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Matt Cassel News & Rumors

Cassel is familiar with Chiefs' target for offensive coordinator
February 5
Kansas City Star
 
"Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel doesn't make a habit of studying the offenses of opposing teams. But he admits to paying some attention when he's watching the offenses of Brian Daboll, who was the Patriots' receivers coach for a couple of seasons while Cassel played in New England. "There were a lot of instances throughout the year with Miami last year where he would do a good job of mixing and matching personnel to create some mismatches," Cassel said. "That's the thing I noticed. He's really good at doing that." Cassel will soon get to know Daboll, 36, even better. The Chiefs were on the verge of hiring Daboll as their new offensive coordinator. An announcement should come this week,"
Report: Cassel saves woman from fire
January 28
ESPN.com
 
"Matt Cassel is a hero. KMBC-TV reported that the Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback ran to a neighbor's house to alert a woman that her house was on fire. Cassel's wife reportedly noticed smoke and flames coming from the home's chimney in the Village of Loch Lloyd, Mo., on Thursday night. Witnesses said Cassel knocked and rang the doorbell of the woman's house to get her attention and then ran around the house until he saw her come outside. The woman reportedly said she did not know her home was on fire until Cassel caught her attention. No one was hurt in the fire, but the house reportedly suffered major damage."
Cassel never felt 'entitled' to be Chiefs' starter
January 12
Kansas City Star
 
"Since making the trade with New England for Matt Cassel three years ago, the Chiefs committed to him in a way that teams do for a franchise quarterback. They rewarded Cassel with a long-term contract before he'd ever taken a snap in Kansas City. They haven't brought in a serious threat to take his job. Cassel said through it all, he never believed he was entitled to be the starter. He also indicated he would be willing to compete for the job if that's what the Chiefs ask him to do. "There's competition every year,'' said Cassel, who will turn 30 in May. "If you play this position, there's always competition. You're competing against yourself, you're competing against somebody else. Whoever"
Cassel speaks
November 26
Kansas City Star
 
"Quarterback Matt Cassel, the Chiefs' starter for their first nine games, was in the locker room Friday and spoke briefly to reporters. He remained disappointed, nearly two weeks after suffering a broken hand, that his season was finished. He was placed on injured reserve Monday. "You don't get to continue to go out there and play and all that," he said, "and it's such an abrupt injury and a thing that you never anticipate. So that's the hard part about it." Wearing a black cast on his right hand, Cassel said he didn't know how long his recovery would be. Still, he said he'd spend much of his time at the team facility. "You try to get a role, somehow, some way and continue to contribute to"
Chiefs QB Matt Cassel officially done for the season
November 22
Kansas City Star
 
"The Chiefs officially ended the season for quarterback Matt Cassel before Monday night's game against the Patriots when they placed him on the injured-reserve list. Cassel injured his passing hand late in last week's loss to Denver. He subsequently had surgery, and Chiefs players were told last week that Cassel would not return again this season. Coach Todd Haley said after the Chiefs' 34-3 defeat that it was unlikely Cassel would have been able to return before the end of the season. "It's the right hand of a right-handed quarterback," Haley said. "It was going to take some time (to heal). We put a lot of thought into it as an organization with our doctors. We just made the decision we"
Cheifs' Mall Cassel's surgery goes well
November 17
Kansas City Star
 
"Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel underwent surgery on his right hand late Monday. Coach Todd Haley said Wednesday that the procedure had gone "really well," and he held out hope that Cassel might return this season. Cassel suffered an injury to his throwing hand late in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Denver Broncos. "We're just giving as much time as we can to see where he is, and as we make decisions, we're going to let you know," Haley said. "But we have not done anything with Matt yet, as far as his status.""
Cassel may be done for year; Palko will start
November 15
Kansas City Star
 
"The very picture of a journeyman quarterback, left-handed Tyler Palko has spent time with four NFL teams. He played in four games and threw 13 passes, all coming with his team hopelessly behind. But he's the Chiefs' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. That became reality Monday when the Chiefs discovered what coach Todd Haley said was a "very significant injury" to the throwing hand of Matt Cassel. Cassel injured his right hand late in Sunday's 17-10 loss to Denver at Arrowhead Stadium. Haley wasn't optimistic Cassel would return this season. "That's a possibility," said Haley, who also indicated Cassel would probably need surgery. "I wouldn't say it's an absolute."
Cassel's injury more serious, could end his season
November 14
Kansas City Star
 
"Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel's right hand injury, suffered late in Sunday's loss to Denver, is far more serious than initially thought and could end his season. Haley said the injury is "significant" and will require surgery. "That's a possibility," coach Todd Haley said Monday when asked if Cassel could be done for the year. "I wouldn't say it's an absolute." Cassel hurt his throwing hand in the Chiefs' home game against the Broncos, a 17-10 loss that dropped them to 4-5. For now, Cassel will not be placed on the injured-reserve list, which would officially end his season."
Chiefs concerned about Cassel injury
November 14
Kansas City Star
 
"The Chiefs tried to console themselves after their latest defeat with the fact that they've already climbed out of a bigger hole this season. But the one they carved for themselves after Sunday's 17-10 loss to Denver at Arrowhead Stadium will be a lot more difficult to escape. They may have to begin this attempted comeback without quarterback Matt Cassel, who was knocked out in the fourth quarter because of an apparent injury to his right hand. Cassel left the stadium with his hand wrapped, putting in doubt his availability for next Monday night's game against the Patriots in New England. The Chiefs this time don't have the luxury of starting their rally against the likes of Minnesota and"
Dolphins' defense kept Matt Cassel on the run
November 7
Kansas City Star
 
"Matt Cassel kept running Sunday, and sometimes he was able to plant and run forward. Usually, he was scrambling or backtracking. The Chiefs' pass protection put together one of its more disappointing performances of the season in Sunday's 31-3 loss to the previously winless Miami Dolphins. Sure, the Chiefs knew that the Dolphins had a talented pass rush. But on Sunday, it looked like the Steel Curtain. Cassel was sacked five times, the most in a game since January's regular-season finale against Oakland, another blowout loss. "Sometimes that happens," Cassel said. "They have a good pass rush, and we knew that coming in. It just so happened that I had to get outside the pocket a little bit"
Cassel tries to put mistake behind him
October 1
Kansas City Star
 
"Former NFL quarterback Dan Fouts cringed last week when, while broadcasting the game for CBS, he saw Matt Cassel throw the avoidable interception that ended the Chiefs' chance at victory in San Diego. Fouts has been there and done the same thing, so he knows what a chore it can be to get past such a mistake. "You're talking to a guy who threw a lot of interceptions," Fouts said. "Unfortunately, I was in that situation a few times. It is tough to get over it." Fouts also won many games for his team, the Chargers — so many that he eventually wound up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Cassel doesn't have that background. It is a play that at worst can ruin a quarterback's career or at"
Cassel's quarterback play isn't inspiring hope
September 26
Kansas City Star
 
"Really, they have so much reason to feel good in this place. The Chiefs played their best game of the season and even if that's a classic thinnest-kid-at-fat-camp compliment, there is enough that the large men in this locker room should be smiling and whooping about. Instead, the silence is broken only by the muted shuffling of equipment managers and the hushed questions from reporters about a blown opportunity. And to be clear, it's Matt Cassel who blew this opportunity. The wake of the Chiefs' 20-17 loss to the Chargers is a good time to wonder how many more chances he should get. Because no matter how much lipstick the Chiefs try to put on it, this is the kind of failure that can stick"
Chiefs need Cassel to find comfort zone
September 22
Kansas City Star
 
"Last year, Matt Cassel emerged as one of the NFL's more responsible quarterbacks — but not without a discouraging start. He threw two interceptions in a win at Cleveland in week two, and then somehow, the picks all but disappeared. Cassel wasn't flashy, and he didn't possess one of the NFL's more dazzling arms, but after the Browns game last season, Cassel threw just two interceptions in his next 10 starts, finishing 2010 with 27 touchdowns and seven picks. What he did well was protect the ball. And if that was his quarterback's specialty, coach Todd Haley said at the time, that was plenty. It also was enough to earn Cassel his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Through two games this season,"
Cassel is adamant he will play Sunday for Chiefs
September 8
Kansas City Star
 
"All doubts seemed to disappear Wednesday that Matt Cassel would start at quarterback Sunday when they open their regular season against Buffalo at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs returned to practice after a day off and Cassel was a full participant. "No doubt in my mind," Cassel said when asked if he would play. "I feel good. I feel like I'm ready to go. "Come you-know-what or high water, I'm going to be out there.""
Cassel's pain tolerance will determine whether he plays
September 7
Kansas City Star
 
"Matt Cassel's upcoming week, and the short-term outlook of the Chiefs, could rely on something as unpredictable as a sneeze. Cassel, the Chiefs' starting quarterback, has an injured rib, and twisting or straining could send a shot of pain through him that could keep him out of this week's regular-season opener against Buffalo — or perhaps render him ineffective. A strong laugh could aggravate the injury, received last Friday when Cassel was sacked by Green Bay nose tackle Howard Green. So could a cough or turning over the wrong way in his sleep. Still, on Monday, Cassel declared that he'd be fine; ready to go in six days to start for the Chiefs. "I'm ready to roll," he said."
Cassel declares that he's healthy enough for opener
September 6
Kansas City Star
 
"With a simple proclamation, Matt Cassel tried to put to rest any doubt he would be the Chiefs starting quarterback Sunday in their regular-season opener against Buffalo at Arrowhead Stadium. Let us remind ourselves that Cassel has made quick recoveries before. Last season, when the Chiefs needed him down the stretch in December, Cassel started against the Rams in St. Louis only 11 days after an emergency appendectomy. And he led the Chiefs to a 27-13 victory that helped his team make the playoffs. So maybe when Cassel says he's ready to go, well, he's ready to go. "I'm good," Cassel said after Monday's practice. "I'm ready to roll." The process may not be quite that simple. The decision"
Cassel says he feels good, but Haley will decide who starts at QB
September 6
Kansas City Star
 
"With a simple proclamation, Matt Cassel tried to put to rest any doubt he would be the Chiefs starting quarterback Sunday in their regular season opener against Buffalo at Arrowhead Stadium. "I'm good,'' Cassel said when he was asked after Monday's practice how he felt. "I'm ready to roll.'' The process may not be quite that simple. The decision rests with coach Todd Haley, who predictably wouldn't say whether Cassel's assessment of the situation was correct. "I won't talk about any of those things,'' Haley said. "I'm assuming. He was out there at practice. He was moving around. I thought he did a good job.'' Cassel suffered a rib injury in Thursday night's final preseason game in Green"
Cassel may miss Chiefs' opener with rib injury
September 5
Kansas City Star
 
"The Chiefs said Matt Cassel had nothing more than the wind knocked out of him when he left their final preseason game Thursday against Green Bay after being sacked midway through the second quarter. It turns out Cassel has more than that. He has a rib injury that could prevent him from playing in Sunday's regular-season opener against Buffalo at Arrowhead Stadium. If Cassel can't play against the Bills, Tyler Palko is the likely starting quarterback. Palko has bounced around with several NFL teams but has never started a regular-season game. A source close to the situation said Chiefs coach Todd Haley told Palko after Thursday's game, "You'd better be ready to play Sunday." Cassel was"
Chiefs QB Cassel has rib injury, could miss Buffalo game
September 5
Kansas City Star
 
"The Chiefs said Matt Cassel had nothing more than the wind knocked out of him when he left their final preseason game against Green Bay midway through the second quarter after being sacked. It turns out Cassel has more than that. Cassel has a rib injury that could prevent him from playing in Sunday's regular season opener against Buffalo at Arrowhead Stadium. If Cassel can't play against the Bills, Tyler Palko is the likely starting quarterback. Palko has bounced around to several NFL teams but has never started a regular-season game. A source close to the situation said Chiefs coach Todd Haley told Palko after the game, "You'd better be ready to play Sunday.''"
Haley has Cassel throw a few passes in second preseason game
August 20
Kansas City Star
 
"For the second consecutive week, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel spent most of his team's preseason contest on the sideline. Still, he reminded fans that, yes, he can still find open receivers and complete passes. It was a welcome sight, particularly a week after Cassel started Kansas City's preseason game against Tampa Bay, a game in which he handed off seven times and fumbled once before coach Todd Haley replaced him for the night with Tyler Palko. On Friday, Cassel completed six of 14 passes for 73 yards in the Chiefs' 31-13 loss against Baltimore - not exactly a memorable performance, but it was a start. "I was a little rusty here and there," he said afterward, "but at the same time,"
Chiefs' Cassel is trying to get up to speed
August 19
Kansas City Star
 
"Training camp at Missouri Western this week looked, sounded and, to the players felt, more like training camp as the Chiefs inch closer to the start of the regular season. Perhaps that means they will let starting quarterback Matt Cassel throw some passes tonight as their exhibition schedule continues with a 6:30 game against the Ravens in Baltimore. "I hope so," Cassel said. "That's the plan." The unhurried pace of the first two weeks of camp left the Chiefs unprepared for last week's preseason opener against Tampa Bay. The result, a 25-0 Buccaneers victory, was predictable. The Chiefs took extraordinary care that night to not put Cassel in harm's way. He took eight snaps, handing off on"
Matt Cassel has great backup value
August 8
FantasyFootballGoat.com
 
"If you're looking for a backup QB who's off the radar and could produce like a QB1, look no further than Chiefs signal caller Matt Cassel. The former Patriot threw 27 passing TDs last season and just seven interceptions, nearly a 4-to-1 ratio over 15 games. Those numbers represented about 90 percent of his numbers from 2008 in New England, when he was thrust into a juggernaut offense. While 2009 was a down year, the Chiefs have made enormous strides since then, and a renewed focus on the ground game won't prevent him from racking up the TDs in 2011. Cassel is a huge wild card, largely because we still haven't seen a lot of him under center. He's had 45 starts in the last three seasons, but"
Cassel guiding Chiefs players through unofficial workouts
May 18
Kansas City Star
 
"Eight Chiefs players gathered Tuesday for a throwing session at a Kansas City area high school. There was no doubt about the one in charge. Matt Cassel, practicing in sunglasses and a ball cap turned backward, wasn't necessarily dressed for the part. But he was the one calling out orders, giving all the play calls, directing traffic. Practice started when he arrived and concluded when he left. "This," wide receiver Jeremy Horne said, stating the obvious, "is Matt's deal." With the owner-imposed lockout firmly in place, the Chiefs are on their own for conditioning and practice. For three weeks, Cassel has organized local workouts for any interested Chiefs players. This morning, six players"
Cassel spearheads independent practices
May 5
Kansas City Star
 
"The calendar says May, which to quarterback Matt Cassel means it's time to start throwing. So, with the NFL lockout in place, he called some of his friends. Chiefs wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Jerheme Urban and tight end Brad Cottam were among the first to answer the call. They joined Cassel this week in Kansas City for some informal pitch-and-catch sessions at a local high school. That's about all the Chiefs can get done while they are barred from entering the team's practice facility because of the owner-imposed lockout. Those without an offseason place to stay in the area, such as Urban, crash in Cassel's basement. Like his teammates and other players around the league, Cassel hasn't"
Lockout threatens to hamper Cassel's offseason development
March 13
Kansas City Star
 
"Rich Gannon and Trent Green speak from experience. Each former Chiefs quarterback was once much where Matt Cassel is now: Up and running as the team's starter but trying to establish himself as a viable long-term solution at a most important position. Gannon experienced a player strike as a rookie with Minnesota in 1987; Green never did. But both know the value of offseason work to a quarterback and think a prolonged NFL work stoppage this year would set Cassel back. The only question is how much. "The offseason is when a quarterback can make most of his improvement," Gannon said. "There are a lot of areas you can improve on during the offseason. Matt Cassel did a lot of good things last"
Cassel replaces an injured Brady, this time in the Pro Bowl
January 21
Kansas City Star
 
"Matt Cassel's quarterbacking career was initially allowed to soar only because of an injury to New England's Tom Brady. It happened again this week when Cassel replaced the injured Brady as one of the quarterbacks on the AFC's Pro Bowl team. Cassel needed no prompting to see the irony in that. "There are so many crazy things going when you look back, about Tom having the injury and me getting my chance, but that chance was against the Kansas City Chiefs and then myself getting traded to the Kansas City Chiefs," Cassel said Thursday. "Now to put me in the Pro Bowl, again Tom unfortunately has an injury and he's not able to go but it also puts me in the Pro Bowl." Brady underwent successful"
Cassel is reportedly headed to the Pro Bowl
January 20
Kansas City Star
 
"If the report out of Boston is true, Matt Cassel isn't just the Chiefs' quarterback. He is the Chiefs' Pro Bowl quarterback. Who would have predicted that? Regardless, WCVB-TV in Boston is reporting that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is out of the Pro Bowl because of upcoming foot surgery, and Cassel will take his place. He will join offensive teammates Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe and Brian Waters."
Chiefs QB Matt Cassel finds a home in Kansas City
January 9
Kansas City Star
 
"Matt Cassel is unsatisfied. He gets this from his mother, a well-known set decorator in Hollywood who raised four teenagers mostly by herself. Cassel is a dreamer, too, which he gets from his father, a screenwriter who never stopped trying until he died two years ago. Cassel is also enormously competitive, which he gets from his two brothers, who both made it into professional baseball. Cassel is the melding of many, a goofball who sings Backstreet Boys at karaoke, a mischievous kid who sometimes had to sleep in the coach's room on baseball road trips, and a romantic who decided not to transfer out of a tough situation in college in large part because of the woman who is now his wife. But"
Despite loss to Raiders, Cassel has earned Chiefs' trust at QB
January 4
Kansas City Star
 
"Sunday felt familiar. The Chiefs were blown out in a division game, against a team that, at least according to the standings, was an inferior opponent. This time it was Oakland who forced the Chiefs into another period of doubt and desperation. Regardless, it had happened before. The last time they were beaten like that, with all their key players in the lineup, was seven weeks earlier in Denver. You thought Sunday was a setback? The Chiefs' 49-29 loss to the Broncos was ugly enough that it could have turned the whole season sour. Coach Todd Haley was so discouraged that he gave his starters the option of calling it a night. Head to the sideline if they wanted to; this one was lost."
Quarterback Cassel shrugs off missing Pro Bowl
December 30
Kansas City Star
 
"Quarterback Matt Cassel said Wednesday that he wasn't disappointed that he fell short of making his first Pro Bowl, saying that his impressive season is a testament to the Chiefs' overall improvement. Cassel is fifth in the league with a 98.8 passer rating, and only New England's Tom Brady has a better touchdown-to-interception ratio than Cassel's 27 scores and five picks. Brady, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers were the AFC's representatives at quarterback when Pro Bowl rosters were announced Tuesday. "I know there are a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL, especially in the AFC," Cassel said. "For me, I'm just happy that our team is where we are, and team goals come way before personal"
Cassel turns in a clean performance at QB
December 27
Kansas City Star
 
"That was not intended to be a curtain call for Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel at the end of the third quarter Sunday. It was a cleanup call. Chiefs coach Todd Haley actually pulled Cassel from the game for a series and planned on sending him back out in the fourth quarter — whether backup Brodie Croyle played well, or whether he threw an interception on his third snap, as he did in the Chiefs' 34-14 victory over Tennessee. "It was a strategic area I felt had to get cleaned up," Haley said. "I have complete faith in Brodie, and it didn't hurt Brodie to get some playing time, but we had to get something cleaned up strategically with Matt." Neither Haley nor Cassel would explain exactly what"
Cassel returns and leads Chiefs past Rams 27-13
December 20
Kansas City Star
 
"Medical history will show feats more extraordinary than what Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel did on Sunday. That didn't stop his teammates from being in awe that 11 days after having his appendix removed, Cassel not only played but also led the Chiefs to their biggest win in years. "He pulled a Superman routine," wide receiver Chris Chambers said. The Chiefs' 27-13 victory over the Rams put Kansas City closer to its first AFC West championship since 2003 and its first playoff appearance since 2006. But even at 9-5, the Chiefs still have some work to do to stay ahead of 8-6 San Diego. No matter what the Chargers do, the Chiefs will clinch the division title by winning their remaining games"
It's no lie that Chiefs are confident in Cassel
December 20
Kansas City Star
 columnist Sam Mellinger
"Matt Cassel is in a pinstriped suit, the pants oversized the way he likes them, and the bead of sweat on his forehead has nothing to do with the fib he's about to tell. "I felt 100 percent," he says, and he has to realize that nobody believes this. Shoot, 100 percent? He had an organ removed fewer than two weeks ago, an emergency appendectomy that sometimes comes with a four-week recovery time, and that's for bankers and accountants — not NFL quarterbacks. "Yes," he says when pushed about being 100 percent. "Otherwise I wouldn't have been out there." That's another fib, two in one answer, because nobody believes he could have felt 100 percent healthy before the Chiefs' 27-13 victory over"
Appendectomy may have been best thing for Cassel's image
December 19
Kansas City Star
 
"The whole thing looks so silly now. All this talk about Matt Cassel and nobody had the right answer. How could they? You remember the talk. He needs to improve his footwork. He needs to be better on his secondary reads. He needs to throw a better deep ball or show more emotion or stop panicking in the pocket. On and on and on. So much talk about how Cassel could get Kansas City behind him, to embrace him, to look past a light background and $63 million contract and truly believe in a starting quarterback for the first time since at least Trent Green and maybe even Joe Montana. Turns out everyone had it wrong. Cassel didn't need to do any of those things. He just needed to have an organ"
Cassel likely a game-time decision
December 18
Kansas City Star
 
"The Chiefs didn't say Friday whether quarterback Matt Cassel will be healthy enough to play Sunday at St. Louis, and coach Todd Haley indicated that Cassel could be a game-time decision. "It's probably going to go right up to the wire," Haley said, "of exactly what we're able to do." For the third consecutive day, Cassel was a limited participant in practice. He was listed as questionable, meaning there's about a 50-50 chance he'll play. Cassel underwent an appendectomy last week, and he was unable to play against San Diego. Haley said the Chiefs will have a medical professional with them Sunday before making a decision on whether Cassel can start."
Cassel returns to practice, but status for Sunday is unknown
December 16
Kansas City Star
 
"Quarterback Matt Cassel's return to Chiefs practice barely caused a ripple in the locker room once it concluded. Other than some bruised feelings caused by the blowout loss to San Diego in his absence, it was hard to tell he was ever missing. In fact, to wide receiver Terrance Copper, if you hadn't known Cassel had an appendectomy last week, you wouldn't have figured it out at practice on Wednesday. "Matt looked like the old Matt," Copper said. "He always looks the same to me." The Chiefs listed Cassel as being a limited participant in practice and called his availability for Sunday's game against the Rams in St. Louis as day to day. In doing so, they served notice they will take this"
Cassel participating in practice
December 15
Kansas City Star
 
"Matt Cassel was suited up and participating in today's practice, the first of the week for the Chiefs as they get ready for Sunday's game against the Rams in St. Louis. During the brief portion of practice open to the media, Cassel was running with his teammates (though he lagged behind the other quarterbacks). He stretched and then was first in line, a position reserved for the starter, when the quarterbacks started throwing. He was handing off to running backs while Brodie Croyle and Tyler Palko started position drills by throwing to the wide receivers. Cassel later was in the huddle and did some throwing during a drill in which all three quarterbacks, each with a ball in hand, throws to"
Cassel says he's preparing as if he'll play against Rams
December 14
Kansas City Star
 
"Left at home in Kansas City to watch on TV the Chiefs' miserable performance in San Diego, Matt Cassel had that sinking feeling he said he never wanted to experience again. Toward that end, Cassel said he would prepare this week as if he would quarterback the Chiefs in Sunday's game against the Rams in St. Louis. "That's why I'm here," said Cassel, who was with his teammates at the Chiefs' practice facility Monday as they reviewed the San Diego game. "I'll do what I normally do. It will be a normal week of preparation. It will be a better week for me." That doesn't necessarily mean Cassel, who had an appendectomy last Wednesday, will play against the Rams. The Chiefs don't hold their first"
Chiefs' will start Croyle at QB over Cassel
December 12
Kansas City Star
 
"The man who will lead the Chiefs into their most important and most difficult game of the year looks a little bit like the guy behind the register at your local convenience store. You would not pick this man out of a line at a movie theater as being an NFL quarterback. He looks more like the guy you'll watch today's game with, not like the guy you'll actually be watching. All of which means Brodie Croyle is perfectly qualified to quarterback this Chiefs team against the defending AFC West champion Chargers. Look, there is plenty for Chiefs fans to be skeptical about. This would be a difficult game even with Matt Cassel: the Chiefs on the road against a more talented team playing for its"
Hard to fathom Cassel facing Bolts
December 9
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
"Naturally, the big question among the Chargers about the appendectomy performed Wednesday on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was whether four days would allow him enough recovery time to play Sunday's game at Qualcomm Stadium. For the record, after first trying to explain away Cassel's absence from Wednesday practice to "illness," the Chiefs consider him as "questionable" for the Chargers showdown. "We plan on him playing," said Chargers head coach Norv Turner. "I would expect him to play. If he doesn't, obviously, a lot of the things that they do are tied to their running game. They've got awfully good receivers, and the running backs are awfully good in the passing game. So,"
Chiefs QB Cassel's status up in air after appendectomy
December 9
Kansas City Star
 
"The Chiefs began preparing Wednesday for their biggest game in years without their starting quarterback. The Chiefs also face the possibility that Matt Cassel won't play Sunday against the Chargers in San Diego. Cassel had an appendectomy Wednesday. The 8-4 Chiefs can take a huge step toward winning their first AFC West title since 2003 by beating the 6-6 Chargers, the four-time defending division champions. Brodie Croyle would start at quarterback against the Chargers if Cassel is unavailable. Croyle, who took the first-team snaps in practice on Wednesday, hasn't played this season. He is 0-9 as an occasional starter for the Chiefs during 2007-09. "I've just got to prepare the same way I"
Careful Cassel stays on target
December 8
Kansas City Star
 
"Six weeks ago, Matt Cassel was the Chiefs' weak link. He was the problem. He was the reason the Chiefs weren't yet seen as a legitimate playoff contender. That was the talk, anyway. Now, he's a major reason the team has a two-game division lead on San Diego and Oakland. He is proof of progress and growth. He is the ideal quarterback for what the Chiefs want to do. Coach Todd Haley said this week, a day after Cassel's ninth game this season without an interception, that he would prefer a quarterback who limits mistakes — rather than a gunslinger who might average 350 passing yards per game and turn ordinary receivers into Pro Bowlers. Cassel is 18th in the league with 2,503 yards passing."
Broncos must deal with Chiefs' red-hot Cassel
December 1
Denver Post
 
"The Broncos' beleaguered defense is coming off a game in which it surrendered 308 passing yards to Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford. It was his first career 300-yard passing game, he was not sacked and he did not throw an interception. This Sunday the Broncos get to face the Chiefs' Matt Cassel. And while Bradford showed he has the ability to drive defenses nuts for quite some time, there may be no quarterback this side of Philip Rivers who is as red-hot as Cassel. Cassel has thrown a combined 12 touchdowns passes in the last four games and has been been intercepted once in the last eight games. With the comfort of the Chiefs' NFL-leading rushing attack pulling safeties down toward the"
Cassel to Bowe one of NFL's most potent combos
November 30
Kansas City Star
 
"It was shades of Len Dawson to Otis Taylor. All that was missing was the dirt. Just as Dawson and Taylor famously drew up a play in the dirt on the sidelines at Shea Stadium that set up a touchdown in a Chiefs playoff win against the Jets more than 40 years ago, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe scratched out some pass patterns of their own in Sunday's 42-24 victory at Seattle. Instead of dirt, they diagrammed the plays in the field turf at Qwest Field, and the biggest one was on a third-and-1 when Cassel hit Bowe on a slant-and-go down the left sidelines for 17 yards, setting up the Chiefs' final touchdown. The completion was just one of 13 between Cassel and"
Cassel another Carroll protégé
November 28
Tacoma News Tribune
 
"His growing pains mirrored the progress of his team. A career backup in college and the NFL, Matt Cassel used an impressive, season-long performance with New England in 2008 as replacement for injured Tom Brady to earn leverage for a lucrative, $63 million deal with Kansas City. But in his first season with the Chiefs last year, Cassel failed to live up to the expectations that come with a huge contract, throwing 16 interceptions as Kansas City struggled to a 4-12 record. What a difference a year makes. The Chiefs, AFC West doormats for years, are leading the division at 6-4 and are in line to earn their first playoff berth since 2006. And the play of a resilient Cassel has been key to"
Six years after coach Pete Carroll chose Matt Leinart over Matt Cassel to be USC's starting quarterback, fate has begun to settle itself. Cassel never got his chance at USC, but now he starter. Leinar
November 26
Kansas City Star
 
"They say it could've come down to a coin flip, but futures and lives aren't decided by such binary means. The fact is, Matt Cassel and Matt Leinart were both struggling through the 2004 preseason at Southern California, and coach Pete Carroll had to make a decision on a starting quarterback. If neither was better than the other, then Carroll had to decide who was less bad. It was Leinart by a hair, and like that, Cassel's career seemed to be decided. "It's hard to revisit," Cassel said this week. "You didn't know how it was all going to pan out." A promising young passer had his future decided by others. Now what? Stick it out or transfer? Complain about his coach's decision or accept it?"
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admires tenacity of Chiefs QB Matt Cassel
November 26
Seattle Times
 
"Matt Cassel embodies the path not traveled for Pete Carroll. He is the quarterback Carroll didn't choose as the starter at USC back in 2003, the one who backed up two Heisman Trophy winners for the Trojans and never got the chance to start a single game at the school. Cassel will start against his college coach on Sunday at Qwest Field, Cassel in his second year as the Chiefs starter and Carroll bubbling with enthusiasm for the guy who persevered even after he was passed over as USC's starter. "To me it's an amazing story," Carroll said. It is a story that spans eight years between starts for Cassel and includes one incredible workout on his college campus that got NFL scouts buzzing. Now"
Cassel looks good by comparison
November 22
Kansas City Star
 columnist Sam Mellinger
"Today is for a qualified apology. From me, from many of you, from all of us who spent much of the first few months of this Chiefs season bashing Matt Cassel. The criticism was near unanimous. I called him "limp" and "frumpy." Many of you used more descriptive adjectives that can't be printed here. But in an otherwise mostly uneventful 31-13 Chiefs win over the Cardinals on Sunday, here is the takeaway: Cassel isn't horrible, because a horrible NFL starting quarterback looks like Arizona's Derek Anderson. You saw it, right? This is a "qualified" apology because Cassel played plenty bad enough those first two weeks to warrant the criticism. But he's been much better since, and it's worth"
Cassel's leadership in drubbing impresses Haley
November 19
Kansas City Star
 
"Last Sunday wasn't the best example of reality, at least after Denver zipped to a huge lead, but that didn't mean the Chiefs stopped paying attention to how some players reacted. Coach Todd Haley said this week that his starters were given the option late in the game of calling it a night. That game was finished, and perhaps it was best to bid Denver adieu. Not everyone saw it that way. "We have to continue to fight," quarterback Matt Cassel said this week. "You're paid to play for 60 minutes." Cassel might not be the NFL's model of a heroic, game-changing quarterback. But one thing he has become is a reliable voice on the Chiefs' sideline. The simple thing Sunday would've been to step"