Scott Pioli couldn't get Peyton Manning to talk to the Chiefs. Is that a big problem? (US Presswire)
Matt Cassel really impressed Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli during Cassel’s 2008 season in New England. Pioli was the vice president of player personnel when he watched Cassel take over for an injured Tom Brady and threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns while leading the Patriots to an 11-5 record.

When Pioli went to Kansas City, he had no qualms about bringing Cassel with him, but in the three years since he’s been with the Chiefs, Cassel has been up and down. And aside from a solid 2010 season, Cassel has been down more often than not.

So, it makes sense that Pioli joined the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, hoping to find his franchise quarterback for the next few years (because, at this point, it’s still a real question mark whether Cassel can fill that role).

Obviously, the feeling wasn’t mutual, and the Chiefs were not one of the teams to meet personally with Manning. And Pioli isn’t sure why.

"He never explained to me nor did I ask," Pioli told the Kansas City Star. "… I don’t think it was my place to do that."

As columnist Sam Mellinger explains, Manning’s decision not to entertain the possibility of picking the Chiefs (or even meeting with them face to face) is a big-time snub, certainly more so than the failure of the Cardinals, Dolphins and Titans to land Manning (at least, Manning was in direct talks with those squads and clearly considered the pros and cons of each organization). The fact Kansas City didn’t even get the chance to make a pitch to Manning, even with talented receiver Dwayne Bowe on the roster, is disheartening.

But hey, the Chiefs do have some competition for Cassel in the form of Brady Quinn -- who, you’ll recall couldn’t beat out Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton, who played last season for the Chiefs, for the starting quarterback job last year in Denver.

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“I think we have a very good quarterback situation now,” Pioli said. “I haven’t looked at it through that prism. I think we have a very good and very competitive quarterback situation. I really do. And it is what it is. You know what I mean? That’s the situation we have. And I’m very comfortable with it.”

But can he -- or the Kansas City fanbase -- be all that comfortable with not knowing why Manning declined to talk with him? Is it, as some speculated earlier, because of a conflict between Pioli and Manning’s agent, Tom Condon, or is it because, like in Miami, the biggest free agent in two decades simply didn’t believe in the franchise’s direction? Or is it because Manning doesn’t want anybody tapping into his phone?

We might not ever know the answer.

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