The debate over Matt Cassel being Kansas City's long-term answer at quarterback continues to spin like a carousel from week to week, and for many Chiefs fans, it's a maddening cycle. Not every team can enjoy a Manning, Rivers or Brady at the quarterback position, and every year, every other team scrambles, trades, drafts or signs someone they hope will provide the stability and success to pilot their team to the next level.
Enter the incoming Arizona Cardinals, who currently enjoy (pun intended) a situation at QB that has to be a nightmare for head coach Ken Whisenhunt. A Cleveland Browns cast-off, Derek Anderson, is the starting quarterback, and he's continuing the exact same tendencies that got him replaced by Jake Delhomme, no less. In 9 games, he's passed for 1,400 yards and a 53% completion rate. He has 6 touchdowns to go with 8 interceptions. And he's also the better option.
Then there's back-up Max Hall. Some amusing anecdotes brought up in an interview to Sports Illustrated's Peter King made Hall the possible second coming of Kurt Warner. Coaches praised his grittiness. Some believed he might be the next great QB find after he went undrafted this last April. Perhaps a stat line of one touchdown to five interceptions and a 50% completion rate is the reason.That last part is a bit unfair. He's a rookie who's played a total of five games. His coach won't fully ride him out for the season because he hopes Derek Anderson will take a magic pill labeled "2007." But it shows how a team loaded with talent at other positions can be absolutely destroyed by a disaster at quarterback.
Dumping former top pick Matt Leinart right before the season to go with a rotation of Anderson and Hall shows there was no long-term vision for what to do at QB after Kurt Warner left to dance the Pasodoble. You can argue week to week over whether Matt Cassel is the answer, but Scott Pioli at least knew who he wanted to go after from the outset and is giving him the room to make his case, good or bad. That's light years ahead of picking through the NFL retreads and undrafted free agents to catch lightning in a bottle.