Comparing Trent Green and Matt Cassel

I was thinking about Trent Green and Matt Cassel the other day. Green is one of my favorite Chiefs of all time. He was the best quarterback we’d seen in a Chiefs uniform since Lenny Dawson. (My take is that while Joe Montana still had a bit of magic in him, he was a shell of himself those two years in KC.) Head coach Dick Vermeil brought Green to Kansas City with him in 2001. That year Green struggled heavily and was nicknamed Tr-INT by Jason Whitlock of the Star. Fans and members of the media criticized the Chiefs’ decision to trade by Green. But all that changed. Trent went on to have a very impressive career from 2002-05. I remember thinking during that 2003 playoff loss to the Colts that Green was the second-best quarterback in the league behind Peyton Manning. His career was derailed by a concussion in early 2006 and he was never the same after that.

Matt Cassel, on the other hand, has not been accepted by the local fans. He also struggled in his first year as Chief, although he would argue that most quarterbacks struggle in their first season with a new team. Cassel had a very productive season for the Chiefs last year, leading them to an AFC West title. But after two blowout losses to open the season this year, many in Kansas City were ready to throw him out of town. A local radio host kicked off Kansas City’s “Suck for Luck” campaign, embracing the idea that the Chiefs should crash so hard that they end up with the first pick in the draft that allows them to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. .

Both Green and Cassel are great character guys. They’re hard. They are leaders. They aren’t the most talented athletes either, but athletic enough to move in the pocket or run for a first down. Neither has an incredibly strong arm. Personally, I see much more similarities between the two than differences. But do you want to know the biggest difference? His supporting cast. We’ll see. We’ll compare Green’s cast in his third season (2003) to Cassel’s cast this year, his third season as Boss.

runners

2003: Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Tony Richardson, Derrick Blaylock

2011: Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones, Le’Ron McClain, Dexter McCluster

This comparison would be much more interesting if Jamaal Charles were healthy. I’d have a hard time choosing between Charles’ great playability and Holmes’s nose for the end zone. But regardless of Charles, I’d take every running back on that 2003 team over their current team counterparts, and that includes Blaylock over McCluster.

2003: +4

wide receivers

2003: Eddie Kennison, Johnnie Morton, Dante Hall, Marc Boerigter

2011: Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston, Jonathan Baldwin, Keary Colbert

This is the band that really shines today. I think we have the best group of wide receivers I’ve ever seen play in Kansas City. Remember who caught the most balls for KC in 2003? Priest Holmes. Who was our second main receiver? Tony Gonzalez. Only Eddie Kennison was a legitimate threat, and he could have joined our current group of receivers. Kennison was pretty much the equivalent of Breaston today.

2011: +3

tight ends

2003: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Dunn

2011: Leonard Pope, Jake O’Connell

A healthy Tony Moeaki would not alter this discussion. Gonzalez is the best tight end to ever play the game. And he was at the top of his game during those years in Kansas City. Dunn was a dominant blocker.

2003: +2

offensive line

2003: Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Will Shields, John Tait

2011: Branden Albert, Ryan Lilja, Casey Wiegmann, Jon Asamoah, Barry Richardson

That offensive line in 2003 was arguably one of the most dominant offensive lines in NFL history. Roaf and Shields are likely to be Hall of Fame linemen. Waters was in his prime and received multiple trips to the Pro Bowl. Tait had been an effective left tackle and was a very good right tackle. And Wiegmann was eight years younger and in his prime. No one on the current offensive line would be considered a Pro Bowl-caliber lineman, let alone a Hall of Famer. I’d take all the linemen from that 2003 lineup over the current roster. It’s not even close.

2003: +5

I think it’s fair to say that Green had a MUCH stronger offensive cast around him. A dominant offensive line. Holmes was one of the best running backs in the game. González was the best tight end of the game. Even Richardson was widely considered the best blocking fullback in the game.

So where does that leave Matt Cassel? Drawing the ire of Kansas City fans and many in the local sports media. Cassel will never be Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees. But under the right circumstances, he could be just as good as Trent Green. The thing that has impressed me most about Cassel this year is that I think he’s shooting the ball down the field with much more precision than I’ve seen him do in the past. He’s hitting receivers in stride at crossroads 20+ yards down the field. When he’s given pocket time and an effective running game, he’s been very good. When he’s running for his life and our running game is anemic, he doesn’t have much of a chance. But that’s pretty much true of every quarterback in the league.

So here is the most important question. Can Matt Cassel lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl? Not without a better supporting cast. The Chiefs must greatly improve their offensive and defensive lines to become a contender. I don’t see Kassel as part of the problem. I see it as part of the solution. I think Cassel can play well enough on the right team to get them to the Super Bowl.