Matt Cassel has had an up-and-down three-season run with the Kansas City Chiefs, but new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll believes he inherited a winner at the quarterback position.
Cassel led the New England Patriots to an 11-5 record after Tom Brady wrecked his knee in Week 1 of the 2008 season. He later piloted the Chiefs to a 10-6 mark and an AFC West title in 2010. Cassel has never won a playoff game -- in fact, he played terribly against the Ravens in his only postseason start -- but Daboll sees a player who knows how to lead his team.
"He's been a winner," Daboll told reporters Thursday, according to ESPN.com. "He's had two 10-plus win seasons. I did a study just this offseason about 10-plus-win quarterbacks, which is what you're defined by, obviously. There's been nine of them in the last four years that have had two or more 10-plus win seasons in the regular season, and Matt is one of them.
"The other ones being Brady, (Drew) Brees, (Aaron) Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli (Manning), (Joe) Flacco, (Matt) Ryan, so he's been a winner. He works his tail off in the classroom. I think he's done a good job in these OTAs, and I'm looking forward to working with him."
Daboll finds a creative way to lump Cassel in with a group of the game's best quarterbacks, but he does leave out the big picture. Despite those 10-plus win seasons, Cassel is a pedestrian 28-26 in games he's started overall.
If you really are defined by your record, this seems about right.