Two things need to be stated up front. First, it’s just a rumor at this point that Matt Cassel has a cracked rib. Secondly, if true, the severity is not known at this time. That said, for those who instantly jump to the worst case scenario wondering what the Chiefs will do with either Tyler Palko or the Ghost of Dave Krieg under center, there’s hope for Cassel’s ability to play next Sunday against the Buffalo Bills in week one of the NFL regular season.
Over the last few years, several star players have played with cracked or even fractured ribs. Looking back at Super Bowl XLIII, Ben Roethlisberger led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a world championship with fractured ribs. Tom Brady played several games late in 2009 with multiple broken ribs. Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Chad Ochocinco and Devin McCourty have all played through the same. In other words, sometimes you just play through it.
Of course, that does mean that Cassel will be limited and need to be careful so it’s not as if this is an injury he can or will just shrug off. And if a cracked/fractured rib is bad enough or the wrong rib, then it could take him out. But if the rumor proves to, and at this point it’s just that, then Cassel’s injury isn’t the end of the world for Chiefs fan. They have to hope that it’s not too bad if there is an injury at all.