Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel got the go-ahead to start practicing for the Chiefs, which means they’ll use their bye week to figure out whether he or Brady Quinn starts at quarterback come Week Eight.
It’s Cassel’s first time back at practice since he suffered a concussion against the Ravens in Week Five, an injury that touched off a bigger story in Kansas City after tackle Eric Winston ripped fans at Arrowhead Stadium for cheering Cassel’s injury. Plenty of people weighed in, including a defense of the majority of the fan base from Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, but we never heard from Cassel.
Now that he’s back at work, Cassel is also talking to the media and he got the inevitable question about booing fans. Cassel evaded throwing any fuel on that fire while saying only positive things about playing in Kansas City.
“I’m not really going to speak to what happened last week. All I’ll say is, look, I live here year round. I’ve had nothing but support from the people in Kansas City, from the people we’ve met, my wife has met and my children go to school with,” Cassel said, via the Kansas City Star. “The fact of the matter is, Kansas City is a great place to play. We have a passionate fan base. I’m sure that they’re frustrated. We’re frustrated as well. But we’re working and doing everything in our power to get it corrected and moving in the right direction.”
How much longer the Cassel brood will be calling Kansas City home likely hinges on whether he can make the next 10 games a lot more successful for the Chiefs than the first six. If he can’t or if Quinn remains the quarterback, it’s a pretty safe bet that Cassel will be finding out about life in a different town.