There's no celebration for Tyler Palko when told today of getting his first ever starting nod for the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots. The reason? The loss of his friend and teammate Matt Cassel for the season due to a hand injury in the Denver Broncos game on Sunday. Palko says Cassel's been a confidante until now and it makes the situation difficult to deal with.
"I'm really close with Matt and we've been through a lot in these last three years. I told you guys before that he's meant a lot to me in helping out my progress. You know, you never like to see anyone go down like this, but it's football and you just gotta be ready. There's nothing really going through my mind right now except to get ready for New England. It's a Monday night game and we gotta go execute."
As for prep work, Palko told KC reporters today that he hopes Cassel is able to get treatment and come back soon since he's the one who typically helps with the breakdown of the opposing team.
"I'm hoping he can get back as soon as possible. We have a good working relationship, and we draw ideas off of each other. But I'm not really worried about anything. He's a tough guy and he'll be back as soon as he can."