Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel seemed upbeat at his weekly press conference as he smiled and joked with reporters. Of course when the Baltimore Ravens talk started Cassel was down to business talking about what the Chiefs need to do to win.
Here's a summary of what he had to say on Wednesday:
Day off is no day off. Cassel and Todd Haley both said they had the highest percentage of players in the facility on their day off than they have all year. That's pretty important as the Chiefs prepare for, as Haley would say, the biggest game of the year.
Dwayne Bowe missing practice isn't a big deal. Well, not really. Cassel says he's played with Bowe for 17 weeks now and if he missed a practice, and returned later this week, they would be able to hang onto the rhythm they have together. Cassel said he would be "comfortable" if Curtis had to play. It's hard to believe him there.
Cassel has to be "meticulous" in playoff preparation. Cassel says Tom Brady used to go over the game plan 3-4 times the night before the game, meeting with the receivers, running backs and anyone else they needed to in order to be on the same page.
What's a Tuesday off day like? Tuesdays are the Chiefs off day but, as we noted, they had a lot of guys in the facility. Cassel said this "off day" was spent with a lot of the position groups watching film together as the coaches prepared a game plan. He says it's good that they're trying to get a head start.
Todd Haley's use of motivation quotes. Haley has signs around the Chiefs facility with various sayings or motivational phrases. Cassel said Haley does a good job of motivating them but couldn't pick out one that sticks out to him. Haley said he's gotten those over the years from folks he's worked with and things he's read.
Chiefs can't be afraid to run the ball. This stuck out to me a little bit. Cassel says the Chiefs "can't be afraid" to run the ball but also have to be able to efficiently pass the ball. My guess is that the game plan includes a heavy dose of the run and the Chiefs don't forget what got them there.