When Matt Cassel was handed that ridiculous contract before the 2009 season, everyone wondered (at least in Kansas City) what sort of quarterback had VP of player personnel, Scott Pioli, really obtained from his good friend Bill Belichick? Did a kid who fell into the NFL’s sweetest starting slot when Tom Brady went down really deserve a contract on par with the game’s elite? Because before 2008, Cassel hadn’t started a game at the QB position since high school, which was almost a full decade prior! Well here are a few clues as to who the Chiefs got: 1) He led the team to a 4-12 record, which was worst in the AFC. 2) He lost to the AFC’s next three worst teams - the Bills (6-10), Browns (5-11), and Raiders (5-11) - all at home in Arrowhead Stadium. 3) He never once threw for more than 2 TDs in a game, yet threw more interceptions than that twice. 4) He threw just as many INTs (16) as he did TDs (16). 5) His completion percentage (55.0) was 27th in the NFL out of the 32 QBs that qualified, beating only JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, and the three rookies, Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman (both Jake Delhomme and Ryan Fitzpatrick had better accuracy). Basically, Pioli could have paid his mother to play and the team wouldn’t have suffered any less.
~ Ranked 20th in the league in QB fantasy points with 162.6 (basic scoring system)
~ Ranked 21st in the league with 16 passing touchdowns
~ Ranked 25th in the league with a 69.9 QB Rating
~ Ranked 27th in the league with a 55.0% completion percentage
~ Ranked 23rd in the league with 194.9 passing yards per game
~ Ranked 20th in the league with 271 completions
~ Ranked 16th in the league with 493 attempts
~ Ranked 20th in the league with 2,924 passing yards
~ Ranked 30th in the league in yards/attempt (5.93)
~ Tied for fourth in the league for the most sacks taken (42)
