Chiefs Gretz On Cassel: Surviving The Process - Page 7

AirForceChief · 09-11-2010, 10:51 AM

Well written, even handed article from Bob Gretz:

There’s one thing that Matt Cassel knows, and if he doesn’t then somebody should give him the information.

Len Dawson was booed by Chiefs fans. Terry Bradshaw was booed by Steelers fans. John Elway was booed by Broncos fans. Insert name of Hall of Fame quarterback and he was booed by fans of the insert name team he played for during his career.

There were some Chiefs fans back in the day that believed Dawson didn’t take enough chances with his passes, that he threw short dinks and dunks and that he did not go down the field as much as he could have, especially since he was calling the plays. His career completion percentage of 57.1 percent, his career average of 7.7 yards per attempt and his 237 TD passes to 178 interceptions look like pretty good numbers now.

But in the day, some Chiefs followers were unhappy and they let Dawson know it, firing verbal assaults from the stands at both Municipal and Arrowhead Stadiums.

That’s a simple fact of life for an NFL starting quarterback. The scene gets played out over and over around the league. Guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have escaped it so far, but their careers are not over yet. They still have plenty of opportunities to throw interceptions or badly timed incompletions that will raise the vocal hackles of their fan base.

Cassel reiterated the other day that he does not read papers, watch TV sports or listen to sports talk radio. I’m sure he doesn’t spend any time on Internet sites or web forums.

“I just try to block it out,” Cassel said this week. “That is something that goes along with this job. You are always going to be tested and there is always going to be scrutiny and there is always going to be somebody saying, ‘hey, he is not good enough. He can’t do this, he can’t do that.’

“I have a job to do and right now my job is to be the quarterback of this team. I am going to go out and work hard and do everything I need to do to be productive on the field.”

If one were to take the denunciations of Cassel that have poured forth through all those media portals that he does not pay attention to, then one could make the assumption Cassel and his position as the team’s starting quarterback engenders no confidence in the Chiefs and the team’s future.

But caution should prevail in making that leap. Some unimpressed media types and a few callers to sports talk radio or posters to Internet sites do not constitute a majority of Chiefs fans. Not everyone has written him off after 15 starts for the team. While it might be more accurate to say he has not been embraced by the Chiefs Nation as a whole, it’s a stretch to paint him as the latest failure among franchise quarterbacks.

Chiefs fans for decades now have screamed and complained about the team not drafting and developing their own quarterback. Based on some of the reaction to Cassel, it’s obvious those who bled red and gold would have no more patience with a young guy than an inexperienced quarterback who came from another team. They would chew him up and spit him out in a matter of years.

And that’s the pisser in this whole thing. No position on the field requires more patience in developing a contributing player than quarterback. In fact all the other positions combined may not require the patience needed to find that franchise quarterback. Yet, it’s the position where the media, fans and even the teams struggle to deal with growth and development. It takes time to become a good quarterback, but impatience generally stops the clock dead in its tracks.

The other day Todd Haley said that as far as he’s concerned no spot on the roster is ranks ahead of another. “The inside backer in the base defense is no more important than a gunner on the punt team,” Haley said. “The more our guys think that way, the better for us.”

It’s all well and good if that kind of thinking can be created within a locker room. But everybody in that room knows, as does the head coach and his staff, the GM and his staff and the ownership family, that there is one player that IS more important, and that’s the starting quarterback.

Whether he’s a so-called franchise QB, a care-taker, a game-manager, a rookie thrown to the wolves or a grizzled veteran playing out his final NFL days, the starting quarterback is the most important player on any pro football team. No other player has a greater effect on winning or losing than the guy taking the snaps.

Consider this for a moment – Todd Haley was willing to jettison his offensive coordinator last year just 10 days before the start of the regular season because he knew the situation wasn’t going to work with Chan Gailey. Do you think if Haley thought for a minute that Cassel wasn’t up to the task, that the only quarterback the Chiefs added in the off-season would have been Tyler Palko?

Asked for areas where he’s seen improvement from his starting quarterback and Haley gets pretty vague. But Friday he identified an area that while simple, is one of the most important elements for the success of a starting quarterback.

“When he comes off the field, what he says he saw generally ends up being what it was,” Haley said. “I think that’s a real good quality to have. Even subtle things within a game, you’ll say to him why did you do this, and he’ll say this linebacker did this, the receiver stumbled, or that receiver was short, the safety did this.

“Generally it’s pretty spot on what he sees. He sees the whole field. That was something that Kurt (Warner) was phenomenal at. A quarterback has to have great vision. Matt sees what’s happening.”

Today’s game is built around the quarterbacks, and the teams that have great ones do everything they can to keep them and provide them with weapons. Those that don’t have the top-line quarterbacks are constantly searching for a player who can play the position well enough that he’s not an impediment to winning.

These are all facts of football life. Head coaches and the quarterbacks themselves know it better than anybody, but they seldom will address or recognize that point in public. The pressure is tough enough without adding more fuel to the fire with your own hose.

That’s why if you’ve listened to any of Cassel’s press conferences over the last two seasons you know that they were filled with clichés, pat and rehearsed answers, and few moments of real insight of him, the position or the team. That’s all done on purpose. Cassel can’t do anything about his name being in the headlines, but he can make sure it’s not there because of something that came out of his mouth.

Still, every so often a bit of the real Cassel leaks out. The competitor in him sneaks out of the cage and makes an appearance before he’s coaxed back into the shadows. It happened this week when Cassel was asked if he likes to prove critics wrong.

“It is always nice to have that happen but at the same time, I don’t play this game for the people that are against me and think that I can’t do it,” said Cassel. “I play the game for the people that have always believed in me. I play that game for my family, for my wife, for my mother so it really comes down to that. There are going to be people, no matter where you go or what you do, there are going to be people who look at you and say, ‘you can’t do it’.”

The tone of his voice, the jut of his jaw and the fire in his eyes as he answered the question gave away the fact that while it’s not the No. 1 motivating factor for him, the chance to show everyone he can be a successful NFL quarterback – including the naysayers – is part of what drives him.

At this point in time, we don’t know where Matt Cassel’s future will take him or the Chiefs. There have been flashes of talent and skill that indicate he has some of the necessary qualities. There have also been moments when his failures have indicated he’s not nearly consistent enough right now to lead a team to a winning season.

That’s what makes the Monday night game against San Diego so important. It’s a benchmark for the team, but especially for Cassel. Last year, the Chargers rolled into Arrowhead Stadium in October and embarrassed the Chiefs and made Cassel look very bad. San Diego won by 30 points and Cassel completed just 10 of 25 passes (40 percent) for 97 yards (3.88 yards per attempt), one TD and three interceptions. It produced a passer rating of 25.3, one of his lowest ratings of the season and his 30 games as an NFL starting quarterback.

Cassel did not get much in the way of help in that first meeting with the Chargers. He was sacked five times, the offense generated just 203 total yards and Bobby Wade was the leading receiver, catching four passes for 66 yards.

The second time the teams met last season was not much better, as the Chargers won by 29 points in San Diego. Cassel was marginally better, hitting 19 of 31 passes (61.3 percent) for 178 yards (5.74 yards per attempt), one TD and one interception.

“Once you start winning ball games and you start playing well and the team starts playing well that takes care of itself,” Cassel said.

Monday night is but one leg of a 16-segment marathon for the Chiefs and Cassel. As he was quick to say the other day, “It is week one of 16 games. I don’t think this is our Super Bowl,” Cassel said.

But it’s a huge night for Matt Cassel, because it’s a huge season for him. He must establish that he has the consistency and the ability to lead the Chiefs to winning performances. The time is now.

TRR · 09-11-2010, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

and he had something crazy like a 70% completion rate in preseason before getting injured...that's why DV was devasted when it happened

he always looked the part when he played, even when he played bad it wasn't from fear or indecisiveness, in fact it was usually from trying to make plays downfield that weren't there...something Cassel never does

i have no idea why people compare green and cassel...their games bear no similarities

Agreed on comparing Cassel to Green. However, to say Green was proven and a sure fire starter couldn't have been further from the truth. Especially coming after knee surgery and after his performance in year one in KC.
Posted via Mobile Device

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-11-2010, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Yeah, we all know now that Trent is great, but I sure didn't think he was established when we traded for him. In fact, I was aghast that we gave up a 1st-round pick for a guy who had essentially one year of starting, and it had seemed like the one year was a Scott Mitchell/Don Majkowski kind of thing.

Then you just weren't paying attention.

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-11-2010, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

Agreed on comparing Cassel to Green. However, to say Green was proven and a sure fire starter couldn't have been further from the truth. Especially coming after knee surgery and after his performance in year one in KC.
Posted via Mobile Device

Again, more bullshit.

And how'd that turn out?

Oh and for the record, Norv Turner, Mike Martz and Dick Vermeil disagree.

As should anyone with a ****ing brain.

TRR · 09-11-2010, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Bull ****ing shit.

Your idiocy NEVER cease to amaze me.

Trent Green led a 6-10 with a shitty offensive line, yet had the numbers above. He was signed to very large deal at the time and had amazing numbers in preseason.

Even AFTER the injury, he put up awesome numbers, numbers that completely destroyed Cassel's in 15 games last year, Trent did in FIVE.

You're a clueless woman.

Was was his year in Wash with those numbers above and on a 6-10 team considered successful??? And your taking a 5 game snapshot, and consider it successful as well?

Green had SO MANY questions marks surrounding him when he came to KC. He was far from a sure thing, and fans including yourself, were ready to hang him after year one in KC.

Your statement and argument is simply pathetic.
Posted via Mobile Device

TRR · 09-11-2010, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Again, more bullshit.

And how'd that turn out?

Oh and for the record, Norv Turner, Mike Martz and Dick Vermeil disagree.

As should anyone with a ****ing brain.

We aren't talking about the end result. We are talking about your idiotic statement of Green's "successful stops and proven starter" quote.

Get a clue....
Posted via Mobile Device

**the Talking Can** · 09-11-2010, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

Agreed on comparing Cassel to Green. However, to say Green was proven and a sure fire starter couldn't have been further from the truth. Especially coming after knee surgery and after his performance in year one in KC.
Posted via Mobile Device

ok

but the point i always think gets missed is that guys have 'something' or don't...and stats really don't capture it

Green didn't have the 'it' that great QBs have...but he had a little 'bit of it' in his fearless pocket presence and lazer accuracy in the 15 to 30 yard range...he wanted to go down field and make plays, and could throw ropes into tight spaces..he saw the whole field

imo, Cassel has no 'it' of any kind...he's just a guy who looks likes he doesn't know what his own best talent is....hence the confusion, delay, holding the ball, indecision....not to mention that he is simply poor throwing the ball down field..

and so - to me - it all seems like a waste of time to try and find historical precedents for Cassel...sure, there are situations that appear similiar, but the difference that matters is within the players...and - again imo - Cassel has nothing in common with good QBs....he's just a guy with a fresh face and no 'it' whatsoever...

**Rain Man** · 09-11-2010, 04:36 PM

I'd love to hear from some other old-timers on this. I really don't recall a lot of people - or any people - saying that Trent Green was an established quarterback when we traded for him. I recall mostly shock. I wish we could do more effective searches of old threads, but I think maybe the threads from that era all died.

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-11-2010, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

We aren't talking about the end result. We are talking about your idiotic statement of Green's "successful stops and proven starter" quote.

Get a clue....
Posted via Mobile Device

**** you.

What, were you 16 years old in 1998? Did you even WATCH the Redskins that year? How about 2000? 18 years old? Did you even WATCH the Rams?

You're clueless.

Shut the **** up before you further embarrass yourself.

TRR · 09-11-2010, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

ok

but the point i always think gets missed is that guys have 'something' or don't...and stats really don't capture it

Green didn't have the 'it' that great QBs have...but he had a little 'bit of it' in his fearless pocket presence and lazer accuracy in the 15 to 30 yard range...he wanted to go down field and make plays, and could throw ropes into tight spaces..he saw the whole field

imo, Cassel has no 'it' of any kind...he's just a guy who looks likes he doesn't know what his own best talent is....hence the confusion, delay, holding the ball, indecision....not to mention that he is simply poor throwing the ball down field..

and so - to me - it all seems like a waste of time to try and find historical precedents for Cassel...sure, there are situations that appear similiar, but the difference that matters is within the players...and - again imo - Cassel has nothing in common with good QBs....he's just a guy with a fresh face and no 'it' whatsoever...

Again I agree save one point. Cassel had a pinch of "it" with NE. Whether that was because of the team around him or not...he had a bit of "it.

Unfortunately that glimpse hasn't translated to the Chiefs.
Posted via Mobile Device

Brock · 09-11-2010, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

Again I agree save one point. Cassel had a pinch of "it" with NE. Whether that was because of the team around him or not...he had a bit of "it.

Unfortunately that glimpse hasn't translated to the Chiefs.
Posted via Mobile Device

The "it" he had over there was a couple of all-pro receivers.

-King- · 09-11-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BossChief

When Sanchez and Clausen are Cassels age, they will two of the best qbs in the NFL.

Clausen maybe, but Sanchez is not going to be anything more than an average game manager.

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-11-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I'd love to hear from some other old-timers on this. I really don't recall a lot of people - or any people - saying that Trent Green was an established quarterback when we traded for him. I recall mostly shock. I wish we could do more effective searches of old threads, but I think maybe the threads from that era all died.

Wow, you're memory is fading quickly.

There was NO shock here on CP. As a matter of fact, I started a few threads before Free Agency began asking the following question:

Trent Green & Priest Holmes or Trent Dilfer & Deuce McCallister?

People seemed split because Deuce was a fan favorite at #12 overall and Dilfer had just won the Super Bowl.

It was evident from the day that Vermeil and Saunders were hired that their top priority was Trent Green. They gave a little lip service about Elvis but as soon as he opted out, EVERYONE knew Green was coming.

NO ONE was surprised or shocked, although a very small minority of us (Milkman included) preferred Drew Brees at the time at #12 and not Green or the Deuce.

TRR · 09-11-2010, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

**** you.

What, were you 16 years old in 1998? Did you even WATCH the Redskins that year? How about 2000? 18 years old? Did you even WATCH the Rams?

You're clueless.

Shut the **** up before you further embarrass yourself.

Haha! Always a class act and excellent reply.

Dane's definition of success..."3500 yards passing, 24 TDs, 11 INT's on a 6-10 team". Oh and don't forget that 2,000 yards as a backup in 5 games that solidified Green as a can't miss, legitimate starter.

As always...stay classy and continue to conduct yourself as a 50 year old adult! LOL!
Posted via Mobile Device

**the Talking Can** · 09-11-2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

Again I agree save one point. Cassel had a pinch of "it" with NE. Whether that was because of the team around him or not...he had a bit of "it.

Unfortunately that glimpse hasn't translated to the Chiefs.
Posted via Mobile Device

maybe

lots of qbs have put up #s and won games without - and i'm now abusing the word - 'it'

Grbac, who i think is a much better QB than Cassel, put up big #'s and won some games...and had none of 'it'

i guess i feel like it is something you can see even when a guy plays like shit, ...and i've never seen it in cassel

i now i swear i won't use the word 'it' again today...

TRR · 09-11-2010, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

The "it" he had over there was a couple of all-pro receivers.

Very well could be true. We hope to know this season for sure.
Posted via Mobile Device

09-11-2010, 10:51 AM
AirForceChief Thread Killer Extraordinaire Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Monument, Co Casino cash: $10004930	Gretz On Cassel: Surviving The Process Well written, even handed article from Bob Gretz: There’s one thing that Matt Cassel knows, and if he doesn’t then somebody should give him the information. Len Dawson was booed by Chiefs fans. Terry Bradshaw was booed by Steelers fans. John Elway was booed by Broncos fans. Insert name of Hall of Fame quarterback and he was booed by fans of the insert name team he played for during his career. There were some Chiefs fans back in the day that believed Dawson didn’t take enough chances with his passes, that he threw short dinks and dunks and that he did not go down the field as much as he could have, especially since he was calling the plays. His career completion percentage of 57.1 percent, his career average of 7.7 yards per attempt and his 237 TD passes to 178 interceptions look like pretty good numbers now. But in the day, some Chiefs followers were unhappy and they let Dawson know it, firing verbal assaults from the stands at both Municipal and Arrowhead Stadiums. That’s a simple fact of life for an NFL starting quarterback. The scene gets played out over and over around the league. Guys like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have escaped it so far, but their careers are not over yet. They still have plenty of opportunities to throw interceptions or badly timed incompletions that will raise the vocal hackles of their fan base. Cassel reiterated the other day that he does not read papers, watch TV sports or listen to sports talk radio. I’m sure he doesn’t spend any time on Internet sites or web forums. “I just try to block it out,” Cassel said this week. “That is something that goes along with this job. You are always going to be tested and there is always going to be scrutiny and there is always going to be somebody saying, ‘hey, he is not good enough. He can’t do this, he can’t do that.’ “I have a job to do and right now my job is to be the quarterback of this team. I am going to go out and work hard and do everything I need to do to be productive on the field.” If one were to take the denunciations of Cassel that have poured forth through all those media portals that he does not pay attention to, then one could make the assumption Cassel and his position as the team’s starting quarterback engenders no confidence in the Chiefs and the team’s future. But caution should prevail in making that leap. Some unimpressed media types and a few callers to sports talk radio or posters to Internet sites do not constitute a majority of Chiefs fans. Not everyone has written him off after 15 starts for the team. While it might be more accurate to say he has not been embraced by the Chiefs Nation as a whole, it’s a stretch to paint him as the latest failure among franchise quarterbacks. Chiefs fans for decades now have screamed and complained about the team not drafting and developing their own quarterback. Based on some of the reaction to Cassel, it’s obvious those who bled red and gold would have no more patience with a young guy than an inexperienced quarterback who came from another team. They would chew him up and spit him out in a matter of years. And that’s the pisser in this whole thing. No position on the field requires more patience in developing a contributing player than quarterback. In fact all the other positions combined may not require the patience needed to find that franchise quarterback. Yet, it’s the position where the media, fans and even the teams struggle to deal with growth and development. It takes time to become a good quarterback, but impatience generally stops the clock dead in its tracks. The other day Todd Haley said that as far as he’s concerned no spot on the roster is ranks ahead of another. “The inside backer in the base defense is no more important than a gunner on the punt team,” Haley said. “The more our guys think that way, the better for us.” It’s all well and good if that kind of thinking can be created within a locker room. But everybody in that room knows, as does the head coach and his staff, the GM and his staff and the ownership family, that there is one player that IS more important, and that’s the starting quarterback. Whether he’s a so-called franchise QB, a care-taker, a game-manager, a rookie thrown to the wolves or a grizzled veteran playing out his final NFL days, the starting quarterback is the most important player on any pro football team. No other player has a greater effect on winning or losing than the guy taking the snaps. Consider this for a moment – Todd Haley was willing to jettison his offensive coordinator last year just 10 days before the start of the regular season because he knew the situation wasn’t going to work with Chan Gailey. Do you think if Haley thought for a minute that Cassel wasn’t up to the task, that the only quarterback the Chiefs added in the off-season would have been Tyler Palko? Asked for areas where he’s seen improvement from his starting quarterback and Haley gets pretty vague. But Friday he identified an area that while simple, is one of the most important elements for the success of a starting quarterback. “When he comes off the field, what he says he saw generally ends up being what it was,” Haley said. “I think that’s a real good quality to have. Even subtle things within a game, you’ll say to him why did you do this, and he’ll say this linebacker did this, the receiver stumbled, or that receiver was short, the safety did this. “Generally it’s pretty spot on what he sees. He sees the whole field. That was something that Kurt (Warner) was phenomenal at. A quarterback has to have great vision. Matt sees what’s happening.” Today’s game is built around the quarterbacks, and the teams that have great ones do everything they can to keep them and provide them with weapons. Those that don’t have the top-line quarterbacks are constantly searching for a player who can play the position well enough that he’s not an impediment to winning. These are all facts of football life. Head coaches and the quarterbacks themselves know it better than anybody, but they seldom will address or recognize that point in public. The pressure is tough enough without adding more fuel to the fire with your own hose. That’s why if you’ve listened to any of Cassel’s press conferences over the last two seasons you know that they were filled with clichés, pat and rehearsed answers, and few moments of real insight of him, the position or the team. That’s all done on purpose. Cassel can’t do anything about his name being in the headlines, but he can make sure it’s not there because of something that came out of his mouth. Still, every so often a bit of the real Cassel leaks out. The competitor in him sneaks out of the cage and makes an appearance before he’s coaxed back into the shadows. It happened this week when Cassel was asked if he likes to prove critics wrong. “It is always nice to have that happen but at the same time, I don’t play this game for the people that are against me and think that I can’t do it,” said Cassel. “I play the game for the people that have always believed in me. I play that game for my family, for my wife, for my mother so it really comes down to that. There are going to be people, no matter where you go or what you do, there are going to be people who look at you and say, ‘you can’t do it’.” The tone of his voice, the jut of his jaw and the fire in his eyes as he answered the question gave away the fact that while it’s not the No. 1 motivating factor for him, the chance to show everyone he can be a successful NFL quarterback – including the naysayers – is part of what drives him. At this point in time, we don’t know where Matt Cassel’s future will take him or the Chiefs. There have been flashes of talent and skill that indicate he has some of the necessary qualities. There have also been moments when his failures have indicated he’s not nearly consistent enough right now to lead a team to a winning season. That’s what makes the Monday night game against San Diego so important. It’s a benchmark for the team, but especially for Cassel. Last year, the Chargers rolled into Arrowhead Stadium in October and embarrassed the Chiefs and made Cassel look very bad. San Diego won by 30 points and Cassel completed just 10 of 25 passes (40 percent) for 97 yards (3.88 yards per attempt), one TD and three interceptions. It produced a passer rating of 25.3, one of his lowest ratings of the season and his 30 games as an NFL starting quarterback. Cassel did not get much in the way of help in that first meeting with the Chargers. He was sacked five times, the offense generated just 203 total yards and Bobby Wade was the leading receiver, catching four passes for 66 yards. The second time the teams met last season was not much better, as the Chargers won by 29 points in San Diego. Cassel was marginally better, hitting 19 of 31 passes (61.3 percent) for 178 yards (5.74 yards per attempt), one TD and one interception. “Once you start winning ball games and you start playing well and the team starts playing well that takes care of itself,” Cassel said. Monday night is but one leg of a 16-segment marathon for the Chiefs and Cassel. As he was quick to say the other day, “It is week one of 16 games. I don’t think this is our Super Bowl,” Cassel said. But it’s a huge night for Matt Cassel, because it’s a huge season for him. He must establish that he has the consistency and the ability to lead the Chiefs to winning performances. The time is now.
Posts: 1,855

09-11-2010, 04:36 PM	#97
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $1838491 VARSITY	I'd love to hear from some other old-timers on this. I really don't recall a lot of people - or any people - saying that Trent Green was an established quarterback when we traded for him. I recall mostly shock. I wish we could do more effective searches of old threads, but I think maybe the threads from that era all died. __________________ Active fan of the greatest team in NFL history.
Posts: 142,636