Chiefs Babb: Chiefs’ Cassel can’t count on starting if he doesn’t produce - Page 3

**Tribal Warfare** · 09-23-2009, 01:01 AM

Chiefs’ Cassel can’t count on starting if he doesn’t produce
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star

Chiefs coach Todd Haley liked some of what Matt Cassel did on Sunday, but there wasn’t enough of it for Haley to say that Cassel will be Kansas City’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season and beyond.

Haley said that, like all other positions, the quarterback job will remain available to the most proficient player — regardless of salary, name or background.

“You’ve got to ultimately do what gives your team the best chance to win,” Haley said Tuesday. “If that means another quarterback being in there other than Matt Cassel, then sign me up.”

Cassel played every snap for the Chiefs in Sunday’s 13-10 loss to Oakland. It was his first game back in the lineup after spraining his left knee in Kansas City’s third preseason game, and Haley said last week that he expected Cassel to show some rust. Cassel completed 24 of 39 passes for 241 yards. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.

Haley said he was encouraged by Cassel’s performance, including the fearless way the quarterback scrambled out of trouble and rushed for 34 yards despite that bad knee.

“I like a lot about this guy,” Haley said.

But there are things that Haley said he likes about backup quarterback Brodie Croyle, too. Haley said that he wants to see both players improve each week and keep the competition between them at more than a simmer. Haley again praised Croyle’s poise in a loss in the regular-season opener at Baltimore, saying that the fourth-year quarterback gave the Chiefs a chance to upset the Ravens by playing a mostly mistake-free contest.

Haley said Tuesday that he doesn’t want any player getting too comfortable. That has been a common theme since the team gathered in July for training camp in River Falls, Wis., and Haley has said often that just because a player starts one day, he won’t necessarily start the next.

Haley has shaken up every other position group, sometimes to deliver messages to perceived starters and other times to get a look at an underused player. He said that was the reason running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Brad Cottam were inactive last Sunday: so the Chiefs could observe running back Dantrell Savage and rookie tight end Jake O’Connell without weakening other positions.

But as Haley tinkered with other positions, the one he left alone was quarterback. Haley didn’t announce Cassel as the starter until late in the preseason, but it was Cassel who took the first-team snaps in training camp and preseason games — and it was Cassel who shouldered the starting quarterback’s other responsibilities, such as a weekly meeting with reporters. It didn’t seem to hurt Cassel’s chances that he signed a long-term contract extension with the Chiefs and that he’ll make a guaranteed $28 million over the deal’s duration.

If Cassel was the one player with bulletproof job security, Haley delivered a message Tuesday that he’ll have to do like everyone else — work hard, be good and play smart — to keep his job.

“It’s a process of trying to get it right,” Haley said. “I just know this from the teams that I’ve been around and the ones I’ve paid attention to.”

He has watched other coaches make the unpopular decision of benching other communities’ preferred quarterbacks. While Haley was with the New York Jets, he watched coach Bill Parcells bench quarterback Glenn Foley, a local favorite, in favor of veteran Vinny Testaverde. The Jets won 12 games that year. Nearly a decade later, when Parcells brought Haley to Dallas, the young assistant again watched Parcells bench a popular quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, for an upstart named Tony Romo after Bledsoe started the 2006 season with three losses in six games. Romo led the Cowboys to the playoffs.

Then last year, while Haley was Arizona’s offensive coordinator, coaches chose veteran Kurt Warner as the starting quarterback despite the fact that Matt Leinart was a former first-round pick with a fat contract. Warner led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

“If we don’t go with what our gut tells us at that position,” Haley said, “we wouldn’t have been where we were.”

Haley said Tuesday that, in each of those cases, the head coach had to make a decision based only on instinct and in observing each quarterback’s sharpness — and ignore factors such as contract details and outside criticism.

“When we made that change,” Haley said, “there was a lot of negative feedback and, ‘What are you doing?’ and, ‘What about the future?’ There weren’t too many people saying much when we were in the Super Bowl.”

Haley wasn’t saying Tuesday that the Chiefs might finish this season in the Super Bowl — or even the playoffs. And he wasn’t saying that Cassel won’t finish this season as the Chiefs’ starter, either. He was saying that Cassel had better be on point — or, like so many other positions, Kansas City will turn toward someone who is.

“Our whole goal is to get competition at as many positions as we can, quarterback being one of those,” Haley said. “When there’s somebody pushing you, you have a better chance of being at your best. When you can’t handle that pressure, you’ll probably go by the wayside, and that becomes clear to everybody.”

DaWolf · 09-23-2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

As they were saying on Sirius NFL Radio yesterday, Dimitroff is the only success to have come out of NE.

And the reason they gave for it is that he's his own man. Notice what he did when he got to Atlanta:

No talk about the Patriot Way.

Went against almost every core belief of the Patriots organization:

-Spent high draft pick on franchise QB

-Spent big money in FA at the RB position, among others.

-Traded a high draft pick for a guy that plays a complementary position, who only wants to play another year or two.

Just a few examples.

They said he's gone against the grain ever since he was an area scout for the Pats. It's not surprising to see the guy succeed, where everyone else that has left NE has failed.

Did you even read the article? All he did was talk about the way they did it with the Patriots and how he brought that to Atlanta.

Also to say he went against the "core beliefs of the Patriots organization" is laughable. They've acquired guys who love football and are about winning. Specific to your points:

1) Who ever said it's against their philosophy to draft a QB high? The Pats already had Drew Bledsoe and then Brady emerged, so when was there ever a need to draft a QB high? Atlanta meanwhile was a totally different animal, you just had your franchise QB going to jail and fan apathy was abound. Matt Ryan was the perfect "Patriots type" player, a guy who was all about football and all about improving. And Arthur Blank was pushing for the QB to be picked because they needed a new face to the franchise. So that's where they went.

2) The Pats have never been shy about free agency. They have been smart about it. And you could say that about Atlanta too. They didn't overpay, they went out and got the right guys for that team.

3) Traded for Randy Moss and Wes Welker. So where's the difference? If you have an opportunity to get a few playmakers who can make the difference on your team, you get them, and both organizations did.

This whole thing about Dimitrioff abandoning anything that had to do with the Patriots is just a fallacy. Just because Mike Smith isn't a Bellichick clone doesn't mean he didn't implement the same values in the organization, which as the article points out, he did (and mentioned the Patriots influence several times throughout it)...

Demonpenz · 09-23-2009, 01:06 PM

they got to put a moat around castle

Psyko Tek · 09-23-2009, 06:47 PM

I think it maybe a scare tactic
just to let cassell know he isn't the chosen one

milkman · 09-23-2009, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaWolf

Did you even read the article? All he did was talk about the way they did it with the Patriots and how he brought that to Atlanta.

Also to say he went against the "core beliefs of the Patriots organization" is laughable. They've acquired guys who love football and are about winning. Specific to your points:

1) Who ever said it's against their philosophy to draft a QB high? The Pats already had Drew Bledsoe and then Brady emerged, so when was there ever a need to draft a QB high? Atlanta meanwhile was a totally different animal, you just had your franchise QB going to jail and fan apathy was abound. Matt Ryan was the perfect "Patriots type" player, a guy who was all about football and all about improving. And Arthur Blank was pushing for the QB to be picked because they needed a new face to the franchise. So that's where they went.

2) The Pats have never been shy about free agency. They have been smart about it. And you could say that about Atlanta too. They didn't overpay, they went out and got the right guys for that team.

3) Traded for Randy Moss and Wes Welker. So where's the difference? If you have an opportunity to get a few playmakers who can make the difference on your team, you get them, and both organizations did.

This whole thing about Dimitrioff abandoning anything that had to do with the Patriots is just a fallacy. Just because Mike Smith isn't a Bellichick clone doesn't mean he didn't implement the same values in the organization, which as the article points out, he did (and mentioned the Patriots influence several times throughout it)...

Even if Dimitroff hadn't talked about and followed the Patriot way, for Scott Pioli, it's different, since he was one of the two people that created the Patriot way.

Mecca · 09-23-2009, 07:25 PM

Dimitroff did everything completely differently than all of the other guys have...

He didn't shoehorn his team into a 3-4, he used his first 2 picks on a QB and a LT, if you look at how he did things compared to the rest of the Patriot disciples it's night and day.

Just look at the coach he hired.

**SAUTO** · 09-23-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Even if Dimitroff hadn't talked about and followed the Patriot way, for Scott Pioli, it's different, since he was one of the two people that created the Patriot way.

to read this place pioli had NOTHING to do with it, he just signed nfl free agents.

Hammock Parties · 09-23-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Giving up on Brodie Croyle would be absolutely ridiculous at this point in time, especially if he can finally beat the injury bug and stay healthy.

Dane, you are full of shit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

It would be a terrible decision to bring him back.

He CANNOT stay healthy. The backup QB MUST be durable.

Croyle's not and never has been.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Three ACL tears isn't bad luck.

His body cannot endure the rigors of professional football.

It's time for he and the Chiefs to move on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Fully and completely disagree.

The guy has torn both ACL's, had shoulder injuries and just can't stay healthy. Adding more weight and muscle to his frame would likely cause further issues with his knees.

I can't imagine that he'll be on the Chiefs roster in September, let alone be a good backup anywhere.

His body won't allow it.

Also, this is good:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

If you can't see that Thigpen's a high quality QB, then you're a ****ing idiot.

**SAUTO** · 09-23-2009, 07:32 PM

is that last one actually what you said dane? wow lol

Hammock Parties · 09-23-2009, 07:39 PM

Dane has always had good strong man love for Thiggy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

No ****ing way.

The Chiefs have Thigpen and Gray as 1 and 2 next year. They should draft a 5th-7th developmental guy. Day one (first or second round) is a COMPLETE waste of a pick, especially with pressing needs at RG, RT, C, DE & LB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Thigpen threw two INT's that were made by an incredibly athletic CB. It wasn't like they were lob passes to a waiting CB.

The fumble was just an example of a young guy pressing. He'll learn from both mistakes.

**Bowser** · 09-23-2009, 07:39 PM

This is an impressive amount of hand wringing over a guy that has had one ****ing start with a new team.

milkman · 09-23-2009, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Dane has always had good strong man love for Thigpen.

Gotta admire a man with his conviction.

But, boy, when he flips, he flops.

milkman · 09-23-2009, 07:45 PM

The fact is, we all have said some things that we believed at times only to figure out eventually that we were wrong.

Deberg_1990 · 09-23-2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Dane, you are full of shit.

Also, this is good:

Link Please.

Hammock Parties · 09-23-2009, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Link Please.

Click the little red buttons next to Dane's name in the posts I quoted.

Brock · 09-23-2009, 07:46 PM

The guy who started the Hermines is the last guy who should go dumpster diving.

09-23-2009, 01:01 AM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $912813	Babb: Chiefs’ Cassel can’t count on starting if he doesn’t produce Chiefs’ Cassel can’t count on starting if he doesn’t produce By KENT BABB The Kansas City Star Chiefs coach Todd Haley liked some of what Matt Cassel did on Sunday, but there wasn’t enough of it for Haley to say that Cassel will be Kansas City’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season and beyond. Haley said that, like all other positions, the quarterback job will remain available to the most proficient player — regardless of salary, name or background. “You’ve got to ultimately do what gives your team the best chance to win,” Haley said Tuesday. “If that means another quarterback being in there other than Matt Cassel, then sign me up.” Cassel played every snap for the Chiefs in Sunday’s 13-10 loss to Oakland. It was his first game back in the lineup after spraining his left knee in Kansas City’s third preseason game, and Haley said last week that he expected Cassel to show some rust. Cassel completed 24 of 39 passes for 241 yards. He also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Haley said he was encouraged by Cassel’s performance, including the fearless way the quarterback scrambled out of trouble and rushed for 34 yards despite that bad knee. “I like a lot about this guy,” Haley said. But there are things that Haley said he likes about backup quarterback Brodie Croyle, too. Haley said that he wants to see both players improve each week and keep the competition between them at more than a simmer. Haley again praised Croyle’s poise in a loss in the regular-season opener at Baltimore, saying that the fourth-year quarterback gave the Chiefs a chance to upset the Ravens by playing a mostly mistake-free contest. Haley said Tuesday that he doesn’t want any player getting too comfortable. That has been a common theme since the team gathered in July for training camp in River Falls, Wis., and Haley has said often that just because a player starts one day, he won’t necessarily start the next. Haley has shaken up every other position group, sometimes to deliver messages to perceived starters and other times to get a look at an underused player. He said that was the reason running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Brad Cottam were inactive last Sunday: so the Chiefs could observe running back Dantrell Savage and rookie tight end Jake O’Connell without weakening other positions. But as Haley tinkered with other positions, the one he left alone was quarterback. Haley didn’t announce Cassel as the starter until late in the preseason, but it was Cassel who took the first-team snaps in training camp and preseason games — and it was Cassel who shouldered the starting quarterback’s other responsibilities, such as a weekly meeting with reporters. It didn’t seem to hurt Cassel’s chances that he signed a long-term contract extension with the Chiefs and that he’ll make a guaranteed $28 million over the deal’s duration. If Cassel was the one player with bulletproof job security, Haley delivered a message Tuesday that he’ll have to do like everyone else — work hard, be good and play smart — to keep his job. “It’s a process of trying to get it right,” Haley said. “I just know this from the teams that I’ve been around and the ones I’ve paid attention to.” He has watched other coaches make the unpopular decision of benching other communities’ preferred quarterbacks. While Haley was with the New York Jets, he watched coach Bill Parcells bench quarterback Glenn Foley, a local favorite, in favor of veteran Vinny Testaverde. The Jets won 12 games that year. Nearly a decade later, when Parcells brought Haley to Dallas, the young assistant again watched Parcells bench a popular quarterback, Drew Bledsoe, for an upstart named Tony Romo after Bledsoe started the 2006 season with three losses in six games. Romo led the Cowboys to the playoffs. Then last year, while Haley was Arizona’s offensive coordinator, coaches chose veteran Kurt Warner as the starting quarterback despite the fact that Matt Leinart was a former first-round pick with a fat contract. Warner led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. “If we don’t go with what our gut tells us at that position,” Haley said, “we wouldn’t have been where we were.” Haley said Tuesday that, in each of those cases, the head coach had to make a decision based only on instinct and in observing each quarterback’s sharpness — and ignore factors such as contract details and outside criticism. “When we made that change,” Haley said, “there was a lot of negative feedback and, ‘What are you doing?’ and, ‘What about the future?’ There weren’t too many people saying much when we were in the Super Bowl.” Haley wasn’t saying Tuesday that the Chiefs might finish this season in the Super Bowl — or even the playoffs. And he wasn’t saying that Cassel won’t finish this season as the Chiefs’ starter, either. He was saying that Cassel had better be on point — or, like so many other positions, Kansas City will turn toward someone who is. “Our whole goal is to get competition at as many positions as we can, quarterback being one of those,” Haley said. “When there’s somebody pushing you, you have a better chance of being at your best. When you can’t handle that pressure, you’ll probably go by the wayside, and that becomes clear to everybody.”
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09-23-2009, 01:06 PM	#32
Demonpenz I got Rice cookin in the micro Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $3122136	they got to put a moat around castle __________________
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09-23-2009, 06:47 PM	#33
Psyko Tek special teams Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Mesa AZ Casino cash: $10015665	I think it maybe a scare tactic just to let cassell know he isn't the chosen one __________________ Psyko Tek The keyboard has been drinking,
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09-23-2009, 07:25 PM	#35
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $2617050	Dimitroff did everything completely differently than all of the other guys have... He didn't shoehorn his team into a 3-4, he used his first 2 picks on a QB and a LT, if you look at how he did things compared to the rest of the Patriot disciples it's night and day. Just look at the coach he hired.
Posts: 110,936

09-23-2009, 07:32 PM	#38
SAUTO Shit Join Date: Jun 2008 Casino cash: $10039067	is that last one actually what you said dane? wow lol
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09-23-2009, 07:39 PM	#40
Bowser sorta mod-ish Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: KC North Casino cash: $3441616	This is an impressive amount of hand wringing over a guy that has had one ****ing start with a new team.
Posts: 100,660

09-23-2009, 07:45 PM	#42
milkman Dumbass! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Leading the Marty bashing Casino cash: $10029395	The fact is, we all have said some things that we believed at times only to figure out eventually that we were wrong. __________________
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09-23-2009, 07:46 PM	#45
Brock Say hello to my little friend Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Larryville Casino cash: $9598422	The guy who started the Hermines is the last guy who should go dumpster diving.
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