“The Chiefs also released starting cornerback Stanford Routt, signed last winter as a free agent, and signed defensive lineman Shaun Smith, a former Chief.”
With the Chiefs sitting at the bottom of the AFC West division supporting an ugly 1-7 record, there were bound to be changes on the horizon. Part ways with Routt is an interesting move after he was considered one of their best free-agent acquisitions in the off-season.
Reportedly, Routt wasn’t exactly fitting in with the way things were being done in Kansas City and the team felt it was time to move on.
Along with removing Routt from the equation and signing Smith, head coach Romeo Crennel has also made a change by stepping down as defensive coordinator. The new defensive coordinator will be linebackers coach Gary Gibbs.
Crennel’s move to drop his duties on the defensive side of the football has been made to concentrate his efforts on getting the offense back to form.
Although Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis aren’t exactly the Pro Bowlers of old, the Chiefs ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards per game with over 149 per contest. The real problem in Kansas City right now is at the quarterback position. Crennel has bounced back and forth with Brady Quinn and Matt Cassel, but neither veteran has gotten the job done under this season and have struggled to stay healthy.
It’d be safe to say at this point in time that Crennel is fighting for his job heading into the second half of the season. Crennel may be one of many NFL head coaches that could be on the chopping block at season’s end.
