"Maybe the things that made the 2009 season such a painful time will stay away if the Chiefs pretend that season never happened. A year ago, the Chiefs were mired in a culture of losing. Players lacked discipline. Coaches lacked their team's faith. And after an 0-6 start, the Chiefs finished that season with a 4-12 record — their third consecutive losing season. As soon as it ended, the team tried to kill its memory. Coaches don't often reference 2009 in meetings or during practices. Players say that the season wasn't worth talking about, so why bring it up? Coach Todd Haley said that, although it was an important year for his team's growth, it's no longer a part of the Chiefs' typical discussion. The Chiefs are 3-0 in 2010, after all, so what's the point in talking about a time that wasn't nearly as cheerful? "Rarely do you hear anything about last year," guard Brian Waters said. "Rarely." As much as Haley avoids the subject, publicly and privately, he doesn't diminish its value on the Chiefs' surprising start this season. He said that the '09 season was an important part of building a foundation, and part of that was reminding players that their old habits just weren't working. Too many players were out of shape when they arrived for the offseason conditioning program. Too many loafed during practices. Too few were willing to mind the details in meetings and in film study. Haley has said that the Chiefs couldn't change overnight, and whether they won two or eight games last season, players needed to see that, if they wanted to someday be better, they'd have to put in more time and pay more attention during the days between games. Even now, Haley is reluctant to discuss last season. He does so only occasionally, and it's only when he needs to illustrate how the agony of last season helped to strengthen the Chiefs for the future. "Last year was a very important part of any success we have going forward," Haley said. "I keep saying that, because I believe it." http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/29/2262656/chiefs-ugly-2009-season-set-the.html
