Top 10: Regrettable NFL Offseason Decisions

[Pneuma]

No.1 - Kansas City Chiefs trade for Matt Cassel

A silent alarm should have sounded for the Chiefs when the New England Patriots sold off “franchise” Matt Cassel for such a cheap price. Getting good value from Bill Belichick is like getting a good deal from a greasy used-car salesman: you’re lucky if you get what you pay for.

Cassel looked shiny and nice while he was on Belichick’s lot, but so have many players. Belichick makes his squad into overachievers and then sells high, only to see his parts fail elsewhere. See: Deion Branch, David Givens and Ty Law.

The Chiefs also signed Cassel to the richest contract in franchise history before he even played a snap, which may have been premature. A simple six-month test drive wouldn’t have hurt.

He has ”bust” written all over him and his early struggles in training camp are just the early evidence that the Chiefs got a lemon.

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/sports/...decisions.html

___________________


While I don't agree with the long term signing, I don't think it deserves #1.

[Shag]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Sorry, but that's not an excuse.

Ben Roethlisberger won a ****ing Super Bowl behind a TERRIBLE offensive line last year.

And Cassel himself was successful last year getting sacked more than any other QB in the league.

Roethlisberger didn't exactly tear it up behind that line. His 2008 stat line:

Player Team Pos Comp Att Pct Att/G Yds Avg Yds/G TD Int 1st 1st% Lng 20+ 40+ Sck Rate
Ben Roethlisberger PIT QB 281 469 59.9 29.3 3,301 7.0 206.3 17 15 162 34.5 65T 35 7 46 80.1


Rankings:
Completion % - 21st
Yards - 14th
TDs - 15th
Interceptions - 4th (most)
Sacks - 2nd (most)
QB Rating - 24th


How would you feel about that stat line from Cassel this year?

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Mecca

That one is pretty bad...Delhomme is too but Cassel is right up there if you think he won't pan out.

The problem I have with this is that Orton HAS already shown us that he is a terrible QB. Delhomme HAS already shown us as well.

I'd rather take Cassel over Orton or Delhomme one way or another. Those two has alot of risks and little reward.

Cassel, on the other hand, do have alot of risks, but he also has a high reward.

[beach tribe]

Originally Posted by TFG

Ben was "successful" solely because Ben was able to escape DL hits, hands, and arms in the pocket. The Cards should have had 12 sacks, but 6 or so would be "sacks" Ben got away and made big plays. The Steelers won despite their OL because they had a QB who could turn what would be a sack for 90% of NFL QBs into a big play. Cassel cannot do that. If you want to define the Pats season last year as a "success," be my guest. The only thing "successful" about Cassel for the Pats was that they were able to snake away a high Second for him from yet another really dumb franchise obsessed with acquiring anyone and everyone who ever stood next to Belichick. The current Chief obsession with becoming "Pats Light" should result in yet another top 10 Draft pick in April...

Cassel did exactly what you are talking about in this past PS game a against Minny. Hell it should have been a sack just about every time he dropped back to pass, but he escaped, and made some nice plays. Could you please stop
declaring him a huge mistake until he has had at least 8 games under center for us. Don't be as dumb as the guy writing this POS article.

[TFG]

Preseason game or Super Bowl = no difference ...)

Put Cassel in as the Steelers QB in the Super Bowl and the Cards sack him a dozen times and win easily.

The only question here is which OL is worse at pass protection, Pitt or KC??

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by TFG

Preseason game or Super Bowl = no difference ...)

Put Cassel in as the Steelers QB in the Super Bowl and the Cards sack him a dozen times and win easily.

The only question here is which OL is worse at pass protection, Pitt or KC??

Last season, the Patriots won 11 games with Cassel under center, even though the first half of the season was on-the-job training for the guy. He was sacked one more time than Roethlisberger was, but his sack numbers decreased dramatically in the second half of the season. As the season went on, he not only became able to avoid the rush, he became a running threat, finishing with 270 yards rushing.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by TFG

Preseason game or Super Bowl = no difference ...)

Put Cassel in as the Steelers QB in the Super Bowl and the Cards sack him a dozen times and win easily.

The only question here is which OL is worse at pass protection, Pitt or KC??

Roethlisberger was sacked 1 fewer time than Cassel was.

[TFG]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Last season, the Patriots won 11 games with Cassel under center, even though the first half of the season was on-the-job training for the guy. He was sacked one more time than Roethlisberger was, but his sack numbers decreased dramatically in the second half of the season. As the season went on, he not only became able to avoid the rush, he became a running threat, finishing with 270 yards rushing.

Pats with starting QB = 16 wins
Pats with backup QB = 11 wins, no playoffs

Matt Cassel was a backup at USC for a reason. The reason is that he really does not have a strong arm. Cassel floats anything more than 25 yards or so. Good thing the Chiefs don't have any "deep threats" because they would be "decoys." Cassel is smart, has a reasonably quick release, and is better than most NFL backup QBs. The way to stop Cassel is to play tight, safeties up, jump routes, and dare him to throw it deep, because he can't zip a deep ball. Even the Raiders will eventually figure it out...

[TFG]

Originally Posted by Brock

Roethlisberger was sacked 1 fewer time than Cassel was.

Pass protection = sacks allowed


Only an actual sack counts as "evidence" of poor pass protection. If the DE burns the OLT and grabs the QB, and the QB escapes, that was excellent pass protection, because an actual sack did not happen.

Hence, Titans ORT Dave Stewart is just awesome at pass protection, since Collins wasn't sacked much at all, nevermind the Titan offense was run run run run quick throw run run run...

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by TFG

Pats with starting QB = 16 wins
Pats with backup QB = 11 wins, no playoffs

Matt Cassel was a backup at USC for a reason. The reason is that he really does not have a strong arm. Cassel floats anything more than 25 yards or so. Good thing the Chiefs don't have any "deep threats" because they would be "decoys." Cassel is smart, has a reasonably quick release, and is better than most NFL backup QBs. The way to stop Cassel is to play tight, safeties up, jump routes, and dare him to throw it deep, because he can't zip a deep ball. Even the Raiders will eventually figure it out...

Cassel's 'problem' with the deep ball to Moss was that he couldn't beat the triple teams that Moss faces. He didn't have a problem with the deep ball when it went right through Gaffney's hands on what would have been the difference-making touchdown against the Colts, for example. Also, as Chiefs fans can, no doubt, remember, he didn't have any trouble throwing the deep ball from his own end zone in week one. By the end of last season, with teams all having the book on Cassel, they weren't able to "play tight, safeties up, jump routes, and dare him to throw it deep" enough to beat the Patriots.

Newsflash: Cassel is not the best QB in the NFL. That doesn't mean that Cassel can't play. It means he's in with every other QB in the game who's not named Tom Brady.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Originally Posted by Mecca

And they'll be in play for a long time, we're talking about a fan base that actually tried to justify that Brodie Croyle and Matt Ryan were similar prospects.

Link to the fanbase. Please.

[TFG]

Originally Posted by Just Passin' By

Cassel's 'problem' with the deep ball to Moss was that he couldn't beat the triple teams that Moss faces. He didn't have a problem with the deep ball when it went right through Gaffney's hands on what would have been the difference-making touchdown against the Colts, for example. Also, as Chiefs fans can, no doubt, remember, he didn't have any trouble throwing the deep ball from his own end zone in week one. By the end of last season, with teams all having the book on Cassel, they weren't able to "play tight, safeties up, jump routes, and dare him to throw it deep" enough to beat the Patriots.

Newsflash: Cassel is not the best QB in the NFL. That doesn't mean that Cassel can't play. It means he's in with every other QB in the game who's not named Tom Brady.

Moss was not triple teamed with Cassel at QB. Show me a clip of a "deep ball" by Cassel and I will show you a rainbow floater.

2008 Week 17 = copied from nfl dot com...

Cassel - longest completion 19 yards


Week 16

2nd longest completion 42 yards = M.Cassel pass short left to 34-S.Morris pushed ob at ARZ 14 for 42 yards (26-R.Hood).

LONGEST pass completion 76 yards = 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 81-R.Moss for 76 yards



Aw, heck, you'll notice...

[Just Passin' By]

Originally Posted by TFG

Moss was not triple teamed with Cassel at QB. Show me a clip of a "deep ball" by Cassel and I will show you a rainbow floater.

2008 Week 17 = copied from nfl dot com...

Cassel - longest completion 19 yards


Week 16

2nd longest completion 42 yards = M.Cassel pass short left to 34-S.Morris pushed ob at ARZ 14 for 42 yards (26-R.Hood).

LONGEST pass completion 76 yards = 16-M.Cassel pass short left to 81-R.Moss for 76 yards



Aw, heck, you'll notice...

I saw every snap Cassel took last season.

[Jim Jones]

The Patriots aren't always right on players they sign or players they release. It just so happens that most Patriot players looked bad once the team let them go because in most of those instances, the player was old or over the hill. In many of those cases that people like to point out of the Patriots being right about letting someone go, SCOTT PIOLI was the one pulling the trigger on that move.. you know, our GM. So I don't know why Belichick is getting the benefit of the doubt with some people around here and Pioli isn't.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Here is the douchebag who wrote this tripe:

http://hardcoresportsradio.com/membe...v/default.aspx

nice beard, nice pedophilostache, nice hair, nice nose. What a tool. Nice shirt. Since this homo (nttawwt) wrote this, I'm guessing Cassel ends up lighting up the league.

[TFG]

Originally Posted by Jim Jones

The Patriots aren't always right on players they sign or players they release. It just so happens that most Patriot players looked bad once the team let them go because in most of those instances, the player was old or over the hill. In many of those cases that people like to point out of the Patriots being right about letting someone go, SCOTT PIOLI was the one pulling the trigger on that move.. you know, our GM. So I don't know why Belichick is getting the benefit of the doubt with some people around here and Pioli isn't.

Personally, I don't really care who did the trade etc. I just care about what I saw of the player while he was playing football. You have a pair of eyes. Use them. Stop playing "the greater guru I'm parroting knows better than the guru you are parroting." How could anyone question the great Super Bowl coach Dick Vermeil for cutting undrafted OG Ryan Lilja.... unless you actually watched Lilja and noticed he was extremely good. If I came here to Chiefs Planet and told everyone here the Chiefs were really stupid to cut Lilja the day they did, how many responses would have told me that Vermeil "knows better than you!!!" ??????

Cassel is not going to escape sacks like Big Ben and he does not have a "gun" beyond about 25 yards for a "zipped" pass. Cutler can zip it 45 yards - Jamarcus about 55. If the defense knows the QB has a limited ability to zip a ball down the field, the strategy then becomes to bait him to try, which, as the "play by play" from last year suggests, he didn't... because not every NFL team had that figured out properly. They will eventually.