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.

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by Frankie

And to get shorter.

A tall Drew Brees would be the prototype QB IMO.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by philfree

Getting so far behind in a game where we had to sling the ball was a great thing. It gave the Cassel and the coaching staff confidence and the playbook is now opened.

Originally Posted by warispeace

It took a bad loss in Indy to turn Bowe into a great receiver. Maybe the same thing just happened with Cassel.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

But really, if we could trace these transformations to two games that we lost I gladly accept those losses and discard their pain. It would be more than a fair trade if we have actually ended up with long term solutions for our QB and WR problems.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by stevieray

let's be honest..like most honing their craft, it's obvious he's been putting in the time and hard work..that's usually how it works. very, very few are born with complete natural abilites in any field, and even then, they need to work at it.

I think to say he never had the skillset, or has a ceiling is preposterous at this point. We saw flashes of this against Denver last year.

dude has the tools, he just needed the time and guidance.

It sure appears that way Stevie, like others on here, I hope it is not just a mirage.

Originally Posted by Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan

I'm finding it odd when ESPN and CBS are both mentioning Matt Cassel and MVP in the same article and it not being "will never qualify for . . . "

That's a very nice but surreal feeling to it.

Did they really use those two thoughts together? Matt Cassel and MVP? OMG!

Sell HIGH Scott, Sell HIGH! (oops, there I go again, not believing)

Originally Posted by beach tribe

I know right. That's what I try to get at. None of us can see the future, it's impossible to really know what a player is truly capable of, but some are arrogant enough to act as if they can do just that.
What we can see is that the guy has a Manning like work ethic, and it's starting to turn into results. Cassel knows this offense in, and out. We can't just credit Weis either, Cassel has been waiting for the defense to set, and calling damn near half the plays on the field.
Damn, I hope this isn't a mirage,

Yeah, for the first time I have seen him, he resembled being "in control" last Sunday.

Originally Posted by Hydrae

As few a two weeks ago I was telling my mom (a Pats fan who loves Cassell) that it is his actions in the pocket that worry me. The slightest pressure and he would get happy feet and thus not throw a very good ball.

This last game against Seattle (big thanks for Grandlama for allowing out of towners like me to see the games!!!!), he looked much better. Almost comfortable in the pocket, stepping up in front of the rush to complete passes, and finally looking like an NFL QB.

The difference from last Sunday, and two weeks before was huge. I am trying to be careful though, this is the Chiefs.
Two many times, they have got me excited, only to drive a stake through my forehead.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

But damn, he just didn't show the pocket presence, accuracy and ability to go to the second read, as late as three weeks ago.

It looked as if he didn't trust his O-line and receivers as much as the fans and the coaches didn't trust him. That I believe had an adverse effect on his performance.

[Frankie]

Originally Posted by kcrockaholic4life

A tall Drew Brees would be the prototype QB IMO.

Yep. Will that be Cassel? I know that's a lot to ask, but who knows.

[FAX]

Pollyanna has a migraine.

People can compare Cassel to Abe Lincoln if they wish, I suppose. But, honestly, we've seen 2.5 games of good to excellent play out of the guy. Trend? I'm not certain it is and I don't think anybody else knows either.

I mean, a quarterback can keep interceptions down through a combination of throwaways and a little luck. The same is true with sacks. As far as touchdowns are concerned, Moeaki and Bowe have been money on the receiving end (with a few obvious exceptions) and that makes a difference ... a big difference.

I just can't get the image of 8 yard passes smack dab in the dirt and those crazy moon rocket deals that are still in orbit somewhere. And then there's the ol' free safety stare-down technique where the ball gets flung into triple coverage.

Let's see what happens against the goats. If Cassel performs at a high level against those cheating bastards, I'll start believing that he really can be what Pioli and Haley want him to be.

FAX

[HC_Chief]

Originally Posted by FAX

Pollyanna has a migraine.

People can compare Cassel to Abe Lincoln if they wish, I suppose. But, honestly, we've seen 2.5 games of good to excellent play out of the guy. Trend? I'm not certain it is and I don't think anybody else knows either.

I mean, a quarterback can keep interceptions down through a combination of throwaways and a little luck. The same is true with sacks. As far as touchdowns are concerned, Moeaki and Bowe have been money on the receiving end (with a few obvious exceptions) and that makes a difference ... a big difference.

I just can't get the image of 8 yard passes smack dab in the dirt and those crazy moon rocket deals that are still in orbit somewhere. And then there's the ol' free safety stare-down technique where the ball gets flung into triple coverage.

Let's see what happens against the goats. If Cassel performs at a high level against those cheating bastards, I'll start believing that he really can be what Pioli and Haley want him to be.

FAX

Great post; I agree

I would also like to add that both Cassel and Bowe have done a FANTASTIC job recently. Just a couple of more games and I'll be convinced.

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by FAX

Pollyanna has a migraine.

People can compare Cassel to Abe Lincoln if they wish, I suppose. But, honestly, we've seen 2.5 games of good to excellent play out of the guy. Trend? I'm not certain it is and I don't think anybody else knows either.

I mean, a quarterback can keep interceptions down through a combination of throwaways and a little luck. The same is true with sacks. As far as touchdowns are concerned, Moeaki and Bowe have been money on the receiving end (with a few obvious exceptions) and that makes a difference ... a big difference.

I just can't get the image of 8 yard passes smack dab in the dirt and those crazy moon rocket deals that are still in orbit somewhere. And then there's the ol' free safety stare-down technique where the ball gets flung into triple coverage.

Let's see what happens against the goats. If Cassel performs at a high level against those cheating bastards, I'll start believing that he really can be what Pioli and Haley want him to be.

FAX

I know stats are for sheeple, but since week 3, Cassel has the 2nd highest QB rating. 9 games is a trend, not a blip.*

That said, it's entirely possible he could regress ala Derek Anderson. I tend to doubt it, though, as Horseball's only completed 56% of his passes and had 19 INTs in his "good" season.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by FAX

Pollyanna has a migraine.

People can compare Cassel to Abe Lincoln if they wish, I suppose. But, honestly, we've seen 2.5 games of good to excellent play out of the guy. Trend? I'm not certain it is and I don't think anybody else knows either.

I mean, a quarterback can keep interceptions down through a combination of throwaways and a little luck. The same is true with sacks. As far as touchdowns are concerned, Moeaki and Bowe have been money on the receiving end (with a few obvious exceptions) and that makes a difference ... a big difference.

I just can't get the image of 8 yard passes smack dab in the dirt and those crazy moon rocket deals that are still in orbit somewhere. And then there's the ol' free safety stare-down technique where the ball gets flung into triple coverage.

Let's see what happens against the goats. If Cassel performs at a high level against those cheating bastards, I'll start believing that he really can be what Pioli and Haley want him to be.

FAX

so you write a new tune, in a difficult arrangement..and practice and practice and practice ( we're talkinbout practice, man), and you finally get it down..do you regress or play the song better from that point forward? (feel free to miss a couple of wide open notes, or have your rythym section drop the ball on the bridge every once in awhile...cause you know, doodoo happens)

[KCrockaholic]

Originally Posted by Pittsie

I know stats are for sheeple, but since week 3, Cassel has the 2nd highest QB rating. 9 games is a trend, not a blip.*

That said, it's entirely possible he could regress ala Derek Anderson. I tend to doubt it, though, as Horseball's only completed 56% of his passes and had 19 INTs in his "good" season.

Derek Anderson has never been good. His whole career has been a joke. Cassel is anything but as bad as Derek Anderson.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by stevieray

so you write a new tune, in a difficult arrangement..and practice and practice and practice ( we're talkinbout practice, man), and you finally get it down..do you regress or play the song better from that point forward? (feel free to miss a couple of wide open notes, or have your rythym section drop the ball on the bridge every once in awhile...cause you know, doodoo happens)

It's a pretty good comparison, Mr. stevieray. In music (as in art and football) practice makes perfect ... no question.

But there are differences, though. For one, unless he's playing a roadhouse in West Texas, a guitarist doesn't normally have some ugly, fat bastard trying to knock his instrument out of his hands. Plus, you aren't depending on the guy in the endzone to pluck your E string at just the right moment.

I see your point, though, and it's a good one.

Cassel started affecting my opinion of him in the Bills game (I think that was the one) when he jumped into a pile to help his halfback (Battle?) who was getting twisted into a paper clip after the whistle. I liked that. A lot.

It seems like we're left with this; Cassel is either getting better due to hard work (and practice, as you say) or we've seen some kind of bizarre aberration in which the stars aligned, we faced guys who couldn't defend a breakfast waffle (or the goats' dreaded prevent D), and Cassel looked good in spite of some bad habits.

I shall defer until the second half.

FAX

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by FAX

It's a pretty good comparison, Mr. stevieray. In music (as in art and football) practice makes perfect ... no question.

But there are differences, though. For one, unless he's playing a roadhouse in West Texas, a guitarist doesn't normally have some ugly, fat bastard trying to knock his instrument out of his hands. Plus, you aren't depending on the guy in the endzone to pluck your E string at just the right moment.

I see your point, though, and it's a good one.

Cassel started affecting my opinion of him in the Bills game (I think that was the one) when he jumped into a pile to help his halfback (Battle?) who was getting twisted into a paper clip after the whistle. I liked that. A lot.

It seems like we're left with this; Cassel is either getting better due to hard work (and practice, as you say) or we've seen some kind of bizarre aberration in which the stars aligned, we faced guys who couldn't defend a breakfast waffle (or the goats' dreaded prevent D), and Cassel looked good in spite of some bad habits.

I shall defer until the second half.

FAX

I'll be honest...the battle play, (no pun intended) the block on Sunday, and the exchange with Haley show why I think it's legit...he's got a fire in his belly...and even more candid..I didn't see it in him early on....but damn if it doesn't get me pumped of what could be...

[TheGuardian]

Originally Posted by FAX

Pollyanna has a migraine.

People can compare Cassel to Abe Lincoln if they wish, I suppose. But, honestly, we've seen 2.5 games of good to excellent play out of the guy. Trend? I'm not certain it is and I don't think anybody else knows either.

I'll keep asking this question......

Did the guy throw 22 TD's and 4 picks in 2.5 games?

It's like people are ignoring the fact that he's putting together a pro bowl season. That doesn't happen in 2.5 games for the love of God.

[Hammock Parties]

Derek Anderson went to the Pro Bowl.

So did Chris Miller, Mark Rypien, Neil O'Donnell, Bobby Hebert, Jeff Hostetler, Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Blake, Gus Frerrote, Trent Dilfer, Brian Griese, Jake Delhomme, STEVE BONO AND ELVIS GRBAC.

[philfree]

Originally Posted by TheGuardian

I'll keep asking this question......

Did the guy throw 22 TD's and 4 picks in 2.5 games?

It's like people are ignoring the fact that he's putting together a pro bowl season. That doesn't happen in 2.5 games for the love of God.

Even when Cassel hasn't played well he still threw TDs which something I saw as an important part of his progress.


PhilFree