Here's what Matt Cassel said when he came to the Chiefs:
"I found out when I said, 'So, can I get my No. 16 jersey (that I wore in New England),' and they said, 'Uh, that's retired.' I was like, 'That's right, okay. Len Dawson.''
Sound familiar? It should. Here's what Tyler Thigpen said when he came to the Chiefs.
"I asked for 16, and they were like, 'well, you can ask Len Dawson for it,' " Thigpen said. "At the time, I didn't really know who Len Dawson was, but I figured (the number) must be retired."
I guess we really are a flyover state.
SI's Don Banks has an excellent article up on Matt Cassel and the Chiefs first day of training camp. It's worth a read.
Here are a few highlights.
Cassel on not being good enough for the system:
"I always hear people say he's a system guy, and he can't do it elsewhere. But the funny part is early in the season, when we were struggling offensively a little bit, people were pointing at Matt Cassel, saying he can't do it. He's not the guy for the job.
Then on being a system guy:
"But then I started playing better and grew into the role, and the naysayers immediately said it was because I'm a system guy. When I think back about what happened last year, and what I was able to accomplish, I'd say yeah, I was pretty fired up about that.''
Pioli on Cassel:
"People say, 'Oh he had Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Yes he did. He absolutely did. And he still could have screwed it up, but he didn't.
People are using that as a way to bash him, but the reality is he won and kept things going. The kid won 11 games. Tom Brady gets hurt, and think about the mental endurance it took to do what Matt did, knowing where he was and who he was playing for. That's everything you ask of a professional. The opportunity comes and you either do it or you don't do it. He did it.''
I'm off to a charity function so Chris will be taking over the rest of the evening. I hope to see a 'Chiefs Sign Tyson Jackson' headline upon my return.
Check out Banks' article. And wish Glenn Dorsey a happy birthday.