Projo Pats Blog

By Adam Teicher
McClatchy Newspapers

DANA POINT, Calif. -- New Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel has often been compared with Tom Brady, if for no other reason than they were both low-round draft picks by the New England Patriots and teammates for four seasons.

After watching Cassel on video and working with him for almost a month, Chiefs coach Todd Haley offers a different veteran quarterback comparison.

"I just came off two years of working with one of the best guys I've ever been around in Kurt Warner," said Haley, who as Arizona's offensive coordinator coached Warner the last two seasons. "In 'best guys,' I mean guys that are into football, like to talk about football. It's not about much else for Kurt Warner. This Matt Cassel feels and acts a lot the same way. He is football 24/7 to the point where I've had to pull back the reins on him a couple of times and say, 'Listen, Matt. These next couple of months are about getting in shape and getting your body ready for the season. There's time enough for football.'

"He's all about football. I've been telling everyone I hope he can play because he's got all of the intangible things you get excited about as a coach."

It's becoming clear that most -- if not all -- players acquired by the Chiefs under Haley and new general manager Scott Pioli will share two common qualities: They will love to work at and play football, and they will want to play for the Chiefs.

That may be an underrated factor in the trade that brought Cassel from New England. The Chiefs coveted Cassel for more than his on-the-field skills.

"Oh, yeah," Haley said Tuesday during the NFL meetings. "Kurt Warner, you could not get him away from football. It was full time. (Cassel) shows a lot of those same characteristics. He's into football. I don't think there's a whole bunch else to him. He's got a chip on his shoulder. He was told he wasn't good enough to play for a long time. That served him well last year, and hopefully it will serve him well going forward.

"He's calling me every day for numbers to call some of the other guys on the team. We picked up Bobby Engram, and Bobby Engram is texting me wanting Cassel's number. At the same time, a text is coming in from Cassel: 'Can I get Engram's number?' So he's doing all of those things that get you excited as a coach. You don't have to worry about what Matt Cassel is doing most of the time. He'll be worrying about football."

Haley continued to promote a looming battle for the starting job between Cassel and Tyler Thigpen, who started for the Chiefs most of last season. While it's hard to see the Chiefs playing Thigpen and his $460,000 salary ahead of Cassel and his income of $14.65 million, Haley pointed to last season in Arizona as evidence that he's serious about a competition for the job.

The Cardinals picked Warner over former first-round draft pick Matt Leinart as their starter last season. Arizona won its first NFC West championship and reached the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

"The guys that give us the best chance to win will play," Haley said. "I heard a little interview with Tyler Thigpen right after we signed Cassel, and he sounded like he was kind of conceding that Cassel was the quarterback. I called him immediately and told him, 'Don't you dare concede anything.' The best guy is going to play. We proved that in Arizona."

The Chiefs turned to Thigpen early last season after injuries eliminated Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard. Thigpen had problems in their more conventional offensive system and flourished only after the Chiefs went to a spread formation to accommodate him.
That raises the issue of whether Thigpen has the skills to play in Haley's system, which will feature the spread only on occasion. Even Haley, who hasn't yet seen Thigpen on the practice field, isn't certain.

"That remains to be seen," Haley said. "The guy is a developing player. He played a certain way in college, so he didn't learn all of those skills that maybe you'd want him to have. Does that mean he can't do it? I don't know. That's where coaching comes in and getting the guy in during the offseason and starting to go to work on the craft he has to learn in order to be a complete quarterback.

"I don't know the situation at Coastal Carolina. I don't know if they went to the spread because that was what he did best or because that was their system. I don't know those things. But you get a guy in like that that's got some interesting characteristics, and then you go from there.

"Right now, we've got two guys. Thigpen threw (18) touchdown passes last year. That was coming from nothing. You talk about Cassel not playing (until last season)? Cassel was up there sitting with Tom Brady every day of the year. Thigpen was Coastal Carolina to into the league to playing and threw 18 touchdowns and ran for a bunch. The guy is a pretty interesting player. I'm as excited about working with that guy as I am with anybody."

Though they have Cassel and Thigpen, Haley indicated the Chiefs might select a quarterback in the draft next month.

"We're not going to draft for need," he said. "It's going to be trying to accumulate as many good players as you can accumulate. But it just allows you some flexibility. I will say that. It opens more doors, gives you that flexibility that you may not have if you didn't feel more comfortable at that position."

 Tags  Kansas City Chiefs Matt Cassel New England Patriots

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