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First, this isnt a Cassel is great, or Cassel sucks post, so I apologize in advance for not posting the hyperbole that seems to be required around here.
During Monday Nights game, 2 things occured to me about Cassel.
1) When Cassel gets pressure and sacked, I get the feeling that he reads the play, the first thing isnt there, and then he is suprised there is a pass rusher and takes a few moments to think about what to do because there is a pass rusher there, and by then he is sacked. I may not be describing this well, but its like he is surprised when a pass rusher is near him, and seemingly stops to think about what to do rather than react to it.
2) Before this year, the biggest complaint about Cassel, and one that worried me a lot was that he would take off and run all of the time. He would look at one receiver, then tuck it and run. He does not do that anymore.
It would seem TO ME, that Cassel shows a lot of traits that indicate he is well schooled in the Pats system and philosophy. He is absolutely not going to try to make a play in the grasp and risk a turnover. He is absolutely not going to try to make the 'hero throw'. It seems that his development off the field is pretty good, but the development you get in live action is still a work in progress. A big part of the live development is dealing with the rush. Frankly you can learn everything else there is to learn on the practice field in 4 years, but dealing with the rush can only happen live.
I've seen Cassel go from a gut reaction of running from the first sign of pressure, to knowing not to run, but having trouble reacting when the first couple of progressions are shot. Compared to Brady, what Cassel does not do, is buy time in order to find the receiver. He seems to pretty much stand there hoping what he should do occurs to him.
I know the way I'm describing it may sound like he is stupid or something, but I don't mean that I just can't describe it any better without that connotation. Its not dumb, its inexperienced.
Given the alternatives of heaving it up, or running around trying to escape, I think I prefer indecision and a sack, but the trend I see is that learning how to buy time WHILE looking for a receiver is just the next step in his development.
Brady was sacked a lot as a 'rookie' and this trait was one that was slower to develop in him as well, but the improvement was apparent within that first year.
Thoughts?????
During Monday Nights game, 2 things occured to me about Cassel.
1) When Cassel gets pressure and sacked, I get the feeling that he reads the play, the first thing isnt there, and then he is suprised there is a pass rusher and takes a few moments to think about what to do because there is a pass rusher there, and by then he is sacked. I may not be describing this well, but its like he is surprised when a pass rusher is near him, and seemingly stops to think about what to do rather than react to it.
2) Before this year, the biggest complaint about Cassel, and one that worried me a lot was that he would take off and run all of the time. He would look at one receiver, then tuck it and run. He does not do that anymore.
It would seem TO ME, that Cassel shows a lot of traits that indicate he is well schooled in the Pats system and philosophy. He is absolutely not going to try to make a play in the grasp and risk a turnover. He is absolutely not going to try to make the 'hero throw'. It seems that his development off the field is pretty good, but the development you get in live action is still a work in progress. A big part of the live development is dealing with the rush. Frankly you can learn everything else there is to learn on the practice field in 4 years, but dealing with the rush can only happen live.
I've seen Cassel go from a gut reaction of running from the first sign of pressure, to knowing not to run, but having trouble reacting when the first couple of progressions are shot. Compared to Brady, what Cassel does not do, is buy time in order to find the receiver. He seems to pretty much stand there hoping what he should do occurs to him.
I know the way I'm describing it may sound like he is stupid or something, but I don't mean that I just can't describe it any better without that connotation. Its not dumb, its inexperienced.
Given the alternatives of heaving it up, or running around trying to escape, I think I prefer indecision and a sack, but the trend I see is that learning how to buy time WHILE looking for a receiver is just the next step in his development.
Brady was sacked a lot as a 'rookie' and this trait was one that was slower to develop in him as well, but the improvement was apparent within that first year.
Thoughts?????