This Should Be The End Of The Matt Cassel Era In KC

Let me be very clear, I really like Matt Cassel. I’ve liked him since he set foot in Kansas City. He seems like a great guy and a great teammate. He’s a hard worker and it’s hard not to cheer for the guy. He’s the ultimate underdog having never played a single game at QB in college. I even drove the Matt Cassel bandwagon for a while. So this is not a piece penned by a “Cassel Hater.”

The numbers speak for themselves. Matt Cassel hasn’t been good enough for the KC Chiefs. Here are here his final numbers as KC’s starting QB:

57.2% Completion Percentage
6.4 Yards Per Attempt
198.8 Yards Per Game
53 TDs to 32 INTs
18 Wins to 21 Losses

For me the two biggest numbers I look at are completion percentage and YPA. To me, that shows if a QB is accurate, and if he can get the ball down the field. Matt Cassel’s numbers in those departments just aren’t good enough. For comparison, here are the career numbers in those categories for some “less than great” NFL QBs:

Matt Moore: 59.4% and 6.8 YPA
Tarvaris Jackson: 59.3% and 6.7 YPA
Rex Grossman: 54.7% and 6.5 YPA

Let’s just say Cassel’s numbers don’t put him in good company, and worse, he is not improving.

Here are the stats from Cassel’s first nine games in a Chiefs uniform:

55.0%, 6.0 YPA, 191.1 YPG, 12 TDs, 6 INTs

Here are the stats from Cassel’s last 9 games (and hopefully his last) as a Chief:

59.5%, 6.4 YPA, 190.3 YPG, 10 TDs, 9 INTs

Before anyone says his numbers this year are down because of his protection, keep in mind that in those first nine games he was sacked 34 times compared to the 22 times so far this season. Cassel simply has not progressed, despite the fact that his WRs are MUCH improved. They’ve gone from an inconsistent Bowe paired with Bobby Wade and Terrence Copper to a Pro Bowl Bowe with Breaston and Baldwin, and Cassel just isn’t any better.

It’s time to move on.