Recently I wrote a post talking about what makes a quarterback “elite” in the National Football League, according to The Jeff Report. The main crux of my argument was that an elite quarterback is made and thrives on the 15-25 yard pass. It requires a certain skill set to make a pass to that portion of the field “on a dime” and do it consistently for many years. Accuracy and decision making are a part of being able to make that throw and really exploit the defense on that part of the field. As these are all physical tools it does not do much good to do a straight up statistical comparison. Stats do a good job of showing what a QB has done and can help develop opinions about accuracy and consistency, but they do not show what QB’s are CAPABLE of.
I rehashed that article a little bit because I want to give my take on whether or not Matt Cassel has what it takes to be an elite level quarterback and therefore is the answer to all the Chefs woes. I will get rid of the tension now and say that Matt Cassel is NOT an elite QB, will not be one, and is not the answer for the Chiefs. However, that does not mean that the Chiefs cannot win with Cassel, they can. I will explain.
Cassel has one major thing going against him, his lack of arm strength. If you put that with his suspect footwork (and happy feet) and you find yourself with a QB who is lacking some very important tools. If a QB can’t make these throws then coordinator is hamstrung by the calls they can make, and if that happens then opposing defenses are able to cue in on what the Chiefs are doing on offense and it’s all over after that. If you can’t spread a defense out and keep them guessing then you can’t do much on offense.
Now, that being said, I think Matt Cassel does have some skills that can help the Chiefs win. 15 yards and in he is accurate and has shown the ability to put the necessary “zip “ on the ball to hit all the throws. Given a more West Coast type scheme Cassel could have a lot of success, especially with receivers that can do a lot with the ball after the catch. However, this skill set puts Cassel into a very narrow window for success and if the Chiefs can’t open that window then the team will be hung out to dry with a QB who will not be able to get the job done.
Ultimately, the Chiefs might be able to win some games with Cassel just as they did with Trent Green before him, but while Cassel is the QB the Chiefs will not make or win a Super Bowl.
How ‘bout it Jeff Reporters, am I right in my assessment of Cassel? Am I wrong? If you think so, tell me why in the comments.
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