Tribal Warfare
10-23-2009, 10:28 PM
Chiefs hope to give Cassel better protection (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/1526478.html)
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Todd Haley tried everything he could think of to get the Chiefs to better protect quarterback Matt Cassel. He screamed and yelled, he ran offensive linemen into and out of the lineup.
None of that worked well, so this week he tried appealing to the basic human instinct of pity. During the video review of last week’s game in Washington, Haley stopped the video whenever Cassel took a big hit, which was often, in an effort to drive home how much physical punishment the quarterback has been taking.
“It kind of makes you want to make sure no one ever touches him or gets shots on him in a game,” running back Larry Johnson said.
Haley will find out in Sunday’s game against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium whether his latest method succeeded. But Haley understands the Chiefs must stop the relentless pounding that Cassel receives weekly.
“We’ve got to do whatever we can to eliminate hits on the quarterback,” Haley said. “That’s a fact. You don’t want a sitting duck back there that just gets killed the whole game because he won’t last.”
Chiefs quarterbacks have been sacked 22 times this season, which is second highest in the league behind Green Bay. That includes the three times Brodie Croyle went down in the season opener.
So Cassel has been sacked 19 times in five games, and that doesn’t count the punishment he’s taken after unloading passes.
At that rate, merely surviving the season will become a superhuman feat for Cassel. He already took a hit in a preseason game against Seattle that cost him that season opener in Baltimore.
“Heck yeah, I do,” Cassel said emphatically when asked whether he thought he could last 10 more games if he continues to get hit as he does. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been hit plenty of times and that’s just part of it.
“In terms of self-preservation, you just go out there and play the game, you don’t really think about it while it’s happening. You just go and try to play and if you get hit, it’s part of it.
“Hopefully I’ll just continue to keep getting up. That’s part of my job. I have to stand in there and I have to deliver under pressure and there’s always going to be guys coming after me and trying to hit me and that’s just part of it, getting up after you’re hit and dusting yourself off and moving on to the next play.”
The Chiefs invested $28 million in Cassel last summer when they signed him to a contract extension and are trying to build around him.
That’s difficult to do if he’s on the sideline. Chairman Clark Hunt said in an interview this week that the Chiefs would put a priority on protecting Cassel.
“I’m feeling very good about our quarterback play at this point,” Hunt said. “He’s making a lot of plays with people in his face and not necessarily a lot of help.
“Certainly as we improve as an offense and specifically our ability to pass-protect, we’re going to see what we have in Matt Cassel. What he’s accomplished while facing pretty significant pressure most every week has been impressive but I don’t think we’ve seen everything Matt Cassel can offer and we won’t until we do a better job pass-protecting.”
The Chiefs have more at stake than Cassel’s health. Cassel, who played little in college and became an NFL starter only last season, is still developing as a player.
The circumstances surrounding him aren’t ideal for the development of a quarterback. Not only is he pressured almost every time he attempts a pass, but also the Chiefs have no consistent running game, which is a quarterback’s best friend.
So the Chiefs have received few big plays from Cassel. He’s completing only 57 percent of his passes, which is below league average, but he hasn’t thrown an interception in the last four games.
“He’s a very mobile guy, and he does end up running with the ball some, so I think he’s handled it pretty well,” said San Diego coach Norv Turner, who has worked with several developing quarterbacks over his years as an NFL coach.
“Some of that helps you eventually become the best player you can be. There are a number of plays in a game where you have to move, you have to slide in the pocket, you have to avoid the rush, you have to make a play by improvising. The only way you’re able to do that and get good at it is by doing it.
“Sometimes, in the long run, you benefit from it.”
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Todd Haley tried everything he could think of to get the Chiefs to better protect quarterback Matt Cassel. He screamed and yelled, he ran offensive linemen into and out of the lineup.
None of that worked well, so this week he tried appealing to the basic human instinct of pity. During the video review of last week’s game in Washington, Haley stopped the video whenever Cassel took a big hit, which was often, in an effort to drive home how much physical punishment the quarterback has been taking.
“It kind of makes you want to make sure no one ever touches him or gets shots on him in a game,” running back Larry Johnson said.
Haley will find out in Sunday’s game against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium whether his latest method succeeded. But Haley understands the Chiefs must stop the relentless pounding that Cassel receives weekly.
“We’ve got to do whatever we can to eliminate hits on the quarterback,” Haley said. “That’s a fact. You don’t want a sitting duck back there that just gets killed the whole game because he won’t last.”
Chiefs quarterbacks have been sacked 22 times this season, which is second highest in the league behind Green Bay. That includes the three times Brodie Croyle went down in the season opener.
So Cassel has been sacked 19 times in five games, and that doesn’t count the punishment he’s taken after unloading passes.
At that rate, merely surviving the season will become a superhuman feat for Cassel. He already took a hit in a preseason game against Seattle that cost him that season opener in Baltimore.
“Heck yeah, I do,” Cassel said emphatically when asked whether he thought he could last 10 more games if he continues to get hit as he does. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been hit plenty of times and that’s just part of it.
“In terms of self-preservation, you just go out there and play the game, you don’t really think about it while it’s happening. You just go and try to play and if you get hit, it’s part of it.
“Hopefully I’ll just continue to keep getting up. That’s part of my job. I have to stand in there and I have to deliver under pressure and there’s always going to be guys coming after me and trying to hit me and that’s just part of it, getting up after you’re hit and dusting yourself off and moving on to the next play.”
The Chiefs invested $28 million in Cassel last summer when they signed him to a contract extension and are trying to build around him.
That’s difficult to do if he’s on the sideline. Chairman Clark Hunt said in an interview this week that the Chiefs would put a priority on protecting Cassel.
“I’m feeling very good about our quarterback play at this point,” Hunt said. “He’s making a lot of plays with people in his face and not necessarily a lot of help.
“Certainly as we improve as an offense and specifically our ability to pass-protect, we’re going to see what we have in Matt Cassel. What he’s accomplished while facing pretty significant pressure most every week has been impressive but I don’t think we’ve seen everything Matt Cassel can offer and we won’t until we do a better job pass-protecting.”
The Chiefs have more at stake than Cassel’s health. Cassel, who played little in college and became an NFL starter only last season, is still developing as a player.
The circumstances surrounding him aren’t ideal for the development of a quarterback. Not only is he pressured almost every time he attempts a pass, but also the Chiefs have no consistent running game, which is a quarterback’s best friend.
So the Chiefs have received few big plays from Cassel. He’s completing only 57 percent of his passes, which is below league average, but he hasn’t thrown an interception in the last four games.
“He’s a very mobile guy, and he does end up running with the ball some, so I think he’s handled it pretty well,” said San Diego coach Norv Turner, who has worked with several developing quarterbacks over his years as an NFL coach.
“Some of that helps you eventually become the best player you can be. There are a number of plays in a game where you have to move, you have to slide in the pocket, you have to avoid the rush, you have to make a play by improvising. The only way you’re able to do that and get good at it is by doing it.
“Sometimes, in the long run, you benefit from it.”