The Kansas City Chiefs had a lot of hope for this season, but even in the preseason with Todd Haley, it was clear that something was wrong. The team's preseason performance in games was simply atrocious, and then came the locker room drama that would keep Jon Baldwin out for half a season and begin to show signs of a team falling apart. It ended with Todd Haley getting fired and a last place finish in the AFC West. Still, ESPN's Bill Williamson says the team has reasons to hope again in 2012.
Williamson writes, "Some may be surprised a team that went 10-6 last year and won the AFC West title and followed it up with a 7-9 season is trending up. But the Chiefs showed a lot of guts. First, they fought back from an avalanche of injuries and an 0-3 start to become competitive. Then, after coach Todd Haley was fired following the Week 14 loss, the Chiefs responded by going 2-1 under interim coach Romeo Crennel, including giving Green Bay its only loss of the regular season. Kansas City was a blocked field goal at the end of regulation in Week 16 against Oakland from repeating as division champion. Crennel is expected to be the permanent head coach. This is a young team getting key players back. The future is bright."