Chiefs Fare Well In NFP's Organizational Rankings

Perhaps Chiefs fans can take some comfort in not being near the bottom of most NFL Franchise Rankings as the 2010 season is about ready to kick off. That's because a team's won-loss record really isn't taken into account for Robert Boland's list at the National Football Post. Instead, Boland takes a closer look at the franchise's owner and front office combination to see which organization is in the best position for the long term.

Boland writes often for the NFP while serving as a professor at New York University with a full title of Clinical Assistant Professor of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs in Sports Management and Sports Business. He's a well-respected lawyer, speaker and writer and this is certainly a different take on the traditional rankings we see every year at this time.

Specifically, he ranks the Chiefs at No. 13, saying:

Clark Hunt and the Chiefs landed the big organizational free agent of 2009 in longtime Belichick-confidante GM Scott Pioli. But Pioli’s first year of rebuilding was focused mostly on demolition and not construction. The additions of coordinators Romeo Crennell and Charlie Weis seem highly promising but the Chiefs seem a year away from taking down the "construction in progress sign." Hunt, who is both well liked and accorded great respect because his late father, Lamar, was a true sports visionary, and Pioli will be fairly judged on their own work moving forward.

Last year, the Chiefs were ranked No. 11, so it seems his view of the Chiefs really hasn't changed too much in that time -- giving time for Pioli and Hunt to make their mark before giving out grades. He says as much here and I would assume the same might even be said at this time next year. For those curious, the top teams were the Cowboys and Colts and Patriots in that order, with the Broncos as the top AFC West team at No. 9.