Does anything less than a playoff appearance = Bye Bye Pioli?

[Canofbier]

We were technically last place last year, but it's not nearly the same magnitude of "last place" as the first time. We were as close as making one of two blocked field goals in that horrible game against the Raiders to winning the division for a second consecutive year.

Our team may not be a perennial contender yet, but you can see the progress. Our team was pretty awful when he came aboard, and talent and depth at every position has improved since he arrived (even at QB, arguably). He demonstrated this offseason that he's able to land top-flight free agents (Winston).

Obviously, he's made some mistakes (Cassel's massive contract being the one that stands out the most), but who would we hire when he's gone who would do better? Last year was almost undoubtedly a playoff year before the injuries (and almost was despite them). I expect the Chiefs to do better this year, but suppose they finish 10-6 and miss the playoffs? That's certainly possible, but it's not worth firing Pioli over. If we lay down a massive turd of a season (say, 4-12 or something), then there's more reason to fire him.