Mort saying the idea of Culpepper floated around, while Schefter says

[ironwasp]

I just wonder what happens if Cassel goes 7-25 with 3 INT. What then ? Gutierrez who we cut and no-one picked up ? The rookie ?

Sunday will be VERY interesting.

I will say, though, this will be the first time ever that Cassel will get first team reps in practice in the regular season which could really help him.

I don't think BB is going to put Cassel in a position to be 7-25 with three picks. Not this weekend anyway.

But I agree with you on the first team reps. You probably can't exaggerate how important that will be. The guy did fine on Sunday in difficult circumstances (despite the powder puff opposition) and he should grow stronger as the season evolves.

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

This is a guy with so little grey matter and so much ego he handled his own rehab in a freakin' parking lot gym and mismanaged his own career off three rosters desperate for a remotely functional QB who now insists he must be being blackballed 'cause it just couldn't be that 32 GM's think he sucks in a QB starved league. He'd be nothing but a distraction here.

very well said sir

 

[NEsince92]

It's not so much that Culpepper is a bum or can't play well ... his knee is worse than you think. That's why he retired. You really think he couldn't have campaigned himself and found a starting job somewhere?

If he was in good enough shape to start for an NFL team, he would have.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

The only thing you can say that BB is wrong in, the playbook will change, and the focus will be on the run first.. Other than that BB is right , Matt is the next guy and he is the starter now like or not...


Espn needs to settle down on the dante culpepper talk, BB sees this as a challenge and motivation now he has all that now..


Casell will get a month to prove himself, if things have not improved by San Diego , we worry about that then.. But Casell needs about a month of reg season games to be evaluated by us fans

 

[Bobs My Uncle]

Right now the Pats have a rookie as Casell's backup. It should surprise no one that the Pats are considering adding a vet of some sorts.

Honestly, with the mediocre talent at QB that is out there right now I'd probably just as soon see them re-sign Gutierrez.

 

[DGameguy]

Then why didn't the Steelers sign him?

Because they already have Roethlisberger as their starter, along with Charlie Batch and that kid Dixon from Oregon. I think they signed Leftwich to replace Batch.

I agree with mgteich - I don't see how it could hurt to have a guy like Culpepper who has run complex, pass-happy offenses learn our system while Cassel keeps the seat warm.

 

[Rob0729]

Culpepper had an MVP-caliber season before the knee injury, and he's had time to heal. When the Steelers brought him in, they couldn't believe he wasn't starting for a team in the league, per PFT. It might be worth a look considering Cassel hasn't proven himself worth starting since high school...Just my 2 cents

The Steelers couldn't believe Culpepper wasn't starting and then signed Byron Leftwich over him? That make sense.

I say bring Culpepper in and ask him multiplication problems just to laugh at his answers. Sorry, Culpepper is arguably the dumbest QB in the league who has trouble reading defenses. No way could he play in the Pats' system. If they cut WRs for being too slow to pick up the offense, why would they want a QB who is just as slow and needs to know everyone's presnap reads and not just his own.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Right now the Pats have a rookie as Casell's backup. It should surprise no one that the Pats are considering adding a vet of some sorts.

Honestly, with the mediocre talent at QB that is out there right now I'd probably just as soon see them re-sign Gutierrez.[/QUOTE]

That's the thing- who's out there? We need more depth at QB obviously but I'm not sure anyone available would make the team all that much better, so Gutz would warm the bench just in case. I mean-there were people here clamoring for Gutz to be the chosen one over MattC

BB's going to war with the army he has which itself is nothing to sneeze at. Cassel couldn't find a more talented team and group of coaches to work with.

 

[Rob0729]

I don't see how it could hurt to have a guy like Culpepper who has run complex, pass-happy offenses learn our system while Cassel keeps the seat warm.

When has Culpepper ran a complex offense. All his offenses need to be dumb down for him because he can't read defenses. The Minnesotta offense that he run was one step from schoolyard ball. I wouldn't be surprised if Culpepper draw the routes on his chest in the huddle.

"Randy, you run to the hot blond cheerleader and cut out while Cris you run to Coach Green and turn in."

There is a reason why an "offensive genius" like Brian Billick couldn't put together even an average offense in Baltimore. His offense was too basic for the NFL unless you had world class receivers to throw the ball to.

 

[Rob0729]

Ready to do what mg? He can't read defenses, never could and that had nothing to do with his knees. What's he gonna do, stand there like a deer in the headlights behind an OL that can't pass block consistently and launch bombs to Moss all day like Brady couldn't last February? He can't hit Welker or Faulk on those quick slants - all he'd be here is a distraction. Not to mention he's a turnover machine and that is one thing we can't afford under these circmstances.

This is a guy with so little grey matter and so much ego he handled his own rehab in a freakin' parking lot gym and mismanaged his own career off three rosters desperate for a remotely functional QB who now insists he must be being blackballed 'cause it just couldn't be that 32 GM's think he sucks in a QB starved league. He'd be nothing but a distraction here.

I totally agree. Not only is Culpepper the dumbest QB in the NFL, he may be one of the dumbest players in the NFL. If the guy couldn't run around, be the size of a LBer, and have a cannon for an arm when he came into the league; he would never had even made an NFL roster. He was good because he could just toss it up to Randy or Cris and teams couldn't double team him because they had to be concerned about him running with the ball. Teams won't be so much concerned about him running with the ball anymore.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Because they already have Roethlisberger as their starter, along with Charlie Batch and that kid Dixon from Oregon. I think they signed Leftwich to replace Batch.

I agree with mgteich - I don't see how it could hurt to have a guy like Culpepper who has run complex, pass-happy offenses learn our system while Cassel keeps the seat warm.

He ran a pass happy offense 5 years ago and it wasn't remotely complex. Bill isn't about to waste the bulk of the talent on this team to accommodate a one trick pony with an unhealthy ego. Sign Culpepper and we might as well trade Welker to a team who can use him - which btw is why Miami did...

Did you see what he did in Oakland last season? Played one came of one man seat of the pants I'll show them and then disappeared. His goal here would not be to help this team win games, it would be to showcase what he believes are the skills that make him a viable starter in 2009. Tom will be back by then and he won't be happy if his weapons have forgotten how to play in this well established disciplined offense.

Mediots who say Bill should have planned better for this contingency fail to grasp that he in fact did - it's called establishing a system and teambuilding. Cassel may not be capable of running that system at the same level as a HOF'er, but he can manage it and let it and a team do what they were designed and built to do. No available FA can remotely do that.

And how quickly people forget that when last Moss and Culpepper played together it resulted in lots of unhappy finger pointing as one strove to prove he was bigger than the other... Culpepper is selfish and self absorbed and all he cares about is deluded perception, which is why he's still unemployed in a QB starved league. He wanted to be the face of his franchise and then he promptly embarassed it off the field and then to top that off he demanded a bigger contract. He is the antithesis of everything Belioli have spent 8 years building here...

 

[Pats726]

The only thing you can say that BB is wrong in, the playbook will change, and the focus will be on the run first..

There is only ONE playbook...CoachB said that yesterday...he mentioned how the game plans change, but the playbook remains the same..there is NO Tom Brady play book and a Matt Cassel one..there is only one.

 

[spacecrime]

I just wonder what happens if Cassel goes 7-25 with 3 INT.

Wouldn't that give him one few INT that Brady tossed his second or third game with the Pats?

But yeah, I hear you. Those who are unable to stay the course, the instant gratification folks, the ones who judge the OLine based one of 19 games last year...yeah, they will be screaming, "I told you so," and calling for the next vet QB, any vet QB, to play immediately.

 

[spacecrime]

There is only ONE playbook...CoachB said that yesterday...he mentioned how the game plans change, but the playbook remains the same..there is NO Tom Brady play book and a Matt Cassel one..there is only one.

Yes and no. When Brady took over, many plays were tossed and not even practiced because they either didn't fit his strengths or he was uncomfortable with them.

It may be a fault of Cassel's that he holds the ball to long, and if so, two things will happen: he will work on a quicker release AND plays will be selected to minimize this weak area. That's what smart coaching staffs do, IMO.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Same thing that happened when Brady intermittently SUCKED in 2001 - you go back to practice and correct the mistakes and get ready for the next opponent...

We were 0-2 when Brady took over and 5-5 coming off a loss to the Rams when he was named the starter for the remainder of the season even with a healthy Beldsoe on the roster and cleared to play...

BTW--don't forget that, according to Holley's book, Belichick blamed that loss more on his game plan than on the team's execution thereof.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There is only ONE playbook...CoachB said that yesterday...he mentioned how the game plans change, but the playbook remains the same..there is NO Tom Brady play book and a Matt Cassel one..there is only one.

I'll also add this is in direct contrast to Rohan Davey, for which they had the so-called "Ro package" of plays (about a half-dozen or so) that comprised the majority, if not the entirety, of the offense with Davey in the game.

 

[SVN]

i think oćonnell is better than culpepper at this point.

 

[Rob0729]

And how quickly people forget that when last Moss and Culpepper played together it resulted in lots of unhappy finger pointing as one strove to prove he was bigger than the other... Culpepper is selfish and self absorbed and all he cares about is deluded perception, which is why he's still unemployed in a QB starved league. He wanted to be the face of his franchise and then he promptly embarassed it off the field and then to top that off he demanded a bigger contract. He is the antithesis of everything Belioli have spent 8 years building here...

Word is that the feud between Culpepper and Moss has resided a bit, but I still don't think Moss is Culpepper's biggest fan nor would I think Moss would lobby for Culpepper. I think Culpepper likes to tell the media that Moss would lobby for him though just like how the media bought his ridiculous idea that Moss and Culpepper could come as a ready-made package for any team willing to trade Oakland for Moss. Why would Moss have bought into that idea?

I would be completely and utterly shocked if Culpepper was in a Patriots' uniform.

 

[Rob0729]

Yes and no. When Brady took over, many plays were tossed and not even practiced because they either didn't fit his strengths or he was uncomfortable with them.

It may be a fault of Cassel's that he holds the ball to long, and if so, two things will happen: he will work on a quicker release AND plays will be selected to minimize this weak area. That's what smart coaching staffs do, IMO.

Actually, I don't think they changed much when Brady took over for Bledsoe. They were more conservative in their approach, but the playbook stayed in tact. In fact, it was Bledsoe who struggled with Weis' playbook, not Brady.

I still have nightmares of Bledsoe throwing quick WR screens at a 5 foot nothing Troy Brown's ankles. I still never got how a 6-5 QB could throw a quick screen to a guy's knees when the guys is standing 5 yards away from him and only 5-9.

 

[memento]

Culpepper had an MVP-caliber season before the knee injury, and he's had time to heal. When the Steelers brought him in, they couldn't believe he wasn't starting for a team in the league, per PFT. It might be worth a look considering Cassel hasn't proven himself worth starting since high school...Just my 2 cents

do i really need to bring up the tom brady story?

just because he hasn't started before, doesn't mean he isnt worth believing in now.