This was not destined to be a perfect season. Four weeks in, as the only undefeated team in the league, it was easy for us Chiefs fans to start dreaming a little. There’s no reason not to. On account of the radical transformation Romeo Crennel has brought to a nearly identically staffed defense, the team is already much further along than most of us (myself included) dared to imagine even as late as the end of preseason. But this was not destined to be a perfect season.
Losses to Indianapolis are tough for me to stomach. In the past decade, they’ve proven themselves to be the one team that’s consistently got Kansas City’s goat. Their quarterback may be the best to play the game. He takes snaps from a probable Hall of Fame center, chucks the rock to potential Hall of Fame wide receivers, and hands off to a steady string of first round tailbacks, the original of whom will himself also be enshrined. In recent years the Colts have also drafted a credible defense to supplement the groundbreaking offense. There’s no shame in losing to them. Since the 2003/2004 season playoff loss, however, I think I may be more disheartened by losses to Indy than I am away game losses to Denver.
Having said that, this one was easier to digest than the prior three. The prior three were painful to watch for radically different reasons, but all three contained a common thread: an incompetent defense. That featurette of recent Chiefs teams has been put to pasture, and there is no greater evidence of that than this past Sunday’s contest. The image of a bloodied Tamba Hali skating past will stick in the minds of Charlie Johnson and Ryan Diem for weeks to come, and I doubt any of the Colts’ offense will feel good about allowing the lesser of Kansas City’s starting cornerbacks to run roughshod over them for four quarters.
It is, in fact, those two that are the story for Kansas City this week. At the conclusion of the 2008 season, Hali was written off by a sizable portion of the fanbase. He was too slow and weak to play on the right side. He wasn’t a dynamic enough player to get it done without Jared Allen force feeding him sacks. Carr was viewed in a similar light – after a dismal game against the elder Steve Smith, he simply didn’t look like he had the goods to play NFL caliber football. Now, in a little less than two years, they look like game changers. I’m still reserving judgment on Carr, but Hali is undoubtedly the real deal.
By comparison, Matt Cassel is also a game changer, but in a slightly different vein. So is Dwayne Bowe. So is Chris Chambers. For as much as Hali, Carr, and a few of their running mates did to keep the Chiefs in the game, Cassel, Bowe, and Chambers did as much to put a win completely out of reach. Bowe and Chambers are a pair of should-be Pro Bowlers with a Peter Gibbons-esque work ethic, and Cassel is the little engine that couldn’t. Just how bad is Cassel? Tyler Palko might not be able to hold his place on my hot seat much longer.
Solid protection is purported to raise the level of play of any quarterback. One wonders, then, exactly how Cassel would look behind the offensive line the Chiefs sported in 2007, given that he looks so tepid behind its antithesis. No line has given up fewer sacks this season than Kansas City, and only two teams are averaging more ground yards per game. Part of the problem is that his receivers are making him look bad (Bowe deserves most of the blame for this week’s breakdown), but the root problem is the same point I harp at every week: he’s not an NFL quarterback. He’s not an NFL quarterback. He’s not an NFL quarterback.
On the subject of protection, I’d like to pay special attention to the efforts of Brian Waters, who, in his first ever snaps at left tackle, played a very special game of pattycake with a very special pass rusher. Waters, in a few brief minutes, demonstrated exactly why he’s still a player to be respected – physically outmatched as he may have been, he was smart enough to know how to overcome the situation. Jon Asamoah, by the way, looked rough and tough at left guard. He, like at least five of his six draft mates, is the future of the franchise at his position. Really, Cassel – why aren’t you producing behind these guys?
Well, you’re not because you probably can’t. Cassel is in a tough spot, and it’s not his fault. He had no business being drafted. He had no business being franchised. He had no business being traded for a second round pick, and he definitely has no business leading an NFL offense. Fans fear the fragility of Brodie Croyle, and understandably so. His history shouldn’t come into play. Against all odds, Kansas City has a real shot at making a playoff run. They need to have at the helm the quarterback most likely to engineer a winning drive. It sure as hell isn’t Tyler Palko, and it’s probably not Matt Cassel either.
The remaining argument against Croyle is that if (or rather when) his season ends prematurely, Cassel’s confidence will have been shaken enough by the benching that he will be rendered ineffective. Folks – he’s already there, and to boot, I don’t think he has any confidence left to shake. Fire Tyler Palko, hire Jeff Garcia, give Croyle the rock, and in an absolute worst case scenario, bring back in Matt the Mistake to run damage control. Games need to be won. The defense can’t be expected to win them all. Thankfully, they can be expected to win some. For the rest, let’s see the guy with the best arm and the best brain, and hope to heaven he doesn’t get broken in half like the twig he is.
LOL! You really do hate Matt Cassel, don’t you? There are only 5 or 6 “good” QBs in the league and they play on teams that aren’t going to give them up. Cassel is a below average QB, but he is the best we have. He has won 11 games in a season before, that’s more than most QBs in the league. I think his problem is more his receivers. He is getting the protection this year, but only because Weis has him getting rid of the ball quicker. He has fewer interceptions than most in the league. You’ve have finally offered a recommendation to replace him, but please, Jeff Garcia? They might as well bring back Jeff George. To me, Bowe is a much bigger let down than Cassel. I think it would be easier to replace Bowe. The fact is, there’s not going to be a QB change in KC this season, unless there’s an injury, so we might as well root for him, rather than cut him down every week. He didn’t lose that game last week, the team did.
Comment by Jeff in VA — October 16, 2010 @ 4:24 pm
Manning, Manning, Brees, Rivers, Favre, Schaub, Rodgers, Palmer, Flacco, Hasselbeck, McNabb, Romo, Brady, Vick, Cutler–those 15 you can’t argue with. Orton, Ryan, Sanchez, Garrard, Fitzpatrick, Young, Wallace–seven more that aren’t proven, but are having good seasons. That’s 22 guys I would take in a heartbeat over Cassel. That’s not to say that I like all of them–I don’t–but I’d take them over the backup my team is starting now. It’s not a matter of rooting for or against him. I want him to do well. I’m just not blinding myself to the fact that he can’t.
As for Garcia, the guy is solid as a rock and consistently posts 90+ passer ratings. He’s been to four Pro Bowls, he doesn’t throw a lot of picks, and more importantly, guys actually believe in him. Comparing Garcia to George, who has been out of football for six years (Garcia is still in, and is only a season removed from his last successful stint as an NFL starter) is ludicrous.
Yes, Bowe is more to blame than Cassel for this loss. Bowe has potential, however, and Cassel does not. It’s not his fault. I reached my maximum athletic potential way before he reached his, but neither of us deserve to have his paycheck.
Comment by nathanKent — October 16, 2010 @ 8:56 pm
Okay, you named more than 5 or 6. Now, how do you propose we get one of those QBs? I really only like 5 or 6 of those and I wouldn’t agree that they’re all better than Cassel. Maybe we could get Kolb (not on your list)from Philly if they go with Vick next year. Or maybe Orton, if Denver wants to go to what’s his name next year. I don’t want the guys on the bottom of your list, and the guys at the top are going nowhere.
Garcia is in the UFL. He last started in the NFL in 2008.
Every team wants a HOF QB. My point is, they only come around every once in a while and we’ve already had our share.
Comment by Jeff in VA — October 17, 2010 @ 1:34 pm
Last started in 2008, but was on a roster for part of 2009. If you want to go by starts, George hasn’t had one since 2001. There is absolutely no comparison between the two. Even if they were on the same timeline, there would still be no comparison. Passing ability aside, as field generals, George is one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
Comment by nathankent — October 17, 2010 @ 2:56 pm
Cassel looked great today and the defense looked terrible. I knew when we didn’t get that 3rd and 2 that it was over, I’ve had the same feeling many times over the years with this defense. I’m gonna go ahead and believe it was an abberation. But Cassel showed he could play today, that first touchdown pass to Bowe was a thing of beauty. Lets lay off Cassel for a bit now shall we.
Comment by aj58soad — October 17, 2010 @ 7:17 pm
We should have went for it on that after we didnt make it. Sure they probably would of scored but at least the last drive would have been ours instead of theirs.
Cassel isnt as bad as you think he is. This offense is built to not turn the ball over. In other words, runs and dump offs. If we actually had some receivers go downfield we would see a different Cassel. Our receivers cant even get separation and you expect something better than what we’re getting. I think Cassel is doing a damn good job for what he has to work with. One thing that pisses me off is from all the running we do, WE DONT USE PLAY ACTION. W.T.F.!! Our playcalling is terrible. I dont know why people just dont stack 8 in the box and let us have it. I dont get it. Im sick of all the hate on Cassel though. Hes done nothing wrong in this stupid offense were running. If you have the talent to score every drive, WHY NOT TRY. Mix it up a little Haley and Weiss, Jesus.
Comment by Jonesy — October 17, 2010 @ 8:40 pm
Interesting article. It seems that we are both unhappy with the play of Matt Cassell. Our only hope, now that the trade deadline has passed, is to bring in the quarterback from Alabama. I would have liked to see Jeff Garcia at the helm. He can scramble, he can throw, and he can read defenses. There are so many things that need fixing, while at the same time we have the potential talent to explode once things are fixed. And Kent, when are we going to write an article together?? Send me an email at argin.henry@gmail.com.
Comment by Argin — October 22, 2010 @ 8:31 am