Chiefs Clark Judge loves Matt Cassel, and so should you. - Page 13

Hammock Parties · 11-30-2010, 04:40 PM

Cassel proving to be difference-maker in K.C.

By Clark Judge
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Nov. 30, 2010

Let's get this out of the way up front and admit what we should know -- namely, that the Kansas City Chiefs made the right move when they acquired quarterback Matt Cassel.


Matt Cassel's 2010 numbers put him among the league's elite passers. (Getty Images)

They thought they were getting someone who could stabilize the most important position in the game, and they did. They thought they were getting someone who was smart, accurate and reliable, and they did. They thought they were getting someone who could win, and they did. In short, they thought they were getting a quarterback they could trust. And they did.

Matt Cassel is having the best season of his career a year after he, the Chiefs and general manager Scott Pioli took heat for Cassel's underwhelming play -- with one local columnist so outraged that he characterized Cassel as "horrible."

Um, maybe not. Cassel has the Chiefs on top of the AFC West. He's won more games (7) in 11 starts than the club won the past two seasons (6). He hasn't lost at home. He leads the league in touchdown percentage. He's second only to Tom Brady in ratio of touchdowns-to-interceptions. And he's fourth overall in passer rating, ahead of luminaries like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan.

"Matt Cassel keeps setting the bar higher and higher," coach Todd Haley said after Kansas City's latest victory.

I'll second that. It's not just that the Chiefs continue to win under Cassel's direction; it's what Cassel's done to put them in that position, and the envelope, please: Over his last seven starts Cassel has 18 touchdown passes and one interception. Let me repeat: 18 and 1, a ratio that is better than anyone -- including Tom Brady -- over that period, and tell me that shouldn't put this guy front and center of the national spotlight.

It should. Only it hasn't. And one reason it hasn't is because there's a lingering feeling that Kansas City is overachieving and, well, that the Chiefs will eventually get caught by San Diego anyway. I don't buy into the overachieving argument, but after watching San Diego dissect Indianapolis the other night I do believe the Chargers, not the Chiefs, are the team to beat in the AFC West -- basically because the schedule falls their way in December, a month where they have won their last 18.

But that's a projection. Let's look at what we know, and what we know is that Matt Cassel is everything Pioli and the Chiefs envisioned when they acquired him. OK, so it took offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and a system with which Cassel was comfortable for him to flourish. But that happens. It took Brees four seasons before he started to feel comfortable in San Diego.

No question about it, Cassel struggled last season, but let's be honest: There were an abundance of reasons. One was the change of offensive coordinators immediately prior to the season, with Cassel forced to learn on the fly. Another was the Chiefs' mistake-prone receivers, with Kansas City two flubs away from tying an unofficial record for most drops in a year (51). Still another was the team's inability to run the ball until Jamaal Charles stepped into the huddle midway through the schedule.

Now fast forward to 2010, with Weis refining Haley's system to add a few wrinkles that Cassel might have known or practiced when he was with New England. It was there that Cassel first became a starter, stepping into the lineup for the first time in nine years when Brady was hurt in the 2008 opener. And it was there he was supposed to flop. Only he didn't, leading the Patriots to an 11-5 finish.

Surprising? Yes. But that was the guy Kansas City thought it was getting when it traded for Cassel. And that is the guy it has.

Look, I don't know that kicked in this season, but it's hard to ignore the results. What I do know is that Haley worked with Cassel on being more precise in his drops within the pocket, and Cassel has responded. I also know that having the league's top-ranked running game -- with the Chiefs shredding Seattle for 270 yards -- has helped. And I know the emergence of wide receiver Dwayne Bowe -- one of those guys who last season looked more like a backboard than a pass catcher -- has been a huge plus.

In the end, though, it comes back to Matt Cassel. The Chiefs had Larry Johnson to run the ball in 2007-08, and they couldn't win. They had Tony Gonzalez to catch it then, too, and they couldn't win. And they couldn't win because they didn't have someone, anyone, at quarterback to throw the right passes, avoid the big mistakes and make the smart decisions.
Now they do.

"I think he's an NFL starting quarterback you can win with and win championships with," Pioli said at training camp last summer. "Matt adjusted to a lot of change, showed his competitiveness, resiliency and his ability. Beyond the mental and emotional (aspect) and his competitiveness, he showed the physical ability to be able to win."

Pioli was right. Kansas City is not where it is today without Matt Cassel, and it's high time the club, its G.M., its head coach, its assistants and Matt Cassel himself are recognized for what is working with the Chiefs. And what is working is their quarterback.

Adding Matt Cassel not only was a good move; it was a necessary one. And it has the Chiefs where they haven't been in years. Good for them. Good for Pioli. And, most important, good for Matt Cassel.

**Ming the Merciless** · 11-30-2010, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pants

Jesus Christ. They don't want the Chiefs to win in SPITE of Cassel. They don't want to be stuck with a shitty QB. EVERYONE wants Cassel to succeed, because if Cassel succeeds, the whole team succeeds and not just in the short term, but also in the future. Another logic fail, bro. You just need to stop talking.

maybe you need to stop talking....and read what I said. There are pople (who I have argued with) on THIS BOARD who have came out and point blank SAID they would rather see the chiefs lose so that cassel will lose his job...

You are a ****ign moron...

**Ming the Merciless** · 11-30-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

Yeah, no.

yeah yes...

You seriously gonna make me dig up a quote...

Pants · 11-30-2010, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

That is not true...You are making shit up...ANY time an offense Scores 30 points or more and the team loses, I would tend to blame the defense for the loss...I dont know where you came up with the idea that it only applied in some cases...I think you seriously are making shit up.

WHAT?

LOL

TEAM A scored > 30 points.
TEAM B scored > 30 points.

Both defenses failed. One QB stepped up, the other didn't. Hope that helps.

keg in kc · 11-30-2010, 06:42 PM

I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Pants · 11-30-2010, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

maybe you need to stop talking....and read what I said. There are pople (who I have argued with) on THIS BOARD who have came out and point blank SAID they would rather see the chiefs lose so that cassel will lose his job...

You are a ****ign moron...

Did you read what I just said? Arguing with you is impossible because you really can't grasp simple logic.

jd1020 · 11-30-2010, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

That is not true...You are making shit up...ANY time an offense Scores 30 points or more and the team loses, I would tend to blame the defense for the loss...I dont know where you came up with the idea that it only applied in some cases...I think you seriously are making shit up.

The offenses job is to score more points than the opposing team. The defenses job is to hold the opposing team to less points. In a loss both sides of the ball fail.

Brock · 11-30-2010, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

yeah yes...

You seriously gonna make me dig up a quote...

I don't doubt you could find "a" quote.

**Ming the Merciless** · 11-30-2010, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

I don't doubt you could find "a" quote.

Took me 30 seconds...and it isn't the only one

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrazyPhuD

So I'm torn I want us to lose the rest to be forced to dump cassel, but losing the rest can also set back player development for those we need stick around.

Chiefs Pantalones · 11-30-2010, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

An average QB.

One that can beat the Sisters of the Poor in the NFL, but can't win the games that matter most.

The last two weeks have shown us that he has the ability to play like an elite QB against bad teams.

Can he replicate that ability against good teams?

Against good teams on the road?

Or in a game in which Charles/TJ get shut down?

Can Matt Cassel perform like a franchise QB when his team needs him the most?

We'll find out in two weeks.

jd1020 · 11-30-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

Took me 30 seconds...and it isn't the only one

You quoted half of a thought. Good job.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 11-30-2010, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

I expected it because of his age, too.

Yeah, it's not like the guy hasn't been in the league for 6 years or anything.

And it's not like there isn't a similar example up in GB to compare the situations, albeit a younger example.

One guy sat on the bench behind a HOF'er, and when given his chance to start, played like a franchise QB from Year One. No excuses.

The other guy sat on the bench behind a HOF'er, and when given his chance to start, played like an average/below average QB, and is still getting every benefit of the doubt after 40+ starts.

**Ming the Merciless** · 11-30-2010, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd1020

You quoted half of a thought. Good job.

**** you...You defending this guy who wants us to lose games? **** YOU.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 11-30-2010, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pants

Jesus Christ. They don't want the Chiefs to win in SPITE of Cassel. They don't want to be stuck with a shitty QB. EVERYONE wants Cassel to succeed, because if Cassel succeeds, the whole team succeeds and not just in the short term, but also in the future. Another logic fail, bro. You just need to stop talking.

QFMFT.

**DeezNutz** · 11-30-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Yeah, it's not like the guy hasn't been in the league for 6 years or anything.

And it's not like there isn't a similar example up in GB to compare the situations, albeit a younger example.

One guy sat on the bench behind a HOF'er, and when given his chance to start, played like a franchise QB from Year One. No excuses.

The other guy sat on the bench behind a HOF'er, and when given his chance to start, played like an average/below average QB, and is still getting every benefit of the doubt after 40+ starts.

One guy didn't wear a Chiefs uniform.

jd1020 · 11-30-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

**** you...You defending this guy who wants us to lose games? **** YOU.

Did you even read the second part of what you quoted? You are a ****in moron.

11-30-2010, 06:42 PM	#184
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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