As the old saying goes, "You don' t know where you're going until you know where you've been," the Chiefs 2009 season will ideally mirror one of the teams below. The list includes the biggest one season turnarounds in NFL history (in no particular order).
I made a note next to each team of the major changes that happened at two of the most important jobs in an organization: Head Coach and Quarterback.
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 (2003) | 12-4 | Same HC, QB |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-15 (2007) | 11-5 | New HC, GM, QB |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 (1998) | 13-3 | Same HC, QB |
| New York Giants | 4-7-2 (1928) | 13-1-1 | New HC |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-13 (1962) | 10-4 | New HC, QB |
| St. Louis Rams | 4-12 (1998) | 13-3 | New QB |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-10 (2003) | 15-1 | New QB |
| Baltimore Colts | 2-12 (1974) | 10-4 | New HC, QB |
| New England Patriots | 3-11 (1975) | 11-3 | Same HC, QB |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11 (1987) | 12-4 | Same HC, QB |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-15 (1991) | 9-7 | New HC (Midseason) |
| New York Jets | 1-15 (1996) | 9-7 | New HC, QB |
| Chicago Bears | 5-11 (2000) | 13-3 | New QB |
Save the GM, the coach and the quarterback have more influence (positively or negatively) over a team than anyone else.
As you'll note, only 4 of the 13 teams listed above didn't make a change at head coach or quarterback. The Colts had a 2nd year quarterback (Manning) and the Bengals had a 3rd year quarterback (Esiason).
Though each individual situation varies immensely, 9 of the 13 teams above rebounded after making a change at one of these all important positions. Maybe the Chiefs will like their odds of a successful rebound taking the advice of the 9 teams above.
Source: Sports Illustrated