After signing a $40 million contract and leaving the Patriots for the Chiefs last year, quarterback Matt Cassel saw his passer rating drop from 89.4 in 2008 to 69.9 in 2009.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley thinks that had less to do with Cassel and more to do with the players around him.
“We had 50-plus drops last season. If those don’t happen, people would look at Cassel differently,” Haley told ESPN.com. “If we get the improved offensive play around him that we hope to, I think people will feel better about Matt Cassel.”
Haley thinks the Chiefs have improved the talent on offense, and he says Cassel is doing the necessary work this offseason to make people feel better about him.
“This guy is making progress in a bunch of ways,” Haley said. “He had a very difficult year last year, but he didn’t crack. That’s a good sign. He has been one of our best workers this offseason, if not the best. He’s working.”