OT: Article: Cassel under pressure

[PatsFan37]

I know, it's something of a rehash, but a few interesting references to the Chief's ex-Pats.

Pressure Point: Cassel must improve.

When Scott Pioli took over the Kansas City Chiefs, he promptly gave up an early second-round pick -- an extremely valuable selection

Extremely valuable or giving him away for nothing -- depends on your point of view. I remember all those threads.

While Cassel isn't an overwhelming physical specimen

Really? I thought he has prototypical QB size: tall, solidly built, strong arm, quick on his feet. They want him to be fat and slow like Leftwich?

While he was often under siege behind a poor line, Cassel didn't show the timing and ability to unload the football on time

Through all the years before his untimely promotion, that was the biggest knock on him. Even in 2008, early on there were a few games where he got knocked around, running into his OLinemen, tripping on their feet, deer in the headlights. But then he got better and better. Most QBs look like crap when their OLine can't slow down the rush. Even Paymeaton.

Still, right tackle is a problem area; it looks like Ryan O'Callaghan will return despite his ineffectiveness.

There are worse problems than Mankins disputing his contract.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

Still, right tackle is a problem area; it looks like Ryan O'Callaghan will return despite his ineffectiveness.

There are worse problems than Mankins disputing his contract.

No kidding!

 

[Ryan]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

Cassel didn't have very much to work with last year and still did alright. They've added a couple of pieces this year so he should do better. The defense is the real problem.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

Cassel didn't have very much to work with last year and still did alright. They've added a couple of pieces this year so he should do better. The defense is the real problem.

I think this guy missed the recent about face by Haley who finally admitted that Cassel had little to work with last season and is now talking about his franchise QB like he should have been even last season. Haley may have had some collateral exposure to the system working for Charlie in NY, but he was already aboard there with his own dad greasing the skids for his sons career, and he wasn't asked to make the trip to NE when the whole system gang left with Belichick. Instead he kind of bounced around until he landed on Wisenhuts staff. I don't think Pioli got his first choice HC, he settled for the best remaining candidate. This guy needs RAC and Charlie around for more than X's and O's support. He was thoroughly lacking in accountability last season. He was so intent on deflecting blame back onto his players than absorbing it publicly as the cost of accepting a HC position on a rebuilding squad he nearly damaged his most significant asset, his franchise QB, in more ways than one.

 

[TheComeback]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

We've seen what Cassel is capable of when he has talent around him. He won't carry a team but if you give him a good offense he'll be solid for you. And he plays with a lot of heart in close games, too.

Remember, he's only had two years as a starter since high school... he probably still has a little upside.

 

[lillestroom]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

When your main target is Dwayne "Attitude" Bowe, then you have major problems.

 

[MassPats38]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

As QB, Cassel will get the blame for the KC offense. He can be the smart, accurate QB capable of executing an offense with timing routes, but the team has to be able to first execute those plays, meaning Cassel can't consistently get pounded before the receivers get where they have to be and still make those plays work.

Some of the plays the Pats make easy are not easy to do. There was some article that said it took a good chunk of the season for the Chiefs to execute one of the Pats' screen plays effectively. As KC is trying to establish itself and still has a long way to go, Cassel is not a quick fix.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

He can be the smart, accurate QB capable of executing an offense with timing routes, but the team has to be able to first execute those plays, meaning Cassel can't consistently get pounded before the receivers get where they have to be and still make those plays work.

The only question is really his deep ball, and even Brady wasn't TFB with those for a few years.

On passes under 20 yards, he's as smart and accurate as any QB in the NFL.

Consider this, written in November 2008 (after the JEST game):

A quarterback is charged with a bad decision when he does something ill-advised that leads to a turnover or a near turnover (such as a potential interception that is dropped). Other examples of mistakes that lead to a play deemed a bad decision include: not seeing a defender in the passing lane; or throwing a pass late and across the middle of the field. . . .

The player, however, who has made the most progress in the shortest time is Matt Cassel.

To provide an idea of just how well the New England Patriots signal-caller is progressing, consider the best showing in this metric over the past five years is Tom Brady's 0.7% mark in 2006.

That means Brady made a mistake on one out of every 143 passes. Cassel wasn't at that pace early in the year, but over the past six games he has only one bad decision in 221 drop-backs.

So he's been positively Bradyesque in more ways than just being the man behind center for the Patriots.

And given how Joyner counts bad decisions, they're solely based on what the QB does/sees, not what his receivers do.

 

[Calciumee]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

Cassel is a very good and smart QB, who has tried his best with poor players around him.

If he had WRs who could catch, and an O-Line who could protect him, KC could be a strong team on offence.

We have seen what MC can do with good players around him.

 

[WelshPat]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I don't get what KC is trying to do

They clearly want to get the most out of the running game, but wasn't it pretty much a fact that Cassel played best under shotgun? It's hard to run the ball a lot from the shotgun.

I don't think Cassel is great or ever will be great, he did a good job for us and was fun to watch, but i think one day he will look back and wish he was traded to Denver with Mcdaniels, who really seemed to get the best out of him.

I think there's a chance in KC that he will just get his brains beat out ala david Carr and Marc Bulger, and will lose all his good qualities. He does get out of it like 60m dollars richer mind

 

[Snake Eyes]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I don't get what KC is trying to do

They clearly want to get the most out of the running game, but wasn't it pretty much a fact that Cassel played best under shotgun? It's hard to run the ball a lot from the shotgun.

I don't think Cassel is great or ever will be great, he did a good job for us and was fun to watch, but i think one day he will look back and wish he was traded to Denver with Mcdaniels, who really seemed to get the best out of him.

I think there's a chance in KC that he will just get his brains beat out ala david Carr and Marc Bulger, and will lose all his good qualities. He does get out of it like 60m dollars richer mind

I bet Cassel already wishes he went to Denver with McDaniels, I certainly wish he did, McDaniels knows how to develop QBs and while Cassel's best work will likely be under McDaniels I bet Brady's best work will wind up being under him as well.

That being said, it never hurts to have another aspect of one's team to be stronger, I wish their running game luck.

 

[mgteich]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I'm still amazed at Pioli. He paid a high 2nd to secure Cassell at $14.5M for 2009. He then signed a contract to up the guaranteed money to $28M, with a total compensation of $40.5M for his first three years ($13.5M per year), all before he played one game. And after three years, kc has the rights to Cassell for only $33M for his last three years. And Cassell is under pressure? I would think it would be Pioli that is under pressure. It is not Cassell who paid a player who started 15 games since high school $28M in guaranteed money.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I'm still amazed at Pioli. He paid a high 2nd to secure Cassell at $14.5M for 2009. He then signed a contract to up the guaranteed money to $28M, with a total compensation of $40.5M for his first three years ($13.5M per year), all before he played one game. And after three years, kc has the rights to Cassell for only $33M for his last three years. And Cassell is under pressure? I would think it would be Pioli that is under pressure. It is not Cassell who paid a player who started 15 games since high school $28M in guaranteed money.

Cassel was never the problem/issue in KC. Pioli likely left here knowing he could snag him. and a franchise QB is the one piece you are toast without. The problem was he couldn't talk Kirk Ferentz out of college coaching, RAC was nursing his surgically repaired hip, Charlie still hadn't gotten fired, and he was inheriting a lousy team with entitlement issues. He and his HC needed to be secure enough to own that out of the gate. Haley is as insecure as they come. That's where the temper arises from. He threw Matt under the bus from the day he arrived. Then he canned his OC on the eve of the season. Then they still sucked with his genius calling the plays. Hopefully this season they have a better grip and have replaced some dead wood with draft picks and FA and they have a couple of veteran coordinators who have actually run both the system and scheme running interference... Otherwise I predict Pioli and Cassel will at least outlast Haley...

 

[Deus Irae]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

The Chiefs had the least amount of talent in the NFL last season (IMO) and were coming off of a 2 win season.

The team's #1 wideout got suspended because he showed up too heavy for OTAs and tried to get back into shape by taking banned weight loss pills.

The team's #1 RB was running with a fork in him until he got cut lose (Pioli had the chance to cut him with no money out of pocked, and screwed up that decision by keeping the guy).

The team's #1 overall receiver was in Atlanta, having been traded for a #2 that didn't even kick in until this season.

The team's #1 O-lineman was struggling with the new style, and the major weight loss the team required of him. His strength went way down and it took him more than half the season to start looking even decent.

The receivers couldn't get open and couldn't catch the ball.

The entire O-line was a jailbreak for the first half of the season.

The team's first offense was scrapped just a couple of weeks before the season, and the new system had to be learned on the fly.

Cassel suffered an injury during the preseason, and didn't recover enough to play by week 1, setting him back with regards to working with his teammates on the new system. He was also clearly not 100% even when he returned.

So, when Cassel finally got into the games, he developed a couple of bad habits. The beating he was taking caused him to start looking at the rush, and to start leaving the pocket too early. His accuracy and mechanics suffered as a result, and he was pretty horrible in the second half of the season, just as the rest of the offense finally began to put it together.

Even with all this, the team still doubled its win total.

I'm sure that Pioli & Co. are figuring that the upgrades they've made, both in player personnel and with coaching staff, will help Cassel avoid falling back into those habits again over the course of this season.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I don't know the Chiefs plan with Dexter McCluster, but hopefully he can form into a Welker Role so Cassel will have 1 reliable target.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I don't know the Chiefs plan with Dexter McCluster, but hopefully he can form into a Welker Role so Cassel will have 1 reliable target.

I can see McCluster being really dangerous in the screen game, which isn't a big surprise with Charlie now there. He could also be the back in shotgun spreads, where his speed could work well with the defense spread out.

Cassel didn't play well last season, but he didn't have a lot to work with. I think Deus' post is right on the mark. And I am beginning to wonder about Pioli. I thought the 2009 draft was poor, highlighted by the Tyson Jackson reach. But the 2010 didn't seem much better. They didn't pick Berry so much as he fell to them and it was a total no-brainer, and I like McCluster but felt it was a bit of a reach for a player that didn't even fill a need.

If I were a KC fan, I'd be more worried about Pioli than Cassel.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I can see McCluster being really dangerous in the screen game, which isn't a big surprise with Charlie now there. He could also be the back in shotgun spreads, where his speed could work well with the defense spread out.

Cassel didn't play well last season, but he didn't have a lot to work with. I think Deus' post is right on the mark. And I am beginning to wonder about Pioli. I thought the 2009 draft was poor, highlighted by the Tyson Jackson reach. But the 2010 didn't seem much better. They didn't pick Berry so much as he fell to them and it was a total no-brainer, and I like McCluster but felt it was a bit of a reach for a player that didn't even fill a need.

If I were a KC fan, I'd be more worried about Pioli than Cassel.

And, Ron Brace aside, the Pats' 2009 and 2010 drafts seem much stronger than the 2008 and 2007 drafts. . . .

 

[AzPatsFan]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I'd be perfectly happy for the Pats to have Cassell back., and I believe so would Bill...

 

[Mike the Brit]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

[1] I'd be perfectly happy for the Pats to have Cassell back., and [2] I believe so would Bill...

[1] Fair enough

[2] I see no reason to think this. Do you have any evidence?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Re: Article: Cassel under pressure

I can see McCluster being really dangerous in the screen game, which isn't a big surprise with Charlie now there. He could also be the back in shotgun spreads, where his speed could work well with the defense spread out.

Cassel didn't play well last season, but he didn't have a lot to work with. I think Deus' post is right on the mark. And I am beginning to wonder about Pioli. I thought the 2009 draft was poor, highlighted by the Tyson Jackson reach. But the 2010 didn't seem much better. They didn't pick Berry so much as he fell to them and it was a total no-brainer, and I like McCluster but felt it was a bit of a reach for a player that didn't even fill a need.

If I were a KC fan, I'd be more worried about Pioli than Cassel.

Trading his HOF TE in the same breath during which he traded for his franchise QB was a questionable move given he had hired a rookie HC whose resume revolved solely around the passing game. But he was simultaneously dealing with an entitlement fueled culture change and basically entire roster rebuild so working with draft picks likely was more appealing than dealing with an outspoken face of the franchise potentially butting heads with a hot headed rookie HC with a track record of doing just that.

Moeaki could be a serious weapon if he can stay healthy, and Asamoah should immediately upgrade that OL. It was a solid draft. Haley remains the one that worries me. Having Charlie and RAC come onboard was huge as a result. Pioli has always contended that a GM's job is to find talent to fit the HC's system and schemes. I think when you are the guy who hires the HC you better hope he really has well developed and workable ones he can articulate or you can access guys who have a track record as coordinators installing the ones you are most familiar with. I can't help but think Haley was only in the running for the job in KC because Pioli's first option wasn't available at the same time Haley had lucked into a situation in Arizona with Wisenhut and Warner and and a lot of elite weapons that made him look like a lot more than a coaches son who majored in golf (he is reportedly the ONLY HC in the league who never played the game at some level) before bouncing around for most of the decade as a WR's coach with a propensity for knocking heads with his charges in a variety of disappointing offenses...