Chiefs Teicher:Cassel not a major contributor to offense against Eagles

**Tribal Warfare** · 09-27-2009, 11:50 PM

Cassel not a major contributor to offense against Eagles
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

PHILADELPHIA | It wouldn’t qualify as a day off for Matt Cassel, not after he hit the deck three times in the first half alone because of Philadelphia’s fierce pass rush.

But Cassel threw just 18 passes in the Chiefs’ 34-14 loss to the Eagles on Sunday, a tiny amount given the double-digit deficits the Chiefs faced in the game’s final 2 1/2 quarters.

He was asked to throw just eight times in the second half, but handed off to Larry Johnson 12 times in that span.

“As a quarterback, you don’t second-guess anything,” Cassel said. “You just try to execute the offense and try to have success at what you’re doing.”

The Chiefs’ biggest pass play came from wide receiver Mark Bradley, who after taking a lateral from Cassel tossed a 26-yard pass to Jamaal Charles. Cassel’s longest completion was 13 yards.

So, other than Cassel’s two touchdown passes — a 13-yarder to Bradley and a 9-yarder to Bobby Wade — he delivered virtually nothing of value.

“As the quarterback and as the leader on the team, you have to stay positive,” Cassel said. “There is light at the end of the tunnel. We’re doing good things. We have to eliminate the bad football. Penalties killed us. We have to eliminate that and keep working hard.

“We’ve got enough players where we can go out and compete with anybody. We just have to eliminate the bad football. We’ve just got to keep working hard, keep our heads down and come out of this thing on the other side.

“We can compete with anybody in the NFL. We just need to make better decisions when we’re out there and eliminate the penalties.”

The Chiefs didn’t appear to have much of an interest in competing with the Eagles. Their running game dominated the second half, a decision made by coach Todd Haley in part because of the pressure Cassel faced early in the game.

“A lot of times,” Cassel said, “they were bringing more than we could block.”

The touchdown pass to Bradley in the second quarter ended the Chiefs’ only sustained drive of the game. It cut Kansas City’s deficit to 14-7 and appeared to give the Chiefs some life.

But on Philadelphia’s next play, Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, putting his team ahead again by 14 points.

That was as small a deficit as the Chiefs would face the rest of the way. Their final touchdown came in the final minutes after a Philadelphia fumble gave the Chiefs the ball at the Eagles 20.

“The energy on the sideline changes,” Cassel said, referring to Kolb’s momentum-changing pass to Jackson. “We didn’t do anything offensively really to re-establish that momentum. We fought an uphill battle all day.”

09-27-2009, 11:50 PM	Topic Starter
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2977187	Teicher:Cassel not a major contributor to offense against Eagles Cassel not a major contributor to offense against Eagles By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star PHILADELPHIA \| It wouldn’t qualify as a day off for Matt Cassel, not after he hit the deck three times in the first half alone because of Philadelphia’s fierce pass rush. But Cassel threw just 18 passes in the Chiefs’ 34-14 loss to the Eagles on Sunday, a tiny amount given the double-digit deficits the Chiefs faced in the game’s final 2 1/2 quarters. He was asked to throw just eight times in the second half, but handed off to Larry Johnson 12 times in that span. “As a quarterback, you don’t second-guess anything,” Cassel said. “You just try to execute the offense and try to have success at what you’re doing.” The Chiefs’ biggest pass play came from wide receiver Mark Bradley, who after taking a lateral from Cassel tossed a 26-yard pass to Jamaal Charles. Cassel’s longest completion was 13 yards. So, other than Cassel’s two touchdown passes — a 13-yarder to Bradley and a 9-yarder to Bobby Wade — he delivered virtually nothing of value. “As the quarterback and as the leader on the team, you have to stay positive,” Cassel said. “There is light at the end of the tunnel. We’re doing good things. We have to eliminate the bad football. Penalties killed us. We have to eliminate that and keep working hard. “We’ve got enough players where we can go out and compete with anybody. We just have to eliminate the bad football. We’ve just got to keep working hard, keep our heads down and come out of this thing on the other side. “We can compete with anybody in the NFL. We just need to make better decisions when we’re out there and eliminate the penalties.” The Chiefs didn’t appear to have much of an interest in competing with the Eagles. Their running game dominated the second half, a decision made by coach Todd Haley in part because of the pressure Cassel faced early in the game. “A lot of times,” Cassel said, “they were bringing more than we could block.” The touchdown pass to Bradley in the second quarter ended the Chiefs’ only sustained drive of the game. It cut Kansas City’s deficit to 14-7 and appeared to give the Chiefs some life. But on Philadelphia’s next play, Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, putting his team ahead again by 14 points. That was as small a deficit as the Chiefs would face the rest of the way. Their final touchdown came in the final minutes after a Philadelphia fumble gave the Chiefs the ball at the Eagles 20. “The energy on the sideline changes,” Cassel said, referring to Kolb’s momentum-changing pass to Jackson. “We didn’t do anything offensively really to re-establish that momentum. We fought an uphill battle all day.”
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