Is Matt Cassel the Next Trent Green?

Scott Pioli thinks Matt Cassel is a franchise quarterback.

Josh McDaniels seems to think Cassel is enough of a franchise quarterback to drive away the one he already had.

So what exactly can we expect from Cassel?

Even with all of the similarities to Tom Brady—he was drafted late, has been allowed to sit and develop, and was taught by a very good QB (Brady by Drew Bledsoe and now Cassel by Brady)—Cassel will almost certainly not become another three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

I think the best comparison for Cassel is someone who Chiefs fans have been quite familiar with: Trent Green, another former late-round draft pick.

I mean no disrespect by this, as Green was a great quarterback in Kansas City for quite some time. In fact, no QB threw for more yards than he did between 2003 and 2005, not even Peyton Manning.

The key to Green’s success will be the same as Cassel’s, and it’s this—the system. It is all about making the right reads and making accurate throws.

The similarities between Cassel and Green are striking actually, both statistically speaking and in the way they play the game.

Cassel threw for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions last year; in Green’s first year as a starter, he threw for 3,441 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Cassel completed about 63 percent of his passes last year, and Trent completed about 62 percent of his passes during his time in KC. 

Neither Cassel nor Green has a particularly strong arm, and throwing the deep ball is a little iffy sometimes, but it was the short to mid-range throws where Green excelled.

Green worked very hard in the film room before games, and Cassel is the same type of guy.

“When [Matt] is done working out, he’s upstairs bugging us,” head coach Todd Haley said. “He’s making drawings, coming up with ideas, wanting to talk football all the time.”

This is the kind of hard worker I want at quarterback; he’s a very heady player who puts in his due diligence in the film room. There is nothing you can do to better your team’s chances before a game more than be prepared, and it is clear that Cassel will be doing just that.

Putting in the overtime hours with an offensive guru like Haley will only improve his game and understanding of the offensive scheme.

He’s already shown the necessary leadership in New England last year and displayed his natural passing ability while throwing for 400 yards in back-to-back games.

For Cassel to be successful in Kansas City, he doesn’t need to be the next Len Dawson or Tom Brady, and he doesn’t need to be a “franchise quarterback.”

All he needs to do is work hard and play smart; that’s the recipe for being a good quarterback in this league.

Todd Haley’s Demanding Workouts Will Make KC Chiefs a Better Team

By now, most people have heard that Todd Haley is a no-nonsense guy. We saw this last year during the Cardinals Super Bowl run when Haley was arguing with star wide receiver Anquan Boldin on the sideline.

We heard about his combative nature from the media when he was hired as head coach in February, and we saw this again when Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters had a bumpy first meeting with his new head coach.

Brandon Albert saw Haley’s no-nonsense approach as soon as he got to Kansas City this year.

“The first day I got here,” Albert said on Sunday, “when I weighed in, he said, ‘Oh, no, no, no, no.’ “

Albert weighed in at 341 pounds that day in March, about 25 pounds heavier than his listed weight last year during an impressive rookie season in which he made the switch from guard to tackle, and did it quite well.

Haley made his presence felt right away for Albert when his new head coach gave him another big goal and asked him to drop more than 35 pounds to a playing weight of 305 for the upcoming season.

The now svelte left tackle has dropped almost 30 pounds since then and is working hard with his newly hired nutritionist to drop even more.

Albert’s not the only player who hit the buffet line too many times in the offseason.

“Dwayne’s another one who probably let himself go too far in the offseason,” Todd Haley said during an interview, “so it’s been a long road back when you’re trying to lose 20-25 pounds.”

The Chiefs are already looking like a new team.

“Physically, conditionally, strength-wise, we look like a different group of players for the most part,” Haley says. “We’ve lost 338 pounds, which is a significant amount of weight.”

Haley figures the average weight loss for an NFL team during offseason workouts is between 125 and 150 pounds.

Maintaining proper weight can be crucial to a successful season. Brandon Albert says he knows the extra weight he was carrying around last year may have contributed to his nagging injuries last year, and maybe even the team’s appalling record of 2-14.

The lack of conditioning could have led to many of the team’s losses last year. The Chiefs had a lead in the fourth quarter in numerous games, only to fall apart and give up the lead late in the game.

Ten Minutes With Kansas City’s Mark Bradley

Mark Bradley joined this Kansas City team in September last year, and made his first appearance in week seven against the Titans. He made an immediate and impressive impact on the offense, as he caught a touchdown in three of his first six games before suffering from injuries to both calf muscles.

If given the chance to interview him, I would have several questions to ask him about both his NFL and college playing experience.

(1) How do you think Todd Haley’s background in wide receivers will help you this year? Do you think he can help you reach that next level as a player?

(2) What can you gain from an experienced wide receiver like Bobby Engram being here in Kansas City?

(3) How does this team replace the offensive leadership lost with the trade of Tony Gonzalez?

(4) What do you think the acquisition of Matt Cassel brings to this team?

(5) The pass you threw last year to Tyler Thigpen against the Buccaneers was the most memorable play of the entire season for Chiefs fans, what was going through your mind when Jamaal Charles tossed you that ball?

(6) You had a unique path in becoming a Sooner, playing two years at Arkansas-Pine Bluff before walking on at Oklahoma, and eventually earning a scholarship. How has that route changed the way you play the game?

(7) You and your father both played in the Orange Bowl while attending the University of Oklahoma. What was it like playing in that game and experiencing what your father did 20 years prior?

(8) You were called the “best athlete on the team” by coach Bob Stoops while at Oklahoma, and you played quarterback, cornerback, and wide receiver in high school. How did you come to decide your future in football was at wide receiver?

(9) As a former Oklahoma Sooner, how heartbreaking was it to watch the NCAA Championship game against Florida this past year?

(10) You played against teammate Derrick Johnson in college while he was playing for your rival, Texas. You got the the better of him in the red river rivalry both years you attended Oklahoma, have you given him a hard time about that?

Where, Oh Where is the Kansas City Pass Rush Going to Come From?

It stands to reason that with a 2-14 record, the Chiefs have many holes to fill on their roster. The vast majority of these holes lie in the trenches, and with the linebackers.

Through the draft and free agency, Scott Pioli and crew filled many of the gaping holes in this team’s depth chart. Well, they temporarily filled them, it was more like a cheap Bondo job you’d find at a used car dealership.

Most people acknowledge that guys like Zach Thomas and Bobby Engram can not only play some football for another year or two, but they make a valuable contribution in the locker room. There is a place on every team for veterans who have been there and done that.

Thomas and Engram will immediately challenge, and probably get, starting positions on this team, both of which were positions of need for this team.

The problem is they are well past their prime, and both have lost a step or three. By the time the season starts both players will be 36, and on the extreme downside of their careers. On the surface it sounds like they are significant improvements, but don’t be surprised if one or both get injured or yanked by the end of the season.

Mike Goff was brought in from the Chargers to fill the biggest position of need on the offensive line. He will be a significant improvement over guys like Wade Smith and Adrian Jones, who shared the starting RG spot last year. Goff is also on the downside of his career, but the RG spot was so awful last year anything will be a relief.

By the end of the season last year, it was apparent that a pass rushing defensive end was atop the priority list when it came to team needs. Since Pioli announcing the defensive paradigm shift, this specific position is no longer needed. The 3-4 defense has no need for this type of player.

What it did create a need for, however, was a new breed of defensive lineman. This need was so great that Pioli and company used their top two draft picks on filling this very position.

Tyson Jackson (first round) and Alex Magee (third round) should eventually become the 5-technique defensive ends now needed in this new 3-4 defense. 

It was originally thought that a new nose tackle would be needed as well, however the coaching staff now has great optimism in Tank Tyler filling that role. He will need to add 20 or so pounds to truly be effective in this role, but he has already started on this new task of his.

Tank is a very strong individual, which is the key attribute of a nose tackle. At the combine in 2007, he had 42 reps on the bench press, which was good for top performer across all positions that year, and even three more than the top performer this past year.

Tank played nose tackle at NC State, and dropped from 325 to 305 once picked up by the Chiefs. Playing a Cover-Two defense at the time, which necessitates the defensive tackles be quick and light on their feet, the Chiefs asked him to drop the excess weight.

He should make the transition to into the 3-4 very well and develop into an above average nose tackle at the NFL level.

Linebacker was one of the Chiefs’ weakest positions last year. When a scrub like Pat Thomas is your starting linebacker, its pretty obvious you have problems. This problem was only worsened by the move to the 3-4 defense, and the Chiefs did little to fix it. As mentioned earlier, Zach Thomas was brought in, but he will not be very effective on the field.

Mike Vrabel was brought in with Matt Cassel as part of the trade package with the Patriots. He played outside linebacker in New England and along with Zach Thomas, will be the only player with experience in the 3-4 defense.

Vrabel, along with Engram and Thomas, will give valuable insight in the locker room, but like the others, can only be a very short term fix. He will be 34 by the time the season starts, but still will be a serviceable player for another year or two.

It’s the other outside linebacker spot on this Chiefs team that is really concerning. Presumably it will be Tamba Hali, former first round defensive end from Penn State. Hali has been a do-it-all defensive end for the Chiefs since he was drafted, but he is more of a Jack of all trades, master of none type of player.

Hali is not particularly quick, and switching to outside linebacker where he would have to drop back into coverage would not be beneficial for the Chiefs. The scouting report on him coming out of college specifically mentioned this deficit in his game also.

He is a hard worker and never gives up, but his short area quickness is severely limited and does not have the speed to run with anyone in man coverage. Teams would easily be able to exploit this weakness in Hali by making him cover either the tight end or running back in man coverage.

This outside linebacker spot might be the weakest on the team. The Chiefs had a total of 10 sacks last year. DeMarcus Ware by himself doubled this sack total. Eleven individual players had more sacks last year than did the entire Chiefs organization.

Getting pressure on the quarterback is one of the easiest ways to help the defense, and the organization did nothing to help this. There were several free agents available this off season who could have rushed the passer, but none of them were brought in.

Good pass rushers were available during the draft, and Pioli and the Chiefs chose to go in a different direction. Why? We do not know. What we do know, however, is that the Chiefs defensive backs are going to be getting no help from the front seven. This may lead to another very bad year defensively for the Chiefs and another drought in sacks.

Why Glenn Dorsey Must Be Traded By the Chiefs

Scott Pioli, like Bill Belichick, chooses his words carefully. He speaks delicately to ensure his message is not misconstrued.

Pioli had a very distinct message following this year’s draft: The future of the 3-4 DL for the Chiefs lies in his first two draft picks—Tyson Jackson and Alex Magee.

Jackson will start immediately at one of the DE spots, and Tank Tyler will in all likelihood start at NT, but the other DE spot is up for grabs. The main competitors will be Magee, Glenn Dorsey, and Alphonso Boone.

Jackson, at 6’4″, 296 lbs., is the ideal size for playing DE in the 3-4 and was a dominating presence at LSU.

Magee, who is 6’3″, 298 lbs., was known as a great run stopper at Purdue. Magee is also very versatile, as he played both DE and DT while in college. These attributes will translate well when learning the new 3-4 DE position, where the main concern is containing OL.

Glenn Dorsey, while at LSU, had very few two-gap responsibilities. His main focus was getting to the quarterback; this is how most DTs in a 4-3 defense operate.

Dorsey was very good at getting upfield and being a disruptor. He was a force to be reckoned with while he was on the field.

These kinds of talents are coveted by defensive coaches, especially those who play a form of the Cover 2 defense, and this is exactly why the Chiefs are paying Dorsey $51 million.

Unfortunately, there is no place for a one-gap, disrupting defensive lineman in a 3-4 defense. The responsibilities for these players completely change, and Dorsey doesn’t have the body for this.

Just as a reference:

Dallas DEs

Igor Olshansky: 6’6″, 310 lbs.
Marcus Spears: 6’4″, 305 lbs.

Pittsburgh DEs

Aaron Smith: 6’5″, 300 lbs.
Brett Keisel: 6’5″, 285 lbs.

New England DEs

Richard Seymour: 6’6″, 310 lbs.
Ty Warren: 6’5″, 300 lbs.

Glenn Dorsey: 6’1″, 300 lbs.

Just doesn’t look right.

Jackson and Magee fit in perfectly at 6’4″ and 6’3″ respectively, with both weighing in at 300 lbs. Not only this, but they were both proficient at stopping the run in college, while Dorsey didn’t shoulder much of that responsibility.

Now, you know why Dorsey won’t fit in a 3-4 scheme, but finding a trade partner is the hard part.

In Kansas City’s defense last year, he was lined up head-up on the offensive guard and asked to try to control him, which didn’t allow him to use his lightning-quick first step to try to fly into the backfield. This was much of the reason he didn’t perform to expectations.

People around the league saw this bad coaching and still have a lot of faith in Dorsey’s ability to be a star in this league. Reports from April were that Atlanta was offering a first and fourth for Dorsey.

The Falcons ended up selecting Peria Jerry, DT from Mississippi, who does a lot of what Dorsey does—disrupt the quarterback. Because of this, they are most likely out of the running for Dorsey.

There are several teams that would be interested, and when trade talks surfaced before the draft, these teams no doubt came out of the woodwork and showed themselves.

Tampa Bay is probably the most likely candidate, as a Cover 2 scheme relies heavily on DTs that rush the passer.

Carolina is another possibility—Julius Peppers wants out and wants to play in a 3-4. They already have a huge run-stuffing DT in Maake Kemoeatu, who is 6’5″ and tips the scales at around 350 lbs., and Dorsey would compliment him nicely.

This would be a great trade for both teams, as this would fill the void in pass rushers the Chiefs have as well. Player-player trades rarely happen in the NFL, though, so I’m not getting my hopes up on this one.

The point isn’t where Dorsey will go though; it’s that he needs to go. He has no place in a 3-4 defense, he is eating away at the salary cap, and he may be riding the pine come Week One this year.

Pioli, before the draft, started the rumors about moving Dorsey, and after the draft started them again with his choice in draft picks.

The question in Kansas City is not if Dorsey is traded, but when.

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