this season will be better and more entertaining because of the player pioli has brought in, thomas and vrabel instantly make our defense better even if they are 100 years old. DJ will work harder to keep up with these old men. dorsey is back with his linemate that he won a national title with in jackson. i think pioli has shown he can use intelligence in getting the “right” players to make our team better.

The $30 million number I threw out was what the Chiefs were required to spend to reach the FLOOR of the cap (prior to the Cassel signing, that is). I think $30 is a little high though now that I’ve thought about it. However, the point still remains, they haven’t spent the league minimum on the players yet. They’re paying Cassel $15 million THIS SEASON, and still have to spend about $13 million to reach the floor of the cap. It’s your math that needs rechecking, pal. (I can only think of the South Park where Canada goes on strike, lol)

At any rate, Cassel is getting paid less than either of the two rookie QB’s drafted in the start of the first round this year, and less than Matt Ryan. Ryan turned out well for a season, and I think he’s going to do well in his career. Sanchez gives me the bust feeling. Cassel has been the backup to some damn fine QB’s, and has shown he can win in the NFL, something a rookie hasn’t shown. That doesn’t mean his sucess in NE will come with him as the personnel is different. I understand you’re probably playing devils advocate more than anticipating Cassel’s demise, but here’s my thought:
If Cassel does well this season and there was nothing long-term, he’d command more money next year in a contract, could have been franchised again at a higher price, or left/traded.
The Chiefs are banking on him to be “the guy,” as Tom Brady, another low-round draft pick, did for Drew Bledsoe in 2001. I remember how upset Chiefs fans were in 2004 when they missed the playoffs with a 10-6 record, that was almost unheard of. The Pats missed the playoffs with an 11-5 record, while the Chargers made it at 8-8. Cassel could have had Brady-esque sucess if they went to the playoffs.

At a time when kids are coming into this league getting paid ridiculous sums of money without ever having played an NFL down, we got a relatively young guy who hasn’t played a whole lot, but has shown he’s got the ability to win NFL games. You can’t say that about Stafford, Sanchez, Bradford, Tebow, or any of those college QB’s. The NFL is a different animal than college, and a team gambles on every player they get. I see this move as the Chiefs hedging their bets on a guy with the least amount of bust potential. Yes we’ve been here before, but there’s no reason to think the past has any reflection on our future. It’s like roulette, the odds are always the same every spin; succeed or bust.

Name one thing that I said here that was hateful, much less critical of Cassel? If I’m critiquing anyone here, it’s Pioli. And just because I engage in a little critical analysis doesn’t qualify me as a hater.

Without taking anything away from Cassel, what I will point out is that backup QBs Bono and Grbac both had pretty good seasons with pretty good teams right before they became the new “franchise” QB for the Chiefs. Now tell me we haven’t been down this road before?

By my calculation, we now have somewhere south of $20 million in excess cap room left this year. After one considers the fact that Pioli still has some pretty significant guys from this draft left to sign, that $30 million number you threw out will probably start shrinking pretty drastically. Suggest you recheck your math there buddy.

Despite all the nattering chatter about it, I would be utterly shocked if 2010 somehow ends being an uncapped year. Its mootness remains to be seen.

As far as Bradford goes, I threw him out there as just an example. Even though he was projected to go (a lot) higher in this last draft than either Stafford or Sanchez I’m not totally wed to Bradford either. Let’s see what he does this season before making that assessment, shall we?

Chill.

What would stop the Chiefs from drafting an elite college QB next year? They’ll have plenty of cap room since they’re still $30 million UNDER the cap on this season… and to that effect, 2010 is slated to be uncapped anyway so that argument is moot.

It’s a smart move signing him now, before the price on QB’s escalate even more when Rivers, Manning, and even Edwards start their negotiations. The contract is front-loaded for a reason, to take up cap room this (and potentially next) season, then dropping off in order to attract and be able to sign big name talent. What did Cassel do to make you doubt him? Win 10 1/4 games last season on what should have been a playoff team? Get better the more he played? Throw accurate passes to open recievers? Make good decisions?

I don’t believe Bradford will suceed at the NFL level. I don’t know if Cassel will either. I do know his bust chances are lower than taking a rookie in the first handful of picks.