One week later

[Ring 6]

how much are all of last weeks doom and gloom comments changed by Matt Cassel outplaying Brett Favre?

 

[gonzo99us]

very true....time to move on!

 

[cartmen]

Well Briz wont be visiting this thread I can see.

read my sig nuff said for me.

 

[BradyManny]

how much are all of last weeks doom and gloom comments changed by Matt Cassel outplaying Brett Favre?

My feelings have not changed one way or another. I was confident in this team a week ago and I am equally confident today. I supported Matt Cassel a week ago and I support him today.

But that also doesn't change the fact that I a) feel really bad for Tom Brady and b) am angry we will be deprived of the work of art that we witness any Sunday that Brady takes the field, regardless of the fact that we can win without him.

 

[JSn]

how much are all of last weeks doom and gloom comments changed by Matt Cassel outplaying Brett Favre?

I was pretty hopeful. Now I think we need not fear noodle-arm-itis, blind-chucker-itis, fumble-itis, or inaccuremia. Getting passer/receiver trust is the #1 priority right now, and you can see who Matt's probably thrown the most balls to in practice.

Quite enjoyed this comparison on NFLN:
Week 2 epilogue: Cassel's debut, road wins highlight Week 2 action

1. The Brady-Cassel comparison

Tom Brady has three Super Bowl rings and is considered one of the best players in the NFL, so comparing Matt Cassel to Brady is a bit ridiculous -- but comparing their points of entry into the Patriot program is worth a peek.

Brady came off the bench when Drew Bledsoe went down in a 2001 home game against the Jets, and went 5-for-10 for 46 yards in a loss. Cassel came off the bench for Brady in this year's home opener against the Chiefs and went 13-for-18 for 152 yards and won. In Brady's first start the following week, he went 13-for-23 for 168 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and the Patriots beat the Colts. It looks like Belichick dusted off that game plan for Cassel, because in his first start he went 16-for-23 for 165 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and the Patriots won.

Brady had a bad day in his second start, going 12-for-24 for 86 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and 4 sacks in a loss. What lies ahead for Cassel? It took Brady more than 50 pass attempts in the NFL before he hit on his first touchdown pass; Cassel already has three in his first 56 throws. Cassel has a long way to go before he can be compared to the great Tom Brady, but the Patriots are now 2-0 and it may say an awful lot for the value of training a guy in a system and giving him time to learn.

Shame we're trading Moss for Garcia

 

[Pats726]

Depends on the who AJ....I think many looked at the situation and understood it was a team game and the Pats would be OK...many others though...well..one read it all Sunday and early Monday..

 

[Joker]

Our 53 were better than their 53...end of story

 

[NEPatriot]

i checked ESPN, NFL, SI, and Foxsport. Nobody said anything about pats. No comment at all. It's a good sign.

 

[jeffbiologist]

This is hardly a litmus test.....The JEST are 3-0 against the Phins and 2-13 against everyone else in the last 2 years. I did all I could to NOT be a part of the 10 PAGES of dumb QB threads in the last week.....but alot of fair weather fans showed their true colors.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Can't compare the two


Brett Favre was in position to control what offensive success the Jets would prosper at - He is in the driver's seat and if he plays bad the Jets lose like they did - If he plays well the Jets have a good shot to win

Cassel was in position to play a role of managing the team with far little pressure to handle it practically on his own - He was not in position to be the direct link to the teams success in his first game just to hold his ground which he did well.

In other words,Favre at this point has more pressure to be the difference in a game than Cassel did in his first start.

 

[spacecrime]

Our 53 were better than their 53...end of story

That was the point when we discussed backup QBs in the preseason. The attitude of "it doesn't matter who the backup QB is, without Brady our season is done anyway" didn't maek sense to some of us who felt that from 2-53 we were better than any other team's 2-53.

The pats were more dissed by us than the talking heads. "We have met the enemy and he is us." (Pogo)

But all is coming around. Those who said, "Cassel has shown me nothing need to re-evaluate. He did better than most of the QBs who played on SUnday. He did NOT stare down his receiver (well, not all the time, anyway. shows he is improving), he made GOOD decisions (went for the open receiver rather than force it to a doubled Moss), and displayed confidence and poise (NO deer in the headlights syndrome).

All is good in Patriot Nation.

Until we lose a game. THEN we will panic again. But panicking over a lost game is better than panicking over a (perceived) lost season, so even that is an improvement.

 

[spacecrime]

This is hardly a litmus test.....

Weak.

If Cassel had tossed a couple INTs and/or the Pats had lost to the Jets, you would not be saying it wasn't a litmus test. You'd be crowing over the demise of the Patriots.

I did all I could to NOT be a part of the 10 PAGES of dumb QB threads in the last week

???? Your posts were part of the reason the thrweads were dumb.

 

[PittPatriot]

This is hardly a litmus test.....The JEST are 3-0 against the Phins and 2-13 against everyone else in the last 2 years. I did all I could to NOT be a part of the 10 PAGES of dumb QB threads in the last week.....but alot of fair weather fans showed their true colors.

All of this is true, but a poor showing by Cassel would have melted the litmus paper. I think there is something to be gained from every experience - Cassel played his hand straight and effectively in the most hostile environment possible.

The only 'real' test of "Can he take us to the promised land" may come vs. the Chargers/Steelers/Indy. If he comes through there...then we won't need to test his pH anymore!

 

[gomezcat]

I'll be honest and admit that I thought Cassel would have much worse games than he has done.

I hope to be eating crow by the end of the season and have been pleasantly surprised so far.

Having said that, I expect him to make mistakes that will lose us games that Brady wouldn't have done. I can't pretend that I feel as optimistic about the season as I did when Brady was there.

I think a trip to the playoffs is realistic but I can't see this team winning the SB. However, it is of note that (unlike the huge majority of football experts on here ) I didn't expect them to win in 2001-2 or in 2003-4 when they went 2-2. Edit: for some reason, I thought they went 0-2 that season. nfl.com tells me it was 2-2. Ooops!

For anyone doubting my loyalty, it's really as simple as this. You'll know I'm loyal when I'm still here when the team sucks. If I'm not, then I am a bandwaggoner.

On another note, I would love to see more of Jordan. He was a beast in that last quarter, wasn't he?

 

[JAYHAWKS34]

I’m glad someone finally broke this out, after all the hesitation and negativity towards Cassel

 

[ctpatsfan77]

On another note, I would love to see more of Jordan. He was a beast in that last quarter, wasn't he?

Well, given that the game time temperature was 90°F (32°C), I think he was a beast in the fourth quarter because he was kept on the shelf in the first half.

 

[Cartwright]

how much are all of last weeks doom and gloom comments changed by Matt Cassel outplaying Brett Favre?

LOL. Cassell outplays Favre, he's better than Manning. Send the Lombardi east!!!!

Cassell didn't outplay anyone yesterday. Your team played well against what appears to be a not so well coached team. Why you take the ball out of Brett's hands inside the 5 is beyond me. Not sure why there is so much hate for Brett either. Guy loves to play and still has a cannon. He is a lot of fun to watch, and IMO is good for the NFL.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I was pretty hopeful. Now I think we need not fear noodle-arm-itis, blind-chucker-itis, fumble-itis, or inaccuremia. Getting passer/receiver trust is the #1 priority right now, and you can see who Matt's probably thrown the most balls to in practice.

Quite enjoyed this comparison on NFLN:

Further on in the same article was this bit of praise. There seems to be something a bit, well, off though about it.

1. Josh McDaniels
Defensive coordinator, New England Patriots
What needs to be said about a young coordinator who loses Tom Brady in Week 1 and has the offense working well enough to win in Week 2 with a young QB making his first NFL start? Cassel looked well coached, the offensive game plan was effective and realistic, the Pats were 6 of 14 on third downs and won the time of possession battle against the Jets. There were no cries for a more experienced QB to be in there. McDaniels deserves much of the credit for the divisional road win.

 

[Joker]

Our team has now won 21 STRAIGHT NFL regular season games...denigrate THAT you smarmy poseur.

 

[fgssand]

Good thread......this the Monday after the Monday after the brutal opening Sunday (worst win ever).

Sky did not fall..........

Cassel did not fail, he managed the game ,played within himself and led the team to victory. Every game he plays in - he learns and hopefully gets better and better. Maybe next week, he sees a little more and hits a few more open guys. Maybe he hits RM in stride. Who knows.

We are 2-0.

I could not be happier as I leave for a work banquet with many JETS FANS in attendance!!!!! I suspect they will be very quiet (they didnt shut up all week) and I will be the cat that swallowed the canary (or the favre).