Lack of quality WR's hurting Cassel & Chiefs

[KChiefs1]

http://arrowheadaddict.com/2010/11/0...ng-the-chiefs/

Lack Of Quality Receivers Hurting The Chiefs
Updated 11/09/2010 10:58 AM
by Patrick Allen


It is time to throw Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel a bone.

If you've been reading this site for more than a couple of weeks, you know that I have been highly critical of Cassel. I have particularly been hard on him about his completion percentage which has spent more time on the wrong side of 60 percent than I would like. However, now that we are halfway through the season I think it is time to give the Chiefs signal caller another look.

After giving it much thought I think that Matt Cassel is in a very tough position with this year's team. He is a Quarterback with no receivers.


Scott Pioli has had a lot of his bets pay off this season but one of his failures has been the resigning of WR Chris Chambers. I think even Pioli was worried about Chambers which is why he waited so long to resign him and in the interim, tried to trade for Anquan Boldin. It came down to the Chiefs and the Ravens battling for Boldin's services and in the end, the Ravens were willing to give up more draft picks than the Chiefs. For the record, I think Pioli did the right thing, especially considering the talent level of his 2010 draft class. Boldin woul dhave helped out a lot this year but these rookies will be more valuable in the long run.

After failing to make the trade for Boldin, Pioli resigned Chris Chambers. He also drafted WR Dexter McCluster who he figured could be a solid outlet for Cassel in the slot.

He was kind of right.

McCluster is a dynamic weapon but he wasn't ready to step in and be an impact receiver from day one. Most of the damage McCluster has done this season has come when he has lined up in the backfield. That doesn't mean that McCluster isn't going to turn in to a good receiver, it simply means he is a rookie who wasn't that experienced at receiver to begin with, learning to play the position at the NFL level. It was always going to take time.

The other side of the Chambers/McCluster bet, however, is what has hurt the Chiefs and Cassel the most. Chambers is a bum. I don't know if he just got old or if he really does quit once he gets paid. I'm not sure what goes on in the head of a guy who would get a restraining order against a woman and then marry her a few months later. All I do know is that they guy hasn't shown up this year and it doesn't appear he is going to show up any time soon. He is dead weight but unfortunately, he is all we've got.

Before being overly critical of Cassel, you have to look at what the dude is working with. He's got Bowe and then…er…

McCluster (injured)

Terry Copper

Chris Chambers

Verran Tucker

Seriously? Look, the way Chambers is playing he would probably get cut by most NFL teams at this point. Tuker and Copper wouldn't even BE on other NFL teams. Maybe Copper would sneak on a squad as a special teamer but you can bet your behind he wouldn't be lining up at receiver.

Cassel is doing the best he can with what he has to work with. The last two games he has had three targets:

Dwayne Bowe

The team’s best receiver is actually having a pretty decent season. He has a few drops but for the most part, he has been very productive.

Tony Moeaki

Moeaki is the Chiefs second best wide receiver and he is a freaking tight end!

Jamaal Charles

The team’s third best wide receiver, Jamaal Charles, is also the leagues best second string running back.

When McCluster comes back, he’ll slide back in tot he #3 slot and Charles can go back to being a backup running back.

And before you all start going gaga over Verran Tucker, remember that his spectacular TD catch from Sunday is his ONLY catch in the three weeks that he has been active. This isn't an indictment on Tucker. The dude has potential but he isn't getting open and right now, that is what Cassel needs.

The reason the Chiefs threw so much against the Raiders is because Oakland wasin single coverage all day long with no safties. People have been talking about how Oakland's strategy was an indictment on Cassel. They've been saying the Raiders didn't believe Cassel could beat them. I disagree with this. I think the Raiders believed the Chiefs receivers couldn't beat them and they were right. Look Bowe has never been a burner but you are telling me not Chambers, Copper or Tucker could put a good enough move on their man to blow by them and get wide open over the top? If the Raiders tried that kind of crap on the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning would throw for 37 touchdowns. Every time Cassel completed a pass Sunday, his man was covered pretty well. There were very few passes that went to wide open receivers.

While watching Sunday's game, the guy across from me kept bemoaning that Cassel wasn't throwing the ball. He wasn't throwing it because he can't see wide open receivers. He wasn't throwing it because there were no open receivers. It is obvious that the Chiefs and Cassel have made it a priority to take care of the football. Cassel is under strict instructions not to force passes and to get rid of the ball if he senses trouble, even if that means throwing it away. He has been doing that and the results, for the most part, have been positive.

Cassel is doing a fine job of hitting Moeaki and Bowe when they are open. He is fairly efficient at hitting Charles when he comes out of the backfield. Before Dexter McCluster got injured, Cassel started finding him more down field as well. He just doesn't have the tools he needs in the receiving game. Philip Rivers might be able to succeed with receivers off the street but Cassel is no Philip Rivers. * I think the Chiefs passing game is going to continue to struggle until they get Dexter McCluster back. I think the presence of McCluster helps both Bowe and Moeaki. It will also keep Jamaal Charles in the backfield where he belongs. With the absence of McCluster, the Chiefs have been using Charles a little more in the passing game because they know they need another threat out there. *

The*Cassel lead Chiefs will likely never be a passing team but if they don’t get some more help at the WR position soon, KC’s air attack will stay grounded.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by milkman

The transition started in the game against Buffalo, and the game against the Jets was the week after that, in week 10.

This is exactly what I remember from those NFLN replays.

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

The 0 sack game came in week 9. That was against the Colts. That was the Neal's first start of the season. The massive jump in the shotgun percentage came in the Jets game, which wasn't until 2 weeks later.

They changed at the halfway point of the season, not game 11.

Milkman is right in this case, like it or not.

Nobody would dare debate that a better line will improve a quarterbacks play, especially line guys like myself and Milk. But you cant try to act like a quarterback should need superior offensive linemen and receivers to be good.

Thats just crazy.

A quarterback has to help the rest of the offense be better, not the other way around.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

The 0 sack game came in week 9. That was against the Colts. That was the Neal's first start of the season. The massive jump in the shotgun percentage came in the Jets game, which wasn't until 2 weeks later.

The massive jump came against the Jets, but they did start to use the shotgun a bit more against the Bills than they had prior to that.

Now I didn't see that Colts game, so I can't comment on whether they actually used it more in that game or not, but I do know that the percentage of plays out of the shotgun against Buffalo was probably about 7-10% higher than it had been used in the games that I'd watched previous to that.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by milkman

The massive jump came against the Jets, but they did start to use the shotgun a bit more against the Bills than they had prior to that.

Now I didn't see that Colts game, so I can't comment on whether they actually used it more in that game or not, but I do know that the percentage of plays out of the shotgun against Buffalo was probably about 7-10% higher than it had been used in the games that I'd watched previous to that.

I've got no issue with this post, and I've got no problem saying that the increased number of snaps in the spread helped Cassel's game tremendously in the 2008 season. That's not surprising at all, since the team had been all about 3 and 4 wide receiver sets since 2007 (68% of the team's snaps), and cutting back on that when Cassel came aboard meant that Cassel was not just learning the game, but learning the game with an adjusted system. That's probably something Belichick and McDaniels would do differently if they had a do-over.

I'm just noting that the drop in sack numbers began with, and centered around, Neal, not the jump to the spread. If you're interested, you might care to have a look at this article, written the week after the Colts game, for some additional information, including this:

They aren't spreading the field as much, but are still in either three-receiver or four-receiver packages 55.5 percent of the time.

http://www.boston.com/sports/footbal...nt_positi.html


Nice chat tonight, btw, without the vitriol. Thanks for that. It's become the exception around here, rather than the rule. I've got to run, but I'll check back on this thread tomorrow, in case you want to continue with this.

[MattCassel]

Ahh... The good ol days. Now my homie Baldwin will save me.

[BoneKrusher]

Montana as a chief in 93 had Willie Davis, JJ Birdin and Keith Cash as his corps of WR's and he made them look way better than they actually were and took them to the AFC championship game.

Cassel has a pro bowler in Bowe.

[bevischief]

Originally Posted by MattCassel

Ahh... The good ol days. Now my homie Baldwin will save me.

shut up.

[Bump]

I don't even know if a WR combo of Jerry Rice, Chris Carter and Calvin Johnson could help Cassel. Everybody would think they are mediocre. You put a good QB on this team and Bowe is gonna rip 1200 yards every single season and scrubs like Urban and Colbert would look good.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by Bump

I don't even know if a WR combo of Jerry Rice, Chris Carter and Calvin Johnson could help Cassel. Everybody would think they are mediocre. You put a good QB on this team and Bowe is gonna rip 1200 yards every single season and scrubs like Urban and Colbert would look good.

Manning effect... well almost any elite qb has it to some degree on making those around him look way better then they are.

[TEX]

Bla...bla...bla... When was the last time this organization had top WR's? It has literally been a few decades...Our TE was our best WR through 4 coaches. KC needs to focus on the QB problems first / again. Fix that, and the WR's will look good.

[talastan]

An elite QB and our two first rounders in Bowe, and Baldwin will be making probowls over and over. Instead they can't get any YAC, which is their specialty as larger WRs, because of having to adjust to the ducks thrown their way by the Duke of Dink.

[Dr. Johnny Fever]

Probably been said but other than the loss of Moeaki the recieveing corps are probably better than Cassel has had since he's been here with Bowe and Breaston. He just can't look downfield often enough or stop shitting his pants.