A Monday report indicating that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel may not be ready to play in Week 1 appears to be premature. The Buffalo Bills are certainly expecting Cassel to play, and after fully participating in practice on Monday, the same can be said of Cassel and Chiefs head coach Todd Haley.
Still, knowing that Cassel will likely be dealing with pain - and knowing his unimpressive statistical history against the Bills as a member of the Chiefs - I asked Joel Thorman of ArrowheadPride.com if he was at all worried about Cassel being effective on Sunday.
"A little bit, but not really," Thorman told me. "Most quarterbacks are the focal point of a team's offense, but in Kansas City it's just as much about the running game. If the Chiefs can run the ball well, I'll feel a lot better about Cassel. But if Buffalo is slowing down Jamaal Charles and company, then I'll be worried about putting Cassel in that situation. This game is really all about the run, and Cassel needs to complement that."
All the more reason that the Bills' top priority must be containing Charles.