Mellinger: Chiefs’ gameplan gives Croyle a chance to sub in for consistent Cassel
 

Chiefs’ gameplan gives Croyle a chance to sub in for consistent Cassel
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star

SAN DIEGO | The man who will lead the Chiefs into their most important and most difficult game of the year looks a little bit like the guy behind the register at your local convenience store.

You would not pick this man out of a line at a movie theater as being an NFL quarterback. He looks more like the guy you’ll watch today’s game with, not like the guy you’ll actually be watching.

All of which means Brodie Croyle is perfectly qualified to quarterback this Chiefs team against the defending AFC West champion Chargers.

Look, there is plenty for Chiefs fans to be skeptical about. This would be a difficult game even with Matt Cassel: the Chiefs on the road against a more talented team playing for its season.

But let’s at least consider the possibility that the Chiefs are as well-positioned as any team in the league to make do with a backup quarterback. Even as well as Cassel has played — and he has been outstanding — the Chiefs’ offense is built around schemes and play-calls and running backs and receivers. Not the quarterback.

The Chiefs mostly just want the quarterback to not screw it all up. Cassel has been far better than any of us expected, but he’s still closer to riding with training wheels than being trusted for highway wheelies.

So as one of the defining stories of this Chiefs season has now stalled, Cassel’s absence might provide an answer to something else interesting, even if we no longer needed to ask:

Just how important is Cassel, anyway?

• • •

The other day, someone asked Chiefs coach Todd Haley about the difference between Cassel and Croyle.

Now, NFL coaches spend most of their news conferences dealing in clichés and generalities. Haley studies old Bill Parcells tapes to master the art, and even in just his second year, Haley is often frustratingly good at revealing nothing.

But it’s still interesting that he couldn’t come up with much.

“Matt’s a little bit bigger,” he said — and Cassel is officially listed as 2 inches taller and 24 pounds heavier.

If Haley had added that Croyle has a stronger arm, he would have had a somewhat complete list of the physical differences.

Can you think of a play Cassel made this year that Croyle would be physically incapable of? Or a play that, other than experience, the Chiefs can’t call with their backup in the game?

This is not New England losing Tom Brady in the 2008 season opener. The Patriots’ offense is absolutely built around Brady’s considerable talents, including an often overlooked strong arm, so like most teams, New England struggles without its centerpiece.

In 2007, the year before his knee injury, Brady threw 50 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, averaging more than 300 yards per game. The Patriots scored 589 points that year, and with Brady throwing deep, Randy Moss went for 1,493 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Then Cassel had to run an offense built for Brady’s strengths, and he threw 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, averaging about 230 yards per game. The Patriots scored 410 points that year, and with the new quarterback, Moss went for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In Kansas City, there will be none of that for Croyle. Cassel has been making his reputation this year by not throwing interceptions, and that’s a valuable skill worth every penny the Chiefs are paying, but nothing that Croyle can’t do physically.

The point is that the more Cassel’s success can be attributed to a stripped-down offense focused on facilitation, the more it can be said that the Chiefs are losing nothing irreplaceable other than experience.

So how big of a deal is that?

• • •

The NFL does a lousy job of developing backup quarterbacks. Coaches stress preparation for all during news conferences, but at practice give nearly all their time to the starter.

Haley is as guilty of this as anyone. His intentions are good, but Croyle said last week he typically gets only two or three snaps with the first team in practice.

The Chiefs can bring in a game clock and pump the simulated crowd noise all they want, but there is absolutely no replacing the nearly 800 snaps Cassel has taken in games this year and at least a thousand more in practice.

Remember, it took three years backing up in New England, one starting, and another 27 games in Kansas City for Cassel to reach this point. He has improved his footwork and his confidence, all the while Croyle mostly quarterbacked the scout team.

Scott Mitchell, who played under Dan Marino for two years, described a backup quarterback’s life “like watching the U.S. borders for a Soviet missile attack. There are a lot of days you’re not getting much action.”

Not that recent NFL history isn’t full of backups instantly making good. Brady is the most famous example, getting a chance when Drew Bledsoe got hurt. Kurt Warner inherited the Rams’ job when Trent Green got hurt in 1999 and won an MVP award and the Super Bowl that year. Frank Reich relieved Jim Kelly and famously led the Bills back after they were down 35-3 in a playoff game.

Just this year, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon led the Steelers to a 3-1 start while Ben Roethlisberger served a suspension. Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick has become a fantasy football darling — and while the situations are completely different, it’s worth remembering that Michael Vick began the year as Philadelphia’s backup.

Nobody can be sure whether Cassel will play next week, but let’s assume he won’t. The Chiefs effectively have a 1½-game lead in the AFC West, which means they only need Croyle to help win — or not screw up — one of the next two games to keep control.

Cassel’s stunning efficiency this year means nobody wanted to find out, but there are indications the Chiefs might be just fine.

• • •

Croyle could have been on another team, the Chiefs left to trust their season to someone else. It’s easy to forget that now, but Croyle was a restricted free agent after last season. General manager Scott Pioli gave Cassel the $63 million contract, so he obviously didn’t want Croyle as the starter. But as a backup? Sure.

So knowing that in most years two-thirds of the teams in the league need a backup to start at least a game or two, this is the moment that Pioli thought Croyle could handle.

He should be encouraged by an offense that’s allowed a physically ordinary quarterback to emerge as one of the league’s most effective passers.

He should also be reinforced by what Brian Waters said the other day after Croyle replaced Cassel for the first time in practice.

“Honestly,” he said, “I didn’t even notice until halfway through.”

Although this game will be like a playoff game for the Chargers, Croyle starting helps enable the Chargers to have more of a chance of coming out flat with Croyle sneaking up on them.

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ya, every week I see QB's flying down the damn field blocking for their running backs...at six and a half feet tall.

your an idiot.

Nobody with their season on the line that just lost to the Raiders and lost to this team in a huge game in Week 1 is going to come out flat.

If the Chiefs win it won't because they snuck up on the Chargers.

Everything you post is silly.

I think Croyle has the ability to do what what is needed from him with this particular team to make a W.

As much a valuable asset the QB position is to a team one would think the NFL would impose a rule, and find a way to enforce it, that the #2 QB gets say 25% of practice snaps. I think this would be good for the league if more #2s are developed into starter types.

Again though, the main question would be, how would they enforce such a rule?

The difference is between the ears. The question is does Croyle have Cassel's ability this year to make the right decision. That's the question.

Oh yea, and the knees.

One other point is also Cassel's mechanics have improved drastically the last month or so. Quick drop and set throwing off his front leg. I can't even remember what Croyle's mechanics look like and don't know if he does either.

Croyle's footwork on his drop backs is nearly flawless.

His problems lie in the fact that, like many strong armed QBs, he doesn't follow through when he throws, which leads to poor accuracy.

He also has never had any touch on his shorter throws.

Thes are things that he and the staff have been working on in the last year and a half to improve hopefully.

Think Brodie will be fine .. the D has to have a good game and we need to run the ball .......

This.

Look Brodie is NOT going to win this game for us. End of story. The guy is ****ing 0-9 as a starter.

IF we win today, it's because we played a great defensive game, ran the ball well, and got a break or two on special teams. Brodie is NOT Cassel, is not as good as Cassel, and isn't going to go out and play the game Cassel can play. I just hope he doesn't turn it over.

I have a feeling we're gonna frustrate their offense a bit. It comes down to if Croyle makes good decisions and doesn't lose the game for us.

Yup. I'm perfectly happy with Brodie going 12-20 for 100 yards and 0/0 IF we win. For the life of me I can't figure out why people care how the QB plays if we are winning.....?

I think the key for Croyle is to not hang on to the ball too long. Once Cassel started getting rid of it sooner, our whole game picked up.

Me too. As long as we win I'm fine.

I just hope Croyle...

A. Makes good decisions.
B. Doesn't lose it for us with turnovers.
C. Stays healthy.

If he does those things I see us winning this game because I honestly think our defense will do a good job against them today.

coaches coach the players pretty much the same way. Whatever they are teaching Cassel, they are also teaching Croyle. Not a problem. I am excited for Croyle to get a chance. Cassel gets some rest and a chance for his bruises to heal and we get a chance to see Croyle fire off some rockets. This will be fun.

This article and most on this board grossly under-rate what Cassel brings to the table.

Fans have always fallen in love with Brodie's delivery and arm strength. What they always forget is his 0-9 record, his flat out inability to stay healthy, his blank stares to the sidelines after poorly thrown balls, and his inability to make anything happen if the play breaks down.
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People constantly blame the coaches and team around him for Croyle's inability to win even a single game. There is a LOT to be said for going 0-9. A LOT. Brodie is a sub par QB, regardless of whether or not we win today or not.

Personally, I also think that Cassel brings something to the table that Croyle lacks.

I'm not sure what it is, but I just feel like Croyle lacks something menatlly, a toughness perhaps, that Cassel does seem to have.

That being said, I think the coaching in place now gives Croyle a far better chance to succeed in this situation than in any situation he's been presented with before.

I really don't believe that Croyle has what it takes emotinally to succeed consistently in the NFL, but I do believe he potentailly has a better game that you might be expecting.

I'm one of those. I have pointed out multiple times that in 5 of those games, Croyle lead drives in the 4th quarter to either give us the lead... or put us into position to take the lead (Colts at Indy was on the OC)... and the defense promptly gave up points on the very next drive to snatch the defeat right out of the jaws of victory.

Yes, there were 3 or 4 games where Croyle sucked azz and gave us no chance to win, but all 9 were not on him.

I agree. It's pretty tough to go 0-9 as a starter. It's not like he was Ryan Fitzpatrick and was throwing for 400 yards and shit and losing.

Cassel would have been 0-9 under Herm Edwards too. And he lost 12 games ast year. I for one am excited to see Croyle come in and get Crater kneck fired for not making the playoffs.

You simply can't say that Cassel would have been 0-9 under Edwards, sorry. Damon Huard managed to string together a nice series of wins to get this team into the playoffs. Croyle isn't 0-9 JUST because of coaching. He's 0-9 because he doesn't play that well either.

Time for Marty Ball... Run left, run right...play action. It won for 10 years, why not 1 game?

Cassel > Huard > Croyle. At least to this point.


People forget fetal boy won 9 games under Herm.

Because Martyball was fueled by a physically dominating line, something this line is not.

We aren't going to win if we simply try to ground out a win.

Charlie Weis is going to have to use play action passing early and fairly often to get the Charger defnse to back up.

I think opening the game with play action and a shot deep wouldn't be a bad idea. Might get lucky right off.

I hate to disagree with a poster and person of your gigantic magnitude and hugeness, Mr. milkman. But, what is there in Croyle's entire history that indicates he is not "mentally tough"?

He's come back from several nasty injuries time and time again. On top of that, counting college, he's probably played in more "meaningful games" than Cassel ... and won most of them. As for game mentality, he passed for 2,499 yards with 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions his senior year (after coming back from an ACL), won the Cotton Bowl, and set an Alabama school record that year in both passing yards and low interception percentage in the bargain.

He's glass, but that's about the only reasonable knock on the guy. For a player whose tendons seem to be comprised mainly of overdone pasta noodles, he's tough as nails. Damn few quarterbacks would keep rehabbing like he's done. Most of them just retire.

On a related subject ... people keep bringing up the 0 and 9 record (which isn't great, I admit), but every time they do, I keep hearing the words "Herm" and "Repeated Buttsex Helmet Runs Up The Middle" in my brain. Context, my friends, context.

FAX

The mental toughness I am talking about isn't the kind that fuels the drive to come back from injury.

It just seem he lacks the belief in himself to make plays.
Indecisiveness.
An inability to get past his own mistakes and move on to the next play.

He needs to actually be the gunslinger people say he is. He's never actually played that part. Throw the ****ing ball today brodie. Don't just check it down.
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Steve DeBerg

Croyle will have a monster game. He will slam the chargers for massive yards and throw tons of TDs.

My stat prediction:
320 yards
3 TDs
1 INT

Croyle is going to make a statement about who the real starting QB ought to be on this team!

Since I am avoiding a shopping trip and, instead, seeking out someone with intelligence with whom I might argue about entirely meaningless topics today, I shall respond to your crazy idea, Mr. milkman.

Croyle had a crap team around him in 2005. Total crap. As a result, a great deal of Alabama's success that year had Croyle's signature on it. We have to assume that he had the ability to move on (psychologically speaking) to the next play since he did have 4 INTs, a glom of incompletions, and took a brutal beating from his own o-line that ultimately led to a 10 and 2 record.

But, I know that "look" Croyle had during the games. Personally, I view his "pro career" as a kind of weird aberration. When you're drafted by Herm (who tries to convince everybody that a punt is better than a touchdown), Solari is your OC, and the RRP2 is the totality of your weekly gameplan, I think a mystified expression on your quarterback's face is probably reflective of good sense and sanity.

FAX

What the hell are you doing on the intrawebs, you should be getting prepared for the game, Damn Brodie, focus boy focus

If the Croyle that played at Alabama showed up, then we'd have a different discussion.

I do think Herman ****ing Edwards played a big part in turning Croyle into the confused, uncertain QB that we've seen.

I am hoping we see a different Croyle today.

Agreed. People bash Croyle (sometimes for good reason, sometimes for no reason, at all) but Herm couldn't develop a Polaroid ... let alone a quarterback.

Quite the opposite, really. Herm is a QB killer.

FAX

the margin for error todayy is gonna be very small and I will be surprised to see them show enough confidence in Brodie in the first half to let him throw is around very much. I guess i depends on how long it takes for him to calm down and truly be in the game.
To be fair, those things, a lot of the time, come with experience.

Something he hasnt been afforded to this point (partly due to his physical fragility) and likely wont get here in KC.

Can we tender him again after this year if he plays well?