Chiefs Coach Predicts People Will Feel Better About Matt Cassel In 2010

Not exactly shocking the world with this statement but Chiefs coach Todd Haley predicts that people are going to start feeling better about Matt Cassel in 2010:

"We had 50-plus drops last season," Haley said in a recent telephone interview with Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. "If those don’t happen, people would look at Cassel differently … If we get the improved offensive play around him that we hope to, I think people will feel better about Matt Cassel."

I gotta agree. I haven't seen a breakdown of those drops but it seems that quite a few came in crucial situations, like third downs.

As well as predicting a better year for Cassel, Haley continued to call him the hardest worker on the team.

"This guy is making progress in a bunch of ways," Haley said. "He had a very difficult year last year, but he didn’t crack. That’s a good sign. He has been one of our best workers this offseason, if not the best. He’s working."

It's going to be hard to make a case for him if he's the hardest working member of the team two years in a row and doesn't produce more. I know, I know. There are a lot of moving factors here but the praise or blame for this team will ultimately lie (or is it lay?) at the feet of Cassel, regardless of the receiver's drops.