Yahoo Sports! broke the news on Monday that Chiefs’ new starting QB Matt Cassel, who the Chiefs signed in the offseason to the tune of a six-year, $63 million deal, suffered a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee on the third play of Saturday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Cassel is expected to be out between two to four weeks, leaving his status for the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens in question.
He was hurt while being sacked on the third play of the game on Saturday night. He limped off the field and did not return.
Tyler Thigpen, Cassel’s backup, played the rest of the game and did not inspire much confidence in the Kansas City offense.
Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs’ third-string QB, did not play Saturday night. With starters typically held out of the final preseason game, and Thigpen potentially elevating to a starting role, Croyle may expect to see an increase in action in the final preseason game.
The Chiefs play the Oakland Raiders in Week 2, after opening the season with the Ravens.
Monday, August 31, 2009 at 6:18 pm by bryan
On Monday, ESPN’s John Clayton announced that the Kansas City Chiefs relieved offensive coordinator Chan Gailey of his duties of running the offense.
With the Chiefs’ quarterback situation suddenly uncertain after QB Matt Cassel suffered a leg injury in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, the team will have a new leader calling the plays in the huddle and on the sideline this week.
Gailey served as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs last year under former head coach Herm Edwards. Bill Haley, the Chiefs’ new head coach, acted as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals last year on their surprise run to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs said they would address Gailey’s status after Monday’s practice. It is currently unclear whether Gailey’s role has been reassigned or even if he’ll remain a part of the Chiefs’ coaching staff.
at 6:12 pm by bryan
The Chiefs got bad news and worse news on Saturday night in a 14-10 loss against the Seattle Seahawks. Bad news: QB Matt Cassel left with a leg injury on the third play of the game and did not return; worse news: they only have two weeks to repair their painfully fragmented offense before the start of the regular season.
The Chiefs only completed one of 10 opportunities on third down, missed two field goals, and scored their only touchdown on defense.
Along with Cassel leaving the game early, starting CB Brandon Flowers left within the first three minutes with a shoulder injury. Wide receiver Devard Darling also left the game in the second quarter after injuring his left leg.
“Disappointing across the board for me tonight, as a team,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. “I feel like after making some progress in Week 2, we went backward tonight.”
The Chiefs are still awaiting test results on Cassel’s injury; they hope to have more information after a practice tomorrow.
at 12:13 am by bryan
The Kansas City Chiefs continued their preseason of futility against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night, dropping a close contest, 17-13 to the Vikes.
In what ended up being overshadowed by the debut of QB Brett Favre in Vikings purple, the Chiefs were busy examining their own team, trying to make sure their own new QB investment was starting to acclimate to the offense.
QB Matt Cassel demonstrated why the Chiefs paid him $60+ million in the offseason, going 9 for 14 for 99 yards en route to two scoring drives. He tossed his sole touchdown to WR Dwayne Bowe, who is equally looking to pull himself out of coach Bill Haley’s doghouse after playing primarily with the scout team for the past week.
With rumors swirling that Cassel’s starting job wasn’t as guaranteed as his new contract would imply, especially given QB Brodie Croyle’s performance, Cassel went a long way towards retaining his starting opening job.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 12:04 am by bryan
In a continued effort to add a veteran presence to their very young receiving core, the Chiefs announced Monday that they had signed WR Ashley Lelie, and he practiced with the team on Monday.
Lelie, a former first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2002, has caught 217 passes for 3,749 yards and 15 touchdowns over 107 games.
After spending four years in Denver, he bounced around teams for the next few years, playing for the Atlanta Falcons, the San Fransisco 49ers, and most recently, Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders.
To make room for Lelie on the roster, the Chiefs waived WR Jeff Webb, who had been a member of the Chiefs for three seasons. He played in 31 games, catching 36 balls for 382 yards, including one touchdown.
Monday, August 17, 2009 at 9:45 pm by bryan
The Chiefs started their preseason on a sour note, losing 16-10 in their opening game with the Houston Texans on Saturday night.
This was the official debut of new Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, who signed a six-year, $63 million deal with the Chiefs after leading the Patriots to an 11-5 record last season.
Cassel started the game and played three series, completing 2 of his 5 passes for 15 yards. Chiefs backup QB Brodie Croyle was much more productive, going 12 for 18 for 145 yards.
The Chiefs remained scoreless until after halftime, when third-string QB Tyler Thigpen led the team on a march down the field and capped the drive with a one-yard TD pass to Brad Cottom. Thigpen finished the game with 40 yards passing on 7 of 14 throws and 31 yards rushing on three attempts.
WR Dwayne Bowe broke out in the game, catching five passes for 70 yards. He entered the game when Croyle replaced Cassel and immediately caught a 14-yard strike. After being in new head coach Bill Haley’s doghouse for most of the preseason, Bowe’s resurgence was a welcome fan to all Chiefs fans and the head coach alike.
Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 11:50 pm by bryan
Thirteen-year veteran WR Amani Toomer, formerly of the New York Giants (and a key member to their Super Bowl squad two years ago), signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday to give their young receiving core a strong veteran presence.
Along with free agents David Terrell and D.J. Hackett, the Chiefs flew Toomer in on Monday to practice with the team and quickly went to work on a deal, signing Toomer to a one year deal.
Toomer spent his entire football career with the New York Giants, totaling 9,497 yards on 668 catches with 54 touchdowns. In 2008, he caught 48 passes for 580 yards and four touchdowns for the Giants, whose passing game floundered in the final weeks of the season after WR Plaxico Burress shot himself in the thigh.
Toomer comes into camp as a veteran presence who the Chiefs hope can step up and take some pressure off rising star WR Dwayne Bowe. With TE Tony Gonzales departing to the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason, the Chiefs recognized the need to go out and get another playmaker for new QB Matt Cassel, who came to the Chiefs in free agency from New England.
For Chiefs fans looking to become familiar with Toomer’s talents: this video seems to be the best YouTube offers.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 11:54 pm by bryan
