During Todd Haley’s reign, the Chiefs have employed seven quarterbacks. Of them, Chiefs fans really only had the opportunity to fully observe and evaluate two of them. In five years of wearing red and gold, three of them as a part time starter, Damon Huard failed to wow anybody beyond Herm Edwards and Mike Solari. One of Haley’s first acts was dismissing Huard, and rightfully so. Tyler Thigpen proved himself to be of some value, but only in an offense tailored very specifically to his strengths. He lasted a little longer, but was never under consideration for the top job.
Of the remaining five, two cannot be fairly evaluated by Chiefs fans at all. Ingle Martin never attempted a pass in the NFL outside of limited late game preseason play for Green Bay and Denver. If his 2009 UFL season stats (39/81, 1 TD, 5 INT) are any indication, however, Kansas City is probably better off without him. Matt Gutierrez has two regular season attempts, one for the Chiefs and one for the Patriots. Both were completions, but 2/2 is hardly a stunning resume.
That leaves Quinn Gray, Brodie Croyle, and Matt Cassel. Gray stunned in his one brief shot in Kansas City, piloting one of the best drives Chiefs fans have seen post-Trent Green. That alone is not enough to form a substantive opinion, but most fans aren’t oblivious to his career in Jacksonville, wherein he had reasonable success as a spot starter for David Garrard. Brodie Croyle is an enigma. He possesses every physical tool a quarterback needs except one: durability. He has little to none. Of course, neither did Joe Montana, but Brodie Croyle ain’t Joe Montana. In fairness, he never had the advantage of having a good team around him, even in college, but at some point it’s incumbent on the QB to guide his team to a win, talent be damned. Croyle hasn’t done it yet, and between his failure to win and his incessant injuries, he long since fell out of favor with most Chiefs fans.
Matt Cassel will join him soon. As was done for Croyle early in his career, the fan base has spent the better part of the season making excuses for him. He lacks the requisite supporting cast to be successful. He may be a five year veteran, but only last year counts. He doesn’t have a dedicated quarterbacks coach to show him the ropes. All of these points have merit. None of them excuse a 10/29 performance at home against a division rival.
It wasn’t a lack of protection. Even with Wade Smith starting, the offensive line held their ground. They are blameless in the first of the two sacks on Cassel, who scrambled well outside the pocket, but still failed to get rid of the ball despite ample time to do so. It wasn’t a lack of a complimentary running game. Jamaal Charles posted a pedestrian 56 yards on 18 carries, largely due to the fact that he played much of the game hurt. Tim Castille added 26 yards on three carries, proving himself to be a welcome addition to a depleted backfield.
It was to some extent a lack of quality targets. Dwayne Bowe’s absence was felt in spades. The Broncos sport two future Hall of Fame defensive backs in Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. The two of them needed only to shut down Chris Chambers. Bobby Wade took himself out of the game, blending the considerable receiving skills of Johnnie Morton with the sideline vitriol of Terrell Owens, and Lance Long was never in the game to begin with. The Chiefs frequently played in max protection mode, which proved to be a double-edged sword. Max protection sacrifices open receivers in favor of offering the quarterback additional time to pick his target. If the quarterback, however, is prone to making poor decisions, additional time doesn’t help. Sometimes it outright hurts.
I will not waiver from this position anytime soon. Matt Cassel is not fit to be an NFL quarterback. Wes Welker and Randy Moss propped him up last year, just as Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez propped up Damon Huard in 2006. It’s a pleasant thought to think that a career backup can take the field and turn into a winner, but more often than not it’s just a pipe dream, supported by short term success followed by eventual failure (see also: Derek Anderson, Tommy Maddox). Bowe and Chambers are quality wideouts. Leonard Pope is a passable (albeit unspectacular) tight end. Jamaal Charles is effective both as a runner and a receiver. Trent Green would win games with this cast. Todd Collins might do alright too. A college backup, however, cannot. He was a college backup for a reason. Kansas City’s investment in him was far too great, but that alone cannot be the justification for keeping him around. At a minimum, he must be demoted by the beginning of next season if the Chiefs plan to have any measure of success.
While cuts are being made, it’s likely best that the powers that be look into the prospect of replacing Clancy Pendergast. Kansas City’s defense had not allowed two back-to-back 40+ point scores by opponents since 1983. They had never allowed two back-to-back 40+ point scores by division opponents. Reaching the Super Bowl requires a very precise player/coach chemistry which is usually exceptionally difficult to recreate. Thus, when a team does reach that pinnacle, they generally don’t attempt to shed their coordinators. That Arizona did just that should have weighed more heavily on Scott Pioli’s mind. Pendergast’s seeming inability to coach up his squad to even a passable performance on a day when his top pass rusher posts his career best is an indication that he, like Cassel, is not cut out for the job he has been assigned.
I have no desire to discuss the trick play in any great detail. The play was ingenious in design, mediocre in execution, and deplorable in timing. There are many signs that Haley is in over his head, but I don’t believe this was one of them. This was a momentary lapse in good judgment, unlikely to be duplicated.
Much criticism was levied at Herm Edwards last season for his inability to keep his team competitive in the second half. Haley suffers from the same affliction, but to a greater degree. His 22 players off the street mentality hasn’t worked yet. Like it or not, it’s Herm Edwards’s draft picks–Jamaal Charles, Brandon Flowers, and Tamba Hali in particular–that are providing the only flickers in a fire that desperately needs to be stoked. Matt Cassel is not the answer. Mike Goff is not the answer. Bobby Wade is not the answer. The dregs of New England’s roster are not the answer. This team lacks exceptional playmakers, and it lacks exceptional guidance at the coaching level too. Midterm evaluations are in, and it’s not a pretty picture. Nothing short of a sea change in personnel, and perhaps philosophy too, can right this ship, and until it is, my evaluation is as follows: Points are awarded for effort and creativity, but an overall inability to produce right answers means a failing grade. Try harder next semester.
I didn’t like the Matt Cassel signing when it first happened, and I can’t say I like it any more now. But he needs one more year before we can truely evaluate his ability. Lets not forget how many people wanted to run “Tr-INT” Green out of town after his first season in KC.
Comment by Big Dog — December 9, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
I would disagree with you big dog. I was sure he was a backup when he played for the Pats. KC has done this in the past. With Steve Bono and Elvis. we kept taking the cast off QB’s from San Fran thinking they were the answer and it didnt get us anything. Our GM needs to stop hiring people from his old team and start looking elswhere. The lines need help first and foremost. I suppose if they spent the majority of time on that over the off season, then Cassle might get another shot. But he doesnt have a deep ball and he makes terrible choices as well as throws.
Comment by Rick — December 10, 2009 @ 11:56 am
I was pretty happy with the Matt Cassel trade when it happened because I thought we might have a guy who would blossom into a decent NFL quarterback. I was not, however, excited about the contract he signed with the Chiefs. It was for too much money and too many years. Why couldn’t we have signed him to a 2 or 3 year deal for limited money and said, “Hey, we are excited for you to be here, but you are still ‘green’ as an NFL starter. If you prove to this organization that you are the guy, you will get paid.” I agree with Big Dog in saying that Matt needs another year before he can truly be evaluated.
The stars are aligning for the Chiefs though. I think this team could take a huge step forward if three things happen:
#1. Clark Hunt needs to open up the checkbook this uncapped off-season and bring in some serious Free-Agents. I am not saying he needs to sign 10 guys, but three or four SOLID guys to come in and help.
#2. 2008 sparked a lot of interest in the Chiefs as they had one of the better drafts they have had in years. Scott Pioli is nearing his first NFL Draft with the KC Chiefs, and I think it has the potential to be even better. IT HAS TO BE BETTER!!!! The 2010 NFL draft will be extremely important as to how our next few seasons will go. I hope Mr. Pioli is working his tail off evaluating talent from this year’s class because EVERY pick is going to be crucial this year.
#3. We need to upgrade our coaching staff! Plain and simple! I am not going to give up on Todd Haley yet, but as many have said, he has too much on his plate as a rookie head coach. We need to sign a quality Offensive Coordinator. Isn’t some guy named Charlie Weis available?? I agree with Nathan in saying that Clancy Pendergast is not the answer for us as the D Coordinator. We also could use some upgrades at the other assistant coaching positions.
These three things are important, but as any football fan knows, that is usually the case year in and year out. I just get the feeling that the patience is wearing thin for all Chiefs fans. I don’t think I could take another year of whatever it is I have seen this 2009 season. I think we can get extremely better this off-season, but it is going to cost us some money and effort. Now, all we have to do is wait and see how committed our organization is to trying to make this team better.
Comment by KC63 — December 10, 2009 @ 11:57 am
Nathan Kent why dont you pull your Raiders jersey out of the closet?
If the Chiefs ever do decide they messed up and get rid of Cassel ill accept it. Hes a decent QB right now. Hes got 13tds, 8 less then he did at the end of last season. Hes projected to finish the season with 2718yrds, 17tds and 12ints..3693yrds 21td 11ints was his last year total on the patriots..Sure the number of yards is lopsided but the tds and ints are the nearly the same, and that is without Moss or Welker…He also had 3yrs previously as a backup learning the system.
I just dont think one year is enough time to say Cassel cant do it. Lets see how they do next season, then if he still cant get it done then they look for a rookie QB..
Comment by Dan B from Ohio — December 10, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Nathan, why did you put up the stats of the other QBs and leave Cassel’s out? He was 11-5 last year in case you couldn’t find his stats. Also, speaking of his performance on 11/29, 9 QBs that week threw more interceptions and only 11 QBs threw more TDs that week. It wasn’t a good week, but every QB has those type of days. Brady and Manning threw more interceptions. If, in your opinion, he is not the franchise QB for the Chiefs, who would you have started this year?
I don’t know if he is going to work out or not. But, I think if he went 11-5 with a good team last year, he can do it again if we give him some better players. And he had 3 or 4 years to learn from the best.
Comment by Jeff in VA — December 10, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
No, he didn’t go 11-5 with a good team. He went 11-5 with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and three Pro Bowl linemen.
Comment by nathanKent — December 10, 2009 @ 11:50 pm
Nathan let me start off by saying I always look forward to your articles, they are informative and extremely well written while also giving a different approach to sports analysis but, lets all remember that Matt Cassel went 11-5 with Randy Moss Wes Welker and a pro bowl line. Tom Brady is currently 7-5 with Randy Moss Wes Welker and a probowl line. Give the kid a chance no one could succeed all that well as the qb of this team right now. One more year of real upgrading not this patriot practice squad bs and we might actually have something. Keep the faith.
Comment by NCCHIEFSFAN — December 11, 2009 @ 11:24 am
Their isn’t a QB in the NFL that could win with what we have right now.
Comment by EHardman — December 11, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
I will state this…. Like it or not. Matt Cassel sighning before he threw a ball was a “WTF” Seeing how Herm Edwards has destroyed this tewam by letting the best sacker in my mind go due to depremental issues with the team and keeping a cancer for the team on…still has my blood boiling. What Cassel has to work with is nothing,Chris Chambers and Jamaal Charles…THATS it and thats not even good enough when there is no offensive line for them to work with. Sure Haley never played golf and probably learned all his stuff on a Playstation playing Madden football. Haley still needs time to get what he wants there. We have a terrible defense and twice as bad offense. We dont have the joy of having a good season for at least 2 to 3 years including this one. My guess not till 2012. Sorry….but thats what I see.
Drafting I hope we get Suh from Nebraska he is a terror and was ripped off from the HT this year. He will and should be another D.T. or even a J.A. I am ok with Cassel as a QB for now, Just need to get some veterans in to mentor the young guys.
Comment by kcchiefs19692003 — December 13, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
Suh is going to be a good one. My guess is we’ll be drafting a O-Lineman with 3rd or 4th pick. If Weis comes here, we might end up drafting Clausen. Then we’ll have 2 60 million dollar QBs.
Comment by Jeff in VA — December 14, 2009 @ 5:46 pm
this team has terrible ownership,the chiefs are to cheap and we all know it.they should blackout all there games this team sucks
Comment by chris — December 15, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
Suh will not be another Derrick Thomas or Jared Allen. That’s a ludicrous assertion. Aside from Warren Sapp, pass rushing specialists at DT in a 4-3 are rare. In a 3-4, it doesn’t happen at all.
Comment by nathanKent — December 16, 2009 @ 12:32 am