Matt Cassel, You're Our Only Hope
Matt Cassel practiced today for the Chiefs. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network and National Football Post is reporting that Cassel starting Sunday is a 50-50 proposition. That means that there is a 50% that we will have to suffer through Brodie Croyle for yet again, and considering Brokie’s injury history and the Ravens’ nasty defense probably Tyler Thigpen, too. Either the Chiefs are going to give Cassel a cortisone shot and make him play, or they are going to need to give me one, because I cannot tolerate the excruciating pain of watching those two pretenders masquerade as quarterbacks any longer.
Ray-Ray Lewis and the Ravens will snap Brodie in two, and then Thiggy Smalls would come in relief comic relief and get more ass-rippings from Todd Haley than completions. I seriously don’t know if I will be able to stomach it. Croyle missed Dwayne Bowe, one of the biggest WRs in the NFL, at least six times the other night in a half. Meanwhile, Thigpen threw two picks against back-ups on possibly the worst defense in the NFL. Watching those two quarterbacks in the same game is akin to watching Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton co-star in the same movie. I would rather have my inner thighs waxed by Brock Lesnar.
Seriously, I have not been waiting for a young franchise quarterback since Todd Blackledge flopped when I was five years old only to land him and see him sit out the first game of the season. That’s kinda like wandering through the desert and seeing a big puddle of water only to have your camel piss in it before you can take a drink. Excuse my French here, but if I have to endure Croyle/Thigpen again the taste won’t be much different than piss water. Last year, they were at the heart of Harmageddon, the single worst football experience of my life. Yes, even worse than three-a-days at Emporia State in 100 degree weather with scents from a nearby bakery and slaughterhouse converging to gag me underneath my facemask. This is how frustrated I am with these two “quarterbacks,” two players that only a complete idiot like Herm Edwards would consider starting options.
Cassel, Haley, if you guys can pull it off — and I don’t care how as long as we don’t jeopardize M.C.’s future, which might even be worth it — please get No. 7 out there Sunday. It will eat me alive to see Terrell Suggs complete a Mortal Kombat-style fatality on Croyle (“get over here!”), with Ed Reed picking off Thigpen six times as an encore. Save us, Matt Cassel, you’re our only hope.
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Cmon adam…. your being a little negative dont you think.
Im so pumped….
Thigpen will save us!
September 8th, 2009 at 1:01 amHarmageddon – I Like that, The man will be o.k. on sunday, I can’t watch this B Teaming at the QB position either, It’s embarrissing – This idea of Castle staying out the 1st 6 games, would make my next month and a half harder than it already is. I guess everyone wants to just give the Baltimore game over, Automatic loss, Brodie’saTurd, but more shiny than Thigpin. I guess I can understand not playing castle if he is 85% or lower, but give us our best chance to win on sunday for real! not Brodie Croyle and his huntin DVD’s. No Matter What goes down in Baltimore, Week 2 is ours, Seymore or not. I bet ya O’Callahan closes the fence a little better than that soft doughy cookie D. Mac. I’am watching LJ this week, I have a feeling he is going to suprise us all against BAL. He is solid steel blaster, going to break tackles, and DIEsEL TRUCK HIS WAY TO SUCCUP RANGE. D-BOwe has a bone to pick, Sean Ryan – I’am not going to go that far, but it had flashes of repackaged Tony G plays. Hey at least he knew his route. Go CHIEFS!!
September 8th, 2009 at 3:54 amCome on guys remember how our first game last year was going to be a slaughter? We lost but almost won it. Lets face the facts. We have a franchise qb but its not safe to play him. We have no protection for him. We kept four qb’s because thank God our management realizes this.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:05 amHilarious.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:17 ammmmmm start a gimpy QB behind a poor line against a agressive, sack happy defense… Wow…. what a dilemma. Personally, I would start Thiggy. I think be has the best chance of surviving the game. That, is I would start Thiggy if Haley had a freakin clue how to use him. Haley obviously doesn’t as the Ram game showed us. Chan knew how to use Thiggy, but Haley will not let Chan call plays anymore because Haley is a control freak and if it’s not done his way to the Nth degree, he has a cow. We have little chance in this game.
mmmmmm no, I think I’ll pass. Wow Adam, first you are slitting your wrists over Pollard and now you are having a cow over the idea of Brodie or Thiggy playing QB for us in a game we have little of winning anyway. Bro, you are in mid-season suicidal form already. Who would have believed it, considering how estatic you were with Pioli/Haley/Cassel and your blueprint.
September 8th, 2009 at 8:52 amTo me, in the Rams game, Brodie looked like Brodie always looks. Inconsistent. Tyler looked so bad I’m tempted to just give him a Mulligan for that performance – he’s certainly had better outings than what we witnessed Thursday night. Regardless of who is taking snaps, they are going to struggle because they have only two choices, either stand in there and take the hit (Cassel/Brodie) or try to throw the ball while you’re running for your life (Cassel/Thigpen). Cassel gives us the best and worst of both options.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:15 amLike Merlin, I was a little puzzled by the coaching decision to force a square peg (Thigpen) into a round hole (conventional NFL offense). Haley’s insistence on running only one style of offense suggests to me he might be too conservative / too stubborn / lacks imagination (take your pick).
DD:
I hear you and pretty much agree with you. I have been talking to MaineChief a lot about this issue. It’s not that Haley is too conservative. He is pretty agressive with his calls. It’s that he appears to have one idea of how he wants to run an offense. He seems to force people into his defined roles. I think he may very well be too stubborn to adapt and get the best out of the offensive talent on this team. Thiggy is a great case in point. This seems to be Haley’s blind spot. If he doesn’t watch it, he could take himself and the team down with him. Remember, he has only called plays for one offense before. That was a pretty talented offense. He doesn’t have the depth of experience that someone like Chan Gailey has. This season may bear this out.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:31 amIm with you Merlin, I would start Thiggy. We are not going to see many wins this year but its much easier to swallow that when you see a method behind the madness and it seems there is one.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:31 amWe have to play this year in protection mode, ie protecting our assetts until we are prepared to effectively use them.
I personally would love to see Thigpen paired with an offensive style he can work with and watch the crazy plays for most of the year, then see what we pick up in the draft and spend the offseason with much more optimism than I’ve had in several years. OH yes and hopefully watch the seats gradually fill up. I mean what else can we expect? The Raiders proved to us you can’t just hire a bunch of bad-asses and throw them together and start winning.
Randy,
I share your concern on the need to protect assets. One consequence of doing so is the perception of playing scared. I kind of doubt that anybody within the organization (GM, Coaching staff, players) really wants to go down that road.
September 8th, 2009 at 9:57 amExcellent point DD. Playing scared is better than playing stupid.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:33 am[...] Arrowhead Addict | A Kansas City Chiefs Blog [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 11:23 am[...] No one thought that Brodie Croyle would be starting again, but there’s a chance the Chiefs are in for it in week [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 11:43 amLets see maybe we can make it through the first two games if Matt sits out the first one and avoids Ray Lewis and then its possible Richard Seymour will throw Matt into my section .
September 8th, 2009 at 12:51 pmThis is a nightmare for any coach or fan, but I honestly can’t wait to see how things work out. This game is huge. The Ravens are foaming at the mouth to show the NFL that they mean business and they’re going to come out swinging. If we can put up any kind of a fight, keep it close, make some stops on D, see even a smidge of progression on offense, then I see this loss as us moving in the right direction.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:08 pmas always right on Adam. I believe Cassel WILL start, I think he believes it, Haley believes it….It just is going to happen unless Cassel cant run…but I have a feeling by sunday hes 90 percent.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:18 pmanyone who says sit him out to avoid a beating….
seriously? protect your qb from your own OL? that sends a fantastic message…
stop…..just…stop….we cant go in expecting to get our butts kicked…thats not the winning mentality, thats the herman edwards mentality that has infected the fans.
you dont send a 2nd rounder, then pay a guy, to have him sit TWO GAMES, when he can play…NO. awful
September 8th, 2009 at 11:19 pmTo me its the worst of two really crappy choices SD .
September 9th, 2009 at 7:10 amSD:
It’s called an honest evaluation of our offensive line.
September 9th, 2009 at 7:49 amOh well its looking like Matt will sit out the opener.
September 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm“You are a rookie – a free agent rookie, mind you – tryin’ ta make a team. You oughta be KILLIN’ yourself out there after every catch.”
September 9th, 2009 at 9:29 pm“…Or you’ll be sittin’ home. That’s fine, too. You c’n go home. Sit on the couch. Eat chips. Enjoy yourself. Talk to your girl… I mean, whatever. That’s fine. You may not. This may not be for you.”
Wish I could capture the tone. That wasn’t a valley girl “whatever.” Just perfect.
Watching Inside the NFL, tonight.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:31 pm