Peter King on Pats 'developing' QB's [merged] - New England Patriots Forums

SVN · 11-03-2008, 04:56 PM

The good NFL teams are planning for the future, winning today - Peter King - SI.com

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I include New England in this group for a simple reason: Tom Brady has played for eight minutes in 2008, and the Patriots are 5-3. There are lots of good stories in the first half of the season, but none are as surprising as New England sharing the AFC East lead with Matt Cassel playing quarterback for 31 of the team's 32 quarters. The Cassel story illustrates why the Bill Belichick/Scott Pioli way is so effective. Remember the hue and cry to go get Chris Simms, Daunte Culpepper or Tim Rattay when Brady went down? The Patriots said: No, we'll stay in-house for our quarterback, because how can a Simms or a Rattay learn the offense as much as Matt Cassel, who's been here four years? If we've trusted Cassel to back up Brady, why don't we trust him to play?

And I believe this: If Cassel gets hurt at some point down the stretch, or when he leaves in free-agency after the season, the Patriots will put 2008 third-round pick Kevin O'Connell under center, or use him to back up Brady. The quarterback is develop-able. That's the New England mantra. Brady got developed. Cassel got developed. And O'Connell will too.

The Patriots, uncharacteristically, played a stupid fourth quarter last night. Belichick left his team without a timeout for the last 11 minutes, which haunted the team late. Jabar Gaffney dropped a potential winning touchdown pass. David Thomas had a dumb unnecessary-roughness penalty that cost New England three points. Reverse any of those, and New England might be 6-2 this morning. But that's not the issue here. My point is, the way the Patriots have been formed, and the team-first mentality at the heart of everything they do, are the reasons we're so attracted to football. When you send your kid to play high school football, you just hope he gets those unselfish team values drilled into him.

here is another interesting quote

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The Cowboy Hierarchy. The Cowboys had no chance in this game because the Cowboys had no competent backup plan in the offseason for Tony Romo getting hurt. Brad Johnson (5-of-11, two interceptions and down 21-7 when yanked) had no business trying to win a big game at Giants Stadium, and Brooks Bollinger is nothing more than a marginal third-stringer.

Look around the league. Very few quarterbacks consistently play all 16 games, and the Cowboys should have either drafted a decent one in the last couple of years and developed him under an excellent QB coach in Jason Garrett, or acquired a younger one than Johnson, who's 40. This fact absolutely amazes me: The Cowboys have not drafted a quarterback in seven years.

PATRIOTSFANINPA · 11-03-2008, 05:03 PM

The good NFL teams are planning for the future, winning today - Peter King - SI.com

King appreciates teams who lose but play soundly which is exactly how the Patriots played last night with the exception of the poor decisions in the 4th quarter which lost them the game.

***alamo*** · 11-03-2008, 06:20 PM

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This fact absolutely amazes me: The Cowboys have not drafted a quarterback in seven years.

That's technically true, but they did trade for the rights to Drew Henson from the Texans. So they did get a developmental QB from the draft in 2004.

Of course the fact it was Drew Henson doesn't make them look any smarter than if they had gotten noone

***maverick4*** · 11-03-2008, 07:29 PM

Peter King is still a Grade-A moron. Nothing more than a latte-sipping Gossip QUEEN

satz · 11-03-2008, 08:00 PM

Perfect time to trade cassel for brad johnson the veteran we absolutely need,
or maybe culpepper. he signed for 2 yrs so trading him for casell we get him for 2 yrs .Now everyone here is going to be thrilled here.

***BradyFTW!*** · 11-03-2008, 08:34 PM

As much as I dislike King, it's hard not to agree with the points that he made here. Matt Cassel is a great story, and the fact that so many people on this board are so down on him just shows the nature of the vocal minority here.

bbabin · 11-03-2008, 10:13 PM

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Originally Posted by maverick4

Peter King is still a Grade-A moron. Nothing more than a latte-sipping Gossip QUEEN

What's wrong with lattes, or sipping for that matter?

upstater1 · 11-03-2008, 10:27 PM

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Originally Posted by bbabin

What's wrong with lattes, or sipping for that matter?

Lattes are weak. I'd rather have a cappucino.

BradyManny · 11-03-2008, 11:18 PM

The notion that the Patriots system produced Tom Brady and Matt Cassel is offensive to both Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. Obviously, Tom Brady is an elite QB, and Matt Cassel has done well in his time filling in. The credit for their success belongs to the QB's themselves. Peter King is almost insinuating Cassel doesn't have talent - clearly, he does. Of course coaching plays a role, but King seems to completely dismiss Cassel or Brady's talents.

SVN · 11-04-2008, 12:34 AM

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Originally Posted by BradyManny2344

The notion that the Patriots system produced Tom Brady and Matt Cassel is offensive to both Tom Brady and Matt Cassel. Obviously, Tom Brady is an elite QB, and Matt Cassel has done well in his time filling in. The credit for their success belongs to the QB's themselves. Peter King is almost insinuating Cassel doesn't have talent - clearly, he does. Of course coaching plays a role, but King seems to completely dismiss Cassel or Brady's talents.

well one of the talents of brady which even weis said he liked as has BB via holley's book was he listened to the coaches and did what they asked him to as compared to bledsoe. he is a hall of fame and one of the greatest to ever play the game and pats probably wont be able to 'groom' anyone like him again but i think they do deserve some credit and also for following the approach of drafting or signing a undrafted QB almost every yr to try and develop every yr. that is what he is getting at. its quite possible if brady was drafted by arizona or detriot it maybe he wouldnt have been the same player.