Kansas City QB Cassel Out With Serious Hand Injury
Added on Nov 14, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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Kansas City has been struggling in recent weeks and things aren’t going to get better soon–that’s because starting quarterback Matt Cassel is out with a hand injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season. Cassel hurt his hand near the end of the Chiefs’ loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Chiefs’ coach Todd Haley refused to say if Cassel would be put on season ending injured reserve but did admit that ‘it’s a possibility’. He said that regardless of what the team did in terms of his roster spot its a nasty injury:
“He will probably have to have surgery at some time. The length of it, we’re not sure, but there’s some optimism. Each person it varies, but it’s a difficult injury.”
Details have been sketchy on the specifics of the injury. Cassel said that he wanted to go back out of the field but was told not too. Tyler Palko played the final offensive series for Kansas City:
“I was a little banged up, so that’s what kept me out. I wanted to go but I was told not to.”
Palko will likely start the Chiefs’ next game against the New England Patriots. The game is off the board for NFL betting at most sports books though a few still have the game posted with the Pats a -14 point favorite. Palko says he’ll be ready to go:
“I’m really close with Matt and we’ve been through a lot these last two years. You hate to see anybody go down like this, but it’s football, and you just have to be ready.”
The Chiefs have gone with only two quarterbacks on the roster for most of the season. That means they’ll have to activate Ricky Stanzi and/or sign a veteran free agent for additional depth. Coach Haley is confident in Palko’s ability to do the job:
“Tyler is the next in line, and he’s done a terrific job, like I said, of keeping himself ready. That’s what the No. 2 quarterback has to do, because you don’t know. At a moment’s notice, you could be in there playing, just like any other position.”
The Chiefs are currently tied with three other teams at 4-5 in the AFC West.
