The Dolphins traded an an undisclosed 2010 draft pick to Kansas City for quarterback Tyler Thigpen, filling Chad Pennington's roster spot on the same day they played their injured QB on injured reserve.
The deal throws a little wrench into the perceived plan in Miami to anoint Chad Henne as Pennington's permanent replacement. Henne, in his second year out of Michigan, still figures to make his first NFL start Sunday when the 0-3 Dolphins host Buffalo. But Thigpen performed decently in 11 starts for Kansas City last season, throwing from more than 2,600 yards with an 18-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
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As popular as Ben Roethlisberger is in Pittsburgh (and the rest of America for that matter), the Steelers are still built on a run-first philosophy. The question moving forward is who's going to be running the ball.
On 27 carries this season, Willie Parker has 66 yards. Instead of running to find your calculator, that's a dismal 2.4 yards per carry average. In his two games he's also been held without a touchdown.
On the other hand, second-year running back Rashard Mendenhall has a 6.4 yards per carry average and had a nice 29-yard carry to set up a Steelers touchdown.
After missing Kansas City's season opening loss in Baltimore with an MCL injury suffered in the preseason, Matt Cassel is expected to make his Chiefs debut on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, according to Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network.
Cassel was the big offseason addition in Kansas City, coming over in a trade that sent a second-round draft pick to the New England after the Patriots designated the 27-year-old signal-caller as their franchise player. The Chiefs then signed him to a long-term contract extension in July reportedly worth over $60 million.
A year ago, Matt Cassel got his chance to be an NFL starting quarterback when then-Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard blew up Tom Brady's knee. Cassel led the Patriots to 11 wins, and played well enough for the Chiefs to trade for him in the offseason.
Smash cut to Cassel tweaking his knee during Kansas City's third preseason game (God's sense of humor is underrated), which forced him to miss the first Sunday of the 2009 season. Any chances the Chiefs -- an outfit that won six times in their last 32 games -- had against the Ravens were out the window with Cassel on the bench.
A year ago, Matt Cassel got his chance to be an NFL starting quarterback when then-Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard blew up Tom Brady's knee. Cassel led the Patriots to 11 wins, and played well enough for the Chiefs to trade for him in the offseason.
Smash cut to Cassel tweaking his knee during Kansas City's third preseason game (God's sense of humor is underrated), which forced him to miss the first Sunday of the 2009 season. Any chances the Chiefs -- an outfit that won six times in their last 32 games -- had against the Ravens were out the window with Cassel on the bench.
In case you've somehow forgotten how Matt Cassel became a star in the first place -- it all started when Patriots QB Tom Brady took a hit low in a Week 1 game against Kansas City last year, injuring his left knee.
Cassel parlayed his one season as the Patriots starter into a six-year, $63 million contract with the same Kansas City squad. And, despite an up-and-down preseason, Cassel -- in large part because of the amount of money owed him -- remained entrenched as the Chiefs' No. 1 QB.
That is, until he took a hit low during the Chiefs' preseason game with the Seahawks on Saturday night, injuring his left knee. Irony 1, Cassel 0.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The thinking was that Matt Cassel came into Friday night's preseason game against the Vikings on some kind of hot seat. Thanks to a cryptic interview session in which Chiefs coach Todd Haley refused to describe him as the team's best quarterback, there was some thought in Kansas City that Brodie Croyle might actually have a chance to overtake Cassel as the starter. Nevermind the trade that brought Cassel in, or the big contract extension they just gave him -- gotta play the best guy, right?
Well, Cassel sure looked like the best guy Friday, completing 9-of-14 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. He was sharp, alert and very mobile all night -- and that mobility was a good thing, because the Chiefs' offensive line was cheesecloth and looks like the kind of unit that might make a quarterback wish for a spot on the bench.
To cut right to the chase, the Kansas City Chiefs have put a lot of faith in quarterback Matt Cassel. Back in February, K.C. acquired the surprise 2008 star with the full intention of making Cassel its franchise QB -- a decision backed by the $15 million tender Cassel signed for 2009, then later, the five-year, $60 million extension the Chiefs gave him.
Money for a backup quarterback, that is not.
But the transition hasn't been confidence-inspiring in the preseason. Cassel's struggled so much lately, in fact, that when asked Tuesday whether Cassel has been the Chiefs' best quarterback thus far, new K.C. head coach Todd Haley responded, "I'll hold out on answering that right now."
Jason Whitlock has reason to be concerned about Matt Cassel. He's the Chiefs new quarterback, doesn't have much in the way of experience, and will make nearly $15 million in 2009. Oh, and it's easy to be skittish when Cassel succeeds the likes of Damon Huard, Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen.
Of the three, Thigpen probably has the most potential, but the new regime made it clear that he wasn't in their long-term plans when they traded for Cassel. But that doesn't mean Whitlock is convinced.
Specifically, he's worried that the Chiefs "have little interest in signing Matt Cassel to a long-term contract before the start of the season." There were rumors during draft weekend that the Chiefs gave Cassel a six-year deal ($36 million guaranteed). Untrue, it turned out.
While other people were hung up on the logistics of the trade this past week -- which sent Matt Cassel to the Chiefs, among other pieces -- I was busy running through the fantasy fallout of the deal. You see, just because our season doesn't start for another six months doesn't mean you should entirely forget about fantasy football during the offseason.
This particular move helps the fantasy value of several people, while also hurting the value of a few others.
The Dolphins traded an an undisclosed 2010 draft pick to Kansas City for quarterback Tyler Thigpen, filling Chad Pennington's roster spot on the same day they played their injured QB on injured reserve.
Cut-N-Go is 
After missing Kansas City's season opening loss in Baltimore with an MCL injury suffered in the preseason, 
MINNEAPOLIS -- The thinking was that 
To cut right to the chase, the 
Jason Whitlock has reason to be concerned about 
While other people were hung up on the logistics of the trade this past week -- which sent 
