Big Fantasy Football Questions - Matt Cassel Traded To The Chiefs

by Skeller on Mar 4, 2009 11:47 AM EST in Football Comment 14 comments

I've just returned from a week at my father-in-law's house. It's a place where family is welcomed, much great food and drink is served, and arguments about politics are always heated, but not a place where blogging ("what's blogging?") about fantasy football ("what's fantasy football?") is considered a legitimate use ("why are you on the computer so much?!") of your time. So while I'm a little behind covering the very busy week of NFL Free Agent moves, this is a great opportunity for me to start the fantasy football blogging season. That's right, it's fantasy football blogging right in the middle of your fantasy baseball prep. You won't hear anything about Manny, but there's a good chance you will pick up some helpful boating safety tips.

Over the weekend I was thinking about how to make these free agent moves relevant for the next few months. Some of these transactions are going to be keystones to fantasy football success this autumn, but people are going to be distracted by a million different things ("Wait, why is Marbury wearing green?") between now and then. What I need is a way to keep the important things separate so I can refer back to them over the course of the year. Which brings me to the cleverly-named:

Skeller's Big Fantasy Football Questions

Today is the first of those Big Fantasy Football Questions, about probably the biggest NFL move of the offseason (so far). You can tell it's big because I'm using a logo. And I'm bolding things. That's big.

QUESTION: Is Matt Cassel Going To Be Matt Cassel Or Tyler Thigpen This Season?

Players Heavily Affected: QB Matt Cassel, RB Larry Johnson, RB Jamaal Charles, WR Dwayne Bowe, TE Tony Gonzalez

The Chiefs dealt a second round pick to the Pats for QB Matt Cassel, as former-New-England-current-Kansas-City executive Scott Pioli believes that Cassel is the real deal. Is he? A lot of fantasy football owners will believe it, but the 2009 Chiefs are NOT the 2008 Patriots. As just one example (there will be more later), the 2008 Patriots had the league's 6th best rushing attack and produced 21 rushing touchdowns (including two from Cassel). The 2008 Chiefs averaged almost 30 rushing yds per game less and could only generate nine rushing touchdowns. Nine rushing touchdowns. Over the entire sixteen game season!

Five of those touchdowns came from very-disgruntled RB Larry Johnson (who may not play for the Chiefs this season) and another three came from the recently-usurped QB Tyler Thigpen. Who's going to run the ball in KC? Larry Johnson? Jamaal Charles? Kolby Smith? Some guy they're planning on drafting?

There's much more to talk about on this one, but for now it's enough to say the gap in the running game alone means that Matt Cassel is going to have a much harder time this season than he had last season.

Image via nfl.com

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Comments

I may be biased

but, did Kurt Warner have any problems running Todd Haley’s offense in Arizona without a running game?? I have to think LJ is better than any of the Arizona backs….but I haven’t looked at the final 2008 stats.
Cassel isn’t Warner….I get that….but he did well for a guy who has never started a game at QB before 2008.

raygu

by Ray Guilfoyle on Mar 4, 2009 11:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Arizona 2008 is a special case...

You could argue that Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin (leads all active WRs under age 30) and Larry Fitzgerald (almost 6000 career rec yds at age 25) are all going to end up in Canton. So your point is valid, Haley’s offense DID work without a running game, but I think the situation in KC is much much different.

by Skeller on Mar 4, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

too early

for boldin and Fitz for HOF talk. OK, Tony G is a similar receiver to Boldin, no? both catch alot of balls, and get endzone looks.
Fitzgerald, while better than Bowe, who says Edwards and crew were using him to the best of his abilities as a receiver?
I don’t agree with you, but am willing to hear your other reasons. I don;t see how the situation is that much different. Bowe becomes a top10-12 receiver with Haley as the coach, no? Tony G moves up also. Haley’s offense will throw the ball more than Arizona, so they almost have to have better years in 2009 than in 2008, no?

raygu

by Ray Guilfoyle on Mar 4, 2009 3:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Good point on Tony G

Although he doesn’t stretch the ball field the way Boldin does. Which is another reason for my concern — Cassel threw the ball downfield a LOT last season because he had the protection to do it. I don’t think he has that protection in KC.

You’re right about Bowe though, he should be big this year.

by Skeller on Mar 4, 2009 7:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A penny

Whether Cassel picks-up a new system after backing-up the same one for years is a bigger question. One offense, he has a decent repetoire of weapons certainly more than he would have in Detroit.

Fake Teams - a proud member of the SB Nation

by faketeams on Mar 4, 2009 12:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the post

I am now about 80% dumber than when I woke up this morning.

Matt Cassel is not the savior for the Chiefs that Obama is portrayed to be for the World. He simply is another piece of the puzzle that the Chiefs are trying to complete. Whether Larry Johnson stays or not, doesn’t really matter right now because Scott Pioli will find a running back that will compete for the team and wants to be a Chief.

Kansas City had an off year last year and every team has them every so often. Now that we have new leadership amongst the top three, Hunt, Pioli and Haley, most Chief fans feel we have a chance to compete again for the ultimate prize in this sport. It most likely will not be next year, but we are changing the ways things are done at One Arrowhead Drive and it’s all for the better. Matt Cassel will come in and do a fine job and will grow with this team as it’s offensive leader.

Let’s get together again this time next year and see what you can pull out of your ass hat as it relates to the Kansas City Chiefs.

"But what do I know, I'm AP's new assclown and I’m like an empty room with a large ECHO"

by Lanier63 on Mar 4, 2009 1:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I am now about 80% dumber than when I woke up this morning.

And trust me, Lanier was pretty dumb yesterday =)

Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.

by PVChiefsfan on Mar 4, 2009 1:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Or

Principal: Mr. Madison, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Billy Madison: Okay, a simple “wrong” would’ve done just fine.

Fake Teams - a proud member of the SB Nation

by faketeams on Mar 4, 2009 1:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Question

Is Cassel really better than Tyler Thigpen? I know I only care about Starting QB and not the person associated with it, but didn’t Thigpen do well relative to what he had versus what Cassel had?

As a Dolphins fan, I watched them waste 2nd round choices on Daunte Culpepper and AJ Feeley so maybe I’m too biased to see the value of the Chiefs dealing a 2nd round choice for a QB

Fake Teams - a proud member of the SB Nation

by faketeams on Mar 4, 2009 1:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

good point….I thought Thigpen did well…only problem I saw was he had some problems in the red zone…was that him, the playcalling, or the talent around him? don’t know.

raygu

by Ray Guilfoyle on Mar 4, 2009 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I brought that up over at Arrowhed Pride

Along with stats for my case and got Chastised….

My opinion, No. Matt Cassel has not proven to be any BETTER than Tyler Thigpen. (I’m a Chiefs fan).

"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain

by Dustin SLO,CA on Mar 4, 2009 1:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I hadn't realized raygu had brought friends over...

He’s the resident Chiefs fan.

Look, I understand that the Chiefs are rebuilding and Matt Cassel may turn out to be a very good QB for a long, long time. But the post was related to Cassel’s fantasy football value THIS season. I don’t see any way that he can replicate the fantasy value he had in 2008 and the state of the KC rushing attack is just one reason.

I’ll have some more reasons later on. :-)

by Skeller on Mar 4, 2009 3:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs