Chiefs Cassel Is Failing Chiefs - Page 6

Hammock Parties · 10-25-2009, 07:30 PM

http://kan.scout.com/2/912917.html

It’s easy to blame the Chiefs’ terrible pass defense or rotten, handicapped offensive line play for Sunday’s 37-7 blowout at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. But you can do that every week. At some point you have to call out the highest-paid player, so it’s time to lay it at the feet of Matt Cassel.

There’s no question Cassel shares some of the blame for the Chiefs’ 1-6 start. He blew a game against the Oakland Raiders in Week 2 but it was nothing compared to what transpired inside a soggy Arrowhead Stadium Sunday. The Chiefs had 19 net passing yards and zero passing first downs at halftime against the Chargers, and even that total was “inflated” by a two-minute drill. At one point, Cassel had dropped back to pass eight times and completed one pass for a grand total of two net yards.

When it was all over, Kansas City had only three passing first downs despite Cassel’s 25 attempts. His 25.3 quarterback rating, a horrifying statistic in a vacuum, appears even more revolting when you consider that it was the lowest rating a Chiefs’ starter has posted since Tyler Thigpen melted down in Atlanta a year ago.

Yes, we’re now revisiting a level of incompetence from KC’s passing game that we haven’t seen since Herm Edwards was trying to save his job by throwing Thigpen to the wolves.

Sunday’s game was that bad. The Chiefs appeared to be a team that cannot field even an average passing attack, and this came at home against a San Diego team with a mediocre secondary and a terrible pass rush. I’m not sure Shaw-knee Merriman touched Cassel, but it really didn’t matter.

As soon as his pocket became congested against the Chargers, Cassel looked lost. The play was dead. And when Cassel did throw, the results were less than inspiring. Specifically, his accuracy hit the bottom of the barrel against the Chargers.

In the second quarter, Cassel threw an awful pass that was intended for newly-activated wide receiver Lance Long. It was underthrown and nearly intercepted. On the next play, Long got a step deep on his coverage, but once again the pass was underthrown and Long was forced to reach back awkwardly in a failed attempt to catch it.

Were they difficult throws? Sure. But Cassel is the highest-paid Chief. He’s supposed to be a difference maker. He failed to make a difference. The Chiefs, already down 14-0 at that point, couldn’t really afford to punt again, but had to because they simply couldn’t move the ball through the air. At all.

A few plays later, Cassel badly skipped a ball to a wide-open Dwayne Bowe, who would have picked up a first down. It wasn’t a difficult throw, and Cassel had a perfect pocket to pass from. He just dumped the ball right in the dirt. Is there really any excuse for that from the highest-paid Chief?

But what really stings is, at one point, Kansas City had a chance to get back in the ball game. They were down 13 points, had been out-gained 2-to-1, and Arrowhead Stadium was a drippy, depressing, scene. But on their first possession of the third quarter, the Chiefs had scored, then KC’s defense had stuffed San Diego’s offense, and all the momentum was on Matt Cassel’s side.

It was at that point that he dropped back to throw, stepped up and heaved one of those long, graceful, arcing spirals you always see in slow motion on NFL Films highlights. For a brief second, Chiefs fans may have seen Jamaal Charles breaking open, seen the ball sailing through the air and thought – this is it! Matt Cassel is about to throw a 65-yard touchdown pass, no one can run down Charles, and this place is about to go crazy! We’re back in this game!

And then the pass fluttered off to the right as Charles made a hopeless stab at an over-the-shoulder miracle catch. The ball thumped into the wet grass and slipped away, just like the opportunity.

Cassel blew it, and he blew the next play when he badly overthrew a wide, wide open Bobby Wade streaking down the right sideline for what was, at least, a 20-yard gain and potentially a touchdown. The pass wasn’t even close. Wade would have needed a last-second gust of hurricane-force wind to catch up to it.

And that was it. On third and long, Cassel scrambled for two meaningless yards, the Chiefs punted, the Chargers torched KC’s defense for another long touchdown. Game over.

The Chiefs had missed their window of opportunity to get back in the game. When you’re a 1-6 team, those chances don’t come along that often. The highest-paid player on the team has to seize the moment. Matt Cassel failed to do that, and right now he is failing the Chiefs. His performance Sunday was as bad as anything we saw from Thigpen a year ago, and could have been worse. Cassel’s three interceptions could have easily been five. If Bowe doesn’t make a sensational play on the end-zone boundary, the Chiefs don’t even score.

Chiefs fans love to laugh at Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell, who is completing only 45.6 percent of his passes. But Cassel is now keeping him company, just four spots above at 54.8 percent. Cassel is 34th in the NFL in yards per attempt (note that there are only 32 starting quarterbacks) and the Chiefs have the league’s worst third-down conversion rate.

Are the questions that arose around Cassel last season in New England still an issue? It’s hard to argue otherwise. The Patriots had a woeful deep passing game a year ago and Sunday, Charles might as well have been Randy Moss getting wide open down the field only to watch the ball sail over his head. There are no shortage of plays where Cassel holds onto the ball and takes a sack, and at this rate, after taking 47 sacks with the Patriots and already another 23 this season, he may wind up as the most-sacked quarterback in the league over the last two seasons. These are not trends that should be ignored.

The saddest part may be that at times, Cassel actually shows signs of being the franchise quarterback he’s paid to be. Sunday, he made a spectacular throw to Long that would have gone for a touchdown had it not been dropped. He threw gorgeous passes to Bowe for clutch, game-tying touchdowns against the Raiders and Cowboys. He has protected the ball well, been a good teammate, played with heart and determination and said all the right things.

But the Chiefs are 1-6, have one of the league’s worst passing games, and here we are comparing Cassel to Thigpen and Russell. After Sunday, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been a giant disappointment. The Chiefs had a chance, if only for the briefest of moments, and Cassel failed them. His contract demands success.

**tyler360** · 10-25-2009, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

Jay Cutler threw 3 INT's today and the Bears got crushed by the Bungles....does this mean that Cutler is terrible too?

This Cassel hate is ridiculous. He had a bad game...move on. The whole team sucks.
Posted via Mobile Device

At least culter has a ton of talent. Cassel does not and he has yet to have a good game. When a player is paid the big bucks it is not unreasonable to expect better than dog shit performance from him

WildTurkey · 10-25-2009, 10:10 PM

If Haley can figure out anything with this pile of shit team then he deserves a ****ing monument built in his image

chiefs1111 · 10-25-2009, 10:10 PM

I also hope like hell the Chiefs find a good offensive coordinator in the off season

Coach · 10-25-2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

How long until we hear the "Start Croyle Again" movement?

There were a few people chanting "Brodie! Brodie! Brodie!" but it wasn't very loud.

Mojo Jojo · 10-25-2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Mojo, you sure say some silly things sometimes.

Even the NFL's official site refers to it as a quarterback rating.

http://www.nfl.com/help/quarterbackratingformula

But really...it's irrelevant. Silly mojo.

Did you read it...If not here it is...
The NFL rates its passers for statistical purposes against a fixed performance standard based on statistical achievements of all qualified pro passers since 1960. The current system replaced one that rated passers in relation to their position in a total group based on various criteria.

The current system, which was adopted in 1973, removes inequities that existed in the former method and, at the same time, provides a means of comparing passing performances from one season to the next.

It is important to remember that the system is used to rate pass-ers, not quarterbacks. Statistics do not reflect leadership, play-calling, and other intangible factors that go into making a successful professional quarterback.

So, according to your link the stat rates passers not quarterbacks.

And yes, I am being a smart ass. I still have the footage of Nick sleeping in DV's press conference and the Chiefs PR people waking him up to go get the free lunch.

**tyler360** · 10-25-2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coach

There were a few people chanting "Brodie! Brodie! Brodie!" but it wasn't very loud.

An amazingly drunk guy in my section was yelling for Hailey to punt it on the 4th down attempt. That is sad when a plastered idiot fan knows to make the right call and your head coach does not

WildTurkey · 10-25-2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyler360

At least culter has a ton of talent. Cassel does not and he has yet to have a good game. When a player is paid the big bucks it is not unreasonable to expect better than dog shit performance from him

yeah cause this team would be awesome with a really talented QB right now right? he's played bad but it's not all on him they are all overpaid for how they are performing... except maybe Succop

Mecca · 10-25-2009, 10:14 PM

Lets put it this way, for what Cassel makes if he keeps playing like this he's going to get Haley fired.

**tyler360** · 10-25-2009, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildTurkey

yeah cause this team would be awesome with a really talented QB right now right? he's played bad but it's not all on him they are all overpaid for how they are performing... except maybe Succop

The reason I say that is because the organization has hitched its wagon onto Cassel and said he is our Franchise guy. Franchise guys do not play the way Cassel has so far this season

Mecca · 10-25-2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyler360

The reason I say that is because the organization has hitched its wagon onto Cassel and said he is our Franchise guy. Franchise guys do not play the way Cassel has so far this season

Not when they're 27 anyway.

**DeezNutz** · 10-25-2009, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyler360

The reason I say that is because the organization has hitched its wagon onto Cassel and said he is our Franchise guy. Franchise guys do not play the way Cassel has so far this season

He's not a franchise guy.

He's just a guy. A very pedestrian guy who happens to make a lot of money and will be another name that we rattle off in a few years when remembering the list of has-beens and never-weres that were trotted out as starting QBs for this franchise.

WildTurkey · 10-25-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

Lets put it this way, for what Cassel makes if he keeps playing like this he's going to get Haley fired.

The whole team played like dog shit..... I fail to see how this is some great indictment on Cassel... this team is terrible not an excuse just a fact, honestly I expected his struggling, no o-line, one good but inconsistent WR, and no running game not to mention a brand new offense a week before the season... anyone who expected him to thrive under those circumstances need their heads checked... is he the answer at QB? who knows but it's tough to judge either way based on the start of this season, If Pioli really wants him to be the guy he needs to put him in a situation where he can thrive and he is not even close to that right now

PlasticMan · 10-25-2009, 10:24 PM

I remember seeing Matt throw a pretty good pass down field last year that beat us in week one

**tyler360** · 10-25-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

He's not a franchise guy.

He's just a guy. A very pedestrian guy who happens to make a lot of money and will be another name that we rattle off in a few years when remembering the list of has-beens and never-weres that were trotted out as starting QBs for this franchise.

Sadly you are right after today's game i really think we got Damon Huard 2.0. The much more expensive version.

wild1 · 10-25-2009, 10:25 PM

It's only one game. This one was a good deal below the level he's played at for the rest of the season.

10-25-2009, 07:30 PM
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $800478	Cassel Is Failing Chiefs http://kan.scout.com/2/912917.html It’s easy to blame the Chiefs’ terrible pass defense or rotten, handicapped offensive line play for Sunday’s 37-7 blowout at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. But you can do that every week. At some point you have to call out the highest-paid player, so it’s time to lay it at the feet of Matt Cassel. There’s no question Cassel shares some of the blame for the Chiefs’ 1-6 start. He blew a game against the Oakland Raiders in Week 2 but it was nothing compared to what transpired inside a soggy Arrowhead Stadium Sunday. The Chiefs had 19 net passing yards and zero passing first downs at halftime against the Chargers, and even that total was “inflated” by a two-minute drill. At one point, Cassel had dropped back to pass eight times and completed one pass for a grand total of two net yards. When it was all over, Kansas City had only three passing first downs despite Cassel’s 25 attempts. His 25.3 quarterback rating, a horrifying statistic in a vacuum, appears even more revolting when you consider that it was the lowest rating a Chiefs’ starter has posted since Tyler Thigpen melted down in Atlanta a year ago. Yes, we’re now revisiting a level of incompetence from KC’s passing game that we haven’t seen since Herm Edwards was trying to save his job by throwing Thigpen to the wolves. Sunday’s game was that bad. The Chiefs appeared to be a team that cannot field even an average passing attack, and this came at home against a San Diego team with a mediocre secondary and a terrible pass rush. I’m not sure Shaw-knee Merriman touched Cassel, but it really didn’t matter. As soon as his pocket became congested against the Chargers, Cassel looked lost. The play was dead. And when Cassel did throw, the results were less than inspiring. Specifically, his accuracy hit the bottom of the barrel against the Chargers. In the second quarter, Cassel threw an awful pass that was intended for newly-activated wide receiver Lance Long. It was underthrown and nearly intercepted. On the next play, Long got a step deep on his coverage, but once again the pass was underthrown and Long was forced to reach back awkwardly in a failed attempt to catch it. Were they difficult throws? Sure. But Cassel is the highest-paid Chief. He’s supposed to be a difference maker. He failed to make a difference. The Chiefs, already down 14-0 at that point, couldn’t really afford to punt again, but had to because they simply couldn’t move the ball through the air. At all. A few plays later, Cassel badly skipped a ball to a wide-open Dwayne Bowe, who would have picked up a first down. It wasn’t a difficult throw, and Cassel had a perfect pocket to pass from. He just dumped the ball right in the dirt. Is there really any excuse for that from the highest-paid Chief? But what really stings is, at one point, Kansas City had a chance to get back in the ball game. They were down 13 points, had been out-gained 2-to-1, and Arrowhead Stadium was a drippy, depressing, scene. But on their first possession of the third quarter, the Chiefs had scored, then KC’s defense had stuffed San Diego’s offense, and all the momentum was on Matt Cassel’s side. It was at that point that he dropped back to throw, stepped up and heaved one of those long, graceful, arcing spirals you always see in slow motion on NFL Films highlights. For a brief second, Chiefs fans may have seen Jamaal Charles breaking open, seen the ball sailing through the air and thought – this is it! Matt Cassel is about to throw a 65-yard touchdown pass, no one can run down Charles, and this place is about to go crazy! We’re back in this game! And then the pass fluttered off to the right as Charles made a hopeless stab at an over-the-shoulder miracle catch. The ball thumped into the wet grass and slipped away, just like the opportunity. Cassel blew it, and he blew the next play when he badly overthrew a wide, wide open Bobby Wade streaking down the right sideline for what was, at least, a 20-yard gain and potentially a touchdown. The pass wasn’t even close. Wade would have needed a last-second gust of hurricane-force wind to catch up to it. And that was it. On third and long, Cassel scrambled for two meaningless yards, the Chiefs punted, the Chargers torched KC’s defense for another long touchdown. Game over. The Chiefs had missed their window of opportunity to get back in the game. When you’re a 1-6 team, those chances don’t come along that often. The highest-paid player on the team has to seize the moment. Matt Cassel failed to do that, and right now he is failing the Chiefs. His performance Sunday was as bad as anything we saw from Thigpen a year ago, and could have been worse. Cassel’s three interceptions could have easily been five. If Bowe doesn’t make a sensational play on the end-zone boundary, the Chiefs don’t even score. Chiefs fans love to laugh at Oakland’s JaMarcus Russell, who is completing only 45.6 percent of his passes. But Cassel is now keeping him company, just four spots above at 54.8 percent. Cassel is 34th in the NFL in yards per attempt (note that there are only 32 starting quarterbacks) and the Chiefs have the league’s worst third-down conversion rate. Are the questions that arose around Cassel last season in New England still an issue? It’s hard to argue otherwise. The Patriots had a woeful deep passing game a year ago and Sunday, Charles might as well have been Randy Moss getting wide open down the field only to watch the ball sail over his head. There are no shortage of plays where Cassel holds onto the ball and takes a sack, and at this rate, after taking 47 sacks with the Patriots and already another 23 this season, he may wind up as the most-sacked quarterback in the league over the last two seasons. These are not trends that should be ignored. The saddest part may be that at times, Cassel actually shows signs of being the franchise quarterback he’s paid to be. Sunday, he made a spectacular throw to Long that would have gone for a touchdown had it not been dropped. He threw gorgeous passes to Bowe for clutch, game-tying touchdowns against the Raiders and Cowboys. He has protected the ball well, been a good teammate, played with heart and determination and said all the right things. But the Chiefs are 1-6, have one of the league’s worst passing games, and here we are comparing Cassel to Thigpen and Russell. After Sunday, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been a giant disappointment. The Chiefs had a chance, if only for the briefest of moments, and Cassel failed them. His contract demands success.
Posts: 297,438

10-25-2009, 10:10 PM	#77
WildTurkey I'm done Chiefs, Go Pack Go Join Date: May 2009 Location: Iowa Casino cash: $10004900	If Haley can figure out anything with this pile of shit team then he deserves a ****ing monument built in his image
Posts: 2,008

10-25-2009, 10:10 PM	#78
chiefs1111 In Search of a Life Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $-2346834	I also hope like hell the Chiefs find a good offensive coordinator in the off season
Posts: 21,099

10-25-2009, 10:14 PM	#83
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-712950	Lets put it this way, for what Cassel makes if he keeps playing like this he's going to get Haley fired.
Posts: 115,380

10-25-2009, 10:24 PM	#88
PlasticMan Starter Join Date: Sep 2009 Casino cash: $10010678	I remember seeing Matt throw a pretty good pass down field last year that beat us in week one
Posts: 40

10-25-2009, 10:25 PM	#90
wild1 MVP Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: 31040 Casino cash: $10004900	It's only one game. This one was a good deal below the level he's played at for the rest of the season.
Posts: 6,935

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