Chiefs KC Star - Chiefs QBs Quinn, Cassel prepare for new roles

Marcellus · 03:26 PM

Chiefs QBs Quinn, Cassel prepare for new roles

By ADAM TEICHER

The Kansas City Star

In one corner of the Chiefs’ locker room this week, there is joy over a career possibly revived. Brady Quinn’s journey through the NFL, which had once appeared so promising, had gone mostly dormant until Monday, when head coach Romeo Crennel declared him the team’s new starting quarterback.

In another corner of the same room, there is sadness about a career that could be ruined. Matt Cassel’s run as an NFL starter has come to an end for the time being, and perhaps forever.

Crennel summed it up with his simple explanation of why Quinn, and not Cassel, will start Sunday’s game against Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium — and remain the Chiefs’ starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

“My biggest deal was my gut (feeling) in telling me that I needed to impact the team by changing the dynamic — by having a different dynamic,” Crennel said. “Brady Quinn is the guy I want to go with.”

That’s the way things work for NFL quarterbacks: One man’s good fortune is another man’s misery. For Quinn, the change represents a well-traveled but seldom-started veteran’s chance — perhaps his last one — to realize the potential he showed at Notre Dame, and later as a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2007.

It dawned on Quinn this week that he wouldn’t be the first quarterback to claim success long after others had left his career for dead.

That, of course, is only if he can make something of this trial with the Chiefs.

“Those sorts of thoughts come at the back end (of one’s career),” Quinn said. “If you asked Rich Gannon where his career jump-started at, Steve Young where his career jump-started at, Kurt Warner, etc. — those are great quarterbacks. I’m not comparing myself to anybody, but I think those guys will probably tell you that it was after the fact, looking back, that they would tell you where they kind of jump-started their careers.

“They might have thought it at times throughout, and it may not have worked out for them that way. So for me, it’s not ever about focusing on that. It’s focusing on the process of getting better and trying to come out of each game feeling like I’ve gotten better. I know we didn’t win (against Tampa Bay), and I didn’t play great, but I felt like I got better that day. I learned things either through my mistakes or through some good things there on the field.

“It’s not necessarily about the end result right now. I’ll worry about that once my career is over.”

In the meantime, Quinn said he is trying not to let the bigger picture affect his daily preparation.

“There is always pressure in games,” Quinn said. “Pressure is what you make of it. As a quarterback in this league, you’re used to it. We do a good job with our coaching staff, and really the players in here, of rallying around each other and focusing on what’s on the field and not necessarily what’s around us.

“I’m not the type of guy to play hypotheticals. I don’t let my mind wander to those spots.”

One of the more intriguing aspects to this upward trend in Quinn’s career is that it’s happening while he’s reunited with Crennel, who coached the Browns when Quinn was drafted. The futures of both men may again be tied together; it’s quite possible that one won’t succeed unless the other does.

For Cassel, things are more complicated. He didn’t come to the NFL with Quinn’s pedigree — he wasn’t even a starter at Southern Cal, and the Patriots risked a mere seventh-round draft pick on him in 2005. In fact, Cassel became a starter in New England only when Tom Brady was injured in 2008. Given that opportunity, he played well enough that Scott Pioli traded for him after becoming the Chiefs’ general manager in 2009.

Since then, Cassel experienced some highs (he made the Pro Bowl and the Chiefs won the AFC West in 2010) and lows (he’s currently the NFL’s worst-rated passer).

“Anytime you make a change at a highlight position like quarterback, the young man who is playing that position doesn’t like it,” Crennel said. “But I think Matt is a good pro and he’ll be a team player as it relates to it. And I think he’ll continue to do everything he can to help the team win. Matt does try hard, he does work hard, but things have not been happening right with this team, so I’m changing the dynamic and we’ll see what happens with Quinn as the starter.’’

Cassel clearly wasn’t happy with the change, perhaps because he understands its long-term ramifications. Barring an emergency — Quinn getting hurt, for instance — it will be difficult for the Chiefs to go back to a quarterback they once benched.

And unlike Quinn, Cassel probably doesn’t have the kind of background or natural ability that will make him attractive to another team as a potential starter.

“Right now, I am the backup,” he said, as if he was still trying to get used to the sound of it. “That is my role on this team. I’ll embrace that role and I’ll work hard, and if my opportunity comes to play, I’ll be ready to go.

“You’re not going to take the fight out of me. I’m going to continue to fight, continue to compete in whatever capacity that is.”

Cassel might need every bit of that attitude if he’s going to resurrect his career.

There’s an adjustment to being a backup again, one that Quinn knows well.

“It changes the dynamics, for sure,” Cassel said. “I’ve been in (the starter’s) role now for four or five years. It’ll take a little bit of an adjustment period. But it won’t change my work ethic or how (hard) I work.”

Posted on Tue, Oct. 23, 2012 01:55 PM

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/23...#storylink=cpy

And so it begins.....................

More hard hitting news from Tiecher. One thing I like is the finality of Cassel being benched. It's just relieving.

Reerun_KC · 10-23-2012, 03:13 PM

LOL, Real nice Chiefs, replace a pile of dog shit with a pile of warmer dog shit...

FML, this franchise and its QB's...

tredadda · 10-24-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

LOL, Real nice Chiefs, replace a pile of dog shit with a pile of warmer dog shit...

FML, this franchise and its QB's...

We flew a banner that wanted Cassel benched. He is and now you complain about it? Who do you think was going to replace him? The season has to end before we can draft a first round QB. We can't just pull him out of college to start for us right now. Our options were Cassel, Quinn, or Stanzi.

Reerun_KC · 10-24-2012, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tredadda

We flew a banner that wanted Cassel benched. He is and now you complain about it? Who do you think was going to replace him? The season has to end before we can draft a first round QB. We can't just pull him out of college to start for us right now. Our options were Cassel, Quinn, or Stanzi.

Which is why I said "FML, this franchise and its QB's..."

I voted for wildcat. Cassel and Quinn are one in the same and Stanzi has zero business in the NFL...

FML, this franchise and its QB's...

tredadda · 10-24-2012, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Which is why I said "FML, this franchise and its QB's..."

I voted for wildcat. Cassel and Quinn are one in the same and Stanzi has zero business in the NFL...

FML, this franchise and its QB's...

Yes they are all garbage, but this abortion of a season has to end before we can remedy it. We all knew this was a possibility when Pioli brought Quinn in to be Cassel's "competition". Now we just have to sit back and endure hoping Clark slash and burns this entire team (minus the star players).

milkman · 10-24-2012, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Which is why I said "FML, this franchise and its QB's..."

I voted for wildcat. Cassel and Quinn are one in the same and Stanzi has zero business in the NFL...

FML, this franchise and its QB's...

Before this team could move on, they had to finally recognize that Cassel was shit.

Benching him in favor of Brady Quinn is the first step.

I don't give a rat's ass that Quinn is also shit.

We now have hope that QB becomes the highest priority in the draft.

whoman69 · 10-24-2012, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Before this team could move on, they had to finally recognize that Cassel was shit.

Benching him in favor of Brady Quinn is the first step.

I don't give a rat's ass that Quinn is also shit.

We now have hope that QB becomes the highest priority in the draft.

Ditto. The fact that they made the change is the first step.

Rasputin · 10-24-2012, 12:50 PM

My ceiling for Quinn is what I said about Kyle Orton. He will bring the good the bad and the fugly. Its going be a roller coaster ride with him looking good one minute then a WTF?!? moment the next. Not the same as Cassell in that it was just rair for those good moments to happen and we just knew he would **** up anyways.

I don't really expect Quinn to pass as many yards as Kyle Orton but I think he is going use his legs more and run for them extra yards. Much like Kyle Orton his problem was finding the endzone for TDs. Kyle Orton red zone efficiency was horrid. Can Quinn be any better than Kyle Orton I think not. Are Pioli & Romeo going be dumb and any time Quinn makes a big play or we win just handful of games they will put him as our QB next year, I think so. That's my fear.

suds79 · 10-23-2012, 03:16 PM

Man it's got to be tough right now for Adam to write stories.

I couldn't even bring myself to being reading it. My initial though to the headline was "And nobody cares."

Just lose baby.

**Rausch** · 10-23-2012, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus

More hard hitting news from Tiecher. One thing I like is the finality of Cassel being benched. It's just relieving.

I can't read that enough...

Pasta Little Brioni · 10-23-2012, 03:17 PM

It's truly the end of Cassel. A reason for all Chief fans to celebrate. April is going to be like Christmas morning when they unwrap their new QB.

keg in kc · 10-23-2012, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGM

It's truly the end of Cassel. A reason for all Chief fans to celebrate. April is going to be like Christmas morning when they unwrap their new QB.

April? What, is it going to take them a month to introduce their latest free agent journeyman starter?

**RealSNR** · 10-24-2012, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

April? What, is it going to take them a month to introduce their latest free agent journeyman starter?

Belichick and Pioli got hung up on the insider details of the Ryan Mallett trade. Eventually Pioli would cave in just in time for the draft so we can take our new ILB/CB/NT

**Rausch** · 10-23-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGM

It's truly the end of Cassel. A reason for all Chief fans to celebrate. April is going to be like Christmas morning when they unwrap their new QB.

The first baby step has been taken.

First you have to admit you've got a problem...

**DaneMcCloud** · 10-23-2012, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcellus

.

Dude, you need to copy articles to Microsoft Notepad before posting to the forum so that the formatting isn't lost.

10-23-2012, 03:12 PM	Topic Starter
Marcellus Diablo Negro Join Date: Sep 2003 Casino cash: $2562662	KC Star - Chiefs QBs Quinn, Cassel prepare for new roles Chiefs QBs Quinn, Cassel prepare for new roles By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star In one corner of the Chiefs’ locker room this week, there is joy over a career possibly revived. Brady Quinn’s journey through the NFL, which had once appeared so promising, had gone mostly dormant until Monday, when head coach Romeo Crennel declared him the team’s new starting quarterback. In another corner of the same room, there is sadness about a career that could be ruined. Matt Cassel’s run as an NFL starter has come to an end for the time being, and perhaps forever. Crennel summed it up with his simple explanation of why Quinn, and not Cassel, will start Sunday’s game against Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium — and remain the Chiefs’ starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. “My biggest deal was my gut (feeling) in telling me that I needed to impact the team by changing the dynamic — by having a different dynamic,” Crennel said. “Brady Quinn is the guy I want to go with.” That’s the way things work for NFL quarterbacks: One man’s good fortune is another man’s misery. For Quinn, the change represents a well-traveled but seldom-started veteran’s chance — perhaps his last one — to realize the potential he showed at Notre Dame, and later as a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2007. It dawned on Quinn this week that he wouldn’t be the first quarterback to claim success long after others had left his career for dead. That, of course, is only if he can make something of this trial with the Chiefs. “Those sorts of thoughts come at the back end (of one’s career),” Quinn said. “If you asked Rich Gannon where his career jump-started at, Steve Young where his career jump-started at, Kurt Warner, etc. — those are great quarterbacks. I’m not comparing myself to anybody, but I think those guys will probably tell you that it was after the fact, looking back, that they would tell you where they kind of jump-started their careers. “They might have thought it at times throughout, and it may not have worked out for them that way. So for me, it’s not ever about focusing on that. It’s focusing on the process of getting better and trying to come out of each game feeling like I’ve gotten better. I know we didn’t win (against Tampa Bay), and I didn’t play great, but I felt like I got better that day. I learned things either through my mistakes or through some good things there on the field. “It’s not necessarily about the end result right now. I’ll worry about that once my career is over.” In the meantime, Quinn said he is trying not to let the bigger picture affect his daily preparation. “There is always pressure in games,” Quinn said. “Pressure is what you make of it. As a quarterback in this league, you’re used to it. We do a good job with our coaching staff, and really the players in here, of rallying around each other and focusing on what’s on the field and not necessarily what’s around us. “I’m not the type of guy to play hypotheticals. I don’t let my mind wander to those spots.” One of the more intriguing aspects to this upward trend in Quinn’s career is that it’s happening while he’s reunited with Crennel, who coached the Browns when Quinn was drafted. The futures of both men may again be tied together; it’s quite possible that one won’t succeed unless the other does. For Cassel, things are more complicated. He didn’t come to the NFL with Quinn’s pedigree — he wasn’t even a starter at Southern Cal, and the Patriots risked a mere seventh-round draft pick on him in 2005. In fact, Cassel became a starter in New England only when Tom Brady was injured in 2008. Given that opportunity, he played well enough that Scott Pioli traded for him after becoming the Chiefs’ general manager in 2009. Since then, Cassel experienced some highs (he made the Pro Bowl and the Chiefs won the AFC West in 2010) and lows (he’s currently the NFL’s worst-rated passer). “Anytime you make a change at a highlight position like quarterback, the young man who is playing that position doesn’t like it,” Crennel said. “But I think Matt is a good pro and he’ll be a team player as it relates to it. And I think he’ll continue to do everything he can to help the team win. Matt does try hard, he does work hard, but things have not been happening right with this team, so I’m changing the dynamic and we’ll see what happens with Quinn as the starter.’’ Cassel clearly wasn’t happy with the change, perhaps because he understands its long-term ramifications. Barring an emergency — Quinn getting hurt, for instance — it will be difficult for the Chiefs to go back to a quarterback they once benched. And unlike Quinn, Cassel probably doesn’t have the kind of background or natural ability that will make him attractive to another team as a potential starter. “Right now, I am the backup,” he said, as if he was still trying to get used to the sound of it. “That is my role on this team. I’ll embrace that role and I’ll work hard, and if my opportunity comes to play, I’ll be ready to go. “You’re not going to take the fight out of me. I’m going to continue to fight, continue to compete in whatever capacity that is.” Cassel might need every bit of that attitude if he’s going to resurrect his career. There’s an adjustment to being a backup again, one that Quinn knows well. “It changes the dynamics, for sure,” Cassel said. “I’ve been in (the starter’s) role now for four or five years. It’ll take a little bit of an adjustment period. But it won’t change my work ethic or how (hard) I work.” Posted on Tue, Oct. 23, 2012 01:55 PM Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/10/23...#storylink=cpy And so it begins..................... More hard hitting news from Tiecher. One thing I like is the finality of Cassel being benched. It's just relieving. Last edited by Marcellus; 10-23-2012 at 03:26 PM..
Posts: 69,803

10-23-2012, 03:13 PM	#2
Reerun_KC Rock Chalk Jayhawks! KU!!! Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $8241160	LOL, Real nice Chiefs, replace a pile of dog shit with a pile of warmer dog shit... FML, this franchise and its QB's...
Posts: 934

10-24-2012, 12:50 PM	#8
Rasputin Tip of the hat LIV Champs Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: ks Casino cash: $2995421	My ceiling for Quinn is what I said about Kyle Orton. He will bring the good the bad and the fugly. Its going be a roller coaster ride with him looking good one minute then a WTF?!? moment the next. Not the same as Cassell in that it was just rair for those good moments to happen and we just knew he would **** up anyways. I don't really expect Quinn to pass as many yards as Kyle Orton but I think he is going use his legs more and run for them extra yards. Much like Kyle Orton his problem was finding the endzone for TDs. Kyle Orton red zone efficiency was horrid. Can Quinn be any better than Kyle Orton I think not. Are Pioli & Romeo going be dumb and any time Quinn makes a big play or we win just handful of games they will put him as our QB next year, I think so. That's my fear. __________________ A Brave Man Once Requested Me To Answer Questions That Are Key 'Is It To Be Or Not To Be' And I Replied Oh Why Ask Me
Posts: 55,003

10-23-2012, 03:16 PM	#9
suds79 MVP Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $10005036	Man it's got to be tough right now for Adam to write stories. I couldn't even bring myself to being reading it. My initial though to the headline was "And nobody cares." Just lose baby.
Posts: 5,747

10-23-2012, 03:17 PM	#11
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $3428880	It's truly the end of Cassel. A reason for all Chief fans to celebrate. April is going to be like Christmas morning when they unwrap their new QB. __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 69,310