Poor Preseason Puts Heat on Pioli, Cassel

[Hammock Parties]

Poor Preseason Puts Heat on Pioli, Cassel


Did the Chiefs seriously just complete another losing preseason?

If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 1-7 in the preseason for the Scott Pioli era. Over the last four years, the Chiefs are a woeful 3-13 in preseason. While it would be foolish to assign too much relevance to exhibition wins and losses, when they come in tandem with 10 Chiefs regular season wins in three years, the correlation is a concern.

When you factor in the performance of the Chiefs’ key starters and draft picks this preseason, there’s even more reason for concern.

Aside from the shocking revelation that Todd Haley can control his previously nuclear sideline temper for an entire month, the most important thing we learned from August is that Pioli and his highly-paid quarterback, Matt Cassel, still have a lot to prove. Preseason provided no legitimate answers to the questions that have surrounded the pair since last season.

In Pioli’s case, the question is simple – can he effectively identify and cultivate game-changing, impact players?

Most of his initial draft class appears to have been written off already. Jake O’Connell, Javarris Williams, Quinten Lawrence, Colin Brown and Donald Washington have been pushed down the depth chart by 2010 rookies.

The three who don’t appear to have been written off - Alex Magee, Tyson Jackson and Ryan Succop – are a mixed bag. Magee actually showed up this preseason, recording a sack, which makes the crown jewel of Pioli’s 2009 rookie class, Tyson Jackson, look like a lump of cubic zirconia. After a disastrous rookie year, Jackson didn’t show much progress over the last month. He was invisible. If he made an impact play, I missed it.

Clearly, the Chiefs don’t consider Jackson much of a threat as a pass rusher. He comes off the field frequently on third down. It’s not hard to see why – Magee and Wallace Gilberry are far more athletic and explosive, not to mention cheaper. Considering his price tag, Jackson’s impact should be more noticeable.

Has Pioli picked the right players? Getty Images

After missing four field goals all of last year, Succop missed three this preseason. Sure, they were long kicks. Is that supposed to make Chiefs fans feel better when a game is on the line this season and Succop needs to make another long kick?

Conclusion: there are no signs from the 2009 draft class of a game-changing, impact player. How about Pioli’s 2010 draft class? Any signs there?

Pencil in safety Eric Berry as a legit possibility. After seeing Berry blast through a fullback to upend a ball carrier against the Buccaneers two weeks ago, I began speaking in tongues. The Chiefs shut down starting quarterbacks this preseason (apart from one busted play against Tampa) and Berry was definitely part of it.

The problem is Pioli’s second-round picks, wide receiver Dexter McCluster and cornerback Javier Arenas, and his third-round pick, tight end Tony Moeaki. Carl Peterson is no longer hanging around Arrowhead Stadium, which means second-round picks should be having a huge impact, even as rookies.

Are McCluster and Arenas having a huge impact? Based on preseason, the answer is no. While they’ve both proven to be exciting, athletic players who can change a game on special teams, they have to be more.

Arenas has to make an impact on defense. In a perfect world, he’d challenge for Brandon Carr’s starting job by season’s end. If he’s Allen Rossum, a great “cornerback” who has elite return skills but never plays defense, Pioli reached on the pick.

McCluster’s preseason receiving numbers – seven catches, 40 yards, no touchdowns, two or three drops – are disappointing. While it’s great that McCluster can make explosive plays as a running back, he needs 600 receiving yards and three or four touchdowns to justify the pick Pioli spent, and that’s setting the bar low. Kenny Britt and Hakeem Nicks, selected in 2009 in roughly the same draft slot as McCluster, both went over 700 yards as rookies.

And let’s go ahead and set the bar a little higher for Moeaki, who finally caught a pass Thursday night. Third-round picks, especially on teams lacking viable starting tight ends, have to make more of an impact.

But maybe we should temper the expectations for any of KC’s pass catchers. Because based on Cassel’s preseason, the Chiefs will again struggle to throw the ball.

Will Cassel chuck it down the field? Getty Images

I’m honestly flabbergasted that Cassel managed to complete 64 percent of his passes this preseason, throw more touchdowns than interceptions, and finish with a lousy 79.3 rating. Previously, football scientists believed such a feat was impossible, because the NFL weights completion percentage and touchdown-to-interception ratio so heavily in their passer rating formula.

But Cassel pulled it off by quickly dumping the ball short on almost every snap this preseason, averaging a shockingly low five yards per pass attempt. In some cases, Cassel was dumping the ball to running backs behind the line of scrimmage before receivers running down the field had even completed their patterns.

Either the approach was Cassel’s diabolical plan to avoid looking too inept, or KC’s new offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis, watched film of Cassel taking too many sacks and missing too many throws down the field the last two seasons. After sweating profusely for a moment, Weis yanked his 1983 Morristown High School Football playbook out of mothballs, fired up a Xerox machine, and voila! He produced the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs playbook and hatched a plot to turn Cassel into a mistake-free, accurate passer.

Humor aside, here are the facts: had Dwayne Bowe not caught a short pass from Cassel and rumbled for a 30-yard gain Thursday night, every one of Kansas City’s starting receivers and tight ends would have averaged fewer than 10 yards per catch this preseason. Quite literally, in four exhibition games, Cassel did not complete a pass that traveled 15 yards or more from the line of scrimmage.

All of this happened in the midst of an improved offensive line that barely resembled the unit responsible for Cassel’s knee injury last year. Cassel handed the ball to three dynamite running backs this preseason, threw it to a receiver (Bowe) who appears to have made a quantum leap in maturity, and had not one, but two former Super Bowl offensive coordinators talking inside his helmet between plays.

Chan Gailey, Bobby Wade, Larry Johnson and Mike Goff are gone. The excuses are drying up.

Is preseason a mirage, or will Cassel continue to play quarterback as if he were coached by Herm Edwards and Dick Curl? We’re talking about a player who will make more money this year than Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Tom Brady.

That means he has something to prove. So does Pioli. The heat is on.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Cassel is THE weakness, but he's not THE weakness.

FYP

[Ming the Merciless]

Is it just me or could this 'article' have been written in April or May? Seems a bit like old 'news' to me...

Cassel and Pioli are under pressure...OOHHHHH reallly???????????

[milkman]

Originally Posted by RedThat

Joshua Cribbs was 5 years ago. We tried to fix the return game last year with quiten lawrence and that didn't pan out well. At least we got Arenas, problem solved. you don't get Arenas in the 2nd, good luck finding a returner in the later rounds of that draft or somewhere else?

Watch the NFL this season.

There are going to be a number of good returners that were drafted late in the last couple of years around the league.

You don't spend a 2nd round pick now, or ever, on a return specialist.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by milkman

You don't spend a 2nd round pick now, or ever, on a return specialist.

I totally agree, I really didn't like our 2A or 2B for similar logic. I hope I am wrong, but round two could have been sooo much better for us.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

I totally agree, I really didn't like our 2A or 2B for similar logic. I hope I am wrong, but round two could have been sooo much better for us.

Even though I have concerns about McCluster's long term durability, I wouldn't have complained much about a second round that included a potentially dynamic playmaker and an anchor in the middle of the defense.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by milkman

Even though I have concerns about McCluster's long term durability, I wouldn't have complained much about a second round that included a potentially dynamic playmaker and an anchor in the middle of the defense.

Yah...I agree man...It just seems like those kinds of picks are luxuries at 2A and 2B and we are eating top ramen and spam...We simply can't afford luxury toys at this point when the house is falling apart.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Messier

Really? We were the #6 defense until GB threw the ball all over the field in the 2nd half. And Asamoah blocked for the #2 rushing attack. Was he a weak link on the line?

Stats in the preseason are meaningless.

How did the Chiefs ONES match up with Atlanta, Tampa & Philly starters?

Asamoah didn't beat out Lilja (or anyone for that matter).

[HC_Chief]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Stats in the preseason are meaningless.

How did the Chiefs ONES match up with Atlanta, Tampa & Philly starters?

Agreed.

ATL: "meh" to "poorly"
Tampa: "meh" to "average"
Philly: "average" to "good"
GB: "good" to "very good"

The trend has been consistent improvement. That's a very good sign IMO. Hell, Cassel even threw a couple of deep passes last night.

[Messier]

Originally Posted by HC_Chief

Agreed.

ATL: "meh" to "poorly"
Tampa: "meh" to "average"
Philly: "average" to "good"
GB: "good" to "very good"

The trend has been consistent improvement. That's a very good sign IMO. Hell, Cassel even threw a couple of deep passes last night.

Yep.

[Chiefnj2]

There was definite improvement from game 1 to 2 to 3. Last night was a complete waste.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by HC_Chief

Agreed.

ATL: "meh" to "poorly"
Tampa: "meh" to "average"
Philly: "average" to "good"
GB: "good" to "very good"

The trend has been consistent improvement. That's a very good sign IMO. Hell, Cassel even threw a couple of deep passes last night.

Green Bay didn't play their starters last night. TJ Lang, Flynn, and Brandon Jackson were their starters at QB, RB, and LT, FFS.

[Messier]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Stats in the preseason are meaningless.

How did the Chiefs ONES match up with Atlanta, Tampa & Philly starters?

Asamoah didn't beat out Lilja (or anyone for that matter).

I would say, alittle worse than Atl, better than TB, and better than Philly. Yeah Asamoah's the top reserve right now, so? I think they drafted him to replace Waters.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by HC_Chief

Agreed.

ATL: "meh" to "poorly"
Tampa: "meh" to "average"
Philly: "average" to "good"
GB: "good" to "very good"

The trend has been consistent improvement. That's a very good sign IMO. Hell, Cassel even threw a couple of deep passes last night.

Tampa was a 3-13 team last year. The Chiefs faced their second string, second year starter for most of the first half. I expected much more from them in terms of "improvement".

Philly was starting a brand new QB and without the services of DeSean Jackson. I didn't see anything that led me to believe the defense had improved.

A few blitzes by guys like DeMorrio Williams don't show "improvement" to me, especially when the Chiefs are giving up more than 5 yards per carry to starting running backs. It's a better scheme and better coordination, but I didn't see ANY improvement from Jackson, Dorsey, Edwards or Mays.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by milkman

Even though I have concerns about McCluster's long term durability, I wouldn't have complained much about a second round that included a potentially dynamic playmaker and an anchor in the middle of the defense.

Personally, I love McCluster. However, I was under the impression that he was going to be a slot receiver, not the 3rd string RB. And unless I have missed something, nearly every single snap he has taken on offense has been at RB (or Wildcat).

2A is way to high for 3rd string RB.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by HC_Chief

Hell, Cassel even threw a couple of deep passes last night.

On one we missed a freebie TD. The other on at least had a chance, but not a great chance. Pretty well defended. Possibly pass interference.

And from what we have seen, if we should ever get a wr as open as the Green Bay receiver was on the 75 yard pass play, you just know it's going to be an incompletion.