:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1251149/20120905_ter_sh5_206.0.jpg)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn will be making his first NFL start since 2009 on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after Matt Cassel was ruled out on Thursday.
The news that Quinn will be starting on Sunday has been met with optimism from the Chiefs' fanbase, who were asking for changes following a disastrous start to the season. Coach Romeo Crennel said on Friday that Quinn's leadership qualities will be a valuable asset to the team:
"Brady has always been a good leader," said Crennel. "You can't be a good quarterback without being a good leader. If you look back to his days in college, he was a good leader. The days he's been in the pros, he's been a good leader. He carries himself very well. He just hasn't had the opportunities to play as much. Now, he's going to get an opportunity to play, and we'll see if that production is what we need it to be.
"Every time he talks to the media, he has a certain way about him, how he conducts himself, how he answers the questions, so that and then on the practice field. He's a quarterback when he's on the practice field doing the things that a quarterback needs to do. He has leadership qualities, and he is a leader," Crennel said.
Quinn, who was a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2007 after four years with Notre Dame, has not attempted a pass during the NFL regular season since 2009. The quarterback was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2010, signing with the Chiefs during the 2012 offseason.
The Chiefs take on the Bucs on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.