mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">The Chiefs spent the winter chasing
quarterbacks the way Don Draper chases flight attendants. Take it personally?
If you're Matt Cassel, how could you not?
"The Kansas City Chiefs were very open with me," Cassel, the
franchise's starting signal-caller, said Tuesday in his first group interview
since the Chiefs' very public courtship of Peyton Manning. "(General
manager) Scott Pioli and everybody (were) open about the fact that they were
going to reach out to Peyton.
"I don't take any disrespect (from) it. Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning.
He's one of the best quarterbacks ever to play this game. So how can you take
disrespect from that? The fact is, he didn't end up here. We're going to be
competing against him twice a year, which will be fun. I'm looking forward to
the competition."
Cassel smiled as he spoke at the Chiefs' practice facility, trying to keep the
spin forward. The sunny disposition never wavered, even as he was continually
asked about his bosses sticking a knife in his back.
"I appreciate the fact that they communicated with me, that they didn't
want me to find out from somebody else," Cassel said.
"The great part about Scott (Pioli) and everybody here is everybody's
always seeking, at any position, to go out and bring in the best player. I
understand that Peyton Manning is one of the best players in the game. So,
again, they took a look at him, he didn't end up here, and it'll be fun to
compete against him."
From the Manning Sweepstakes (which Denver won) to the sudden infatuation with
Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, a recurring theme keeps bubbling on
Arrowhead Drive: They may like Cassel — Pioli said exactly that on Monday,
twice for emphasis — but they surely don't love him.
When a reporter asked if the additions of running back Peyton Hillis, tackle
Eric Winston and tight end Kevin Boss would help make life easier for Cassel,
the GM replied: "This isn't about improving our roster around Matt Cassel.
This is about improving our roster.
"This isn't the Matt Cassel Show. This is the Kansas City Chiefs. This is
about having 53 good players that are going to help you win football
games."
Plus there was this from coach Romeo Crennel: “The good teams I’ve been on, if
you don’t bring in good players, they’re (expletive) off. I mean, the veterans
are (expletive) off that you don’t try to make your team better… if you don’t
like competition, then you’re in the wrong business. Because every Sunday is a
competition.”
OK, then.
Gauntlet thrown. Gauntlet received.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">“I think as a quarterback in the
NFL, you have to have that mentality each and every day, with not only the
people in your room, but just with yourself,” said Cassel, who has started 39
games for the Chiefs over the past three seasons, winning 18. “Because the
minute you start becoming lackadaisical, the minute you start maybe not
studying as hard and doing that, then it catches up to you.”
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">If the point was to light a fire
under Cassel's backside, it worked. Even though the offseason program is only a
few days old, the California native is officially in a cramming mode. There's a
new offensive coordinator (Brian Daboll, his former wide receivers coach at New
England), a new backup (Brady Quinn), a new playbook, a new batch of
terminology and the same old expectations.
"It gives you something to do when you go home at night," Cassel
chuckled. "You know, you're sitting there, you put the kids to bed and the
wife's got the flash cards out last night, and we're going through it, and I'm
going, ‘I hope he's not quizzing tomorrow.'"
The sore right hand — the one Cassel injured Nov. 13, the one that ended his
2011 campaign — is coming along fine. As for the bruises on the ego, well,
we'll see.
"Every offseason, you go into with an open mind," Cassel continued.
"Whoever comes in here, we'll embrace them. Competition just makes people
better. And it's about the room.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Iif you can get quality guys in the
quarterback room and we can push each other and make each other better, then
that's what it's all about."
Having already signed Quinn to go with Cassel and Ricky Stanzi, Pioli stressed
earlier this week that he'd like to toss a fourth signal-caller into the mix.
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">If the Chiefs really like do Matt
Cassel, they sure have a funny way of showing it.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com
