Cassel and Whitlock = BFF's

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Sorry if repost:

Let the hate begin!

Posted on Tue, May. 26, 2009
I’m starting to get cold feet about Cassel
JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY

If this is an audition, it’s a very expensive one.

When Scott Pioli struck the deal for Tom Brady understudy Matt Cassel, the experts lauded Pioli for acquiring the one-year wonder for such a “reasonable” price, a second-round pick.

Three months later — with Cassel still unsigned to a long-term deal — the price tag is losing quite a bit of its discount value. In fact, you could argue that Cassel inked a rather generous prenuptial agreement and Bill Belichick unloaded a potential headache.

It appears the Chiefs have little interest in signing Matt Cassel to a long-term contract before the start of the season. Or, more likely, Pioli lost interest in signing Cassel to a long-term contract once Kansas City’s first-time general manager learned Cassel and agent David Dunn’s asking price.

Given Cassel’s and Pioli’s New England relationship, I just assumed when the Chiefs traded for Cassel, the parameters of a long-term deal were agreed upon before the trade. I assumed wrong. Or, more likely, Cassel and Dunn elevated their contract demands after perusing the Chiefs’ roster and salary-cap situation.

The Chiefs have enough salary-cap room to house, feed, clothe and entertain most of Canada. And Kansas City’s current offensive personnel would make any rational QB demand hazardous-work pay.

Whatever the cause, Pioli and Dunn can’t agree on Cassel’s worth. The rumor around the Loch Lloyd golf course is the Cassels are renting, not buying.

Can you really blame them in this economy and with a fickle housing market?

But whom should we blame for this expensive experiment?

As of right now, Cassel is scheduled to earn nearly $15 million for the 2009 season. That’s his franchise-tag number.

Had we known in February that Cassel would cost $15 million and a second-round pick for one season of play, would we still regard his acquisition as a wise move?

Of course, if he plays lights-out and proves that his one good, Randy Moss-Wes Welker-fueled season was no fluke, no one will complain about the acquisition price and no one will care what the Chiefs have to pay next season to keep him.

The problem is, I just can’t imagine him putting together a magnificent or even solid season in 2009.

Tony Gonzalez is gone. Larry Johnson is still here. Brian Waters is somewhere brooding. The Chiefs drafted a bunch of defensive linemen.

The way Pioli has assembled offensive talent (36-year-old Bobby Engram is the big-ticket free-agent signing) makes me believe he’s negotiating with Dunn and Cassel.

No offense to Cassel, but he’s a college and NFL bench-warmer who had the luxury of playing quarterback alongside the greatest offensive force (Moss) the league has seen since Jim Brown.

Last season Cassel stepped into a moving vehicle and did a good job of not running off the road. Kansas City’s offense has been stuck in neutral since Dick Vermeil left. And now the one reliable tire left on KC’s car moved to Atlanta.

This smells like 15 TDs and 20 interceptions, doesn’t it? Or maybe seven TDs, 12 interceptions and a season-ending injury halfway through the season.

It’s not even June, and I can already hear the Tyler Thigpen chants in the distance. By October, the talk-radio shows will be filled with Grbac-Gannon analogies.

The official Vegas over-under line on when I’ll write my first Jeff George column is Oct. 3. I’m playing the under if you must know.

For the record, my official position is I’d prefer to see the Chiefs draft and develop a quarterback. The Chiefs keep trying to convert backups — even Joe Montana was Steve Young’s backup in San Fran — into Super Bowl quarterbacks.

You ever break up with a girlfriend/boyfriend, date their best friend and then complain about the same problems? It’s stupid. It’s just as stupid to keep dating the exact same quarterback.

Most backup quarterbacks are backups for a good reason. They don’t marinate on the bench for eight years waiting to be discovered.

My problem with Cassel is he didn’t transfer out of USC when he was stuck behind Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. The great ones generally have massive egos that can’t be satisfied riding the pine.

Man, I hope I’m wrong about this $15 million audition.

[orange]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Again.... I'm not a Chiefs fan.

No. You're Matt Cassel's wingman. That's obvious to everyone. Didn't you realize that?

[orange]

Originally Posted by milkman

No, willing.

The fact that things didn't work out in the trade only means that he was willing but not able.

No, I simply don't believe that. You'll have to come up with a better source than Chris Mortensen or I'm never going to buy it.

I'm quite certain Belichick took the best offer he got - meaning the Broncos etc. didn't make an offer or it was less than the pick they got from KC. Plus, Cutler couldn't have been traded without Bowlen signing off, and he had not been told yet so it couldn't have been more than preliminary.

Originally Posted by milkman

And equally as important, you did get saddled with a guy that barely beat out Rex Grossman for the job in Chicago.

I was pissed when Pioli traded for Cassel, but that was nothing to the meltdown that you would have seen from me if he had tradeed for Orton.

You guys are ****ed.

The biggest difference between Cassel and Orton is the price tag. $15 million and a pick. Orton costs next to nothing. If the Broncos have to go a different direction, they can do so with no picks lost. And the Chiefs may be the only team that wouldn't be handcuffed by Cassel's contract.

Most importantly, I fully believe McDaniels can get the most out of Orton like he did Cassel. How much that is remains to be seen.

Team G Pts/G Yds/G PassYds/G RushYds/G 1stD/G 3rdM 3rdD%

1.) New Orleans Saints 16 28.9 410.7 311.1 99.6 22.1 97 48.5 10

2.) Denver Broncos 16 23.1 395.8 279.4 116.4 22.1 95 47.5 4 40.0
3.) Houston Texans 16 22.9 382.1 266.7 115.4 21.3 83 42.1 14

4.) Arizona Cardinals 16 26.7 365.8 292.1 73.6 20.5 83 41.9 8 50.0
5.) New England Patriots 16 25.6 365.4 223.1 142.4 22.3 96 43.2 17



hope this helps

[Kyle DeLexus]

Originally Posted by orange

No, I simply don't believe that. You'll have to come up with a better source than Chris Mortensen or I'm never going to buy it.

I'm quite certain Belichick took the best offer he got - meaning the Broncos etc. didn't make an offer or it was less than the pick they got from KC.

I'm a fan of the Belichick needed cap room right then and a three-team deal would take time and Cassel would need to be under contract to do that theory. So he took the concrete offer and not the proposed conditional offer.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by orange

No. You're Matt Cassel's wingman. That's obvious to everyone. Didn't you realize that?

Right, that must be where the "I don't know how Cassel will do in Kansas City" part comes in. See, there's a difference between admitting to not knowing how he'll do and claiming that he'll fail. By the end of last season, in the system he was in and with the players he was surrounded by, he was a top 10 QB in the league (Passer rating), despite his slow start. That will mean absolutely nothing come game 1 of the 2009 NFL season.

Now, his play last season may have been because teams hadn't gotten time and film enough to defend him. It may have been because his teammates were so talented. It may have been because he was being coached by the best coaching staff in the NFL. Or, it may be because he's a pretty good quarterback at this stage of his career.

Unlike many, I just don't claim to know one way or the other, and I try to look at both the positives and the negatives. For what it's worth, I think people on this site are being just as ridiculous in their assessment of Orton, and I've posted about that as well. So, I must be Orton's wingman, too.

Hopefully, they'll both throw some coin my way.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by orange

No, I simply don't believe that. You'll have to come up with a better source than Chris Mortensen or I'm never going to buy it.

In other words, what you're saying is "La, la,la la, I can't hear you".

I'm quite certain Belichick took the best offer he got - meaning the Broncos etc. didn't make an offer or it was less than the pick they got from KC. Plus, Cutler couldn't have been traded without Bowlen signing off, and he had not been told yet so it couldn't have been more than preliminary.

I'm quite certain that Bellichik took the only offer that he got that he could get the deal done right now.

Any offer he got from any other team would have required a deal between Cassel and the team he was being traded to before the deal could actually consumated.

He took the Chiefs offer because he didn't have to wait.

The biggest difference between Cassel and Orton is the price tag. $15 million and a pick. Orton costs next to nothing. If the Broncos have to go a different direction, they can do so with no picks lost. And the Chiefs may be the only team that wouldn't be handcuffed by Cassel's contract.

Most importantly, I fully believe McDaniels can get the most out of Orton like he did Cassel. How much that is remains to be seen.

The difference between Cassel and Orton is that Cassel does actually have some talent to work with, where Orton is a what you see, what you get player.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by The Bronco Rob

Team G Pts/G Yds/G PassYds/G RushYds/G 1stD/G 3rdM 3rdD%

1.) New Orleans Saints 16 28.9 410.7 311.1 99.6 22.1 97 48.5 10

2.) Denver Broncos 16 23.1 395.8 279.4 116.4 22.1 95 47.5 4 40.0
3.) Houston Texans 16 22.9 382.1 266.7 115.4 21.3 83 42.1 14

4.) Arizona Cardinals 16 26.7 365.8 292.1 73.6 20.5 83 41.9 8 50.0
5.) New England Patriots 16 25.6 365.4 223.1 142.4 22.3 96 43.2 17



hope this helps

14 Chicago Bears 23.4
14 Tennessee Titans 23.4
16 Denver Broncos 23.1

Hope this helps

Originally Posted by orange

The biggest difference between Cassel and Orton is the price tag. $15 million and a pick. Orton costs next to nothing. If the Broncos have to go a different direction, they can do so with no picks lost. And the Chiefs may be the only team that wouldn't be handcuffed by Cassel's contract.

Most importantly, I fully believe McDaniels can get the most out of Orton like he did Cassel. How much that is remains to be seen.

Orton takes over the 2nd ranked offense in the NFL

cassel takes over the 26th ranked offense WHO BTW lost their best weapon in Tony Gonzalez...


hehheheheeee

[orange]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Right, that must be where the "I don't know how Cassel will do in Kansas City" part comes in. See, there's a difference between admitting to not knowing how he'll do and claiming that he'll fail. By the end of last season, in the system he was in and with the players he was surrounded by, he was a top 10 QB in the league (Passer rating), despite his slow start. That will mean absolutely nothing come game 1 of the 2009 NFL season.

Now, his play last season may have been because teams hadn't gotten time and film enough to defend him. It may have been because his teammates were so talented. It may have been because he was being coached by the best coaching staff in the NFL. Or, it may be because he's a pretty good quarterback at this stage of his career.

Unlike many, I just don't claim to know one way or the other, and I try to look at both the positives and the negatives. For what it's worth, I think people on this site are being just as ridiculous in their assessment of Orton, and I've posted about that as well. So, I must be Orton's wingman, too.

Hopefully, they'll both throw some coin my way.

This just means you're a bit more rational than Pioli Zombie as far as Cassel wingmen go - but you're still the one arguing here that Mattie was a super-competitor rolling out the blocking dummies and collecting dirty jerseys at USC for three years after losing his tryout.

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

14 Chicago Bears 23.4
14 Tennessee Titans 23.4
16 Denver Broncos 23.1

Hope this helps

26.) Kansas City Cheefs


hope that helps

[milkman]

Originally Posted by The Bronco Rob

26.) Kansas City Cheefs


hope that helps

And, of course, QB play has nothing to do with how each offense fared.

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by orange

This just means you're a bit more rational than Pioli Zombie as far as Cassel wingmen go - but you're still the one arguing here that Mattie was a super-competitor rolling out the blocking dummies and collecting dirty jerseys at USC for three years after losing his tryout.

Ok, because I don't agree with your notion of what competitors in college should do I'm Cassel's wingman. Brilliant!

Again, Brady didn't start in his first season in either Michigan or New England. Hell, he didn't start in year two at Michigan, either. Most players don't transfer. They stay and compete for the job they want.

[DTLB58]

Classic Whitlock all Gloom and Doom.

This guy is such a piece of

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by orange

Some things to contemplate - is a floating, innaccurate deep ball that misses its target more beautiful when it's thrown by Matt Cassel or Damon Huard?

This is a rotten ****ing comparison. First of all, Cassel is about a billion times more athletic than Huard. Second of all, Cassel has started one season. Of course his game isn't perfect.

Is a quarterback who cannot function lined up under center better when he's Matt Cassel or Tyler Thigpen?

Do you even watch Patriots games? Cassel's accuracy leaves Thigpen's completely in the dust. It's not even close.

Is a $15 million guaranteed contract a better value when it's for Matt Cassel or, well, anyone not named Brady or Manning?

Honestly, I don't care about money. I just don't. The Chiefs are loaded with cap room.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Claythan

This is a rotten ****ing comparison. First of all, Cassel is about a billion times more athletic than Huard. Second of all, Cassel has started one season. Of course his game isn't perfect.

.

first off this isnt pointed at you clay, just quoted your post because you talked about it.
one thing about cassel's long ball: most that were off were thrown to moss, watch the games, moss was VERY lackadaisical in route running in the middle part of the season. he didnt run all out on a lot of routes that ended up going his way, maybe the play wasnt designed to go his way, but it ended up that it did and he wasnt going all out. most of the off passes were actually overthrown, again, overthrown. that, to me, shows that the timing was off between the two. why? maybe it wasnt cassel's fault, we already know about moss' work ethic when things are down and if you said that the pats would go 11-5 WITHOUT brady last year most people would have laughed at you