A Different Perspective on Cassel

[captadamnj]

Ok, we know there is a lot of negativity surrounding Cassel. The reason is simple - we want Tom Brady, and there is no other Tom Brady. So anything less than that is going to be unsatisfactory to a lot of fans.

But suppose for a minute that Brady wasn't just out for the season, but gone from the Patriots. For good. The injury was career ending. Or he decided to retire after the injury, or whatever. There is this sentiment of Cassel just holding down the fort for this season, Tom Brady will just hop back in the saddle next season. But for those that are down on Cassel, just suppose for a minute that he was the planned future of the franchise for the next 3-5 years, there was no Brady option. Would you feel differently about his 3-1 start? Would you be more supportive of him because instead of thinking of him as a temporary replacement, you viewed him as a building block, a work in progress, and wanted him to succeed because there was no white knight waiting to get back on the field?

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

You're expecting rationality at this point in the diatribes?

 

[maverick4]

This is the way I see it.

Cassel hasn't started since high school, but he has better offensive weapons, so I consider it fair to compare him to Brady's 2001 year.

If you look at Brady's 2001 season, Cassel is not too far off, and is at least keeping pace with what the best NFL QB ever had in his first full season.

The biggest thing missing from most Pats fans' attitudes is PERSPECTIVE, when it comes to Cassel. Even Brady didn't become BRADY until a few years ago.

 

[captadamnj]

You're expecting rationality at this point in the diatribes?

Well, not really, but might as well keep trying...

 

[JSn]

Ok, we know there is a lot of negativity surrounding Cassel. The reason is simple - we want Tom Brady, and there is no other Tom Brady. So anything less than that is going to be unsatisfactory to a lot of fans.

But suppose for a minute that Brady wasn't just out for the season, but gone from the Patriots. For good. The injury was career ending. Or he decided to retire after the injury, or whatever. There is this sentiment of Cassel just holding down the fort for this season, Tom Brady will just hop back in the saddle next season. But for those that are down on Cassel, just suppose for a minute that he was the planned future of the franchise for the next 3-5 years, there was no Brady option. Would you feel differently about his 3-1 start? Would you be more supportive of him because instead of thinking of him as a temporary replacement, you viewed him as a building block, a work in progress, and wanted him to succeed because there was no white knight waiting to get back on the field?

I've pondered this all along. With if Brady comes back shaky or nervous about being hit again?

Odds are that won't happen, but I do believe he'll retire earlier than we'd like and we'll be facing this someday.

I look at Cassel as the permanent answer to a 2008 Superbowl fight. I'm not willing to live for next year. No person knows if they will even have a next year, why live like that?

I'm rooting for Cassel and will worry about next season when it gets here.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

I'm slowly coming around on Cassel. After the Moss INT in SF Cassel played better, looked better and had me a bit more at ease.

He still holds the ball too long and doesn't move very well in the pocket - a good number of the sacks this year could have been avoided by Cassel just taking a step or two.

I'm getting the vibe that he has been wired so tight for the games that he's lost a lot of his 'natural' ability and had been getting by on progammed coaching. He seemed to relax a little bit after throwing that INT in SF when he underthrew Moss deep. Maybe it was because he could clearly understand what had just happened and this allowed him the emotional distance to simply make a correction in his head and let go of the angst that seems so tightly bottled up in him at times. I hope this direction continues, we've got a chance if it does because the once mighty AFC is pretty thin at the top.

 

[Batman]

Whatever happens I see Cassel as our QB for now. I can see us resigning him in the off season if he has a good season because we have the possibility that Brady doesn't come back as the Brady we are use to. No one comes back from injury the same how will Brady come back? will he be better more determined? or will he be worse? we won't find out until we get him back. So I want Cassel to do the best possible he could be the starter if Brady isn't the same. If Brady is fine we can trade Cassel I am sure some team will need a QB.

 

[JMarr]

Ok, we know there is a lot of negativity surrounding Cassel. The reason is simple - we want Tom Brady, and there is no other Tom Brady. So anything less than that is going to be unsatisfactory to a lot of fans.

But suppose for a minute that Brady wasn't just out for the season, but gone from the Patriots. For good. The injury was career ending. Or he decided to retire after the injury, or whatever. There is this sentiment of Cassel just holding down the fort for this season, Tom Brady will just hop back in the saddle next season. But for those that are down on Cassel, just suppose for a minute that he was the planned future of the franchise for the next 3-5 years, there was no Brady option. Would you feel differently about his 3-1 start? Would you be more supportive of him because instead of thinking of him as a temporary replacement, you viewed him as a building block, a work in progress, and wanted him to succeed because there was no white knight waiting to get back on the field?

Good point. By the same token, I think there would be even fewer people supporting Cassel if they knew Brady wasn't coming back--they'd be calling for Belichick's head and the O'Connell bandwagon would be completely full. Cassel has been a pleasant surprise so far and is making BB look smart even though he kept a totally green QB as Brady's backup for 4 years.

A lot of people are giving Cassel slack precisely because he is just a stand-in and yet the team has gotten (relatively) good results so far. Even given what happened in 2001, it just would not be realistic to see this guy as the possible future of the franchise if we knew Brady was finished.

 

[captadamnj]

By the same token, I think there would be even fewer people supporting Cassel if they knew Brady wasn't coming back--they'd be calling for Belichick's head and the O'Connell bandwagon would be completely full.

I could see that.

Even given what happened in 2001, it just would not be realistic to see this guy as the possible future of the franchise if we knew Brady was finished.

Ok, what, specifically, do you see about him/his skills as a quarterback in the 3.75 games he's played this season that don't make you believe he could be an above average qb in this league with some additional playing time/experience? What is/are his unrepairable achilles heel(s) as a qb?

 

[JMarr]

I could see that.



Ok, what, specifically, do you see about him/his skills as a quarterback in the 3.75 games he's played this season that don't make you believe he could be an above average qb in this league with some additional playing time/experience? What is/are his unrepairable achilles heel(s) as a qb?

I agree that it's too soon to put a definite ceiling on him. A lot a guys are capable of being above-average NFL QBs under the right circumstances. I just think the Pats might approach this situation quite differently if Brady wasn't returning next season (unless Cassel led us deep into the playoffs).

 

[Krugman]

Jmar,regarding your first post, BB did have some veteran QB 's for a few years,Freize,Huard,Flutie and Jim Smith(the ex-Bears QB ,might have his name wrong)so he clearly values the experienced older guys,but its difficult to keep them due to the expense of free agency or retirement.Oh,almost forgot Testaverde!

 

[40yrpatsfan]

I think one difference is confidence/swagger, which Brady had from even before Bledsoe was injured. I don't see that in Cassell.

I think he will improve his pocket awareness with experience, so we will see better games from him. He can throw a good short ball. I'd like to see them develop his midrange and deep game. Why no TE plays up the seam?

I'd also like to see him roll out a little more, and maybe a QB draw or two. I think his confidence improves with a little running thrown in.

 

[PJM]

Realistically I don't see Cassel as good enough to re-sign for starter money (though someone may well do - KC, Chicago etc). He is improving, has not cost us a game (unlike the defence) and has won me over for the rest of the year. As to the specifics of what his flaws are: my opinion is that he does not show particularly good awareness of when to check down and when to give a receiver more time to get open. Nor does he show very good movement or awareness in the pocket. I think he is unfortunate as he is physically talented but did not develop these skills in college and probably cannot do it on the job. On the 1985 Bears he would probably have been fine but this team puts the QB centre stage and there are probably only 3 or 4 players in the league who could run it. If it turned out that Brady was not coming back the team would also have to be restrctured to make the running game better and take pressure off the QB.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Realistically I don't see Cassel as good enough to re-sign for starter money (though someone may well do - KC, Chicago etc). He is improving, has not cost us a game (unlike the defence) and has won me over for the rest of the year. As to the specifics of what his flaws are: my opinion is that he does not show particularly good awareness of when to check down and when to give a receiver more time to get open. Nor does he show very good movement or awareness in the pocket. I think he is unfortunate as he is physically talented but did not develop these skills in college and probably cannot do it on the job. On the 1985 Bears he would probably have been fine but this team puts the QB centre stage and there are probably only 3 or 4 players in the league who could run it. If it turned out that Brady was not coming back the team would also have to be restrctured to make the running game better and take pressure off the QB.

Fair critiques at this point in his career.

There have been a few commentators, and BB himself, who have talked about how a lot of what you need to know as a QB has to be learned on the field seeing it for yourself.

I've rewatched the SF game a couple times now and Dan Fouts was complimentary about Cassel while pointing out young QB mistakes - I was further encouraged the way Fouts addressed Cassel's performance. Steve Young was in the booth to have his ego petted and made a point of "giving advise" to Cassel to build his own career (like Young himself or so he intimated). I took that to mean he was seeing an NFL future for Cassel, beyond Tom Brady back-up - complimentary coming from an ESPN tool.

People who were very critical and very doubtful of Cassel have now begun giving him grudging respect after 3.75 games - I expect that trend to continue, with a few hiccups, as he continues to learn and grow as a starter. IBBIT!

 

[Patsguy05]

I am not dying on this team this year. Of course if Brady was not coming back I would view his (Cassell's) role differently. Most teams would love to have a qb like Cassell that got them off to a 3-1 start. The problem is that we are all spoiled by Brady. I think that most of us view Cassell as a temporary fix and are anticipating that at this time next year Brady will be back at the helm. We would all be more on board with him if Brady was not coming back.