Kansas City Chiefs: 2011 Will Be a Pivotal Season for Scott Pioli and Todd Haley

When Scott Pioli and Todd Haley took over the reigns of the Kansas City Chiefs organization in early 2009, it became clear that their main goal was to change their culture of this franchise.

It didn't take long for Pioli and Co. to make their first surprise in KC, as they were able to land QB Matt Cassel and veteran LB Mike Vrabel in exchange for draft picks with the New England Patriots.

After a dismal 4-12 season, where the Chiefs were once again the laughing stock of the league, Kansas City's new management realized that they were still a long ways away from having a productive and successful team to stay.

In the '10 offseason, Pioli went out and scooped up former Patriots coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel.

The move was praised by many, and for good reason due to the fact that Weis and Crennel were very successful in New England, as they had a hand in three Super Bowl titles from their respective offensive and defensive coordinator positions.

Add these two veteran coaches with a dynamite draft class and free agents Thomas Jones, Casey Weigmann and Ryan Lilja and suddenly we saw a much improved Chiefs team in 2010.

After winning their first three games of the season, the Chiefs were able to hold off a strong push by the San Diego Chargers to win their first division title since 2003 as they finished 10-6 on the season.

They lost their first playoff game at home to the Ravens, but many didn't expect this team to even taste the playoffs this past season.

Some might argue that it was due to their weak schedule that they were able to win 10 games in '10, but this is all a part of the past now.

Looking ahead to the '11 season, the Chiefs will face a very tough schedule and it will really show how much Pioli and his staff have improved this team over the past two-plus years.

KC will play six playoff teams next season, including both '10 Super Bowl teams, the Packers and the Steelers.

Of those games, the one at New England could wind up being the toughest just because it is very difficult to come into Foxborough and leave with a victory.

The Chiefs will also have a much bigger target on their back for this upcoming season, as for the first time in several years, they are coming off a winning season.

The key this offseason for Pioli and Haley will be to have another solid draft and sign a few impact free agents.

With a brutal schedule in 2011, the Chiefs need to continue to live by Todd Haley's goal of getting better each day and it starts with the Head Coach himself.

Haley has made several mental errors and botched gambles in his first two seasons as the head man of the Chiefs.

KC might not be able to afford many of these kind of mistakes next season playing against much tougher competition.

The recent improvement of Chiefs QB Matt Cassel will need to continue into the '11 season along with the play-making ability of Jamaal Charles and a young, hungry defense.

2011 will be a big year for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Pioli and Co. need to show why they were brought to KC in the first place: to build a successful team for the long-term future.