ESPN

It's no surprise that the Chiefs released Matt Cassel after acquiring Alex Smith, but the move brings up all sorts of questions about Cassel's future. He excelled in his one season as the Patriots' starter, but struggled to reach those same heights during his time in Kansas City. Will he ever be a team's primary starter again?

• jessepinkman_walterwhite: "Good riddance. I hated the big contract as soon as they gave it to him."
• KCAC_slaterd: "The day has finally come! I applaud his effort, as do most Chiefs fans, but he couldn't get it done."
• LuccadiPonza: "He had a terrible coach,. he did very well in NE, and under Healey. Cassell can;t carry a team, few can, but he can function under a good system."
• RH936: "Life after new england is not sweet see josh McDaniel, Laurence mauroney, ben jarvis-green ellis, deion branch,randy moss and ocho. Adam Viniteri maybe. Oh dont forget weis and crennel."
• AI2077: "Good call Andy,,,,,So far your making the moves to be a much better football team. Nice to see you having Passion for the game again."
• grillo88: "The Matt Cassel era is officially over. The Alex Smith era begins. The Bad Re-tread QB era continues."

Join the conversation or respond by signing in or creating a profile and blogging.

• Your Rankings: In its fifth season, how does the QB class of 2005 look?
• Your Power Rankings: Where do you have the 49ers this week?
• Blogger Chats: NFC North's Kevin Seifert, 2 ET | AFC North's James Walker, 4 ET

It's always easier to solve a problem if you start with what you know. And we know Adrian McPherson and Stefan LeFors are not the best quarterbacks selected in the 2005 draft. They may be better options at the position than JaMarcus Russell, but that's an entirely different problem.

Alex Smith's return to the starting lineup, on the heels of a quality relief appearance against the Texans, brings the class of 2005 back into focus. From surprise MVP candidates (Kyle Orton), big-money acquisitions (Matt Cassel) and the guy who pushed Brett Favre out of Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers) to a couple of guys fighting for starting snaps (Derek Anderson and Jason Campbell), it's not quite the class of 1983 but it's an interesting bunch.

After Smith lost out to Shaun Hill in the preseason, only 19 percent of SportsNation thought he would ever be a full-time NFL starter.

Sam (San Francisco, CA)

Thoughts on Alex Smith being named the Niners starter?

Gary Horton

I was really happy yesterday to see Smith get another chance. I really like him. Not only as a player, but people around him think highly of him and how he's handled the situation. The 49ers are last in the NFL for throwing to their WRs. For the most part, this passing game has been to RBs and TEs. That makes it easy to defend. Smith has the bigger arm than Shaun Hill. They now have Crabtree on the perimeter and they have the ability to really stretch the defense with Smith's arm strength and that opens up the run game. He's had a lot of time to study defenses and work on his weaknesses and I would like to think that this is not only a real positive for Smith but that it really opens up the 49ers offense. Full transcript.

• Your Rankings: Who are the best No. 2 quarterbacks in the NFL?

Kansas City fans weary of watching the likes of Steve Bono, Damon Huard or Tyler Thigpen take snaps at quarterback might have hoped the Chiefs had the next Tom Brady on their hands when they traded for Matt Cassel after last season. Odds are Cassel isn't quite the Tom Terrific impersonator Chiefs fans had in mind.

A year after Brady's injury in Week 1 opened the door for Cassel's emergence in New England, it's the latter who will reportedly miss at least the Chiefs' opener with a strained MCL.

• In July, 74 percent of SN said Cassel would get the Chiefs to the playoffs eventually.
• And even now, 64 percent of voters say the Chiefs made the right call getting Cassel.

That optimism aside, "Football Scientist" KC Joyner sounded the warning bell more than a month ago, when Cassel was healthy, about limitations of the Chiefs' new quarterback.

KC Chuck (Utah)

Do the Chiefs even have a chance to be somewhat better this year? Though ... could it get any worse?

KC Joyner

They have a collection of really talented young players, so getting better is almost a certainty. One issue could be at QB. Cassel was quite mediocre at vertical passing last year, and now he doesn't have Moss to throw to. If he can't turn that around, it will hinder this [offense] and make Chiefs fans question why Kansas City didn't stick with Tyler Thigpen. Full July 23 wrap.

Not that Cassel's old team is without its own quarterback issue. Brady went down hard after a hit from Albert Haynesworth on Friday night (in a preseason collision of contracts worth roughly the gross domestic product of Kiribati). More than half of SportsNation still expects Brady to start every game this season, and he better. Only extended members of the Walter family and a few others think the Patriots could make the playoffs with Andrew Walter at quarterback.

• Vote: Does any AFC West team have the QB to challenge the Chargers?

“

What are the Pats doing? They really think that if Brady where to get hurt again they will be able to match last season's record of 11-5 with Hoyer or Walter as the main QB? They are really brave or really sure that Brady will remain fine all year.

” -- wsopstud

• Rankings: What were the biggest offseason moves?

Chad Ochocinco is still a member of the Bengals, Anquan Boldin is still a member of the Cardinals and Brett Favre is still indecisive. So not much has changed since last we left the NFL, right? Terrell Owens is in Bills camp talking about the unfairness of any further delay in Michael Vick's comeback? Right, so maybe not everything is right where we left it.

As incredibly wealthy people move into college dorm rooms across the country for the rite of passage that is training camp (or orientation at Sarah Lawrence College, take your pick), there are more than a few familiar faces in new places. Back in May, SportsNation gave the Eagles the highest marks for their offseason moves, but considering first-round pick Jeremy Maclin remains unsigned as camp approaches, they may not even be among the best shoppers in their own city if the Phillies find a way to tack on Roy Halladay on top of the Flyers adding Chris Pronger.

Offseason acquisitions are one topic on the agenda for today's "SportsNation" (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2), but how does your scorecard look for moves like the Redskins signing Albert Haynesworth and the Bears trading for Jay Cutler?

• More rankings: Are the Steelers still No. 1 as training camps open?
• Voters expect more from Mark Sanchez than Matthew Stafford this year.
• Cutler not SportsNation's pick for the best QB in the NFC North this season.
• Majority thinks Chiefs making mistake paying Matt Cassel franchise money.

• Rank 15 of the NFL's top pass-rushers for "SportsNation" on ESPN2.

If you're going to sign a guy to a six-year, $63 million contract, do it the day after a team gave the same contract to a quarterback who never started a game in college.

A moral of limited use in your everyday life? Perhaps, but that's apparently the lesson SportsNation is offering in the wake of the Ravens' keeping pass-rusher extraordinaire Terrell Suggs in the fold for the next six seasons (hypothetically, at least, given the nature of NFL contracts; let's just say voters aren't sure he'll be around in 2015).

But if the 'Nation thinks Suggs is a safer investment than Matt Cassel, does it mean he's one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL? Because if that's the only qualification, Citibank might be one of the NFL's best pass-rushers.

• Beyond the 'Nation: James Walker wonders if a WR is next for the Ravens.
• Groups: Ravens Fans | Ed Reed | Ravens nest | NFL Trash Talkin Group

“

D. Ware is smiling from ear to ear right now. He should send Suggs a thank you card.

” -- Ashy-Larry

“

That's a lot of pressure to perform. You know the more you earn the more the company and people expect from you, except if you're a CEO of a company that deals with mortgages, stocks, or any other financial institution.

” -- sfirx

"SportsNation" TV plans to use every pitcher on the staff today, including All-Star hosts Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd.

Share your pitches, swing at the knuckleball ideas, vote on the biggest stories of the day and chat during the show on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. ET.

With the proper training, could Shaq beat Brock Lesnar?
We're not asking whether Shaq would survive 30 seconds, like 26 percent of you said you could do yesterday. Could the big guy actually beat the UFC champ?

What do you think about the broadcast of President Obama's first pitch?
It didn't make the pitch look any faster or higher off the ground, but the odd angle did cause some watching the All-Star Game to cry conspiracy.

Would you play in Greece if you could make twice as much money?
Knicks guard Nate Robinson reportedly has a two-year offer from Olympiakos, the team that lured Josh Childress to Athens.

Does seeing your team's players having fun with rivals bother you?
Fans demonstrate daily how much they hate rival teams and fans. And then come the All-Star games, during which the guys are buddy-buddy.

Is Randy Moss responsible for Matt Cassel's success?
The Chiefs are going to pay their new quarterback more than $60 million over six years, expecting him to be more than a one-season wonder.

And our final question …
An 11-3 record wasn't enough to get the 42-year-old knuckleballer into the game, even though his first All-Star appearance might also be his last. Should he have gotten a chance?

What is "SportsNation" TV and how do you make your voice heard on the broadcast? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

• Rank the current crop of NFL starting quarterbacks.

Fans in Kansas City were a tad steamed that Zack Greinke didn't get the start for the American League in the All-Star Game. But at slightly less than $4 million this season, the Royals' ace would have been a bargain in that role. By contrast, the Chiefs are paying Matt Cassel like they expect him to make more than a few Pro Bowl starts for the AFC.

Getting Cassel from the Patriots didn't cost the Chiefs much, but keeping him in the fold for the next six seasons will cost more than $60 million after the deal the quarterback signed Tuesday. Does Pete Carroll get a cut of that for resting his arm at USC?

What those with actual knowledge are saying:

ESPN.com's John Clayton: "Philip Rivers and Eli Manning are in the final years of their contracts. If they get long-term deals, the price of signing quarterbacks goes that much higher. The time was right to do a deal. This was an important negotiation for the team, and the Chiefs did well."

NFL.com's Steve Wyche: "K.C.'s trade of Tony Gonzalez left Haley and Cassel with Dwayne Bowe, an emerging stud, and Bobby Engram, a veteran who isn't Randy Moss or Larry Fitzgerald. The lack of options could be more of an indicator of Cassel's 2009 season than his overall skills and his ability to grasp [Todd] Haley's offense."

• Hold off on the parade plans; 90 percent say no Super Bowl for Cassel with Chiefs.
• So is Cassel worth the money? Vote on the ramifications of the contract.
• Chat: Ask Scouts Inc.'s Matt Williamson about the Chiefs at 12 ET
• Groups: Kansas City Chiefs Fans! | KC Chiefs! The Red Sea | Patriots Haters

“

that's a lot of money/time to invest in a kid after seeing him start only one year in belicheat's system with moss and welker to throw to

” -- PhillyNovaNation

“

Cassel will have the pressure but not the experience. He did well in New England knowing he just had to do OK, they didn't expect him to take over games. Now he is being paid to carry the team. He has never done that.

” -- DDPPRR69