Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel spoke for the first time since undergoing an appendectomy last Wednesday that would ultimately hold him out of Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers. Cassel talked with Soren Petro on 810 WHB's The Program and didn't want to talk much about the details of his appendectomy.
Cassel didn't say he whether he would play this weekend only indicating it was a coaching staff and medical staff decision. So, we wait once again.
Here's a run down of what Cassel had to say on 810 WHB on Monday:
"It's getting better each and every day." The lead topic in the interview was of course the appendectomy last week. Cassel says it started late Tuesday night and by 5:30 a.m. Wednesday it wasn't getting any better. So he went into the facility and the doctors took him in. After running tests, they confirmed their suspicions were true.
"I'm day-to-day. I think the coaches evaluate it as we go forward and we'll go from there." Cassel wasn't interested in talking about the specifics of his injury and when he might return. When asked any details about the injury, he would say something like....
"I don't really know to be completely honest. Like I said, we'll evaluate it every day and go from there."
"Extremely hard." Cassel says missing the game, especially this game was very difficult, with all that was on the line. Of course he was quick to point out that they're moving on to next week.
"We kinda took it down to the last minute." Cassel didn't travel with the team to San Diego so the decision not to play him really wasn't down to the last minute. He said
"I'm sure my wife did but I wasn't in much agreement to be completely honest. But, again, I'm not a doctor and I think they're always looking out for our best interest." He says he wanted to play this weekend but that he understands the doctor's decision.
"Very little to be completely honest. I obviously talked to Brodie and I was there at practice on Friday and more or less just wishing him luck. If any questions come up, please ask the questions, but those guys were getting ready and I was trying to recover for the most part." Cassel was not at practice on Wednesday and Thursday and said he wasn't really involved during the week. That suggests to me that the Chiefs knew pretty quickly -- or at least had a good idea -- that he wouldn't be ready to paly.
"It's very frustrating to watch it on television at times because a lot of times the camera angle is focused on one area so you can't really see the routes develop down the field or even the defensive backs, what they're doing from a coverage standpoint. As a football player, it's tough to watch it on film because you don't really get a true understanding of what was going on." These are some interesting words because Cassel has hinted at this before -- there are things going on in the game that fans can't see which dictate what the Chiefs are doing.
"Not really to be completely honest. I know it now that you mentioned it and it's good to add a little something to the puzzle but for us, our football team, it's about executing the last three weeks. We control our own destiny." Do you believe Cassel that he doesn't know the playoff scenarios and tiebreakers? He said he didn't know that the Chargers would own the tiebreaker if they tied the Chiefs.
"Philip's become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL." He says he sees some highlights throughout the week and noticed Sam Bradford is doing well, too.
"It's a spot we want to be in." The Chargers are going for yet another division title. Both Cassel and Todd Haley said this week that the Chiefs want to be like the Chargers in that they're competing for a division title every year.
"Not at all. Hopefully my wife's on that." Looks like Cassel is just like the rest of us -- no Christmas shopping done.
"I just don't feel obligated to tell you guys what I had." Awkward. Petro asked Cassel if he had the one or three incisions with his appendectomy. Cassel said the doctors or Haley can answer that question. He said he didn't know if it was against team rules but didn't want to say. Petro called him a grinch (jokingly...I think).