NFL

After He Threw An Interception, Matt Cassel Fumbled His Hat

In 2010, the Kansas City Chiefs went 10-6 and made the playoffs. For a team coming off three straight years of 12 or more losses, that was a big deal. In addition to factors like the explosive talents of running back Jamaal Charles and the strong play of rookies like tight end Tony Moeaki and safety Eric Berry (Berry even made the Pro Bowl), one of the biggest reasons for the turnaround was dramatically improved play from quarterback Matt Cassel. Cassel avoided mistakes all year, tossing 27 touchdown passes against just seven interceptions while leading a unit that jumped from 25th to 12th in the NFL in yards gained. Yes, 2010 was a fine year. And now, in 2011…

…Cassel is on TV failing to put a hat on. Oh, and the Chiefs are 0-3 (their 20-17 loss to the Chargers yesterday was by fair their best performance of the young season; they were outscored by a combined 89-10 in their first two contests). Cassel has almost as many interceptions (five) through three games as he did in 15 games a year ago, and he’s averaging just 5.2 yards per pass attempt.

Oh, and Charles, Moeaki, and Berry? They all tore their ACLs and are out for the year. And actually, you know what? This post is too sad now. Yeah, we could talk about Cassel’s hat fumbling being a metaphor for the Chiefs’ awful start and injury luck, but it’s just too much. Go back, watch the funny video, and don’t think of it as a symbol for anything greater, because then you’ll just get depressed and the entertainment value will be ruined. Well, unless you’re a fan of one of the Chiefs’ AFC West rivals.