With Week 2 in the books, it's time to look at what took place (unfortunately) in Detroit and assess Matt Cassel's performance. I'm not going to sugar coat this lead in; it isn't pretty. Also, on a quick note, sorry to those who expected this piece on Thursday last week...technical difficulties to say the least.
First off, lets take a look at Matt Cassel's stat line:
15-22 for 133 yards with 0 TD and 3 INT
Negative: This was rough to watch by any stretch of the imagination. Cassel looked absolutely lost at times, and again struggled to look off his receivers. He was careless with the football, although I will say the first pick should have been a catch by Bowe/pass interference call. Cassel missed wide open men a few times, one of which directly leading to an interception. It was a brutal performance. Many plays he completed his passes, but again they were short and unproductive. It was a horrible effort, and it makes you wonder how much time Mr. Cassel has left behind center if this continues.
Positive: What is there to say? I guess we could took about his completion percentage, but when you throw for 5.0 YPA, who cares? Cassel never moved the team with a purpose throughout the game against a Lions defense that couldn't stop the run. Wow, we're hitting more negatives...time for his grade.
Grade: 0
How could I give him anything but a zero? The Chiefs didn't score a touchdown against a defense that while improved, certainly isn't the Ravens or Steelers. It was embarrassing Sunday to be a Kansas City fan, and Matt Cassel was a part of that. The defense has been abysmal (by the way, who was that clown who predicted a No. 1 defense? Oh wait, me...) but they have no chance when the offense just turns the ball over like it's going out of style.
I've always been a Matt Cassel supporter. He played well enough last year to make the playoffs, and I love his work ethic and toughness. He's easy to root for in those respects. However, it's over. I'm not one to rush to judgment but after watching the first two games of this season and the final two games of last season what other conclusion can you possibly have?
I don't want to skirt the issue. The Chiefs are going to be very bad this season. With the injuries and lack of depth in those areas, Kansas City will be lucky to win five games. This 2012 quarterback class is loaded with the likes of Andrew Luck, Kellen Moore, Matt Barkley and Landry Jones. The Chiefs will be in position to draft one of them. They have to pull the trigger. This team hasn't drafted a QB in the 1st round since 1983. Now with the rookie wage scale there has never been a better time.
I'm sorry, Matt Cassel, you failed Week 2.