Is Cassel "The Man?"

I thought I'd wait for the joy of the purported "steal" of a trade to die down before tackling this. Up to this point, I've been pretty happy for the appeared value of acquiring Cassel and Vrabel for a 2nd round pick. Also, NESilver (or KCGold to some?) has been tooting Cassel’s horn around here, which is much appreciated. We Chiefs fans want to know we got a good deal in Cassel, and coming from Patriots fans and the sport media outlets, it's hard not to believe the Chiefs got a perceived great deal on their end. But what do we have in Cassel? Was it really a good deal for the Chiefs? Let’s do a little digging around and try to find out...

Cassel, the savior of the last season of New England football, led the Patriots to an 11-5 season after Tom Brady’s injury in week one. For my analysis here, I’m stealing borrowing from Greg Cosell from NFL Films via SportingNews.com:

When evaluating a quarterback, it is essential to assess his play based on the way he was utilized within the framework of his team's offense. The two cannot be separated.

  Hard to argue against that, so here are the factors Greg thinks we should consider regarding Cassel's one-year performance that we can actually break down from game tape (more on this later)

There are myriad elements to consider. For instance, did he take the majority of his snaps under center or was he primarily in the shotgun? As a corollary point, what was his comfort level in each formation? Did he throw the ball predominantly out of three-step drops, five-step drops or seven-step drops? How prevalent was the team's play-action pass game? These are just a few of the many components that encompass a meticulous assessment of not just Cassel, but any quarterback.

Now this really got me thinking, just how much was Cassel under center? Also, how different was New Englands approach to football from the Chiefs? Apparently, not much. Cosell goes on to talk about a six-game strech where 88% of Cassel's passing attempts came from the shotgun formation:

I remember breaking down Cassel's third start, the Patriots' victory over the 49ers in early October. He was very mechanical and robotic in his progressions and reads. If he could determine his throw based on the pre-snap read, he made it. If he couldn't, and he had to process information as he dropped, he struggled. As a result, he did not show a lot of patience in the pocket, often moving directly into the pass rush. That's the main reason Cassel was sacked so often in the first half of the season.

Cassel's sacks have been attributed to the lackluster New England offensive line by NESilver and other Patriots fans and media. However, pocket awareness is very important, even in spread formations. Does Cassel have this so-called "sixth sense?" Can it be taught? Some say yes, but trust with your linemen knowing they're doing their job helps. But to me, that seems more of a security issue, especially on the blind side. Having the ability to keep you eyes downfield, analyzing what's happening, and being able to "feel" the pocket collapsing on your blind side, or feeling the rusher behind you is something that cannot be taught. Being comfortable in the pocket because you're surrounded by good-great linemen does not equal good pocket awareness. From Cosell:

Cassel is not an efficient passer when the pocket gets "muddied" or constricted. The velocity of his throws, slightly above average at best, decreases dramatically when he lacks that functional space.

Cosell has the ability to watch tape for a living, and has the know-how to break down what happens, I do not. I have no access to game tape outside of highlight reels. He attributes much of Cassel's success to the system the Patriots implemented around him; the spread. Early in the season, the Patriots tried using him in a more traditional offense under center much of the time, but by week 11, the spread was almost exclusively used.

So how does Cassel differ from Thigpen in this regard?

Cassel had notably better weapons to throw to than Thigpen in Moss/Welker vs. our Gonzalez/Bowe. Cassel and the Patriots used the spread with a short passing game with the intent for the receivers to get yards after the catch, much like the Chiefs did with Thigpen, Gonzalez, and Bowe. In fact, Wes Welker led the league for YAC, with Randy Moss coming in ranked 17th in the AFC. Bowe ranked 2nd in the league for dropped passes with 13 attributed to him. In YAC, Moss totaled 358 YAC, while Bowe racked up 396 YAC. A 38 yard difference. Welker's 758 YAC almost DOUBLES Bowe's YAC. Bowe was also tied for 4th in the league for passes not caught... tied with Terrel Owens. I think it's fairly safe to say that Cassel's supporting cast of wide receivers helped him achieve his success last season.

But in the preseason, there was debate on what to do with Cassel, until the last preseason game even

Based on the preseason play of the QBs, neither Cassel nor Gutierrez deserves to be Brady's apprentice. Both were unimpressive in their final auditions.

...

[Cassel] Playing with the first-team offense, which included left tackle Matt Light, who made his preseason debut, the besieged backup ended the preseason without directing the Patriots to a touchdown. He led the team to just two field goals in his 17 series under center.

More proof that Cassel excelled in a system designed for him, much like Tyler Thigpen did.

Because I don't want to be totally down on Cassel, in a quote from the combine Denver Head Coach Josh McDaniels had this to say about Cassel:

Matt Cassel is very bright. He’s very athletic. He’s got a strong, accurate arm, and he has — now — a full season of game experience under his belt," McDaniels continued. "I think we all saw how much that meant to him as the season progressed. He is a competitive player, a great person. And there’s a lot of things about Matt that are very ideal for that position — size, and all the rest of it.

I think whatever challenge Matt Cassel has in front of him — whether that be in New England or happens to be somewhere else — I think he’s going to respond to it the same way he’s responded since he walked in the door in New England, which is to meet it head-on with a great attitude, an incredible work ethic and to try to do everything he can to make himself better. So if that’s what you’re looking for in an NFL quarterback, you probably got a shot.

It's my feelings that with Cassel not having been inked to a long-term deal, and that the Chiefs are STILL so far under the cap, that he's being given a shot to show he's more than a one-year wonder. They can afford his one year salary of $14 million. The Chiefs have two similar quarterbacks in Cassel and Thigpen, and I for one think that it's a good thing. Cassel has more physical assets that scouts look for in prototypical NFL quaterbacks in his size and stature, but hasn't played the game regularly since high school before 2008. Maybe he just needs time, but I think we're going to see more of a competition in training camp than any of us previously thought... That is, unless Cassel get's that long-term deal