CBS is shaking up its NFL coverage, with a switch of roles for Jim Nantz and Greg Gumbel highlighting a series of changes.

Nantz, who had been host of the “NFL Today” studio show, is being moved to the play-by-play job on the network’s No. 1 broadcast team.

He’ll be working with returning analyst Phil Simms. Gumbel will move from the No. 1 play-by-play slot to the studio host’s role.

“I honesty do not think either our football games or studio was lacking in any way with the role these two guys were doing,” CBS Sports President Sean McManus said Monday in a conference call.

“I just think when people change roles they tend to become invigorated and energized. I think a different mix . . . I think it has the opportunity of being better – (and) I hesitate to use the word better,’ because that implies that either Greg or Jim were doing something that was deficient, and they weren’t. I just think sometimes mixes are different, chemistry is different and I think the product has an opportunity to improve.

I just think when we get to October, November, December, the product that we put on the air will be different and I think it has a good opportunity to be a better product also.”

Nantz thus will be manning three major play-by-play roles for the network – golf, college basketball and pro football.

Nantz and Gumbel said they agree with the decision.

“If you like the people you work for, you trust the people you work for, you’re very lucky,” Nantz said in the conference call. “And that’s what I have. . . . I believe this is going to be a good thing for both of us. Initially, did I want to do this-first plans? No, I was very happy doing what I was doing. But the deeper we got into it and Sean kind of laid some things out, I bought into this game plan. I’m really a willing participant here.”

Gumbel was the network’s “NFL Today” host before the network lost the rights to the league after the 1993 season. He then moved to NBC, but returned to CBS when it got back the NFL in 1998 and was placed in the play-by-play role.

“If I had thought this was a step backward, I might have argued with Sean a little bit, or respectfully declined,” Gumbel said. “But I don’t feel that way.”

In addition, Lesley Visser will move to the No. 1 broadcast team as its sidelines reporter. She will replace Armen Keteyian, who goes to the No. 2 team that has Dick Enberg on play-by-play and Dan Dierdorf doing analysis. Bonnie Bernstein leaves the sidelines slot on that crew to take the spot Visser had in the studio.

It previously was announced the Shannon Sharpe has agreed to replace Deion Sanders on the “NFL Today” show.

The changes also affect the production end of the game telecasts. Producer Lance Barrow and director Mike Arnold will be elevated from the No. 2 crew to the No. 1 team, replacing Mark Wolff and Larry Cavolina.

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AP-NY-06-21-04 1829EDT