Matt Cassel is trying to be Drew Brees, not Tom Brady

[KCrockaholic]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/footb...t-cassel_N.htm

By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY
Matt Cassel has numbers like Tom Brady, but his coach says his real comparison should be to Drew Brees.

Cassel, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, has thrown 22 touchdowns and four interceptions this season — just one fewer touchdown and the same number of picks as Brady, his former New England Patriots teammate.

He fired four touchdowns in Kansas City's 42-24 blowout of Seattle on Sunday, posting a season-best 129.3 passer rating. Over the past nine games, Brady and Cassel have the league's highest passer ratings, according to STATS, LLC.

Brady has a 108.2 rating with 18 touchdowns and two interceptions the last nine games, while Cassel has a 107.7 rating with 21 touchdowns and two interceptions.

POWER RANKINGS: Chiefs climbing as they cling to AFC West

Yet the quarterback Cassel is emulating most isn't Brady. It's Brees, the New Orleans Saints signal-caller.

Chiefs coach Todd Haley had a Week 2 epiphany, creating a color-coded, key-read grading system during practices that fast-tracked Cassel's improvement. He now emulates Brees as a quick-drop, blitz-beating passer.

All the grinding Cassel has done honing his footwork and field vision on days off, before and after practice is paying off for the 7-4 Chiefs, who lead the AFC West by a game over San Diego.

He's thriving off play-action provided by a top-ranked rushing attack featuring Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.

But Cassel's made his biggest strides by taking quicker ones away from center, shedding his habit of staring down the middle the duration of his drop backs.

"He's growing up before our eyes," Haley said of his quarterback. "The easy thing is to look at Matt and say, 'Well, let's try and make him like Tom Brady.'

"But his foot speed and athleticism is so much better. Drawing the parallel to Drew has been a huge key because of Matt's foot speed.

"I've charted Drew. He gets back faster and deeper than anybody in the league."

Brees shredded Seattle's blitz in a 34-19 win the week before Cassel followed suit.

"Drew pushes himself so far away from the line of scrimmage so quick that the pressure just can't get to him," Haley said.

"Matt did some real similar things. The Seahawks brought some pressure. He kept his cool and made real good decisions."

A combined 241 yards rushing by Charles and Jones against Seattle — 173 and a touchdown by Charles — opened the passing lanes that triggered Dwayne Bowe's 13-catch, 170-yard, three-touchdown explosion.

"The sky's the limit for Matt Cassel," says former Patriots receiver and current New England Comcast SportsNet analyst Troy Brown. "He always had the skills. They just had to be sharpened."

If it's a repost, Cassel doesn't suck.

[googlegoogle]

good article.

i think of troy aikmen's quick feet too.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by TheGuardian

OTWP58 and GoChiefs have already sacrificed their first born sons (well OTWP58 sacrificed his cats first litter since he's not old enough for his balls to have dropped yet) to the devil to make sure that Matt Cassel sucks and that the Chiefs are forced to draft a QB that sucks as well. So they can keep bitching.

And this horseshit is why trying to give Cassel a compliment is an exercise in futility.

You and the rest of the nut-huggers need to get the **** over yourselves. Period.
If Cassel gets better, we ALL win. So take your tired act, people( and you know who the **** you are ), and kindly shut...the ****...up.

You want to make it personal? You ****ing want some? Come get it.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by ROR

And this horseshit is why trying to give Cassel a compliment is an exercise in futility.

You and the rest of the nut-huggers need to get the **** over yourselves. Period.
If Cassel gets better, we ALL win. So take your tired act, people( and you know who the **** you are ), and kindly shut...the ****...up.

You want to make it personal? You ****ing want some? Come get it.

Post Fail....

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by ROR

And this horseshit is why trying to give Cassel a compliment is an exercise in futility.

You and the rest of the nut-huggers need to get the **** over yourselves. Period.
If Cassel gets better, we ALL win. So take your tired act, people( and you know who the **** you are ), and kindly shut...the ****...up.

You want to make it personal? You ****ing want some? Come get it.

see this is funny shit. REAL funny after the way you ****ers have acted for the last year and a half around here.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

see this is funny shit. REAL funny after the way you ****ers have acted for the last year and a half around here.

dont let it get to you, ROR was more of a follower than a leader... He ran around qouting Draftabulators and haters with stupid pictures or saying... Very rarely added anything of substance...

that is how he earned the name lapdog....

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

dont let it get to you, ROR was more of a follower than a leader... He ran around qouting Draftabulators and haters with stupid pictures or saying... Very rarely added anything of substance...

that is how he earned the name lapdog....

i know. i was here. dcs ror, how many others?

[Fat Elvis]

Originally Posted by milkman

Yes it is premature.

However the observations of his footwork are not.

His footwork has been stellar in these last two games, and that (his poor footwork) was a huge part of the reason for his inconsistency, lack of accuracy, and even his lack of pocket presence.

It looks as though it has just clicked for him finally.

I said in another thread that I have never seen him with this kind of footwork in any of the game I have watched before, not in KC or in New England.

This article supports that claim.

I don't think Cassel will ever be a great QB, but I think he can become a very good QB. Like you, I think his improved footwork will reap incredible dividends for this team. It is kind of funny when you look at another QB that is trying to emulate Drew Brees and his footwork and the type of progress he has had this year over last year: Josh Freeman. Josh Freeman went and worked out with Drew Brees this past summer and one of the things he really focused on was his footwork. He has made the same kind of strides as a QB this year that Cassel has made. (Very similar increases in stats between Cassel and Freeman)

Drew Brees says the key to his accuracy is being able to throw the ball the same way every time--and that all begins with good footwork.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis

I don't think Cassel will ever be a great QB, but I think he can become a very good QB. Like you, I think his improved footwork will reap incredible dividends for this team. It is kind of funny when you look at another QB that is trying to emulate Drew Brees and his footwork and the type of progress he has had this year over last year: Josh Freeman. Josh Freeman went and worked out with Drew Brees this past summer and one of the things he really focused on was his footwork. He has made the same kind of strides as a QB this year that Cassel has made. (Very similar increases in stats between Cassel and Freeman)

Drew Brees says the key to his accuracy is being able to throw the ball the same way every time--and that all begins with good footwork.

...good footwork is imperative, just like in boxing and playing oline..it's getting your hips in place..that's where all your power comes from.

[JD10367]

Someone needs to make one of those bad animations on this subject.

Panel 1: "I hate Cassel! Cassel sucks! We never should've gotten him!"
Panel 2: a list of Cassel's good recent stats, Chiefs stats, their W-L record
Panel 3: FFFFFFFUUUUUUUU....

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Post Fail....

**** you, you ****ing rag.

Who was the pussy, yes PUSSY who spent months running around bitching and posting about "OH WHAAAAAH IS ME I HAVE TO PUT UP Vvfb SO I CAN READ CHEIFS PLANET"!!!!

Tardian has more Chiefs Planet backbone than you, you ****ing snail.

I oughtta' neg-rep you just for being a bitch.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

see this is funny shit. REAL funny after the way you ****ers have acted for the last year and a half around here.

With all due respect, the gulf between NE Cassel and KC Cassel looked about as wide as the ****ing Grand Canyon, and we STILL don't know if this current improvement is long term or not.

There's a ROAD TO GO yet for this guy, and that's just reality.

But I'm not above giving him praise when he deserves it. And just because the team gets a win, that does NOT ALWAYS ****ING EQUATE TO MATT CASSEL getting better!

****!