But questions about who will direct the team's future, both in the front office and on the field, are very much up in the air.

The 2-12 Chiefs, in the throes of potentially the worst season in franchise history, made the biggest organizational change in 20 years on Monday when chairman of the board Clark Hunt announced that team president/general manager/CEO Carl Peterson would resign at the end of the season.

Peterson, who helped turn around a franchise coming off back-to-back four-win seasons with only one playoff appearance in 15 previous years before his arrival in Kansas City after the 1988 season, oversaw two widely disparate decades.

With Marty Schottenheimer as his coach from 1989-98, the Chiefs won 101 games, made seven playoff appearances in the first nine seasons and won three AFC West titles.

But in the 10 years since Schottenheimer's departure after the 1998 season, the Chiefs under three head coaches have had only four winning seasons with two playoff appearances (2003 and '06).

Most damning in the eyes of Chiefs fans, the club hadn't won a playoff game -- despite having home-field advantage after 13-3 campaigns of 1995, '97 and '03 -- since the semifinals of the 1993 season. That was when Joe Montana, in his first of a two-year career-ending stint in Kansas City, guided the Chiefs to an upset in Houston and a berth in the club's first conference championship game since the 1969 Super Bowl season.

Hunt said Peterson's departure with one year remaining on his contract was a mutual decision. The timing of the announcement, Hunt insisted, was not based solely on the Chiefs' complete collapse against San Diego, which scored two touchdowns in the final 73 seconds for a stunning 22-21 win at Arrowhead.

"In 2009, Carl was entering the last year of his contract, as was the coaching staff," Hunt said. "Over the last few weeks we agreed it made sense to make the change at the end of this season, and that it was in the club's best interest that I announce it this week so that I could begin a search for a new GM right away."

Hunt said he would divide all the responsibilities Peterson held into separate positions of president and general manager. He said the president's position, in charge of all business matters, would be filled internally. Long-time club vice president and interim team president Denny Thum is a top candidate for that position.

But Hunt said he would go outside the organization for the GM who will make all football-related decisions.

"It makes sense to take advantage of this opportunity and get someone from the outside who brings a fresh perspective to the organization," said Hunt, adding that he will seek someone experienced in evaluating talent and with a background in building a winning NFL team.

Immediate speculation turned to New England vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli.

The first decision Hunt's new football man will have to make concerns head coach Herm Edwards, 6-24 over the past two seasons after a 9-7 playoff season in his first year.

Hunt has expressed his support for the way Edwards has dealt with a complete rebuilding project -- one Hunt personally endorsed -- that has 17 rookies on the current roster, many of them playing significant roles. And while Hunt said he will have the ultimate say on a head coach decision, he says his new GM will have "significant input" on the decision.

For Edwards, the issue is all but out of his hands. Winning two more games at the end of the season probably won't greatly improve the final chapter of the book on this year's woeful season.

"I'm not going to sell him on anything. I don't think I have to," Edwards said when asked if he felt he had something to prove to a new boss whose identify he doesn't yet know. "I'm going to be what I am and coach the team the way I coach.

"I think we all agree that this (rebuilding with young players approach) is the right direction to go," Edwards added. "That's why we chose to do it. Did we think it was going to be this painful? No. But I think we all agree that we're going to stay on this course after this season and the years to follow. We're all on the same page. We're not going to change the direction of this organization."

For his players returning Wednesday two days after learning of Peterson's depending departure, the priority was to try to keep business as usual.

"That (organizational) stuff is way about our heads," said quarterback Tyler Thigpen. "All we can do as a team is get ready to play the Dolphins.

"But, how nice would it be to get two more wins for (Peterson)?"

SERIES STANDING: 24th regular-season meeting. Chiefs lead 12-11 in regular season, but the overall series edge goes to Miami 14-12 when all three postseason victories are included. Chiefs have won last three games played in Kansas City, the most recent in 2002. Since then they split two games in south Florida, the 2005 one being a Friday night affair in which the Chiefs made a day trip to Miami for a game moved up by the threat of an impending hurricane.