Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier we told you that Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel was ranked as the NFL’s 58th best (worst?) QB by Bleacher Report draft lead writer Matt Miller.

Well, you didn’t think we’d leave out Brady Quinn, did you?

Quinn comes in ahead of Cassel on the list, at #55.

Impressive.

Here is what Miller had to say about Quinn:

Accuracy21/30
Brady Quinn (6’3″, 235 pounds, six seasons) is fairly accurate on short and intermediate routes, but his accuracy takes a hit when trying to push the ball down the field, connecting on only 14 percent of his passes over 20 yards.

Decision Making17/30
Doesn’t always find the open man and is late on some throws. When he has time, he becomes much more consistent at finding and hitting his target.

Overall68/100
Quinn has bounced around plenty in his NFL career, with 2012 finally giving him time to showcase his abilities. What we saw wasn’t great. Quinn struggles to find the open man and doesn’t have the confidence to throw receivers open. He’s purely a backup at this point.

In short, better than Cassel but still really bad.

Some of the QB’s ranked ahead of both Cassel and Quinn include:

54. Brian Hoyer, 53. Thad Lewis, 50. Graham Harrell, 47. Terrelle Pryor and both of Ben Roethlisberger’s backups on the Steelers.

I could go on, but why depress you any further.

The good news is, for you Alex Smith fans out there, is that the soon to be former 49ers QB came in at #18. So the Chiefs could be in the running for the 18th best QB in the NFL.

Championship!

Coming back from my home abroad in the Republic of Georgia for the holidays, the only thing I really wanted for Christmas was to be able to witness a competitive Chiefs game in person.

Statistically, the team’s past performances and the overall matchup with the Colts made it pretty unlikely I was going to get my wish. But, despite Brady Quinn’s and Brian Daboll’s best efforts I was able to stand a few dozen rows back and watch my beloved team play a dignified game against a better opponent.

I even got to see the team make history. The 2012 Chiefs are the only NFL team to rush for more than 350 yards and still lose the game. Let that soak in a little.

I’m preaching to the choir here on Arrowhead Addict, but if there are any readers who have not been watching the Chiefs all season, this game is your indisputable proof that the Chiefs have been sunk singlehandedly by horrendous quarterback play and worst offensive coaching and play-calling in the league. It is very difficult to have 507 total yards and score only 13 points without doing it on purpose. If that was Daboll’s intent, well done, sir.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

If not, well …

Matt Cassel would have won this game.

Mark Sanchez would have won this game.

Heck, Chad Henne would have won this game by two touchdowns.

Andy Reid, who is about to be fired, would have never called for a draw play on 3^rd and 8 with the game tied in the last three minutes against a team that already had six wins in which they came back in the fourth quarter. Norv Turner, who is also about to be fired, wouldn’t even have this dumb play in his binder.

In fact, any offensive coordinator who decides to hand off to his power back in a clutch situation from the shotgun formation (!) on 3^rd and 8 in what is likely your last possession of a tied game needs to be taken in for a round of electroshock treatment. I’m not trying to be crass, it’s for their health.

The fact that Jamaal’s historic performance was wasted because his quarterback not only couldn’t score at the end of drives, but actually killed one drive and gave up an easy pick six, is criminal.

Quinn needs to find himself a nice spot in the UFL or CFL and I don’t say that out of spite or malice. I believe him when he said he’s not interested in the glory, but rather an opportunity to play the game he loves. Through five seasons in the NFL, he has shown that he is a low-end backup quarterback at this level, and even at that, I’m not sure I’d want him to try and carry my team if my starter gets hurt. He’s made his money; if he really wants to play this game I think he’ll find it’s a lot more fun in the minor leagues. There it won’t matter that he can’t hit a single deep throw – the Colts’ coverage was nothing special on Sunday; he wouldn’t have completed those throws even if the receivers were wide open.

It also struck me at this game how much we have lowered our expectations as Chiefs fans. A lot of the post-game talk was about the fact that Jon Baldwin had one of his best games with two (!) catches for 64 yards on six targets. The fact that this is considered to be a noteworthy performance is among the best evidence I can summon for just how much this team has played like garbage this year. In fact, it feels like we have undergone a slow slide in our expectations over the last few years towards saying, “Well, we didn’t get totally embarrassed. Good day.”

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

That bears out in the stats dug up by the Star’s Sam Mellinger: the Chiefs current point differential is a league-worst  -179 and is also the worst in team history. For our sanity’s sake, our brains have prepared us for such an outcome as the four worst seasons in terms of point differential in the 52-year history of team were 2011, 2009, 2008, and 2012.

We have grown accustomed to being blown out or barely scraping by for a win. The only reason Sunday’s game was even watchable was due to Charles’ herculean efforts along with Peyton Hillis, who decided he was in the mood to run, apparently.

Before the game, I was at the Chiefs VIP tailgate, which was near empty like Arrowhead’s stands. On the plus side, it meant no line for food, beer and autographs from Chiefs Hall-of-Fame safety Deron Cherry. Cherry, who racked up six Pro-Bowl seasons from 1981-1991 with 15 recovered fumbles and 50 interceptions, was a quarterback hunter for a decade. So, I took the time to ask him what he thought about the incoming QB class.

As everyone else has said, he agreed that this year’s crop is less than awe-inspiring, but he was more interested in what the Chiefs would do in the front office. I found it very interesting that he brought that up unsolicited because he was presumably brought in by Chiefs PR for the event. The fact that he said he thinks Crennel should go and it doesn’t make sense to trust Pioli to pick his third head coach in five years  speaks volumes because it was Pioli’s office that hired him for the appearance.

For his part, he said he thinks the Chiefs should bring in Bruce Arians, who has ties to the team as a running backs coach in the late 80’s when Cherry was playing. We’ll be pouring over head coaching options over the next few weeks, but I respectfully disagree with the choice of Arians.

Although he has been an accomplished coordinator for several teams, Arians has never distinguished himself as anything more than that and had a disastrous tenure coaching Temple in the 70’s. He should be highly commended for how he has steered the Colts from afterthought to playoffs in one season, but it’s difficult to tell how much of that was his own efforts and how much came from the team’s wunderkind quarterback and emotional drive to win for their official head coach who has been battling leukemia.

It’s a great story, but so was Romeo Crennel last year, and there are too many parallels there for me to get excited about him.

I’m open to other possibilities, but for now, the rest of my Christmas list reads: Bill Polian, Geno Smith and the ability to hold lofty expectations for this team without subjecting myself to inevitable psychological trauma when they take the field.

And, yes, I am willing to share these presents with others.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The last time the Kansas City Chiefs played the Cleveland Browns, Brady Quinn was the starting QB for the Browns and the Browns won.

This Sunday, when the Chiefs travel to Cleveland, Quinn will be leading the Chiefs.

Obviously there are a lot of Cleveland/KC connections. Romeo Crennel was the head coach in Cleveland when Quinn was drafted and RB Peyton Hillis also rose to fame playing for the Browns.

Quinn sat down with the Cleveland Media today. Here are some choice quotes courtesy of the transcript posted on Ohio.com.

Feel you were given fair shot in Cleveland?

“You know I don’t know. That’s not for me to decide ‘cause again really in the end, it doesn’t matter. You wish you would have a little more stability when you’re in a situation regardless of what you’re in. I think when you, I look back on the team now and there’s maybe only six guys, seven guys that I was with three years ago on that team. It’s just a tough scenario when you’ve got so many moving parts and everything’s constantly changing when you can’t get some stability.”

Running back Peyton Hillis talked to team, surprise you the group of ex-Browns stepped up as leaders?:

“I don’t know. In Cleveland we had a couple rough seasons, we had a solid season where we didn’t make the playoffs. There was more adversity and trials than anything else. I think a lot of times when guys come from those sorts of scenarios, they can either use those moments to help them learn lessons and try to provide guidance to others, especially in the midst of these sorts of adversities. That’s maybe what you’ve seen is some guys who have been through some things before who are trying to lead others who are maybe searching in these moments.”

Your career, 2007 first-round pick, didn’t expect this?:

“Things never go the way you expect them to in life. My mind’s not really on my career. If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s that you really can’t take things past one day at a time. This league, it’s such a rollercoaster ride no matter who you are that you’ve just got to continue to try to get better every day and focus on the task at hand. That’s got to be where your focus is.”

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs QB Brady Quinn also addressed the media today following the team’s 27-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. We wrote down some of his comments. This is not a complete transcript.

-I don’t think anyone ever imagines waking up the day before the game and getting informed that a player, a leader on your team has something so tragic happen like that.

-He was a hard worker. He was dedicated. He was passionate about football.

-Trying to understand the situation was tough.

-I think in moments, in tragedies like this, they can either define you or redefine you. I think this team was able to take an event like this and let it redefine us as a team.

-I walked in the locker room and I didn’t look towards his locker.

-It was tough to sit back and kind of gain focus.

-We just wanted to try to come together as a team and you know, try to bring some good to the situation. Bring glory to the situation wherever you can in this matter.

-We had a great game plan going into it. Coach Daboll and the offensive staff put together some things we felt really solid about.

-This game plan doesn’t work  without the offensive line blocking like they did in the run game.

-It was tough. I think it is an eerie feeling after a win because you don’t feel like you can win in this situation.

-Hopefully people can learn from this.

-Jovan was part of our family and we’re going to try to put together a fund.

-We want her to understand how much she’s loved. (On Belcher’s daughter)

-Right now I think there’s a lot of guys who are just trying to get through the rest of today.

-The emotions of what has taken place is going to hit home for a few guys over the next two days.

July 27, 2012; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks (left to right) Brady Quinn (9), and Ricky Stanzi (12), and Matt Cassel (7), and Alex Tanney (4) run drills during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs may very well have the worst collection of QBs in the NFL.

Let me be clear, they stink. BAD!!!

So when I ask you who you would like to see start at QB this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s about the same as asking you whether you’d like to be punched in the face, stomach, or somewhere south of the border. There is no great answer (although I’ve always felt like stomach would be the way to go).

My point is that since there is no good answer, which option will you find the least pathetic as the Chiefs slog their way through the remaining seven games of the season?

Here are your choices:

Matt Cassel

Matt Cassel is a horrible starting NFL QB. At one point in his career he looked like he could be a mediocre starting QB, but those days are long gone. He stinks on ice. REALLY, REALLY BAD!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes, he’s caps lock and multiple exclamation marks bad.) However, the depressing thing is that he is probably the best QB on this roster. If your desire is for the Chiefs to be as competitive as possible and try to win as many games as possible, Cassel is probably your best bet. He is on a record pace for turnovers though and the fans are SO opposed to him playing that it probably hurts overall team morale when he’s on the field. With the SaveOurChiefs.com movement planning their “blackout” game this Sunday, I’m not sure starting Cassel coming off a game-losing interception will go over very well.

Brady Quinn

Brady Quinn has also shown himself to be a BAD starting NFL QB. At this point he has less proven “suckitude” than Cassel, but the fact remains that in training camp Quinn clearly looked worse than Cassel. He seems to have a better arm than Cassel, but he’s also proven to be a bit of a turnover machine as well. If Quinn could just not turn the ball over he would immediately be an upgrade, especially with his stronger arm. I don’t think anyone thinks there is a long-term future for Quinn in KC, so like Cassel, he would just be a placeholder until the Chiefs could find someone new next year.

Ricky Stanzi

Stanzi seems to be the most popular choice at this point. The common rationale being that he’s young and there could still be some upside there. He’s also the only QB on the roster with a strong chance to make the team again next season. Here’s the problem. On a team with HORRIBLE QBs, Ricky Stanzi was by far the worst looking in camp and preseason. When given a chance to run with the “twos” in the preseason he was AWFUL. How awful, you ask? He was so bad that Matt Cassel thought to himself ,”Man, that guy really panics under pressure!” Brady Quinn thought to himself, “Man, that guy’s so bad he would lose a QB battle to Derek Anderson!” So yes, giving Stanzi a chance would at least let us see if he has anything to offer, but it could also turn Chiefs games into an even bigger joke than they already are (and that’s saying something).

So who do you want out there this Sunday?

If it was my call, and he is healthy, I would go with Quinn. It allows us to move on from Matt Cassel, which is good because of his constant turnovers and the angry mob waiting for him at Arrowhead should he play and turn the ball over again. It also gives the Chiefs a better chance to be competitive down the stretch than if they went with Ricky Stanzi. That’s my take, now what’s yours?

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs QB Brady Quinn was named the starter by head coach Romeo Crennel the week before the team’s game against the Oakland Raiders; however, Quinn was knocked out of the game with a concussion after just one quarter.

Apparently, Quinn did not initially report his injury. In an interview with the Kansas City Star, Quinn reports suffering the concussion on a QB scramble up the middle. He then came back into the game and tried to play another series.

I remember the strange events leading up to Quinn’s departure from the game. On game day, I am active talking with fans on Twitter and in the AA live game thread. During one commercial break, I noticed that one of the media members at Arrowhead tweeted that Quinn had grabbed the wrong helmet and had to run back to the sideline. The media member used the opportunity to poke fun at the Chiefs (something easy to do on game day) but I remember thinking it was somewhat odd that Quinn would take the wrong hat onto the field.

Apparently, Quinn was already suffering from the symptoms of his injury.

On the first play after returning to the field, Quinn was sacked.

“On the sack, I couldn’t even see (McClain) coming off the edge,” Quinn said. “I tried to play through it, thinking it was going to go away. That was my fault for not being smarter.

“It actually got worse after that hit.”

Yikes.

Perhaps the most upsetting about Quinn keeping himself in the game is his reasoning.

“That’s one of the reasons when I first got hit I tried to stay in,” Quinn said, “because it was the first opportunity for me in a while.”

It is easy to sometimes view these players with detachment. Fans want the players to play well and if that doesn’t happen, they want them off the field.

Quinn has had a rough road since coming to the NFL. He’s been through QB controversies in Cleveland and Denver and now KC. He’s always been very professional and hasn’t spent a lot of time complaining.

But it is his play that has kept him off the field, not his desire to do well and win. You have to feel for Quinn, who clearly knows that this is probably his last shot at becoming a starter in the NFL. Actually, it might be his last shot to play in the NFL period. He had been named the starter and basically promised that it was his job for the rest of the season. Then, after just one quarter, he was injured.

Quinn will probably return this year and if Romeo Crennel is a man of his word then he will be given back his starting gig.

For now, however, Matt Cassel remains the best healthy QB on the roster. He will start until Quinn is cleared to play.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Brady Quinn is the new starting QB of the Kansas City Chiefs.

It’s been a long and rough road for Quinn. It all started when he slid in the NFL draft, landing in Cleveland. He then got wrapped up in a QB battle with Derrick Anderson. After playing poorly and dealing with some injury issues and a couple of head coaches, Quinn was dealt to the Denver Broncos where he found himself stuck behind Kyle Orton and, later, Tim Tebow.

And so, years after being drafted, Quinn is getting what is probably his final chance to convince the NFL world that he can be a starter in this league.

He’s got ten games.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” said Quinn to reporters yesterday at Arrowhead. “I think, especially after coming off last week, we have a lot to do. I’m excited about the opportunity of getting to play. Oakland is a great team. There is a lot of work ahead of us.”

The Chiefs do have work ahead of them. Thanks to an injury to Cassel, Quinn got the start for the Chiefs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two weeks ago. He was largely ineffective. The Chiefs scored only three points and Quinn threw two interceptions vs. zero touchdowns.

Quinn said KC needs to avoid this turnovers weekend against the Oakland Raiders:

“I think the one thing is, again, we just have to find a way to not have any turnovers,” said Quinn. “I think that’s been killing us, especially where it’s been happening. A lot of times it’s happening in the red zone and we’re not coming away with any points, so that’s a big key for us. The thing is for us to just continue a sustained drive, whether it’s making a play here or there. Having a bye week, sitting back watching these games this weekend I noticed guys are making plays. It’s not exactly how they draw it up, and guys are making plays. We have to put in our selfless players to be able to make the most of opportunities when we’re given them.”

Despite the loss against the Bucs, Quinn did say he saw some positives in that game.

“I think I did some good things out there,” said Quinn. “There was some efficiency with passing the football, but still, there are some things that we’re still trying to work out. I think anytime you’re coming into a situation where you’re playing with a bunch of guys that you didn’t necessarily play with in OTAs, so you’re still trying to get into a rhythm with some of those wide receivers, etc. I think besides that, really, again, going back to the turnovers. You just have to eliminate the turnovers and do a better job in the red zone, coming away with some sort of points.”

The Chiefs have a lot of work to do. Despite the fact that they are 1-5, they are still only two games out of first place in the AFC West. Though it is unlikely this group is going to turn things around, Quinn isn’t throwing in the towel.

“You hope guys would be focused and ready to go. First half of football really wasn’t quite it. Right now, we’re in a 10-game season. We need to focus on one day at a time, one game at a time. This is a big one for us.”

It’s always a big one when the Raiders come to town. Let’s hope the Chiefs are ready.

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel shook up Chiefs Nation today when he announced QB Brady Quinn would be the starting QB for the rest of the season.

Matt Cassel is now the backup.

The move comes a fairly turbulent Bye Week for the Chiefs that saw GM Scott Pioli go on a media blitz following the team’s dismal 1-5 start.

Earlier this month, a group of fans paid to have a banner flown around Arrowhead Stadium calling for Cassel’s benching and Pioli’s head.

It looks like those fans are getting at least half of their wish.

Cassel was suffered a head injury and missed the team’s last game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quinn did not perform well in relief of Cassel. He went 24 of 40 for 212 yards and two interceptions vs. the Bucs. His passes were often off the mark and the Chiefs lost the game 38-10.

Still, Quinn hadn’t started an NFL game since 2009, his final season in Cleveland.

Crennel cited changing the dynamic of the Chiefs as part of his reasoning for benching Cassel.

Now, it is time to let Chiefs Nation weigh in.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel announced today that QB Matt Cassel has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that backup QB Brady Quinn will start in his place.

Cassel left last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens with a head injury. It was later determined that he had a concussion.

This will certainly make the vocal group of Chiefs fans that want Cassel benched happy. The cries for Quinn have been coming for a couple of weeks now, as Cassel has struggled to avoid turning the ball over.

Quinn will make his first NFL start since 2009 when he was with the Cleveland Browns. The former first round pick was selected by Cleveland when Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel held the same position in Cleveland.

Ironically, Sunday could signify the last chance for both Crennel as an NFL head coach and Quinn as a starting NFL QB. If Quinn can help the Chiefs turn things around and make a playoff run, Crennel will likely be brought back for another season in KC and Quinn will be more apt to get a chance to be a full time starter, whether it be in KC or elsewhere.

The Chiefs enter their Bye Week after Sunday’s game and so there is a good chance, depending on his progress, that Cassel could be cleared to play when the Chiefs play their next game. Whether or not he will start may come down to how Brady Quinn performs Sunday.

The national media may not take much interest in Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Bucs (both 1-4) but make no mistake: the stakes are high. Not just for the teams, but for Crennel and Quinn as well.

Best of luck, gentlemen.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

According to Kansas City Star reporter Adam Teicher, via Twitter, QB Matt Cassel has not been cleared by doctors to practice today.

No surprise but doctors havent cleared Cassel. Won’t practice today

— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) October 10, 2012

This is smart because the team needs to put Matt Cassel’s safety first. Head injuries are very serious and some heal much faster than others. For instance, Josh Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns took a very scary looking hit on a Thursday night and was cleared to play in the team’s next game. Kevin Boss, however, was placed on IR after a couple of weeks of evaluation by the doctors.

No Cassel today just increases the chances of Brady Quinn getting the start Sunday. If Cassel isn’t able to go tomorrow, I’d say that almost guarantees Quinn will start, as Cassel won’t have had enough time to prepare.

What do you think, Addicts? If Quinn plays well and the Chiefs win on Sunday, should he keep the job after the Bye Week? More importantly, do you think the Chiefs will let him keep it?

The time is now to see what Brady Quinn can do. Unlike the classless fools who were cheering the fact that Matt Cassel sustained a head injury, I am not happy that he got hurt. However, the fact that he is means that this is the most sensible to move things over to Quinn.

It can be justified by saying that they want to make sure Cassel is fully healthy before putting him on the field and if Quinn plays well, then no further explanation will be needed as to why he is out there. If he struggles, they can put a healthy Cassel back in there in a few games and claim it was the plan all along.

John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE

But what are we really going to get out of Quinn? Quinn is a player who has played hot and cold his whole career and played in just 15 NFL games, throwing a total of 356 passes. But, since he threw almost all of those passes in Cleveland, he’s an unknown player for most NFL-watchers.

ESPN’s Scouts Inc. write-up on him notes, “He looks the part and puts up great numbers in workouts as well as the weight room but has struggled to transfer the numbers to the field. He does not have much of a feel for the pass rush and tends to hold on to the ball too long. He struggles to throw the deep ball with accuracy.”

That last bit sounds quite familiar.

One way or the other though I wanted to watch Quinn in a full game before passing judgment. Because we just played the Ravens, I thought it would make sense to go back and watch Quinn against his former division rival to compare him with Cassel. Quinn lost the job to Derek Anderson (which should tell you something) in the middle of the team’s Week 3 game against Baltimore. But, by the time the Ravens came to Cleveland in Week 10, Quinn was back as the starter.

But, after seeing the box score, I decided that game would be a snoozer. The Browns lost 16-0 and Quinn went 13/31 (41.9%) for 99 yards, 0 TD’s, 2 INT’s. Cassel’s line for the day yesterday was 9/15 (60%) for 92 yards and 2 INT’s. In other words, the last time Quinn played the Ravens he threw more and was less effective than Cassel.

But, I figured Quinn deserved a better look than that. So, I decided to go back a game. Cassel was also bad against the Chargers last week, and it just so happened that the Quinn-led Browns played San Diego in Week 13 of the 2009 season.

It turns out that this game was probably the best of Quinn’s career. He went 25/45 (55%) for 271 yards, 3 TD’s, 0 INT’s. While the Chargers were able to march all over the Browns putrid defense, Quinn kept them in this one to the end, eventually falling 30-23.

On the opening drive, Quinn looked sharp and the whole offense had an up-tempo feel. He ended up taking them down for a score and was 6/6 for 61 yards and missile TD to his tight end. It was exactly the type of opening drive that Chiefs have totally failed to muster under Romeo Crennel. With Brian Daboll calling the plays, Quinn in this game continued to look poised and in control, throwing several good 3^rd-down passes on his second read.

Watching a game from three seasons ago is a surreal experience and it shows you how quickly things change in the NFL. At the time this game was played, Indianapolis was 12-0. LT was still playing for the Chargers. S Abram Elam, playing for the Browns, allowed an easy TD to Mike Tolbert.

But, as brilliant as Quinn looked in the first quarter, as the game went on he started looking like Matt Cassel more and more. While he managed to not fumble the ball on a 4^th-down QB sneak, he allowed himself to be stripped while scrambling on 3^rd & Goal. In the end, he finished the first half with 12/20 (60%) for 159 yards, 1 TD, one fumble. All and all, not bad.

Although he managed to get another couple touchdowns in the game, he looked downright bad during large stretches of the second half. Most of his yardage came from YAC after checkdowns. Due to his inaccuracy, at some point Daboll put Josh Cribbs in for an entire drive of wildcat, which Quinn capped off with a short touchdown.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Everyone knows he has guns, but he seemed too eager to show it. All of his throws are bullets, which causes a high amount of drops because the receivers don’t have time to adjust to the ball and it comes in with such a velocity that it bounces off their hands. He beaned his TE in the head on a slant when he wasn’t even looking. Granted, the Browns have had a motley crew of awful receivers for a decade, but he missed several of his guys by a mile. Overall in the game, he missed everything he threw deep and even managed to miss his running backs on checkdowns several times.

And, again, this was probably his best game.

The moral of the story is that the Chiefs need to put Quinn in. Cassel is hurt and hasn’t been very effective. It’s possible that Quinn has improved his game in the last three years. Still though, if his tape is any indication, Quinn is not going to be an improvement over Cassel.

But, I’m not sure he necessarily needs to be more skilled than Cassel, just more efficient. If he can keep the ball moving and not turn it over, than the Chiefs “brawling” (to borrow a phrase from Eric Winston) gameplan can work.

I’m excited to see what he can do, but I think Chiefs fans should have no illusions – this guy is not going to take us to the promised land.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Kansas City Chiefs Matt Cassel suffered a concussion in Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFL is being more cautious about concussions than ever these days. Cassel will likely be evaluated throughout the week but I’d say his status for Sunday’s game is questionable at best.

It is hard to tell whether or not Cassel will be ready to go. For instance, Kevin Boss is out for the year after a blow he took to the head. Over in Cleveland, WR Josh Cribbs took a scary looking hit to the dome last Thursday night but he was cleared to play Sunday.

The Chiefs need to let Cassel sit. The team is 1-4 and is one game away from its week off. Regardless of what you think of Cassel’s play, the offense as a whole just hasn’t been effective with him running the show. By having Cassel sit next week, the team will be able to evaluate the play of backup QB Brady Quinn while also allowing Cassel nearly three weeks to heal from his head injury.

If Quinn plays poorly, the Chiefs can turn back to a fully healthy Cassel after the off week. If Quinn plays well and the Chiefs win, Kansas City will be in a position to get back in the AFC West race during the second half of the season.

Injury or not the Chiefs should probably have benched Cassel this week. Now that his health is at risk, there should be no question about who should start at QB next week against the Bucs.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs bungled their way to yet another loss today, falling to the Baltimore Ravens 9-6.

In a game that saw the long-awaited appearance of backup QB Brady Quinn, the Chiefs couldn’t get out of their own way.

QB Matt Cassel had another bad day, throwing two interceptions before being taken to the locker room with an apparent head injury.

Quinn came in and sparked the offense. He threw what appeared to be a TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe but the play was negated because of a penalty on WR Dexter McCluster.

That was the story all day for the Chiefs. Every time they did something right, they did two things wrong. The day included five fumbles (one of which occurred on the goal line), two interceptions and eight penalties for 60 yards.

The Chiefs came out trying to run the ball. It worked. They totaled 214 yards rushing and attempted just 18 passes.

Cassel finished the day 9/15 for 92 yards with two picks and no TDs. Quinn attempted three passes, completing them all for 32 yards.

The Chiefs move to 1-4.

One has to wonder if Cassel will ever start another game for the Chiefs. Should his injury keep him out next week and should Quinn play well, the Matt Cassel era in KC could officially be over.

Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs will head to training camp this summer with a number of new players who will all be battling for playing time. Most of the starters are set but there are a few battles that may go down in training camp that could help determine the future of the team.

Ricky Stanzi vs. Brady Quinn

Matt Cassel may be the unquestioned starter in Kansas City but he’s on an extremely short leash. Should Cassel struggle or if it appears he is holding the team back, Romeo Crennel may be forced to go to one of his other signal callers in an effort to spark the offense.

But who will it be?

Both Stanzi and Quinn could make a legitimate case for the backup role in KC.

Quinn is a former first round pick of the Cleveland Browns when Crennel was the head coach there. Things did not go very well for Quinn in Cleveland. The team around him was not very good and when he did get the opportunity to play he did not look very good. Shortly after Quinn’s arrival, Crennel was fired and Quinn was shipped off to the Broncos where he failed to beat out Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow. He’s been discarded by two organizations but it has been so long since he’s seen the field that it is tough to tell if he just isn’t a starting QB or if he’s just been mishandled.

As for Stanzi, the Chiefs had a golden opportunity to see what they had in the former Iowa QB last season but Todd Haley bungled the situation by starting some guy named Tyler Palko for four games. By the time Scott Pioli canned Haley, Kyle Orton was in town and then interim head coach Romeo Crennel wisely started the veteran. The Chiefs nearly got to the playoffs but never got a chance to see what Stanzi had to offer. In 2012, Stanzi will get a full offseason to prove he can backup Matt Cassel.

Given Stanzi’s lack of experience, Quinn is likely to be the favorite to land the backup role heading into training camp. For Quinn, winning the battle will be crucial because his stint in KC could be his last shot to prove he is a starting NFL QB. Before he can do that, however, he must beat out Stanzi and position himself to be the next man up should Cassel stumble.

For Stanzi, it is important that he continues to develop and does not allow himself to get stuck in the third QB role. If he can wow the Chiefs in camp and beat out the more experience Quinn, he’ll likely have the Chiefs believing in his ability to start. After a year spent backing up Palko at the end of the bench, Stanzi needs to win.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/09000d5d8219d2fe/Quinn-24-yard-TD-pass-to-Davis

The other title I considered was ”Chiefs finally get first-round quarterback” with a picture of Brady Quinn. In the end, I went with the more obvious joke. 

I think we can all agree this is the most exciting free agency of Chiefs GM Scott Pioli’s tenure. Granted, that isn’t saying much, but by any standard this early flurry has been noteworthy. I’ll get to what I think of each move later. Let’s start with the big picture.

Pioli, once again, has switched up his game. His first year he went “bad ‘n boring” in both draft and free agency. In year two his drafting, at least, improved, but I still thought I had him pegged. It was those team captains he was after, and ever would be, thought I. Then the next year he picked Justin Houston and Jon Baldwin, and I had to admit that when it came to the draft, Pioli was actually a bit of a wild card.

His free agent strategy, though, had always remained the same. Set modest goals, avoid top players. An almost exact continuation of the Herm Edwards strategy, oddly enough.

The Chiefs weren’t shy about it, either. About the only thing Pioli didn’t keep secret was his distaste for free-agent spending sprees. That wasn’t the way he did things, wasn’t part of The Patriot Way. He was too smart for that. He was building through the Draft. Drafting and aggressive free agent moves were mutually exclusive, apparently. So the cap room sat there, for three years.

Now here we are discussing a successful Pioli foray into the free agent feeding frenzy. I’ll admit it, Addicts, I never thought I’d see the day. All the “build through the draft” parakeets crowing about free agent signings. It’s a beautiful thing.

What’s really interesting about these moves, though, is that I am now faced with quite the logic-dilemma. I’ve been saying since Pioli got here that he needed to be more active in free agency, and that you could spend big and still spend smart. I’ve also said that when it came down to it, I didn’t think he had the chops to get it done when competing with other teams for players. With one huge signing, Pioli has proven me both wrong and right. Wrong about him, right about free agency.

(more…)

Dec 11, 2011; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brady Quinn (9) before the game against the Chicago Bears at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Bears 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

You have no idea how badly I want this update to be that Eric Winston has signed with KC. Unfortunately, we can’t say that YET. However, there is good news. After spending all day in KC (including a lunch at Jack Stack that caused him to say “Whoa. That was impressive”) Adam Teicher is reporting via twitter (@adamteicher):

Can update the Eric Winston situation. He’s still in KC. Looks like he will stay another nite. #Chiefs could still sign him tonite or Sat.

So hopefully we will get word any time that Winston has signed. I can’t imagine he’d stay in town a day and a half if they weren’t working something out. It’s like we’ve got our own little Mario Williams situation going on here.

The other interesting news to come out this evening comes from Fox’s Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez):

#Chiefs set to host Brady Quinn on a free agent visit, @FOXSports.com has learned. Story being posted asap.

So the Chiefs are finally bringing in a possible #2 QB. Not exactly the type of guy that will likely beat out Cassel like many were hoping for. What do you think Addicts?

UPDATE: Marvez is now reporting that Winston has cancelled his visit to St. Louis and doesn’t plan to reschedule. That sounds good right? The next part does not sound encouraging.

Winston met Thursday and Friday with the Kansas City Chiefs but a signing isn’t imminent. Winston began his tour Wednesday by meeting with the Miami Dolphins.

Winston is expected to resume taking free-agent visits again soon. The Baltimore Ravens are another strong bidder for his services, a source said.

What does everybody else think about this rumor? Would you have pulled the trigger on this deal?