennel said, according to The Associated Press. "And some guys, their perception, all right, may be that I'm a defensive coach, or a defensive coordinator, and I don't care about other parts of the team, which is not true. They will see I'm concerned about the whole team."
These won't be the final tweaks in Kansas City.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
