Clark Judge loves Matt Cassel, and so should you.

[Hammock Parties]

Cassel proving to be difference-maker in K.C.

By Clark Judge CBSSports.com Senior Writer Nov. 30, 2010

Let's get this out of the way up front and admit what we should know -- namely, that the Kansas City Chiefs made the right move when they acquired quarterback Matt Cassel.

Matt Cassel's 2010 numbers put him among the league's elite passers. (Getty Images)

They thought they were getting someone who could stabilize the most important position in the game, and they did. They thought they were getting someone who was smart, accurate and reliable, and they did. They thought they were getting someone who could win, and they did. In short, they thought they were getting a quarterback they could trust. And they did.

Matt Cassel is having the best season of his career a year after he, the Chiefs and general manager Scott Pioli took heat for Cassel's underwhelming play -- with one local columnist so outraged that he characterized Cassel as "horrible."


Um, maybe not. Cassel has the Chiefs on top of the AFC West. He's won more games (7) in 11 starts than the club won the past two seasons (6). He hasn't lost at home. He leads the league in touchdown percentage. He's second only to Tom Brady in ratio of touchdowns-to-interceptions. And he's fourth overall in passer rating, ahead of luminaries like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan.

"Matt Cassel keeps setting the bar higher and higher," coach Todd Haley said after Kansas City's latest victory.

I'll second that. It's not just that the Chiefs continue to win under Cassel's direction; it's what Cassel's done to put them in that position, and the envelope, please: Over his last seven starts Cassel has 18 touchdown passes and one interception. Let me repeat: 18 and 1, a ratio that is better than anyone -- including Tom Brady -- over that period, and tell me that shouldn't put this guy front and center of the national spotlight.

It should. Only it hasn't. And one reason it hasn't is because there's a lingering feeling that Kansas City is overachieving and, well, that the Chiefs will eventually get caught by San Diego anyway. I don't buy into the overachieving argument, but after watching San Diego dissect Indianapolis the other night I do believe the Chargers, not the Chiefs, are the team to beat in the AFC West -- basically because the schedule falls their way in December, a month where they have won their last 18.

But that's a projection. Let's look at what we know, and what we know is that Matt Cassel is everything Pioli and the Chiefs envisioned when they acquired him. OK, so it took offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and a system with which Cassel was comfortable for him to flourish. But that happens. It took Brees four seasons before he started to feel comfortable in San Diego.

No question about it, Cassel struggled last season, but let's be honest: There were an abundance of reasons. One was the change of offensive coordinators immediately prior to the season, with Cassel forced to learn on the fly. Another was the Chiefs' mistake-prone receivers, with Kansas City two flubs away from tying an unofficial record for most drops in a year (51). Still another was the team's inability to run the ball until Jamaal Charles stepped into the huddle midway through the schedule.

Now fast forward to 2010, with Weis refining Haley's system to add a few wrinkles that Cassel might have known or practiced when he was with New England. It was there that Cassel first became a starter, stepping into the lineup for the first time in nine years when Brady was hurt in the 2008 opener. And it was there he was supposed to flop. Only he didn't, leading the Patriots to an 11-5 finish.

Surprising? Yes. But that was the guy Kansas City thought it was getting when it traded for Cassel. And that is the guy it has.

Look, I don't know that kicked in this season, but it's hard to ignore the results. What I do know is that Haley worked with Cassel on being more precise in his drops within the pocket, and Cassel has responded. I also know that having the league's top-ranked running game -- with the Chiefs shredding Seattle for 270 yards -- has helped. And I know the emergence of wide receiver Dwayne Bowe -- one of those guys who last season looked more like a backboard than a pass catcher -- has been a huge plus.

In the end, though, it comes back to Matt Cassel. The Chiefs had Larry Johnson to run the ball in 2007-08, and they couldn't win. They had Tony Gonzalez to catch it then, too, and they couldn't win. And they couldn't win because they didn't have someone, anyone, at quarterback to throw the right passes, avoid the big mistakes and make the smart decisions.
Now they do.

"I think he's an NFL starting quarterback you can win with and win championships with," Pioli said at training camp last summer. "Matt adjusted to a lot of change, showed his competitiveness, resiliency and his ability. Beyond the mental and emotional (aspect) and his competitiveness, he showed the physical ability to be able to win."

Pioli was right. Kansas City is not where it is today without Matt Cassel, and it's high time the club, its G.M., its head coach, its assistants and Matt Cassel himself are recognized for what is working with the Chiefs. And what is working is their quarterback.

Adding Matt Cassel not only was a good move; it was a necessary one. And it has the Chiefs where they haven't been in years. Good for them. Good for Pioli. And, most important, good for Matt Cassel.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by FAX

Maybe I shouldn't have been hiding under the bed. Sometimes, that can obscure one's vision.

[Marcellus]

I have to say the difference in the debate about Cassel in this thread compared to week 4 of the season for example, is encouraging.

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by FAX

I think I've watched every game. I've never seen a performance like that out of Cassel, though.

Yep. Couldn't agree more.

[Chiefnj2]

Originally Posted by TheGuardian

Dane has pretty much said anything I was going to say.

Even if Cassel shits the bed against the Chargers it doesn't change anything. So did Manning. What really matters is the whole body of work. If the guy has a 30 TD - 10 INT season, uhhhhh he's our guy. about drafting some guy or trading for someone else. This whole "the numbers lie" stuff is bullshit at this point in the season. Do some of you **** faces understand that? Sure, numbers can lie for a few games, but not over the course of a whole ****ing season. If he goes 3400 for 30 TD's and 8-10 picks, his numbers are bullshit? **** you. That's insane and ****ing stupid to reach like that.

I think Cassel will continue to ascend as well. I think he's probably our guy and some people better ****ing get used to it.

Those wouldn't be "real" numbers. They are system numbers so they don't count. It only counts if he gets those numbers against winning teams with franchise QBs, top 5 defenses, and on the road with a struggling running game. Unless he can do that successfully for the next 3 years he's a fraud and you are just a fool.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Those wouldn't be "real" numbers. They are system numbers so they don't count. It only counts if he gets those numbers against winning teams with franchise QBs, top 5 defenses, and on the road with a struggling running game. Unless he can do that successfully for the next 3 years he's a fraud and you are just a fool.

At this point I'm just gonna start a thread titled "Matt Cassel Debate, Week Of X" after every game, because these threads are comedy gold, from both sides of the argument.

[TheGuardian]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Those wouldn't be "real" numbers. They are system numbers so they don't count. It only counts if he gets those numbers against winning teams with franchise QBs, top 5 defenses, and on the road with a struggling running game. Unless he can do that successfully for the next 3 years he's a fraud and you are just a fool.

Wait...........

On the road

Against a top 5 defense

With no ground game

17 points down

With a Franchise QB on the other team that has never lost when up by 17 at home

And he needs to do this 6-8 times each season for 3 years, or he's just a game manager.

And yes, that is EXACTLY how absurd some of you stupid ****ers have gotten. Die in a god damned grease fire bundle of stickss.

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Since Cassel has been here, I have stayed about the same. I felt like he was a mid level QB. Probably 10-15th in the league.... basically, Mark Sanchez.

I have admitted that I underestimated Sanchez. He has impressed me in many, many ways.

I seem to have underestimated Cassel as well. Time will tell if he is just having a good season, or if this is permanent. I mean, Anderson had a pro bowl year in Cleveland. We know how this stuff can go at times.

I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. I still struggle to believe he is AS good as he has played. But, at some point, we are just going to have to accept that he is a 'good' qb, even if he is never a 'great' qb.

[tonyetony]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Yeah, he's been terrible.

Like that game where he drove the field in Indy to force OT, then went and won it.

Like that game where he played with a torn ACL.

For the most part, he's played pretty damn well in the playoffs.

Last three years he's completed 61%, thrown for 320 a game, and has a level TD/INT ratio.

Again, Rivers has proven he's a franchise QB.

Another reeruned comparison.

Well during his career overall he's 3 wins and 4 losses in the playoffs with a 79 QB rating........But I can see why you would want to cherry pick the last three years....and you bitch about the people cherry picking Cassels stats while you love on one of our division rivals QBs!

http://www.pro-football-reference.co...0_playoffs.htm

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Pants

Cassel has shown incredible progress. I think people are just going to look at his mechanics during the SD game. If the Chiefs lose the game but Cassel doesn't revert to locking onto one receiver, shitting himself under pressure and running away at the slightest sign of pass rush and throwing ****ing ducks, people will remain hopeful for the future.

I agree with this, but this is not the way people will evaluate. People will evaluate based on their pre-formed biases. The homers will say he had a great game and everyone else failed for him, and the haters will say he made 1 or 2 mistakes he shouldn't have made. I wish what you were saying was true. There is always a way to skew statistics to make your case.

We can't expect Cassel to walk into San Diego and light it up. But I think that's what his critics are going to ask and expect. Brady, Manning, and Orton all had fits with this defense. And our defense is probably going to give up a lot of points because their offense is that good.

I think that's a tough standard to say that the only way he proves his worth is to single-handedly beat the hottest team in football on the road. I just want him to play well. I don't want to see him play like he did in Indianapolis, not even Cleveland or Buffalo where we somehow squeezed out wins. If he puts up an Oakland, Arizona, or Seattle like performance even in a loss, I think that's a major sign of positive progress.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by tonyetony

Well during his career overall he's 3 wins and 4 losses in the playoffs with a 79 QB rating........But I can see why you would want to cherry pick the last three years....and you bitch about the people cherry picking Cassels stats while you love on one of our division rivals QBs!

http://www.pro-football-reference.co...0_playoffs.htm

You seriously won't acknowledge that Rivers is (a lot) better than Cassel?

[jjchieffan]

He's not the first to brag on Cassel. I don't remember the games, but in one, the announcers were comparing his throwing motion to Elway,(He wasn't playing good then, I about spit my drink threw my nose when they said it) and then, just a couple of weeks ago, they were comparing his footwork to Drew Brees. I think Gannon was one of the announcers.

[kcxiv]

the thing with Brady Manning and Orton is they dont have good run games. At least nothing close to what the Chiefs have. Indy and Denver i know for a fact have crappy running games. Not to sure on N.E, but since Danny Woodhead is their running back, i am sure its pretty much all Tom. We have a running back that is doing something that no one since what Jim Brown is doing with a 6.2 ypc.

We have another demension them teams dont have right now imo. Are they going to stack the box are are they going to double on Bowe? hmmm..

[tonyetony]

Originally Posted by Brock

You seriously won't acknowledge that Rivers is (a lot) better than Cassel?

Yes I will acknowledge that Rivers is a better QB. But I will also acknowledge that when Rivers made it to the conference championship the Chargers had a hell of an O-line and surrounded him with plenty of weapons.

I think if we continue to upgrade our talent, retain our coaching staff and Cassel continues to improve that we can win a Super Bowl with him. I trust Pioli unlike a lot of people on here that might have sipped some of Whitlocks koolaid.

[Chief DJBrad]

I have long been a supporter of Cassel and very pleased with his stats.Look at the teams and their records that is where the worry begins.I am hopeful that the Bronco games gave him more confidence and Weiss to open up the playbook.They will put 9 in a box the play should me deep post to Bowe the first time.I bleed the red and gold and I want a big can of woop ass this Sunday....also 70 points for the Chiefs and don't back off one bit!!GO CHIEFS!!

[Rexx]

Cassel has been solid the last 4 or 5 games...ready anything more into it is probably premature. I have seen definite progress which is encouraging. He seems to actually be making some reads now instead of locking onto his prime receiver.

I too would like to see them open up the offense and see what he can do. It seems like he plays better when they let him throw more thus getting him in more rhythm. Throwing on early downs should also be something Weiss incorporates more of.