JoePats

Grade Matt Cassel's performance yesterday.

I thought it was an easy A. He underthrew Moss and threw a dangerous pass to Welker at 16-10, but those were the only two bad throws he made. He didn't force anything when he was under pressure, which was often. No turnovers, no fumbles.

And after the Jets scored for 16-10, we get the ball at the 20. Cassel to Moss, Cassel to Thomas, two first downs, crowd quiets down immediately. Huge plays right there.

rusH1023

I think there were times where he looked a little uneasy, but he kept it together on the whole. A solid 'B' in my opinion. I was impressed with how crisp he throws the short stuff over the middle. Those aren't easy.

DefenseRules

I agree. The kid did a good job. He was a little shakey once or twice, but overall he kept his composure.

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AKA "Ladypatsfan"

MoLewisrocks

They say one of the first big tests of a QB is how he performs under adverse conditions. He faced those yesterday after the hit on his knee and the spate of sacks. And he collected himself, came back focused and continued to function at a high level.

If you watched the Cleveland game last night, you saw a full blown meltdown. That's a QB who hasn't rebounded from his last tough outing in 2007...

kbbluepits

B+!! Great job Matt!

old 55

I'd give him a B. He played well enough to make some plays, but missed 2-3 TDs with the misses/deflections to Thomas in 2 different end zone attempts and the underthrow/late throw to Moss.

We are so used to Brady's decisiveness and pocket awareness that Cassel looks uncertain and unaware at times.

I do think he needs to improve for us to step up our offense. He has the tools to do it and the weapons to do it. He needs to stop locking in on his primary target. It makes him easier to defend.

I'm sure this will come with playing time and confidence.

pwes

I say a B. He did good but has to get more accurate on those throws.

sieglo

A-. I've seen worse games from Brady.

To get the A, red zone performance needs to improve. But Cassel is not wholly to blame for that.

Funktopus

Other than the last possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half, I thought he was fine.

And to my completely uneducated eye, the problems he had with those possessions were related to organizing the offense pre-snap.

here's a link to the play by play: NFL Game Center: Play-by-Play - New England Patriots at New York Jets - 2008 2

I'd be curious to see what the football savvy folks here on the boards think about Cassel's play relating to setting up the blocking and getting the offense organized to run the plays piped into his helmet.

Nunchucks

I think Cassell showed some positives as well as some negatives. He still is obviously a little too slow reading defenses and making the correct decisions. He will have to throw more deep passes to keep defenses honest, he will have to get on the same page as Moss and the other receivers for passes over 8 yards down field.

He also needs a tad better pocket presence, know when to throw the ball away and realize that he isnt fast compared to the guys who are trying to knock him down. Cassell you cannot run the option in the NFL.

However, Cassell did a great job on in the short passing game, did enough to get his guys in position and take advantage of the RB and Welker. His throws were crisp and accurate for the most part and of course the most important thing was he didn't turn the ball over.

Overall I give Cassel a B-, he did enough to help his team win and gave us fans a little confidence in his ability. He seems like a work in progress and hopefully as he becomes more comfortable in a starting role, he will begin to stretch the field.

Moss is a serious offensive weapon and we will need him in the games to come, Cassell has to show he is confident in thowing those deeper passes, until he does that, teams will crowd the line, take away the short stuff and stuff the run.