Chiefs, Cassel Could Be Perfect Fit

Matt Cassel is now the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback, thanks in large part to new teammate Bernard Pollard, the man responsible for ending Tom Brady's 2008 season 15 minutes after it began and paving the way for Cassel's emergence.

The talk of Cassel's offseason value began sometime around Thanksgiving, shortly after he had put together back-to-back 400-yard passing performances. He would finish out the season with a quarterback rating of more than 100 in five of the final seven games, and before the Patriots franchised him in early February, the consensus was that Cassel was the best available free-agent quarterback -- by a wide margin.

By now, his story is well known -- before Brady's injury, Cassel last started a game in high school, and he spent his college career at USC backing up eventual Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart -- but it's no less impressive on the third or fourth telling. New England took a flier on Cassel in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, and he immediately assumed the position that he became familiar with in college: standing on the sidelines in a baseball hat patiently waiting his turn, even though he probably suspected it might never come.

And then, in the time it took Pollard to get blocked into Brady's knee, Cassel's professional life changed. He was understandably shaky early on, but as he grew comfortable in the offense, and then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels found ways to utilize Cassel's strengths -- everything came together. Still, despite throwing for more than 3,900 yards, 21 TDs and only 11 INTs, caveat emptor was the refrain from some personnel types as free agency approached.

NFL Films' Greg Cosell makes his living watching hours of game tape and assessing on what he sees. He's Ron Jaworksi's right-hand man for ESPN's NFL Matchup show, and his Sporting News column provides a coach's perspective on the Xs and Os. A few weeks ago, he evaluated Cassel and warned that the nine-year backup turned overnight sensation wouldn't magically solve every NFL team's quarterback quandary. In fact, it would take a certain system -- and a special coach -- to get the most out of Cassel.

If Cassel becomes available in a trade before the 2009 season, it is imperative that interested teams perform a methodical and systematic breakdown of his play and tendencies from this past season. They must have a complete understanding of what Cassel is and what he is not, what he does well, and what he struggles with.

Cosell wrote that Cassel was most effective out of the shotgun last season, and that's why the Patriots became "primarily a shotgun passing team." This would make him a poor choice for many clubs in the market for a quarterback, but a great fit in Kansas City.


New head coach Todd Haley comes to the Chiefs from the Cardinals, where he enjoyed a lot of success using the shotgun formation. Of course, having Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin help. And while no one will ever mistake Cassel for Warner -- stylistically, they're completely different quarterbacks -- he was more relaxed in the shotgun, which led to him being more consistent.

Cassel had more rhythm to his drop and set from the shotgun. He was poised and comfortable, and he saw the field with more clarity. This led to more patience in the pocket, with less of a willingness to take off and run prematurely.

The other critical element that resulted from the widespread use of the shotgun was the functional space it provided Cassel in the pocket. There was more immediate distance between Cassel and the bodies in front of him, and that gave him room to step up and deliver.

Another reason to be optimistic that Cassel will succeed in Kansas City: new general manager Scott Pioli, who arrived from New England in January. He's very familiar with Cassel and understands his strengths and weaknesses better than anybody not named Bill Belichick or Josh McDaniels.

Admittedly, I've voiced some skepticism about Cassel developing into a legitimate NFL starter, but other than remaining with the Patriots, the Chiefs afford him the best opportunity to do just that. Cassel won't have Randy Moss or Wes Welker as targets, but Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez are nice consolation prizes. And if Pioli can find a competent No. 2 receiver to play opposite Bowe and revitalize the Chiefs' running game, the transition should be even easier.

It's way too early to anoint the Chiefs playoff-bound, particularly when we point and gawk at the Redskins every year around this time for their seemingly frivolous spending, but after what the Dolphins and Falcons were able to accomplish last season, it's not a completely ridiculous notion.

The Chiefs did make the playoffs in 2006, and although they've recently fallen on hard times (six wins in two seasons constitutes "hard times," I think), Pioli is actively making sure that changes. The addition of Cassel is a great start, and that it only cost Kansas City a second-round pick (and also brought in Mike Vrabel) is even better.