4 Reasons the Kansas City Chiefs Had a Calamitous 2011 NFL Campaign

The AFC West was picked by many experts to be a division of great competition in 2011. The Chargers, Chiefs and the Raiders looked like contenders and only the Broncos appeared to be out of the playoff talk.

Well, that was back in August. Now, the Broncos lead the division and the Chiefs occupy last place. Things moved in a different way than expected and while Denver is a nice surprise with all that “Tebow Time” hype, the real shock came from Kansas City.

What caused their breakdown?

1) Key Injuries

Three names immediately stand out on the Chiefs' IR list: Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry. We're talking about the starting quarterback, running back and strong safety, with the last two considered among the elite players of the league.

Cassel led the team for nine games before being placed on IR. The Chiefs had a 4-4 record at the time. Since that day, they have lost four games and won two, but still haven’t managed to score more than 19 points. His backup, Tyler Palko, threw six interceptions and no touchdowns in his first two games.

Charles’ absence was the most painful for Kansas City. A team that went heavy on the run last year (which helped their passing game too) had to find out how to keep it rolling without their best player. Battle never emerged as a quality backup and Jones proved to be a non-factor.

Berry left the season-opening game with a season-ending injury, a torn ACL in his left knee. Todd Haley’s words captured the magnitude of the loss: “I know we just lost one of our best players and that hurts.”

And I didn’t say a word about Moeaki, who was injured before the start of the regular season.

2) Shallow Offensive Line

We all know how important the offensive line play is in modern football. Ask Vick about it; he had to run for his life countless times last year. Put Brees or Brady behind a porous offensive line and it’s a given fact their numbers are going to drop—a lot. The Chiefs have Cassel, Palko and Orton under center and their offensive line is not as good as the Patriots’ or the Saints’, so the problem is a bit bigger.

The line’s depth is also another issue. The Chiefs’ O-linemen had to learn to play multiple positions, because there are only two “real” offensive guards on the roster: Asamoah and Lilja. Hudson played guard too, but he was supposed to be Wiegmann’s (C) backup. Gaither never worked out as a solution and was waived.

Truth be told, though, this O-line is not bad. Last year, the Chiefs saw their quarterback pinned to the ground 32 times. In 2011, they have allowed 33 sacks with one game left in the calendar. They are very good in run blocking; they just have limitations in pass protection and not enough depth.

3) Tough Schedule

Aside from their divisional games, the Chiefs had to line up against five playoff teams: the Packers,  Bears, Patriots, Steelers and Jets. They also had to face the Lions and the Bills back in September, when those teams were in top form.

The Chiefs won only two out of those seven games and their modest record against the rest of the AFC West left them out of contention. Given all that,the fact they still had some hope to make the playoffs until Week 16 is impressive.

Overall, Kansas City had the seventh-hardest schedule, a burden that was created after they finished first in their division in 2010.

4) Front Office Issues

If you think Todd Haley was fired for being 5-8, think again. The Chiefs won the AFC last year, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and with all those injuries, they won five games. No one gets fired for something like that. Haley lost his job because of his dysfunctional relationship with Scott Pioli, the team’s general manager.

The two men were not getting along with each other and that’s no secret down in Kansas City. I don’t know if Pioli was waiting for the right moment to axe Haley or sensed danger for his job and decided to do something to change the ship’s course. All I know is that if there are problems in the front office, then this will affect the team too.

At least the future looks brighter for Missouri’s franchise. Romeo Crennel is an inspiring guy that both the players and the executives respect and I think they should retain his head-coaching services.