Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs Cheer Up Oakland Raiders

The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs have gambled heavily this past week.

The Chiefs have anointed Matt Cassel as their franchise quarterback. Cassel had a spectacular 2008 season with the New England Patriots, albeit after an inauspicious start.

At Foxboro, Cassel had a wealth of talent at his disposal and he demonstrated great execution and aplomb with his decision making.

However, the former USC player has a totally new set of circumstances in Kansas City.

To start with he has a new coaching staff to deal with plus a new set of teammates. He will be playing for a team that won two games in 2008 and for the first time he and he alone will be the undisputed starting quarterback. The pressure is very much on.

Meanwhile, over in Colorado, has rookie head coach Josh McDaniels made one of the biggest blunders this offseason or indeed of any previous offseason? His decision to discuss trading quarterback Jay Cutler could prove to have long-term ramifications for the Denver Broncos.

McDaniels now has to deal with a very disgruntled quarterback who will be harbouring plenty of ill feeling towards his new head coach. The additional fact that Cutler is a Pro Bowl player in a team with an ugly defense makes McDaniels' trade gamble look somewhat naive.

Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders have thus far been very quiet this offseason. Bearing in mind some of Mr. Davis' previous lacklustre free agency moves (Larry Brown, Desmond Howard, Jeff George, Eric Dickerson, Jevon Walker, DeAngelo Hall etc al), it is probably fortuitous for the Raiders.  

The Chiefs and Broncos could have break out seasons with their new regimes and with their respective quarterbacks.

The dice have been cast and now we must wait and see if they roll a six or if the dice fall off the table.