Shanahan on Cassel vs. Brady - New England Patriots Forums

SVN · 10-15-2008, 06:44 PM

Broncos: Mike Shanahan Conference Call
Nothing that is obvious but a good reminder for all the comparisons made.

Quote:

Q: What do you see from the Patriots offense since quarterback Matt Cassel took over for Tom Brady?

MS: We all know what Tom Brady has done and what he has meant to the Patriots and the National Football League in general. [Facing] Tom, you could never make the right call. Tom would get you in protections with the long counts. No matter what blitz you had he would be able to redirect the offensive line to the right blitzer. If you did get a guy free, he would know where his third or fourth wide receiver was. That just takes some time. One of the reasons he is arguably the best in the game is just how he has played and how many games he has won. It takes quarterbacks time. That just doesn’t happen over night. Matt [Cassel] will just keep on getting better and better as he experiences the offense. I am just hoping he doesn’t do it Monday night.

Q: Could you talk about the difficulties of a quarterback taking over for a franchise icon like you had with John Elway. Matt Cassel is in a different situation but how difficult is it to always be compared to a franchise icon?

MS: Yeah and it is impossible to do. Especially with the three Super Bowls and how he [Tom Brady] has played and how many games New England won in a row. Anytime you play behind a legend it is almost impossible. At least with the interviews I have seen with Matt [Cassel] he seems like he handles it really well. Tom has helped him. You have to understand you have to forget about the critics and just concentrate on the job at hand and that is what he is doing

BritPat · 10-15-2008, 06:48 PM

You know, if there's one HC in the NFL who I respect almost as much as Bill, it's Shanny.

SVN · 10-15-2008, 06:57 PM

and more

DenverBroncos.com – Official Website Of The Denver Broncos

Quote:

On Belichick's adjustment having lost Brady for the season
"I think that they are running the same offense that they did with Tom. There are check-offs and protection schemes that change throughout the game. Tom was unbelievable with double teams, getting the line redirected to blitzers and getting the team to a perfect play. I think that takes time and usually that happens in the third year. The first couple years you kind of depend more on your defense."

answers somewhat about our shaky o-line play

Quote:

On if the Patriots' last five years has been the most impressive stretch he has seen
"I am sure that there are a few stretches that are pretty impressive. If you go back to Pittsburgh, they had a couple stretches. We could go with a few teams, but since I have been a coach, it has by far been the most impressive stretches that I have ever seen."

PatriotDynasty_12 · 10-15-2008, 07:00 PM

I miss watching Brady pick apart D's

Cheers to an interesting season!

DefenseRules · 10-15-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatriotDynasty_12

I miss watching Brady pick apart D's

Cheers to an interesting season!

Me too!

amhunt2 · 10-15-2008, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BritPat

You know, if there's one HC in the NFL who I respect almost as much as Bill, it's Shanny.

Shanahan can suck it. BB for Prez.

Schmo · 10-15-2008, 08:41 PM

Brady's contribution to blocking schemes is one thing that we forget about. Goes to show that it isn't completely the OLine's fault.

If we shoved O'Connell into the starting position, would he do any better than Cassel in that aspect of the game? Like Shanahan said, I think that our only option right now is to give Cassel more time.

spacecrime · 10-15-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BritPat

You know, if there's one HC in the NFL who I respect almost as much as Bill, it's Shanny.

I've liked him ever since he put his entire team on the Injury Report. Plus, I liked the dig he gave Davis re:Kiffin.

JoePats · 10-15-2008, 08:56 PM

Shanahan, and Kubiak when he was there with him, have always given BB fits. He's a very good playcaller.

BRiZ · 10-15-2008, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Q: What do you see from the Patriots offense since quarterback Matt Cassel took over for Tom Brady?

MS: LMAO! What kind of question is that? Have you watched the games? They went from the best offense in NFL history to the worst offense in NFL history! Ive seen high school squads play better than them. Cassel LMAO Cassel is horrible! Hes not even in Tom Bradys universe nevermind level. I feel bad for the Patriots honestly, we'll try to take it easy on them this week knowing that Cassel is playing. We'll try not to run up the score.

fixed.

^^^^^^^^^