Seven days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel returned to practice on Wednesday. But will he play Sunday against the Rams in what has become a must win situation for Kansas City?
After a week on the sidelines, Quarterback Matt Cassel was back at the Chiefs indoor practice facility throwing footballs with just enough zip that it�s possible he could play Sunday at St. Louis.
It�s clear the Chiefs need their star quarterback on the field. And the pressure to get him ready for Sunday could be heightened, depending on the outcome of Thursday night�s AFC/NFC showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers have climbed to within a single game of the top spot in the AFC West.� And with a win over the 49ers, they�ll be a half game back of the Chiefs.� That would mean the Chiefs need their best players on the field against the Rams to maintain their one-game lead within the division.
And Cassel, might be the very best player the Chiefs have on their 53-man roster.
''If I can go out there and I can do everything I want to do without any discomfort, without any pain, then I'm going to go out and play,'' Cassel told reporters after practice on Wednesday.
The Chiefs starting quarterback seemed upbeat in talking to the media after practice on Wednesday.� But despite the fact that was limited in some of the team drills, he understands more than anyone the importance of winning Sunday.
�I know that we have a big week this week with the Rams and it is a big game for us; there is no doubt about it. It starts with this one and hopefully we can get back on track and get going in the right direction,� he said.
That might be an understatement.� Still the question of his playing status might not be answered until sometime Sunday morning.� And ultimately, doctors aside, head coach Todd Haley is going to make the final call.
In speaking to the media, Haley was non-committal about the availability of his quarterback for Sunday�s big game.� But Haley tried to be as honest as he could with the media who were in a complete frenzy a week ago when he wouldn�t divulge why Cassel wasn�t at practice last Wednesday.
�It�s truly going to be a day-to-day thing with him. That�s not on any kind of level of secrecy, it�s just I don�t think we�ll know. We�ve got to just see how he responds each and every day,� Haley said.
However, that response could be heightened based on the outcome of the Chargers game Thursday night.� Should they lose, the Chiefs could be even more cautious with their franchise quarterback.
And I don�t think anyone could argue the benefits of giving Cassel another week to recover from his surgery.� Especially when you consider the Chiefs play their final two regular season games at Arrowhead where they�re 6-0 this season.�
CHIEFS INJURIES
Outside of quarterback Matt Cassel the Chiefs appear as healthy as they�ve been all season long.� Kansas City didn�t list another player on their injury report and that�s a good sign for a team that must win their next three games to secure the top spot in the AFC West.
However, the Rams aren�t as fortunate. They have six players listed on the injury report.
Three of them were limited on Wednesday, CB Ron Bartell (neck), G Jacob Bell (knee) and RB Kenneth Darby (chest).� Those that didn�t practice for St. Louis included, P Donnie Jones (illness), TE Michael Hoomanwanui (ankle) and LB David Nixon (hand).
QUOTE OF THE DAY
�I think it is a pretty useless organ from what they tell me. I don�t know if it has much purpose, but I feel like a new man with it out of there,� quarterback Matt Cassel said in tongue in cheek fashion to reporters.
