Blame Haley For Cassel’s Struggles

[Hammock Parties]

Blame Haley For Cassel’s Struggles

The Chiefs’ offensive troubles continued to linger Sunday as the team failed to put up a single touchdown drive. As the team progressively moves further towards obscurity, who should we point the finger at?

The most likely candidate to feel the wrath of a frustrated Chiefs fan base is starting quarterback Matt Cassel, who in no way resembles the quarterback who led a similar Kansas City offense to the playoffs en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance a year ago.

Did Cassel over achieve in 2010 or is there another problem that hasn’t been brought to light?

After watching his performance the past two weeks, I have to say it is the latter.

It’s hard to sugarcoat the statistics Cassel has put up over the past two weeks, but I will try to make the case. Through two weeks, Cassel has gone 37 of 58 for 252 yards with one touchdown, four interceptions and a quarterback rating of 54.5. He finished the 2010 season with 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a quarterback rating of 93.

Say what you want about Cassel, but last year his numbers were not only acceptable for a third-year starter, but undeniably good. So, is Cassel really the one who deserves the finger to be pointed at him or is it the management around him?

Shane Williams, of Warpaint TV, recently pointed out to me that although Cassel had a strong 2010 showing, he made a drastic downhill turn after his performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16.

What was the significance of that game? It was the last time former offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was making the play calls. According to Warpaint Illustrated sources, Weis was relieved of his play calling duties during the Chiefs’ victory over the Titans and coincidentally, Weis announced the next week he was leaving the Chiefs to take a job in Florida.

Cassel hasn’t been the same since.

In the Chiefs’ final two games of 2010, Cassel was a forgettable 20 of 51 with no touchdowns, five interceptions and a quarterback rating of 19.75. Through two regular season games in 2011, Cassel is looking less like the quarterback we saw in the first 15 games of 2010 and more like the quarterback we saw the final week against the Raiders and in the playoff game against the Ravens.

Cassel is not blameless in his regression but you can’t ignore the fact that Weis turned Cassel into a Pro Bowl quarterback. In return for his efforts he was relieved of his duties and shipped down to Florida for some family bonding.

The fact that Weis got more out of Cassel than any other coach he’s worked with is undeniable. The fault of letting that coach leave (assuming you believe the Chiefs explanation for the Weis “resignation”) lies at the feet of either Todd Haley or Scott Pioli (or both of them).

Anyone who made the drive to St. Joseph, MO for Chiefs training camp this summer could tell you that Cassel receives little to no support from his head coach. In watching the Chiefs through the preseason, it was apparent that new quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn was doing all he could to shield Cassel from Haley’s negative reinforcement.

Cassel has not been good through two games but the lion’s share of this team’s problems are not at the quarterback position. Cassel threw three interceptions Sunday (although two hit his receivers square in the hands) but how could you blame the guy for taking those kinds of risks?

Haley, who is supposed to have his starter’s back, undermined Cassel’s quarterbacks coach (Weis) during Cassel’s best season. He also seems eager to give the starting job to a journeyman named Tyler Palko.

Cassel is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Until his head coach gets back to coaching receivers instead of trying to be an offensive coordinator/quarterback repressor, Cassel’s production in Kansas City will be limited.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Molitoth

Did you see Weis at the grocery store and he told you this?

C'mon man, if you were in Weis' shoes, what would you do? Ruin your reputation with Cassel as your QB knowing you have very little chance at even a playoff spot, or head down to a school where you can coach your son and spend more time with your family?

I'm sure Weis and Haley could've done fine with Manning, Rodgers, or Brady behind center... regardless of their differences, because they would both be thinking Super Bowl.

except for the offense was ok with Weis+Cassel

He wasn't ruining his reputation.

putting up with douchebag Haley, that's a different story.

[stevieray]

I blame him for changing OC's every year.

that's not an excuse for Cassels poor play, but three different people in three years doesn't do him any favors.

...looks like zorn has had zero impact.

that said, if haley feels he has a bullseyes on his back, it's done....and we are right back to where we started before and after Herm.


...and that friggin sucks.

[Lzen]

Do people actually pay for this garbage? Seriously?

First, I will give credit to Cassel in that Bowe let one go through his hands. But there was no excuse for the one that was high and behind Urban. That was all on Cassel. Nor does any of this excuse Cassel's inaccuracy to Dex down the sideline, Bowe having to come back for an under thrown (somewhat) deep ball, or all the check downs that are a sign of a scared QB.

Get a freakin' clue. Cassel sucks. He is not an NFL caliber QB. We need to stop accepting mediocrity. The most important position on a football team is the QB. This team will never truly turn the corner until that position is seriously addressed.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Laz

impossible

spin all the bullshit you want but the offense has done nothing but get worse since Weis stopped being in control.

Make up whatever reason you want for Weis leaving, makes no difference.

since Weis stopped calling plays we've scored ...

faiders - 10
ravens - 7
buffalo - 7
Detroit - 3

I was at 2 of those games and personally witnessed Cassel's ineptitude. Against both the Ravens and Bills, Cassel had receivers open that he didn't see. He played scared/stupid. So don't feed us that BS excuse. Because that's all it is, an excuse.

[Molitoth]

except for the offense was ok with Weis+Cassel

Cassel was still very bad last year. He made the Pro-Bowl with his TD-Int ratio and backing into the playoffs with an easy schedule. If you watch Cassel play, he will consistently have you on the edge of your seat pissed off at his decisions, but usually after the game, if you look as his stat sheet... he doesn't look as terrible. He's actually somewhat of a magician.

Anyone using the eye test can see that Cassel is terrible at reading the defense and calling audibles, terrible at looking off receivers and manipulating the defense, and very good at sh*tting his pants at even the slightest amount of pocket pressure.

The threat of Charles and our ground game opened up the secondary last year for Cassel to squeeze by throwing some TD's here and there that any Starting QB in the league could have thrown (Minus Alex Smith). Too many of you are satisfied with mediocracy.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Lzen

I was at 2 of those games and personally witnessed Cassel's ineptitude. Against both the Ravens and Bills, Cassel had receivers open that he didn't see. He played scared/stupid. So don't feed us that BS excuse. Because that's all it is, an excuse.

He's not excusing Cassel... He's pointing out who ran the offense.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by jd1020

He's not excusing Cassel... He's pointing out who ran the offense.

And, in turn, excusing the offensive woes under Cassel after Charlie left.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by Lzen

And, in turn, excusing the offensive woes under Cassel after Charlie left.

... You make no sense.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Lzen

And, in turn, excusing the offensive woes under Cassel after Charlie left.

nice of you to read my mind and let everyone know what i was thinking.

[track]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

You think maybe it's because Haley knows that Cassel sucks and that he never wanted him?

THIS!

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by jd1020

... You make no sense.

some people cannot handle more than one concept at once.

For example, Lzen cannot fathom supporting a coach and yet still not liking certain aspects of the coaching.

Numerous people on this board can't not comprehend more than one problem for our offense.

1. Cassel is a problem
2. The problem of Cassel is made worse by our shitty offensive coaching


They refuse to even acknowledge problem #2 because they are scared to death that it will lead to ignoring problem #1.

I want both problems addressed because i don't want our shitty offensive coaches to develop(and likely ruin) any QBoTF.

[track]

Originally Posted by Laz

some people cannot handle more than one concept at once.

For example, Lzen cannot fathom supporting a coach and yet still not liking certain aspects of the coaching.

Numerous people on this board can't not comprehend more than one problem for our offense.

1. Cassel is a problem
2. The problem of Cassel is made worse by our shitty offensive coaching


They refuse to even acknowledge problem #2 because they are scared to death that it will lead to ignoring problem #1.

I want both problems addressed because i don't want our shitty offensive coaches to develop(and likely ruin) any QBoTF.

That's only two problems...what about the shitty offensive line and the lack of quality receivers and an old worn out starting tailback and a munchkin second string tailback.......AND THAT'S ONLY THE OFFENSE. The number of problems on defense are at least as great.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by track

That's only two problems...what about the shitty offensive line and the lack of quality receivers and an old worn out starting tailback and a munchkin second string tailback.......AND THAT'S ONLY THE OFFENSE. The number of problems on defense are at least as great.

I've been pleasantly surprised by the Oline. I expected them to get their shit pushed in against Detroit but we were running all over them... even Jones was running for 8+ yards at times.

We have plenty of receivers... we lack TE's.

[ChiefsCountry]

The problem with the offense is Matt Cassel. He is a worthless piece of shit end of story. The offensive line has looked pretty good this year so far. McClain and Jones can be okay for the running game and a legit QB would be fine with our WRs. Hell Bowe has put up big numbers with Huard, Thigpen and Cassel as his QBs. That should tell you something there.

[Ugly Duck]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

The problem with the offense is Matt Cassel. He is a worthless piece of shit end of story.

2008 - Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 7 with a 136.3 passer rating

- Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 12 after throwing for 415 yards and three touchdowns

- Became the fifth player in NFL history to have back-to-back 400-yard passing games

- In the Patriots' 41-7 victory over the Broncos on Oct. 20, his 136.3 passer rating ranks as the 10th best mark by a Patriots quarterback

- Became the first player to total at least 400 passing yards and at least 60 rushing yards in a game

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Maybe its not Matt Cassel? He seemed to do OK with the Patriots. He wasn't even the worst QB in Week 2. Had a higher QB rating than Cam Newton, Jay Cutler and Kerry Collins:

#32 Luke McCown
#31 Kerry Collins
#30 Jay Cutler
#29 Cam Newton
#28 Matt Cassel
#22 Kyle Orton
#10 Phillip Rivers
#2 Jason Campbell