While there have been many headlines so far in the early stages of the Annual NFL cattle mart where free agents studs flaunt themselves as the horse that will carry any potential suitor over the winning line. The eye popping 100 million that the Effective when he wants to be Albert Haynesworth got from the Redskins or the departure of long time eagles staple Brian Dawkins to the Denver Broncos.Perhaps the most surprising move to occur so far is the trade of Matt Cassel to the Kansas City chiefs. The fact that Cassel was trade at all is not the surprising part despite the excellent job the rookie QB did in bringing the New England Patriots close to the playoffs. The patriots are and never were going to be his team, not with the golden boy of the NFL Tom Brady lurking in the shadows. The surprise is that new Kansas City Chiefs General Manger Scott Pilio the former architect of the Patriots dynasty was able to acquire him for only a second round pick.When the Patriots decide to franchise Matt Cassel and keep him most figured that they would get large treasure troves of draft picks in return for the Gridirons version of Cinderella. It was thought the minimum bounty on the head of Cassel was someone’s number one pick. Instead all the Pats managed to squeeze from the Chiefs was a second rounder much to the bemusment of NFL talking heads.
Now the Patriots will say that the second rounder was better financially value, its a high second round pick so good talent will be still available to pick and if they had received the Chief’s first round pick they where not prepared to pay big money for a commodity unproven at the NFL level.Now that’s all well and good and indeed who am I to argue against Bill Belichick and his three super bowls in four years but surely the Patriots could have got a better deal. The rumoured interests of the Denver Broncos run by new head coach and former Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniel’s. Who wanted to bring his former protégé could have netted if the rumours where true the Patriots a lower first round pick and more. Or indeed if they could not find any other suitors for Cassel then the Chiefs why not demand there first round pick and trade it for my picks down the road.In the end the Chiefs have got them selves a steal if Cassel can prove that he is more Brady, Montana, then Maddox and Leaf ,then Kansas’s long term Quarterback issues have been sorted and all it cost was a second rounder By keeping there first round pick they can either pick player that will impact them straight away or trade the pick to get more to continue the rebuilding process.Its’s low risk high reward move for the ChiefsFor the Patriot however if Matt Cassel continues to play at the same level and beyond of his breakout season people will beginning to question fairly or unfairly whether Bill Belichick is the great football genius or That Scott polloi who to quote Bill Parcells who bought the groceries was the real reason for the New England dynasty.
And for Matt Cassel when he steps into the chief’s locker room and greets his teammates for the first time he may want to say a few kind words to Bernard Pollian.For without the pollian devastating tackle on Tom Brady that destroyed the golden boys knee Matt Cassel would not have His 14 million dollar contract.Oh the irony.
To those of you feeling nostalgic here is a video of Matt Cassel as a Patriot
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