Last year, the Chiefs had given up a second round pick for Matt Cassel and handed him a $63 million contract essentially guaranteeing he'd be the starter.
Even with that, the early word during training camp last year was that Brodie Croyle was outplaying the Chiefs new quarterback. Could it really happen? Could Croyle overtake Cassel?
The answer was no. Cassel won the job that remains his to this day.
The questions popped up last year because "Offseason Brodie Croyle" is very sharp. He's got a very good arm and when not facing a real pass rush, might be the best quarterback on the roster. There was evidence of this over the weekend, according to Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star, who called Croyle's passing the highlight of practice.
But during a 7-on-7 passing drill when the Chiefs use no linemen on either side of the ball, Croyle was sharp. On a set of plays from inside the 20, Croyle made three straight crisp throws that resulted in touchdowns, one going to Dwayne Bowe, another to Tim Castille and the last to rookie Jeremy Horne.
Indeed in passing drills Croyle was throwing it crisply and accurately. He looked good.
Unfortunately, he hasn't demonstrated an ability to stay healthy for an extended period of time so no matter how good the offseason version of Croyle looks, the starting job isn't for him.