Time to Take The Leash Off Of Cassel

[PatsFans.com Article]

Ian's Daily Blog - It’s time for the coaching staff to take the leash off of quarterback Matt Cassel.*At 5-3 and coming off of a loss that he did everything in his power to prevent, it’s pretty clear that Cassel isn’t going to make any bad decisions and potentially give the ball up. So it’s time for the coaching [...]

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[JSn]

Absolutely agree Ian. Nice article.

 

[TheGodInAGreyHoodie]

Maybe the leash is off. Every play has options. Ultimately Matt makes the final choice. He might be more comfortable throwing to Wes when Wes is 6 yards away and open than to Moss 20 yards away and covered.

 

[JSn]

Maybe the leash is off. Every play has options. Ultimately Matt makes the final choice. He might be more comfortable throwing to Wes when Wes is 6 yards away and open than to Moss 20 yards away and covered.

Could be. Either way, the way that ball landed in Gaff's hands in motion, Matt is ready for prime-time.

 

[oldskool138]

Well, Cassel's TD to INT ratio is interesting but how many times has he gotten sacked as opposed to finding the open man. Granted, a sack isn't a turnover but it doesn't put the offense in the best position to score points.

 

[dhamz]

It’s pretty clear that his disdain for Tony Dungy (which I also share) got the better of him, which was shown when he called a challenge when it appeared the Colts had 12 men on the field after he had the offense go no huddle and get to the line to try and catch them.

That line is pretty ridiculous.

Challenges while the final decision of the head coach are almost always called down to him from upstairs. There was a Colts player running off the field who didn't make it. The logical assumption is the Pats coaches (either upstairs or on the sidelines) assumed he was the 12th guy, not the 11th. I'm quite sure personal feelings about the other coach had less than nothing to do with it.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

Could be. Either way, the way that ball landed in Gaff's hands in motion, Matt is ready for prime-time.

yeah, that was a great pass, man right on his finger tips.

It was a great game last night. We could have and probably should have put that game away. I like how we are looking without Brady, we are going to be competitive. We lost, that sucks for sure. But we are in a race.

Matt is making real good decisions and I feel he should be respected to run for 5 yards every now and then. This is a legitimate threat. When he decided to make a pass he has made a good read and even better throw.

As fans we should be happy he is our qb. He is keeping us in games and making us competitive.

I am glad we have him for sure...

 

[N.Eman]

Great idea, I can't wait to see what happens with that. Maybe thats the plan for the rest of the season. I hope.

 

[upstater1]

The Colts were doubling and tripling Randy, so the Patriots did the only thing they could.

 

[SVN]

i hate this stupid theory of throwing the ball more and unleashing cassel. its like espn clamoring for unleashing favre and when that happens he throws INT's . Why cant we just credit the fact that moss was doubled or tripled so they had to run the ball more ?

 

[BPF]

Ian's Daily Blog - It’s time for the coaching staff to take the leash off of quarterback Matt Cassel.*At 5-3 and coming off of a loss that he did everything in his power to prevent, it’s pretty clear that Cassel isn’t going to make any bad decisions and potentially give the ball up. So it’s time for the coaching [...]

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Ultimately the Pats had a solid game plan that went awry because of two plays, Gaffney's drop and Dave Thomas's very costly penalty. If the Pats had a time out and thus a challenge remaining at that point I'm sure they would have also challenged the spot on BJGE's run prior to the Thomas penalty, it sure looked close to me. Also, if they hadn't lost the challenge on the 12 men on the field call they could have challenged the Faulk 2 point conversion. They had almost 350 yds total offense and execution seemed to be a problem, by both players and coaches, on some plays not the game plan.

 

[Nunchucks]

i hate this stupid theory of throwing the ball more and unleashing cassel. its like espn clamoring for unleashing favre and when that happens he throws INT's . Why cant we just credit the fact that moss was doubled or tripled so they had to run the ball more ?

I would only suggest throwing the ball once or twice deep to randy, maybe once they are in the red zone,throw it high and into the end zone. I think that would help create TDs which the team desperatly neds, cassel is still having trouble reaing and reacting quickly once they hit hte red zone...so I say make it a little easier and tell him to throw the ball 8 feet up in the air in the back of the end zone

 

[Ian]

i hate this stupid theory of throwing the ball more and unleashing cassel. its like espn clamoring for unleashing favre and when that happens he throws INT's . Why cant we just credit the fact that moss was doubled or tripled so they had to run the ball more ?

My issue (and one that Steve Grogan mentioned this morning before I wrote that) is the fact that they're not getting the ball to the deep middle part of the field, which is an area that they used to exploit. Considering how good both Moss and Welker are in the open field I think it would create more scoring opportunities, which is something they're struggling with. So I wasn't suggesting they start throwing the ball up for grabs to Moss, but it would be nice to see them throw the deeper crossing patterns, comebacks, etc that we used to see. He's obviously got the arm for it and won't force anything that's not there. So that is more or less where I was going with that.

 

[ScottieC]

My issue (and one that Steve Grogan mentioned this morning before I wrote that) is the fact that they're not getting the ball to the deep middle part of the field, which is an area that they used to exploit. Considering how good both Moss and Welker are in the open field I think it would create more scoring opportunities, which is something they're struggling with. So I wasn't suggesting they start throwing the ball up for grabs to Moss, but it would be nice to see them throw the deeper crossing patterns, comebacks, etc that we used to see. He's obviously got the arm for it and won't force anything that's not there. So that is more or less where I was going with that.

It seems as if every game starts SO conservatively from an Offensive play calling standpoint, that they have almost forgotten how good those Big Play guys really are.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I think Cassel is progressing well. 4 games ago he wouldn't throw over ten yards. the OL has been awesome and he's been very efficient.

I like the way they are bringing him along and he is progressing well. why take the leash off if they are winning and have a change to win(last night)

we play buffalo and miami and i think they'll win those two games.

 

[Ian]

I think Cassel is progressing well. 4 games ago he wouldn't throw over ten yards. the OL has been awesome and he's been very efficient.

I like the way they are bringing him along and he is progressing well. why take the leash off if they are winning and have a change to win(last night)

we play buffalo and miami and i think they'll win those two games.

I agree, and I think he's shown a propensity for being smart with the football, which in this game is something that is rare and only a few guys have that. All I was getting at was I think if you give him a few downfield opportunities if the guy is open, he'll hit him, and if he's not he'll continue to hit guys underneath just as he has been. But if you don't put him in a position to make a play (and then let the receiver make one as well) it could be holding back an offense that obviously has plenty of talent and probably has the potential, at the level he's starting to play at, to become more prolific.

All I'm saying is I think his decision-making has been excellent, and I just wish that they'd give him the chance to make a few more plays down the field. Again, I'm not saying change everything and have him start heaving the ball down the field and putting it up for grabs, but it would be nice to see him have a chance to make a 10+ yard throw and let Welker & Moss make a play after the catch. The guy's got the arm and the accuracy, and with the way they're running the football right now it seems like if you can put those guys in single coverage I think Cassel is going to be able to hit them and we'll see him to get even better.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I agree, and I think he's shown a propensity for being smart with the football, which in this game is something that is rare and only a few guys have that. All I was getting at was I think if you give him a few downfield opportunities if the guy is open, he'll hit him, and if he's not he'll continue to hit guys underneath just as he has been. But if you don't put him in a position to make a play (and then let the receiver make one as well) it could be holding back an offense that obviously has plenty of talent and probably has the potential, at the level he's starting to play at, to become more prolific.

All I'm saying is I think his decision-making has been excellent, and I just wish that they'd give him the chance to make a few more plays down the field. Again, I'm not saying change everything and have him start heaving the ball down the field and putting it up for grabs, but it would be nice to see him have a chance to make a 10+ yard throw and let Welker & Moss make a play after the catch. The guy's got the arm and the accuracy, and with the way they're running the football right now it seems like if you can put those guys in single coverage I think Cassel is going to be able to hit them and we'll see him to get even better.

I would agree. it was pleasant to see Cassel recognize Gaffney getting open. And Cassel does throw a nice deep ball, it seems to have more zip on deep balls versus brady's having more arc.

I do wonder why they never send Watson deep with his supposed speed.

the key is the O-line with protection and they've been looking nice especially against those two DE's last night.

I would be for them letting him throw more often, but I also think we will see it more and more as each week gets better and better.

He looks nothing like he did several weeks ago. He looks like a vet, granted he makes his mistakes too. But I didn't see much panic last night like the charger game goal line fiasco.

and to think we should get morris and jordan back eventually

 

[Ian]

I would agree. it was pleasant to see Cassel recognize Gaffney getting open. And Cassel does throw a nice deep ball, it seems to have more zip on deep balls versus brady's having more arc.

I do wonder why they never send Watson deep with his supposed speed.

the key is the O-line with protection and they've been looking nice especially against those two DE's last night.

I would be for them letting him throw more often, but I also think we will see it more and more as each week gets better and better.

He looks nothing like he did several weeks ago. He looks like a vet, granted he makes his mistakes too. But I didn't see much panic last night like the charger game goal line fiasco.

and to think we should get morris and jordan back eventually

I think one area he's improved on as well is the fact he's not going into the fetal position the way he did earlier in the season each time he's felt pressure. He's rolling out more and sidestepping in the pocket, which is giving him more time to survey the field and if there's nothing there, he's taking off immediately and oddly enough he's got pretty good speed and has made his share of first downs. I think he still has to work on getting rid of the football quicker, but save for a couple of plays last night he's definitely improving there as well.

The offensive line has also improved, as the pass protection has been better. Guys aren't blowing through the middle and taking him down before he has a chance to throw anymore. Quite honestly the runblocking has improved tremendously. They're opening up holes much better. I mean let's face it, if you look at several of those draw plays last night they were blowing the D-linemen off the ball and being much more physical. I think this is probably the best we've seen the running game look in a couple of seasons, so between that and Cassel's progression you have to feel good about the rest of the season.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Ultimately the Pats had a solid game plan that went awry because of two plays, Gaffney's drop and Dave Thomas's very costly penalty. If the Pats had a time out and thus a challenge remaining at that point I'm sure they would have also challenged the spot on BJGE's run prior to the Thomas penalty, it sure looked close to me. Also, if they hadn't lost the challenge on the 12 men on the field call they could have challenged the Faulk 2 point conversion. They had almost 350 yds total offense and execution seemed to be a problem, by both players and coaches, on some plays not the game plan.

Not to mention, the defense couldn't make a key stop at any crucial moments. If the defense can even hold the Colts to a FG on one of the TD drives we win rather easily IMO. The 2nd TD had to be pretty demoralizing to the offense after they kept Manning off the field for 15.5 out of 17 minutes. Cassel executed the gameplan to perfection, but didn't get help from the defense or the folks you mentioned.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I think one area he's improved on as well is the fact he's not going into the fetal position the way he did earlier in the season each time he's felt pressure. He's rolling out more and sidestepping in the pocket, which is giving him more time to survey the field and if there's nothing there, he's taking off immediately and oddly enough he's got pretty good speed and has made his share of first downs. I think he still has to work on getting rid of the football quicker, but save for a couple of plays last night he's definitely improving there as well.

The offensive line has also improved, as the pass protection has been better. Guys aren't blowing through the middle and taking him down before he has a chance to throw anymore. Quite honestly the runblocking has improved tremendously. They're opening up holes much better. I mean let's face it, if you look at several of those draw plays last night they were blowing the D-linemen off the ball and being much more physical. I think this is probably the best we've seen the running game look in a couple of seasons, so between that and Cassel's progression you have to feel good about the rest of the season.

I think next week will be the true indication of the running game vs the Bills. I can't recall the DT(Ed?) that the colts released but I don't think they have much depth there. The pats definitely exploited that and taking sanders out of the box.. i do wonder why the colts were so worried about moss.

As long as we get steady improvement with everyone we'll be in the mix. the next couple weeks are important being divisional. we do have the third best record behind ten and pitt. the bye is still in the mix and i think our best football is ahead.