Charlie Weis is back to doing what he does best: tutoring quarterbacks.
“You know I have to look at [Matt Cassel] all the time, I see him more than my wife. I am kind of tired of looking at him and he is tired of looking at me too,” Weis said on Monday, amazingly the first time the Chiefs have allowed Weis to speak since February.
Weis said he broke down every snap Cassel took over the last two years to find his flaws and begin to work on them.
“The first thing I wanted to do was help fix the quarterback,” Weis said.
Early reports are encouraging. Practice reports in Kansas City point towards a more consistent Cassel, and Todd Haley confirmed Cassel was the team’s starting quarterback on Monday. (For Haley, who stresses that competition never ends, this was a big step.)
“We’re seeing progress,” Haley said. “But I think Matt has continued to have to earn that, through last year, through the offseason. Without getting into specifics, I feel good about the direction that particular position is going.”
The improved weapons around Cassel don’t hurt. Chris Chambers is in his first Chiefs camp and Dwayne Bowe is finally in shape. Instead of Larry Johnson lumbering with the ball, the Chiefs can run with a combination of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. Weis, who needs a cane to move around after a knee injury before camp, looks like the final piece to an offensive puzzle that has potential to surprise.
We’re not sure the Chiefs are ready to contend for the playoffs, but they are roughly on par with the Raiders and Broncos. An easy schedule in the AFC West opens the door for the second place to top .500, even without a great team.
If nothing else, the Chiefs will be interesting for the first time since Dick Vermeil was taking off Larry Johnson’s diapers.