Neither Brady Quinn nor Matt Cassel claim to be thinking beyond this week.
But both have to know swapping jobs might permanently define them.
Now that he’s the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, Quinn’s hoping for a late-career bounce like other quarterbacks have enjoyed.
“Those sorts of thoughts come at the back end [of one’s career],” Quinn said, via Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star. “If you asked Rich Gannon where his career jump-started at, Steve Young where his career jump-started at, Kurt Warner, etc. — those are great quarterbacks. I’m not comparing myself to anybody, but I think those guys will probably tell you that it was after the fact, looking back, that they would tell you where they kind of jump-started their careers. . . .
“It’s not necessarily about the end result right now. I’ll worry about that once my career is over.”
That might be where Cassel is right now, having burned through a chance to start with his patron, Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, who hand-picked him to come to Kansas City.
“Right now, I am the backup,” Cassel said. “That is my role on this team. I’ll embrace that role and I’ll work hard, and if my opportunity comes to play, I’ll be ready to go. You’re not going to take the fight out of me. I’m going to continue to fight, continue to compete in whatever capacity that is. . . .
“It changes the dynamics, for sure. I’ve been in [the starter’s] role now for four or five years. It’ll take a little bit of an adjustment period. But it won’t change my work ethic or how [hard] I work.”
Of course, barring an injury or a Gannon-like revival, the chance 2012 is the last chance for either one to start is a real one.