The Kansas City Chiefs were inconsistent under several head coaches before Andy Reid transformed the franchise. Former quarterback Matt Cassel, speaking on his podcast ' Lots to Say ' with Bobby Bones, reflected on his unique experience during a game under then-head coach Todd Haley.

"Todd Haley. Yeah, we had a full blowout. It was during a game playing Tennessee. This is for us to win the AFC West. He was getting after me all game long. And then the third quarter comes around. I have a boot, pull up, didn't break contain, run back up. I can already see he's steaming, right? And so we ended up punting." said Cassel, "I'm coming off the sideline, and we get into a little verbal altercation. I said some things that I probably shouldn't have said. Deservedly so. He was hot. And I was like, 'Todd, that's not what we need right now. We don't need you coming over here.' Ah, and he goes, 'F.U. Cassel, you're benched.'"

Haley brought in backup quarterback Brodie Croyle until Cassel decided to put himself in the game anyway, rebelling against Haley's decision.

"So he won't talk to me, and he says I'm out of the game. Well, I'm like, I'm a team captain. We're in the third quarter. We're up by 10. This is to win the AFC West." said Cassel. "I was like, I did something I shouldn't have done. I ran back out on the field. I did, and they won't give me a play in my helmet."

Cassel eventually finished the game but faced a frustrated Haley during a meeting days after the game.

"I go in on a Tuesday because I called him on a Monday to try to clear the air. He got after me in that meeting. And I said, 'Look, I understand your position. At the end of the day, I am your captain. And you can take the money." said Cassel. "I'll apologize to you, whatever you want to do. But we need to put this to bed because we're about to go to playoffs in two weeks.' That was probably my most intense conversation with the head coach."

The 2010 Chiefs finished 10-6 on the season, winning the AFC West, but were dominated in the Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens 7-30. Haley was fired late into the 2011 season, and Cassel suffered a season-ending hand injury.