Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Cassel Needs To Prove That 2010 was Not a Fluke

In 2010, Chiefs QB Matt Cassel had one of the best seasons ever for a signal caller in franchise history.

In his breakout year he threw for over 3,000 yards, had a QB rating of 93 and had an amazing touchdown to interception ratio of 27-7.

All of this came after a season where he threw 16 interceptions and was seen as the proverbial whipping boy on a team that finished last in their division at 4-12 for the year.

However, many believe that Cassel's '10 success was based on a weak schedule and help from a strong rushing attack that possesses arguably the best running back in the league.

Criticism and facing adversity are nothing new to Matt Cassel.

Many have heard the story of how Cassel sat on the bench after losing a coin-flip and watched USC teammate Matt Leinart propel his team to the national championship game of the '05 college football season and also win Heisman trophy while playing for the Trojans.

We are also talking about the same guy who lead his team to an 11-win season after coming off the bench to spell future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, after the Patriots star suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the '08 season.

The former Chatsworth High star has also had to deal with other forms of adversity not related to football, including enduring a massive earthquake in his native California at age 12, and later in life, losing his own father.

The one constant with Cassel in all of these situations is that he has held his head and kept pressing forward no matter how dire the situation he has faced.

With the Chiefs staring at what could be one of the hardest schedules they have had in years in '11, Matt Cassel's play at QB will be vital if the team is going to repeat as AFC West champions.

Cassel will likely by picking the brain of new QB coach and former Pro Bowl quarterback Jim Zorn this season and the job that Zorn does with the Chiefs' main signal caller could determine if Cassel rises or sinks against many of the tough defenses he will face this season.

Of course, he will have some help in Pro Bowl RB Jamaal Charles and Pro Bowl WR Dwayne Bowe, along with a solid TE in young Tony Moeaki and likely another impact receiver to compliment Bowe and the speedy Dexter McCluster.

In '10, Cassel was labeled by many as an excellent game manager, but he will have to do more than that if he is going to help the Chiefs make strides as a consistent contender in this league in the future, and it all starts with his play in '11.