Teicher: Cassel on possibility of benching: ‘You can’t play scared’
 

Cassel on possibility of benching: ‘You can’t play scared’
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Facing the biggest crisis of his career, Matt Cassel showed no weakness Wednesday when he answered questions about his tenuous hold on the Chiefs starting quarterback position. Cassel said if he fails in Sunday’s game against Baltimore, and the Chiefs have to replace him with Brady Quinn, it won’t be because of any lack of confidence.

“Throughout my career I’ve always had ups and downs,” Cassel said. “Everybody knows that I’m a grinder. I’m going to go out and grind each and every day and I’m going to try to get better.

“I try not to focus on what’s being said on the outside and I try to focus on how I can get better as a player. I know there’s room for improvement and I’m going to give everything I can to make those improvements and get better.”

Coach Romeo Crennel has said that while Cassel will start against the Ravens, Quinn may at some point replace him. Crennel also suggested he might give Quinn some first-team snaps in practice, though Quinn said his workload didn’t increase Wednesday.

“My reps have been the exact same as they had before,” Quinn said.

Until this week, the Chiefs had shown unfailing loyalty to Cassel since trading for him in 2009. He was handpicked by general manager Scott Pioli, who was then new to the Chiefs and had worked with Cassel when they were together in New England.

The Chiefs haven’t acquired a strong challenger to Cassel and there’s never been any suggestion he might get benched at any point in his four seasons.

That changed this week with Crennel and the Chiefs facing desperate times. They are 1-3 and haven’t had a lead during a game yet.

“I’m going to do what I think gives us the best chance to win,” Crennel said. “Hypotheticals about what if this happens or what if that happens, I don’t know what if anything happens. I’m going to wait until we get to the game and we’ll see what happens and then we’ll go forward.”

Cassel’s play in no small factor in the Chiefs’ dismal record. His 10 turnovers are tied for the NFL high with Dallas quarterback Tony Romo.

Cassel has had some rough times as Chiefs quarterback, most notably his first season as their starter in 2009 and a miserable ending to the 2010 season. His popularity in Kansas City among Chiefs fans has dipped — he was loudly booed during a celebrity softball game last summer at Kauffman Stadium — this is the first time Cassel’s play has been publicly questioned by someone affiliated with the Chiefs.

Crennel met with Cassel this week to discuss the issue.

“Matt is a professional,” Crennel said. “He takes it to heart. He understands we need to get better as a football team and we need to play better.”

Cassel indicated he wouldn’t be distracted in his preparation or during Sunday’s game.

“I don’t look over my shoulder,” he said. “You can’t do that. As a quarterback, you go out there and compete each and every day and you try to get better each and every day. For me, I don’t look over my shoulder. I just go out there and try to play my position.

“You can’t play scared. You can’t play tentative. I have tunnel vision. I go out and try to get better each and every day. I know as the quarterback of this team I’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the football. That comes first. I take full responsibility for that. We all need to take better care of the football and if we do, then we’ll be in more of these football games and we’ll be a better football team because of it. It starts with me, like I’ve said. I’m working each and every day to get better and I will get better.”

Quinn is familiar with the feeling. He was Cleveland’s starting quarterback for parts of the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Then he was traded to Denver, where he didn’t play in a game during either of the last two seasons. He then signed with the Chiefs in the spring, but hasn’t played in any of their four games.

“That’s what you have to do,” Quinn said. “If you’re a quarterback a lot of times when things aren’t going well, you get more blame than you should and when you throw six touchdown passes, you get more credit than you should take.”

LMAO

Cassels biggest flaw is that he has ALWAYS played "scared".

Lol failure of a ****

Just what you want a QB with tunnel vision

Imagine how Cassel's fragile psyche will react after he sees that banner flying over his head for an hour.

“You can’t play scared. You can’t play tentative. I have tunnel vision. "

We couldnt have said it better ourselves.

You play like you are terrified of getting hit and your field vision is terrible.

yep.

ROFL @ the master of the fetal position!

I'm usually not much of a critic of coachspeak.. but holy ****.. That's the message you're sending? You've already admitted in your recent presser that you don't know what's wrong with the team. Now you follow it up with "We'll just see what happens"?

****.. Romeo.. What do you know? Where are your big hairy black testicles?

Cassel has an "Ain't Skeeered" sticker in the back window of his wife's Prius.

Yep, that's what you want to hear out of your 63 million dollar QB who's in his 4th year as a starter.

Nuff Said LMAO
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/13...etalcassel.gif

oh the irony ROFL

Go Matt!

Come fly the plane bitch

Well atleast you got value for your money, JR got that much for 2 years LMAO

Hoagies and Grinders, Hoagies and Grinders, Hoagies and Grinders, Meatloaf Sandwich...

Cassel not yet benched, remains seated as team's starter

After Sunday's imminent loss: "Cassel struggles, fans want their quarters back."

"For me, I don’t look over my shoulder. I just go out there and try to play my position."


really Matt? you try to play it? lol wow

So what does he call crapping the bed with the least amount of pressure.

Yes matt, we know you have tunnel vision

Probably save time if they would not even play the first half Sunday and just put 27-6 on the scoreboard. Let everybody enjoy an extra hour and a half of tailgating. Let all the players come out of the locker room fresh just like the start of the game... only it is the start of the 3rd quarter. Only drama would be who gets the nod... Cassel or Quinn.

Dear Matt,

I've supported you as long as anyone. I said months ago this was your chance. Your play has proven to me at least that you are not the guy to advance the Chiefs. I hope in the long run you realize you were given every opportunity.

I have no doubt you have tried your best but I'm sorry and we need to move on.

Sincerely, mlyonsd and thousand of other Chief fans

Your sig is disturbing man

Im sick of this **** saying he needs to get better. He's speaking like he's a 2nd year player. He's been in the league over 7 seasons. He should be peaking at this point!

What a bunch of cliche' bullshit.

I'm a grinder.....I'm a hard worker.....I've had ups and downs but I play through it.

Uhh, Matt..........YOU JUST SUCK ASS.....plain and simple.

Not my fault. Blame Gadzooks.

I would do exactly the same thing in that situation, but I'm not getting paid tens of millions of dollars.

QFFT

Well, at least the subject is coming up in the Chiefs piss conferences ... that's progress, I suppose.

But, here's the part that really, really bugs me ... I mean, really, really bugs me ... with bugs ... really ...

"... I know as the quarterback of this team I’ve got to do a better job of taking care of the football. That comes first. I take full responsibility for that. We all need to take better care of the football ..."

He deploys this technique without fail. Every time it's obvious he's done something stupid and finally called out on it (usually having to do with turnovers or the inability to score or get a first down or something), he says, "I've got to do a better job ..." then without taking another breath he adds, "We all need to do a better job ..." (or whatever).

He always appends any mea culpa with an immediate blanket statement that "everybody" or "the whole team" or "we" screwed up.

It's peculiar and bothersome. I suppose as the quarterback, he's the de facto "leader" so it's appropriate for him to represent the entire team, but I don't hear other quarterbacks doing this. (Of course, maybe I just haven't paid much attention to other guys).

Anyhow, I would respect him a whole lot more if he were to take responsibility for his mistakes without mitigating his shortcomings by dragging everybody else into the mud hole he created as the worst offender on the entire team.

FAX

It came from a Charger fan


No surprise

"I have tunnel vision."

Probably the only thing I like about Cassel....at least he finally admits it, because it sure as **** shows on the field.

Bingo. That might work for Stink Schlareth, but not for a QB.

Come at me, bro. Come at me. OH SHIT! PLEASE DON'T COME AT ME, BRO!

Cassel to Teicher: "You can't play scared"
Teicher to Cassel: "You can't play"

Really?? Most QBs just step to the side when someone is coming at them and they see it.. I see it hundreds of times a season.. Just not from the Chiefs QB..

FYP

Matt, **** you & all of the tired, trite sloganeering, dude.

You're not getting it done, you never WILL get it done... you're a very wealthy man no matter what happens, no sympathy needed... so please just go the **** away.

When Cassel looks in the mirror everyday he sees Joe Montana, what he should see is Joe Pesci

With all the "work" he puts in to "try to get better every day, grinding and trying to get better" how is it possible that he has not improved even a little since 2008?

Answer: he is a scared pussy and every defense knows it.

He was just protecting the ball.

The guy HATES turnovers.

What's disturbing is that any regular wouldn't hide sigs.

It's a perfect example of why he sucks.

He never takes his eyes off the defender the whole play because he is more scared of getting hit than focusing on making a play by finding his hot read and getting the ball out.

If you get the ball out, teams stop blitzing you.

"Can't play scared, and I already play scared, so what's the difference?"

How about those last 15 games, Matt?

Are those up or down, mother****er?

I wonder how many games he has had over and under a 50 total qbr rating over his time as a starter.

50 is considered average.

NO SHIT, ASSHOLE?

http://i.imgur.com/4kLpS.jpg

I dunno about 50 being average, unless we're talking about some other kind of QB rating system.

For the traditional NFL QB rating, 75 is about average.

Matt has had 23 games here under 75.

Out of 44 games as our starter. LMAO

And 17 of those are under 70.

QBR is some ESPN rankings system.

I believe it analyzes a quarterback's play in clutch situations, and how his play has contributed to wins.

Cassel is 23rd, behind Fitzpatrick and Tannehil LMAO

http://espn.go.com/nfl/qbr

The 'Tunnel Vision' comment just scrolled across the bottom of the screen on NFLN.

LOL

.

Cheater.

How the **** did you do that?

What an insult to Joe Pesci. He would kick Cassel's ass for that.

That is friggin awesome!!!!:LOL:

I'm just happy Castle's brother in law is not a regular member of this forum.

Cassel plays like a scared little bitch every week.

He doesn't put on his big boy pants until the game is already lost, and plays against a prevent defense.

Did anyone post the Yahoo video about it being time to bench Cassel? Pretty much says what we all feel, although Phobia is gonna cringe hearing them say Cassel is a nice backup.

I can't get the embedding to copy and paste for some reason. My computer is being a POS right now.
http://sports.yahoo.com/video/time-q...000017309.html

gotcha

<iframe width="624" height="351" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://sports.yahoo.com/video/time-quarterback-change-000017309.html?format=embed"></iframe>

of course he doesn't look over his shoulder...it isn't like there is another QB on this team that can take the job from him

"His 10 turnovers are tied for the NFL high with Dallas quarterback Tony Romo."

What else needs to be said?

"i have tunnel vision"

NO SHIT!

:LOL:

Hey man, props to BOTH of you. It's this kind of next-level ability that makes this place special.

Thanks for the sig.

I think you're like #4 to use it.

Shit needs to be on everybody's sig.

rally rally rally LMAO

FYI, use the one in my sig, it's about half the size.

Haha. Shall be funny indeed. In a way, it's kind of not the guys fault. Sure he sucks, but he's been put in the position to continue sucking for years now. Put him out of his misery already and bench him. They're just humiliating him at this point.