"This was not an easy decision. Herm is an outstanding football coach and a man of integrity. We appreciate his leadership over the past three seasons, and we wish him all the best in the future," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said in a written statement.Pioli said he has had several conversations with Edwards over the last week.
"After careful consideration, Clark and I felt that it was best to make a change," Pioli said.
Bob Moore, a spokesman for the team, said the Chiefs didn't have a timeline for replacing Edwards. He said all the assistant coaches still with Kansas City are under contract.
After Edwards and Peterson launched a full-fledged rebuilding project in 2008, youth and injury led to a 2-14 record and a distressful two-year tally of 6-26 that cost both men their jobs. Particularly embarrassing to Edwards was a defense that managed only 10 sacks this season, gave up a team-record 332 yards rushing in one game and a team-record 54 points in another. Edwards had promised on his first day as head coach to repair the weak defense that characterized the five-year Dick Vermeil regime.
Following a 10-year career as an NFL cornerback, Edwards' first experience with Kansas City came as a training camp assistant in 1989. Seventeen years later, he had the distinction of being the first man to become head coach of the team that brought him into the NFL through the league's minority coaching fellowship program.
In spite of the losses, his players remained loyal to their charismatic coach whose background as a cornerback on Philadelphia's 1980 Super Bowl team gave him a special rapport.
"A coach's main job is to make sure a team is prepared," Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters, one of the Chiefs' few veterans, said shortly before Kansas City ended this season. "There is no doubt that this team has been well prepared every week. Herm and the coaches can't go onto the field and make plays. That's up to the players, and that's just something we haven't done this year. In no way do I think Herm is responsible for our record."
Edwards' most costly mistake may have been overlooking Brodie Croyle's history of injuries and designating him as the foundation quarterback. A third-round pick out of Alabama in 2006, Croyle could never stay healthy and was 0-8 as a starter when he went down for the season with a knee injury.
