Matt Cassel (1 Viewer)

[ffguru56]

I did a search but I didn't come up with anything. Is there information out on him as far as how well it's perceived he'll be in KC? Did he perform as well as he did last year only because of the Patriots system or is this guy looking like a possible top echelon QB (in fantasy standards)?

 

[Birdie048]

The only concern I can think of is his lack of a new contract. He signed the Franchise Tag with NE for $14M but nothing since that has occurred.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/1204588.html

Matt Cassel’s first pass of the Chiefs’ initial full-squad offseason practice was dropped by Dwayne Bowe.

His second throw, also for Bowe, went wide of its target.

Good thing for the Chiefs these guys have almost four more months until the Sept. 13 regular-season opener in Baltimore to get things right.

“We’ve had a lot of hard work up to this point, but mainly it’s been in the weight room, and now it’s fun to get back on the field,” Cassel said Monday. “Everything is not sharp right now, but that’s why we’re working on it.

“We’re trying to figure out what we have. We’ve got to build on our strengths and work on our weaknesses. Slowly but surely, we’ll get to where we need to be.”

Which, of course, is really the point of these offseason practices. The Chiefs have scheduled 13 more, plus a three-day minicamp in early June.

Contact isn’t allowed by NFL rule, and the Chiefs don’t even wear full pads. So the finesse part of football, most notably the passing game, is where they can get in the best work.

“Without contact, that’s really what you’re getting out of these,” coach Todd Haley said. “They’re learning the offense, and they’re learning about each other out on the football field. They’ve been learning about each other in the weight room and running, but now they get a chance to learn more about each other on the football field and develop some chemistry there.

“Today, I thought, was a good start. It looked like guys had an idea of what was going on.”

The Chiefs have few, if any, more important tasks during the remaining portion of the offseason than to get Cassel comfortable in his new surroundings. The Chiefs have been unsettled at quarterback since trading Trent Green two years ago and acquired Cassel from New England in a trade last winter to solve the problem.

Although the Chiefs are publicly promoting competition between Cassel and Tyler Thigpen for the starting quarterback job, Cassel has consistently been first in line.

Cassel, Thigpen and Ingle Martin all took a share of the snaps. Brodie Croyle, after last fall’s knee surgery, was limited to light passing in individual drills. Haley said the Chiefs were hopeful Croyle would be ready to practice at the start of training camp.

Cassel is the only one of the group new to the Chiefs.

“It’s new surroundings for everybody, for myself and all the new guys in the locker room, rookies and veterans,” he said.

“That’s always tough. You make your adjustments and you meet new people and it’s a new playbook. You just dive right in, and you try get a handle on it.”

He eventually made some progress with Bowe.

The two later connected on a couple of passes, including a nice diving grab made by Bowe despite a strong effort from cornerback Brandon Flowers.

“No doubt, this is a valuable time,” Cassel said. “It was valuable for me when I was with New England (as a backup) because that was the only time I’d really get to throw to guys like Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and it’s valuable for me now.

“It’s like everything else. You want to build a rapport and you want to build chemistry with your receivers. So it’s good for them, and it’s good for me. It’s just learning tendencies and body language and everything else you want to learn when you’re a quarterback.

“This is when you really start to build toward the season and you start to learn what somebody does well, what are their strengths and their weaknesses and what we need to work on. From there, you just continue to build on those things and get better and build momentum as you go into training camp.”

 

[David Yudkin]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

 

[Avery]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

So, you're saying Brady merely is a product of the system and his team?Got it.

 

[Blackjacks]

Leaving the door opened for the Broncos and coach McJackas- to sweep him away next year perhaps?

 

[HawkeyeChief]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

this is true .. Cassel was sacked ten more times than the Chief passers. His taking sacks makes me worry about Cassel behind the KC OL.

 

[Warpig]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

this is true .. Cassel was sacked ten more times than the Chief passers. His taking sacks makes me worry about Cassel behind the KC OL.

Thigpen = mobileCassel = statue

 

[Adebisi]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

This sounds like a comment from someone who buries his face in a stat book without watching the games.Yes, Cassell was sacked more than any other QB in the league last year, and no, the linemen did not perform as well as they did in '07. However, Cassell typically held onto the ball for a very, very long time last year when a more seasoned QB would have either moved or thrown the ball away.

 

[Adebisi]

Cassel = statue

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

this is true .. Cassel was sacked ten more times than the Chief passers. His taking sacks makes me worry about Cassel behind the KC OL.

Thigpen = mobileCassel = statue

I agree completely. I think Cassel will be sacked a ton in KC. Here was my post in the KC Offense thread:First of all, Thigpen's mobilty made that line look better last year than it was. Opposing teams were able to put pressure on Thigpen with ease. This is one reason he had so many rushing yards in 2008.

Secondly, Matt Cassel takes a ton of sacks. He holds the ball too long and is not overly mobile in the pocket. He was sacked a league high 47 times last year ... while the Chief passers were only sacked 37 times. Thigpen's mobilty will be missed this year.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

And the year before Brady was the least sacked QB in the league with those same linemen. Cassell holds the ball forever.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

So, you're saying Brady merely is a product of the system and his team?Got it.

Record breaking numbers come from a combination of great systems and great players. Brady is an all-time great player in an all-time great system. When you combine the two, you get the only quarterback to ever throw 50+ touchdowns.I don't see how Cassel putting up solid numbers being a product of being in a great system makes any statement about Brady being in the same boat, because he didn't put up just "solid" numbers in that system.We saw what Brady did in the same system as Cassell. 1200 more yards, 29 more touchdowns, a passer rating that was 30 points higher, and less than half as many sacks taken. Not really even comparable...

 

[Avery]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

So, you're saying Brady merely is a product of the system and his team?Got it.

Record breaking numbers come from a combination of great systems and great players. Brady is an all-time great player in an all-time great system. When you combine the two, you get the only quarterback to ever throw 50+ touchdowns.I don't see how Cassel putting up solid numbers being a product of being in a great system makes any statement about Brady being in the same boat, because he didn't put up just "solid" numbers in that system.We saw what Brady did in the same system as Cassell. 1200 more yards, 29 more touchdowns, a passer rating that was 30 points higher, and less than half as many sacks taken. Not really even comparable...

You apparently missed the " " part of my post.

 

[gonzobill5]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

this is true .. Cassel was sacked ten more times than the Chief passers. His taking sacks makes me worry about Cassel behind the KC OL.

Thigpen = mobileCassel = statue

I agree completely. I think Cassel will be sacked a ton in KC. Here was my post in the KC Offense thread:First of all, Thigpen's mobilty made that line look better last year than it was. Opposing teams were able to put pressure on Thigpen with ease. This is one reason he had so many rushing yards in 2008.

Secondly, Matt Cassel takes a ton of sacks. He holds the ball too long and is not overly mobile in the pocket. He was sacked a league high 47 times last year ... while the Chief passers were only sacked 37 times. Thigpen's mobilty will be missed this year.

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier. I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

Take note that KC QBs lost just as many yards on sacks as NE QBs did. Also, Cassel's turnovers (7 fumbles, 4 lost, 11 ints) are not alarming. I was shocked to see that this "statue" ran 73 times for 270 yards and 2 tds.

My worry with Cassel is how he will adjust to having so few playmakers on offense. I like Bowe and the young TE, but I don't know what to make of the running game.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Cassel held on to the ball too long and took unnecessary sacks.... in the first half of the season.

Remember, this was his first significant game action since HIGH SCHOOL.

Without a doubt, he had analysis paralysis in the pocket and his alarm clock was set too late in September and October.

First 7 games: 28 sacks - 4 spg

Last 9 games: 19 sacks - 2.1 spg

In addition, five of those 19 sacks in the last nine games came against Pittsburgh, who makes a lot of QBs look lost in the pocket.

Cassel taking too many sacks was a valid criticism as of October 2008, but he made a lot of strides in the last two months of the season, and he should only continue to improve and get better feel for all of the elements of playing QB in the NFL in his second season as a starter.

 

[switz]

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier. I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

It does happen a lot that mobile QBs take more sacks, but in the case with Cassel, it really was an issue with pocket awareness. I'm more inclined to expect Scott Mitchell/Rob Johnson type of a performance from him than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays out his one year in KC, and doesn't get a new deal.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

He did pretty well last year playing on a record scoring offense led by multiple Pro Bowl linemen and 2 Pro Bowl receivers in tandem with one of the greatest coaches in the league in his 4th year in the same system against a very weak schedule. Compare all that with KC and I'm guessing the same results will be tougher to come by.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't he the most sacked QB in the NFL last year? Those pro bowl linemen sure didn't do their job

this is true .. Cassel was sacked ten more times than the Chief passers. His taking sacks makes me worry about Cassel behind the KC OL.

Thigpen = mobileCassel = statue

Cassel had 270 yards rushing and two TDs last season - he's not as good a runner as Thigpen but is a far cry from a statue.His problem was earlier in the season he stared at the pass rush too much and took the sack. He progressed as the season went on though.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier.

I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

It does happen a lot that mobile QBs take more sacks, but in the case with Cassel, it really was an issue with pocket awareness. I'm more inclined to expect Scott Mitchell/Rob Johnson type of a performance from him than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays out his one year in KC, and doesn't get a new deal.

The Scott Mitchell who put up over 4,300 passing yards and 32 TDs in his first full season with Detroit?I would think those numbers would earn him a second season.

 

[David Yudkin]

In terms of avoiding the pass rush, Cassel had problems early on aborting plays prematurely and then compounding that mistake by not realizing where the blocking lanes were to escape. He would bail out and then want to make a run for it, but many times we would turn right into a defender or run into the line and have nowhere to go. Early on his pocket presence and awareness was horrible. He got somewhat better as the season progressed, but I still wonder how good he will be at moving the pocket, sidestepping rushers to not disrupt plays, or pick up where blizters are coming from. That all may come in due time . . . but we'll have to see how long that takes for him to develop.

 

[switz]

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier.

I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

It does happen a lot that mobile QBs take more sacks, but in the case with Cassel, it really was an issue with pocket awareness. I'm more inclined to expect Scott Mitchell/Rob Johnson type of a performance from him than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays out his one year in KC, and doesn't get a new deal.

The Scott Mitchell who put up over 4,300 passing yards and 32 TDs in his first full season with Detroit?I would think those numbers would earn him a second season.

No, Scott Mitchell who threw 1400 yards and 10TDs in his first season after being signed as a big splash FA acquisition.

 

[puckalicious]

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier.

I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

It does happen a lot that mobile QBs take more sacks, but in the case with Cassel, it really was an issue with pocket awareness. I'm more inclined to expect Scott Mitchell/Rob Johnson type of a performance from him than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays out his one year in KC, and doesn't get a new deal.

The Scott Mitchell who put up over 4,300 passing yards and 32 TDs in his first full season with Detroit?I would think those numbers would earn him a second season.

No, Scott Mitchell who threw 1400 yards and 10TDs in his first season after being signed as a big splash FA acquisition.

You mean in 1994 when he only started 9 games because he got injured in his 9th game and sat out the rest of the season? 1995 was his first full season and he was sacked 31 times.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier.

I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

It does happen a lot that mobile QBs take more sacks, but in the case with Cassel, it really was an issue with pocket awareness. I'm more inclined to expect Scott Mitchell/Rob Johnson type of a performance from him than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays out his one year in KC, and doesn't get a new deal.

The Scott Mitchell who put up over 4,300 passing yards and 32 TDs in his first full season with Detroit?I would think those numbers would earn him a second season.

No, Scott Mitchell who threw 1400 yards and 10TDs in his first season after being signed as a big splash FA acquisition.

He was injured and only played in 9 games that season.

 

[switz]

Correct me if I'm wrong here - but isn't there a tendency for "mobile" QBs to be sacked more often because of their willingness to hold the ball longer hoping to make a play with their legs? I always have felt that QBs that stay in the pocket make the OL's job a lot easier.

I think just looking at the number 47 as a judge of Cassell's pocket awareness is a mistake. If Randy Moss was my wide receiver, I'd hold onto the ball for as long as possible to give him a chance to get open. Likewise, opposing defenses know they can't cover Moss and Welker forever so getting pressure is their #1 priority.

It does happen a lot that mobile QBs take more sacks, but in the case with Cassel, it really was an issue with pocket awareness. I'm more inclined to expect Scott Mitchell/Rob Johnson type of a performance from him than anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays out his one year in KC, and doesn't get a new deal.

The Scott Mitchell who put up over 4,300 passing yards and 32 TDs in his first full season with Detroit?I would think those numbers would earn him a second season.

No, Scott Mitchell who threw 1400 yards and 10TDs in his first season after being signed as a big splash FA acquisition.

You mean in 1994 when he only started 9 games because he got injured in his 9th game and sat out the rest of the season? 1995 was his first full season and he was sacked 31 times.

Yep, I am more than fully aware of Scott Mitchell's 1994 season, as he was on my FF team. Had he been healthy he was on pace for what, 2700 yards and 19 TDs. Woo hoo. Tyler Thigpen was playing better last year than I expect Cassel to play this year.

 

[gonzobill5]

FWIW, Tom Brady was sacked 41 times his first year as a starter.

Also, it was previously mentioned that Brady was only sacked 21 times in 07 behind the same OL. Keep in mind that as the season wore on teams were trying to get after him a lot more, culminating in the 5 sacks the Giants had in the Superbowl.

I think its more than fair to attribute the large number of sacks last year partly to a learning curve for Cassell (that he seems to have mastered) and simply the way defenses attack the Patriots.

How does everyone envision the KC offense turning out? Would you expect a more or less conservative approach from what they did spreading things out with Thigpen? Also, is Gailey still OC?

 

[MDSkinner]

Yep, I am more than fully aware of Scott Mitchell's 1994 season, as he was on my FF team. Had he been healthy he was on pace for what, 2700 yards and 19 TDs. Woo hoo. Tyler Thigpen was playing better last year than I expect Cassel to play this year.

I tend to agree with this. Tyler Thigpen was running for his life most of last year, because of how bad the line was. I fully expect Cassel to be top 5 in number of times sacked this year, unless that line improves drastically. Thigpen is no great QB but his mobility was certainly helpful to him last year and is part of the reason he could put up some relatively decent fantasy numbers. I have a tough time seeing Cassel do the same but he could easily prove me wrong.

 

[eoMMan]

Any new info on Cassel's knee?I saw this on Rotoworld, but I don't if anyone heard anything else:

Matt Cassel-QB- Chiefs Aug. 30 - 12:24 am et X-rays on Matt Cassel's knee came back negative after he left the Chiefs' Saturday night preseason game early.Cassel left the field without assistance, but was noticeably limping. His status for the preseason finale is uncertain, and we can probably expect a secretive approach from the Chiefs about Cassel's Week 1 availability. Kansas City's new GM, Scott Pioli, hails from the Bill Belichick tree.