Projo Pats Blog

Now that Scott Pioli has landed in Kansas City, might the Chiefs be a landing spot for Matt Cassel, either as a free-agent signee or by a trade? Possibly. The Chiefs have the high draft picks to get a deal done. The question is, will they want to invest in a franchise quarterback? That's a matter of debate in Kansas City, where youngster Tyler Thigpen fared surprisingly well last season. Thigpen, a scrambling quarterback who was praised for his leadership skills last season, also has accuracy problems and managed just 6.2 yards per attempt, which was 29th in the NFL. Thigpen feels that he deserves to be the starting quarterback next season, but he has really not done anything to demonstrate that he is a guy a team can count on to lead the way to future success.

So what about Cassel? He did a great job -- surpassing everyone's expectations -- in leading the Patriots to an 11-5 record. But what would he do at the helm of a rebuilding team like the Chiefs? If the Patriots let Cassel get away or look to franchise and trade him, then teams like Kansas City will have to make a projection on that point. John Yoon has an interesting post on the Most Valuable Network about the Chiefs' quarterbacking needs that sums up the question surrounding Cassel: How much of his success can be attributed to the talent around him -- Randy Moss and Wes Welker at receiver, an offensive line with multiple Pro Bowlers, and a ball-hogging running game?

When Scott Pioli first took a gamble on Cassel, it cost him only a seventh-round draft choice. If he chooses to gamble on Cassel again, the price will be much, much higher.

EXPECTING THE BEST: Pioli has, of course, been a hot commodity around the league for some time, and now that he has finally decided to leave the Patriots for another team, he will be coming in under very high expectations. The Kansas City Star's Jason Whitlock goes so far as to call Pioli the biggest fish in the NFL's offseason ocean, and says that Pioli makes the Chiefs serious contenders again. The message: If Pioli does not get the Chiefs to a Super Bowl during his tenure, then he will be considered a disappointment.

THE ERA OF SCOTT AND BILL: Michael Felger of WEEI.com has an exhaustive review of the Patriots' football moves during this decade, and ranks the biggest scores (there were many) and biggest mistakes (there were few truly big ones).

ELI TO BE THE LEAGUE'S HIGHEST-PAID? The New York Daily News reports today that Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who struggled mightily in his team's playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, is likely to become a member of the NFL's $100-million-quarterback club, and that he possibly will become the league's highest-paid player, when the Giants work out a new contract with Manning sometime in the coming months. Manning, whose current contract expires at the end of next season, could end up making more than $15 million per year, according to unnamed NFL sources quoted by the Daily News. The newspaper speculates that the total deal could be worth $110 million to $120 million for seven to eight seasons. As with most contracts of this size, most of the money would not be guaranteed, but the prospect of Manning owning the league's richest contract would still be remarkable for a player who had widely been considered a disappointment over his first four seasons, and who has only once finished a season with a quarterback rating over 80. Apparently, if the Daily News report is correct, Manning's hot streak at the end of 2007, which ended in a Giants Super Bowl victory, was enough to change everything.

JETS COACHING UPDATE: Newsday reports that the Jets are leaning toward Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan to be the next man in charge of the Patriots' division rivals.

HE DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT: The Ryan rumors are being heard in Baltimore, where Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is refusing to talk about possible successors as he prepares his team for the biggest game of its season. The Baltimore Sun story also has more on the very real possibility that linebacker Terrell Suggs won't play for the Ravens.

TALK IS JUST TALK: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a Q&A with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he doesn't mind the trash talking between the Steelers and the Ravens, who in case you haven't heard don't like each other very much.

THEY WOULDN'T MISS IT: Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu and center Nick Hartwig say they will be ready to play against Baltimore on Sunday despite injuries they suffered last weekend (Pittsburgh Post Gazette).

DIRTY PLAY, BY THE RAVENS? SHOCKER! The New York Times' George Bretherton reviews the tape of Saturday's Titans-Ravens game and builds a compelling case for the possibility that Baltimore tried to injure running back Chris Johnson after a second-quarter carry. Johnson barely played after the play in question, and Tennessee's offense suffered tremendously in his absence.

PACMAN, DONE? The Fort Worth Star Telegram's Clarence Hill Jr. says that despite what Adam "Pacman" Jones may wish for, there is no way the Cowboys will have him back next season.

NOT A FEATURE GUY: Chargers general manager A.J. Smith says he is not interested in paying Darren Sproles to be an every-day back next season, despite Sproles' breakout performance in the Chargers' playoff victory over Indianapolis.

UNCONVENTIONAL CHOICE: Florida State safety Myron Rolle has decided to go to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship rather than enter the NFL Draft (New York Times). Rolle says he was told that he would have been a top-49 pick.

 Tags  Football Today Kansas City Chiefs Matt Cassel Scott Pioli

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