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.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by milkman

Where have I said that Cassel hasn't improved?

Did I not say in the very post that you quoted that Cassel has made progress?

The fact that I give credit to Weis for making progress doesn't negate teh fact that he has made progress.

Are you too ****ing stupid to recognize that?

Don't answer that.
It's rhetorical.

Nice.

The fact that you give the credit to Weis for his improvement and not him shows your opinion in this matter. You can't even acknowledge improvement without citing an outside reason for it.

This board calls out people for saying that the mediocre receiving core isn't to blame for Cassel's shortcomings. Then why can't his improvement be his to own as well?

[ForeverChiefs58]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

It happened last game. Perhaps, if you tried reasonably looking at the QB instead of just ignorantly following the herd, you might understand what's happening with that Chiefs offense. I'm not saying that Cassel's playing at a Brady/Manning/Brees level, but he's playing much better than people such as yourself are giving him credit for.

No he's not. I watch him very closely, rewatch the games and slow mo a lot of the plays, and watch the Gif's of such awfull passing which is ranked dead last in all of the entire NFL. That's how I came to the conclusion that he sucks. Let your eyes tell you.


If the game is on the line, you DO NOT want the ball in his hands. He tries real hard not to lose you the game, which he is pretty good at, but he will not win you the game. And since he is getting paid like a top probowl QB I expect more.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by BCD

He's improved. The running game certainly helps. This team has won 5 games in spite of Matt. If Croyle had started every game,(probably not likely he would last that long)they would still have 5 wins. Maybe more...

Wow.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by donkhater

Nice.

The fact that you give the credit to Weis for his improvement and not him shows your opinion in this matter. You can't even acknowledge improvement without citing an outside reason for it.

This board calls out people for saying that the mediocre receiving core isn't to blame for Cassel's shortcomings. Then why can't his improvement be his to own as well?

JFC dumbass.

Coaching is usually given credit when players improve.

That's what they are supposed to be there for.

Do I have to put it in writing that no one makes any improvement if they don't put in the work?

JFC again, you are a ****ing moron.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by ForeverChiefs58

No he's not. I watch him very closely, rewatch the games and slow mo a lot of the plays, and watch the Gif's of such awfull passing which is ranked dead last in all of the entire NFL. That's how I came to the conclusion that he sucks. Let your eyes tell you.


If the game is on the line, you DO NOT want the ball in his hands. He tries real hard not to lose you the game, which he is pretty good at, but he will not win you the game. And since he is getting paid like a top probowl QB I expect more.

That's part of the problem. You're actually looking for something to complain about. If you did that for 2/3 of the league's QBs you find a lot of the same faults. Try it sometime. Replay that Oakland game and watch Campbell for starters.

[BossChief]

I will always wonder how much better we would be with Thigpen if we had kept him.

With the effectiveness of our running attack and his propensity to run if everybody is covered, I think this offense would have been quite hard to stop.

I also wonder if Weis would have been able to get Thigpen to improve...I dont think thats too far fetched given how Cassel has.

Oh well...whats done is done.

We will never know.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by milkman

That one guy was not responsible for every one of those sacks.

The change in the offense had something to do with the sack totals falling.

As with almost everything in football, many factors go into it. However, this notion you seem to have that an entire offense was scrapped for Cassel is wrong. The Patriots were a heavy shotgun team in 2007, long before Cassel stepped under center. In fact, that was the year that the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to take more than 50% of the offensive snaps from the shotgun.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...gschemes090510

What happened in 2008 was that they scaled back the playbook and put in more heavy protection plays until Neal returned and Cassel got comfortable. Once Cassel began to get a better feel for things, they brought back more of the old system.

[BigMeatballDave]

A wise man(the Talking Can) once said, "When Chiefs fans talk about QBs, Angels stab themselves in the face"

[BigMeatballDave]

This fanbase has gone so long w/o a good QB, they dont know what one looks like.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by ForeverChiefs58

No he's not. I watch him very closely, rewatch the games and slow mo a lot of the plays, and watch the Gif's of such awfull passing which is ranked dead last in all of the entire NFL. That's how I came to the conclusion that he sucks. Let your eyes tell you.


If the game is on the line, you DO NOT want the ball in his hands. He tries real hard not to lose you the game, which he is pretty good at, but he will not win you the game. And since he is getting paid like a top probowl QB I expect more.

The fact that you can post this nonsense tells me that you're not even bothering to try being objectively analytical. I pretty much knew that already, but this seals it.

[BigMeatballDave]

Originally Posted by donkhater

Wow.

You're in awe over my astuteness.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by milkman

JFC dumbass.

Coaching is usually given credit when players improve.

That's what they are supposed to be there for.

Do I have to put it in writing that no one makes any improvement if they don't put in the work?

JFC again, you are a ****ing moron.

I should know better than get into discussions with certain people on this board. To many are just too quick to meltdown.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by donkhater

That's part of the problem. You're actually looking for something to complain about. If you did that for 2/3 of the league's QBs you find a lot of the same faults. Try it sometime. Replay that Oakland game and watch Campbell for starters.

it comes back to the fact that some of us have higher standards for this team and its players because we want to see signs that we might have a shot at WINNING IT ALL at some point and not just get as far as we have in the past..

Some are totally ok with the status-quo.

IMO Jason Campbell is a pretty good illustration of Cassels ceiling.

[donkhater]

Originally Posted by BCD

This fanbase has gone so long w/o a good QB, they dont know what one looks like.

Do you? You just put a vote in for Croyle.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

As with almost everything in football, many factors go into it. However, this notion you seem to have that an entire offense was scrapped for Cassel is wrong. The Patriots were a heavy shotgun team in 2007, long before Cassel stepped under center. In fact, that was the year that the Patriots became the first team in NFL history to take more than 50% of the offensive snaps from the shotgun.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...gschemes090510

All you have to do is look at my posts about Cassel in '09 to see that I understand that the Patriots played a lot of shotgun before McDumbass changed things.

He did increase the usage of shotgun, though, and that as much as the return of Neal, played a role in the sack numbers falling.