Summary of the QB Play in the Chiefs Scrimmage

by Joel Thorman on Aug 10, 2009 9:00 AM CDT in 2009 Training Camp Comment 18 comments

The play of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks has been a hot topic of conversation since, well, since the Bengals' Robert Geathers delivered that hit on Trent Green in September of 2006 to knock him out for half the season. Since then, Kansas City hasn't landed a stable quarterback to lead the team.

Enter '08 second half surprise Tyler Thigpen and new arrival Matt Cassel. We're set, right?

Well, if the first inter-squad scrimmage is any indication, it's rough going. As Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star noted, the quarterback play was up and down.

Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star before the scrimmage said Cassel needs to do a few not-so-simple things: Make good decisions, be smart, avoid mistakes and spread around his passes.

The result? Two interceptions, one fumble and one touchdown pass.

"I moved to my left and didn’t get anything on it," Cassel said. "The good part of this is we have 30-some days before our first game. There’s no doubt it was good for us to get out there, tackle, have the live bullets flying at you. These guys were coming hard."

The player one Kansas City Star reporter thinks may not even make the team, threw two touchdowns. The player said Star reporter thinks will replace him, Brodie Croyle, didn't have any touchdown drives. The off-the-street, former New England quarterback, Matt Gutierrez, was one-for-one on touchdown drives.

Bottom line? Saturday's scrimmage didn't get us any closer to knowing how the quarterback depth chart will pan out and it certainly didn't ease any of our fears about the position.

After the jump, I've summarized as much of the quarterback play as I could. Using various sources, namely Christy Brusoe of the Post Chronicle, who has documented the last handful of practices and somehow slipped our notice in coverage of the Chiefs training camp. Here's the link to her story on Saturday's scrimmage.

Matt Cassel - Drive #1

Five yard slant to Mark Bradley
LJ run up the middle for 1-2 yards
On the fifth play, DE Wallace Gilberry got past Damion McIntosh to knock the ball out of Cassel's hand and picked it up and ran it back for a touchdown
*** Drive re-starts
Cassel hits Tony Curtis down the middle for a deep gain
Five yard run by Cassel
Drive stalls and Succop misses a 30 yard field goal

Matt Cassel - Drive #2

Two handoffs up the middle for no gain
Travis Daniels stepped in front of a short pass attempt and picked off the pass
*** Drive re-starts
Mike Brown was all alone on the left side of the field and picked off Cassel

Matt Cassel - Drive #3

First pass attempt was batted down by OLB Andy Studebaker
Second pass attempt was nearly picked off by LB Derrick Johnson
Third play was a delay of game
Fourth play was a deep pass completed to WR Bobby Engram

***

Brodie Croyle - Drive #1

Five yard pass to Amani Toomer, who fumbled but quickly picked it back up
Three yard pass to Jamaal Charles, knocked out of bounds "extremely hard" by Tyson Jackson
Croyle made a nice throw to Bobby Engram
On 3rd and 3, Dantrell Savage rushed up the middle for the first down
Three plays later, Succop nails a 58 yard field goal

Brodie Croyle - Drive #2

Marched the team down to the 20 yard line
On third down, Jeff Webb dropped his second pass of the day
Succop hit a 27 yard field goal

***

Tyler Thigpen - Drive #1

Handoff to Javarris Williams up the middle for seven yards
Within three minutes, Thigpen moved the team down to the 30 yard line
Thigpen hit Webb down the sidelines for a 20 yard gain to the ten yard line
Thigpen hit TE Jake O'Connell for a jump ball in the corner of the end zone

Thigpen - Drive #2

Brandon Carr nearly picked off his first throw
After another incompletion, Thigpen was "sacked" to end the drive

***

Matt Gutierrez - Drive #1

Three consecutive handoffs to Javarris Williams for 26 yards
First pass attempt was complete to FB Jed Collins for six yards
Second pass attempt was complete to WR Quinten Lawrence for a 20 yard touchdown

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Comments

meh

There were all kinds of things going on durring this scrimage. I am sure the coordinators were trying things out and calling things they wouldn’t normally call in a game situation.

Obviously you never want to hear about the QB’s throwing picks but there is not really too much you can take from a situation like think I think.

We’ll find out a lot when we play the Texans. Durring last nights game between the Titans and the Bills you could see who had the better team. You could tell who was more prepared and you saw flashes of who the playmakers are. It is no surprise that when TO caught his two passes and that Collins is a better QB right now than Vince Young.

I am reaally looking forward to this weekend and crossing my fingers.

D-Bowe, Mark Bradley, Bobby Engram and Turtle. Four Chiefs WRers. 4 Pro Bowlers.

by Patrick Allen on Aug 10, 2009 9:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

wow

On the fifth play, DE Wallace Gilberry got past Damion McIntosh to knock the ball out of Cassel’s hand and picked it up and ran it back for a touchdown

Sackitosh strikes again

When deep space exploration ramps up, it'll be the corporations that name everything, the IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks.

I'd be fine with 9-7 or 10-6 and competiting for the divsion title

by madtheory on Aug 10, 2009 9:24 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah that I will take seriously

McSack! He’s too slow! If Gilberry is burning him we have problems.

Notice you never here, “McIntosh get’s knocked on his ass by so and so…”

It’s always “they got by him.”

I am telling you all you have to do is run around McIntosh. He is too slow! I think his is ok running down and run blocking but he can’t hold down the right side.

Come on Herb Taylor. Step up.

D-Bowe, Mark Bradley, Bobby Engram and Turtle. Four Chiefs WRers. 4 Pro Bowlers.

by Patrick Allen on Aug 10, 2009 9:27 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL i had to laugh.

Gilberry blows by MacIntosh. That sounds great.

by saskwatch on Aug 10, 2009 9:48 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The word on the fumble Saturday

Was that Johnson bumped into Cassel while tryng to block the pressure up the middle and knocked the ball loose…not that Gilberry did.

Chiefs go 9-7. LJ makes 1400 yards. DBowe makes 1200 yards. Defense #18.

by Zodeman on Aug 10, 2009 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I seem to remember...

Brodie Croyle looking like a future star in practice last year….

Who cares about practice.. if Cassel was lights out, we’d all be talking about how much of a problem the defense still is.

It’s going to take time. Lot of new players and a new system – chemistry takes time.

by golfbard on Aug 10, 2009 9:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

For the most part

we all agree that it’s going to take time but when the usual suspects continue to rare their ugly heads is when ppl get antsy. ie Sackitosh and MIA Hands Webb.

When deep space exploration ramps up, it'll be the corporations that name everything, the IBM Stellar Sphere, the Microsoft Galaxy, Planet Starbucks.

I'd be fine with 9-7 or 10-6 and competiting for the divsion title

by madtheory on Aug 10, 2009 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's "Slick Hands Webb" to you!

D-Bowe, Mark Bradley, Bobby Engram and Turtle. Four Chiefs WRers. 4 Pro Bowlers.

by Patrick Allen on Aug 10, 2009 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Correction: Trent Green was injured in 2006, not 2005. ;)

by jbj8609 on Aug 10, 2009 9:47 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Fixed

I was thinking it was Sept. ’05, but the ’06 season. You are correct.

Arrowhead Pride

by Joel Thorman on Aug 10, 2009 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Babb is nuts. I like Croyle alot, but Thigpen is the #2 until/unless he’s traded. He’s not going to lose that job off a scrimmage, or even the exhibition season. Most coaches would fall in love with Croyle in practice. He’s one of the best pure throwers in the NFL, far superior to either of the other guys. But haley’s a smart guy, and watches film of last year. But there’s more to QBing than just throwing the ball, and keeping Croyle at #2 almost causes you to have to keep a #3. If they keep Thigpen at #2, since both he and Cassel are proven tough guys, they could go with only 2 QB’s and always call Gutierrez off the street if there’s an injury.

by dablueguy on Aug 10, 2009 11:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thigpen

I dont really know what kind of trade value Thiggy has… Maybe a 5th rounder. If we are going to push him to 4th on the Depth Chart, then put him on the market! If you put Thiggy on the practice squad(you dont carry 4 QB’s on gameday) he will get picked up for sure!

by flyin_squirl on Aug 10, 2009 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Succop

I like to see Succop making those field goals from 58 yards out. I hope he does that consistantly, that would be nice. Maybe Janikowski has some competition now?

"Larry Fitzgerald, move over because there's another young gun, and his name is Dwayne Bowe from Kansas City" - 2009 Cris Carter Hall of Fame WR

In Pioli We Trust! Right?

by KC Nate on Aug 10, 2009 11:40 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

he's got to make the short ones, too

he keeps missing inside 40 yards.

by NJ Chiefs Fan on Aug 10, 2009 12:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes

That too that is bigger to me than making the longer ones. I noticed he hasn’t hit the shorter ones, he better start working on that. Its just nice to know that he can kick from that long.

"Larry Fitzgerald, move over because there's another young gun, and his name is Dwayne Bowe from Kansas City" - 2009 Cris Carter Hall of Fame WR

In Pioli We Trust! Right?

by KC Nate on Aug 10, 2009 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You can teach accuracy, you can’t teach leg strength. If you can make them long, you can make them short with work. But all the work in the world won’t allow a wek legged kicked to make long ones. I’d be fine if Succup still struggles with accuracy short, that we bring back Barth, who is awesome short, and keep them both.

by dablueguy on Aug 10, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs