How's your confidence in Matt Cassel at the half-way point.

[JSn]

I thought I'd run a poll and see where everyone stands. Prompted after reading this little nugget by Michael Lombardi

The National Football Post | National Football Post Diner News

I thought that Matt Cassel played his best game last week. I realize that it was against the Colts defense, but his poise, his timing and his confidence was very impressive. He was accurate and it appeared to me that the team was responding to him and had confidence in his ability to perform. As the offensive line gets better and he gets more reps, he is going to be able to work the ball down the field and make big plays. All they need to do is make one or two big plays and this will open up the inside passing game for Welker. As I have written about all year, teams that do the same thing each week and are fundamentally driven, as opposed to scheme driven, get better as the season goes along.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I was one of the original members of the much malaigned by the kneejerkers value of Matt Cassel fan club who never waivered and he has not disappointed me. It is a process but he is proving weekly he was always up to the challenge and it's gaining him national attention that could pay dividends. For my money he's the best performing backup turned FT starter in the league this season with unlimited remaining upside and I hope we benefit from that throughout the playoffs as well as at draft time next season...

 

[billdog3484]

His improvement has been great. I am excited about the 2nd half of the season. After losing Brady I thought we had no chance at anything. Now I believe we can go a long way into January. He has been so much better than any realists could have imagined. Im excited

 

[BradyManny]

I'm stuck in between the last two options. I think we'll easily make the playoffs with Cassel & I think we can win the Super Bowl with him. But I don't think he's a very good QB yet, he's proven he's an above average QB surrounded by very good weapons.

Since 1993, the Patriots have been fortunate to have two very good QBs, one of them is beyond very good and is an all-time great. So I'm very reticent to put Cassel anywhere near that category at this point, having seen some truly great QB play over the last couple decades in Foxboro.

 

[signbabybrady]

I chose the he is very good and I am fully confident in him to win a big game.


Now that over states my feelings a little bit but to chose He's getting better, I think we can make the playoffs would be understating it too much for me.

I would really change that one to read more like this He's getting better, I know we can make the playoffs with him and compete in playoff games.

I wish I could say that I feel fully confident in him to win a big game but until he does it that is over stating it a bit.


Note: I was in his corner pre-season as I thought people had way to big expectations on a back up and he has proved to far exceed my expectations of him.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Didn't think Matt had it in summer camp to do better than 8-8 were he QB, but before the cuts I read the tea leaves that BB & Co thought otherwise. Those of us who read what BB says and watch what he does, knew he would not (and should not) bring in a vet name @ QB as the fantasy absorbed fans here clamored.

I now believe that we CAN make the playoffs with Matt and I'm more concerned about other areas of the team than QB where the well coached Matt Cassel improves with experience. He still has not had his absolute stinker of a game that every starting QB has, some have several.

 

[NEPatriot]

Cassels has 2 problems:

1- He can't finish it when we are in the red zone.
2- He needs to improve his medium and long range throw.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Cassel is definately looking better.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

I was one of the original members of the much malaigned by the kneejerkers value of Matt Cassel fan club who never waivered and he has not disappointed me. It is a process but he is proving weekly he was always up to the challenge and it's gaining him national attention that could pay dividends. For my money he's the best performing backup turned FT starter in the league this season with unlimited remaining upside and I hope we benefit from that throughout the playoffs as well as at draft time next season...

:ditto:

10chas

 

[Deus Irae]

He's a backup quarterback who's developing well under the tutelage of McDaniels, while being kept under wraps so he doesn't hurt the team. I defended him all during camp, and I will continue to do so when it's merited. As of this moment, however, he's still not a quality quarterback, and he may never become one. He's at the stage right now where the Patriots can win OR lose every game with him.

In the Patriots system, he's probably better, right now, than a third or more of the league's current starting quarterbacks. In a general pool, he may very well not fare quite that well, but that doesn't matter. I have confidence in the team to win, and a fair degree of confidence that Cassel will not actively lose the games. He's not yet proven to me that he's capable of putting a team on his shoulders and guiding them to victory. I look forward to him doing that should it be needed in the future.

 

[emoney_33]

There's gotta be something between "He's getting better" and "I'm fully confident".

I think he's a pretty good QB now and still learning. I've been confident in making the playoffs from the beginning and am somewhat confident Matt will come through for us but I don't think I'm "fully confident" that Cassel will WIN the big games FOR us.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There's gotta be something between "He's getting better" and "I'm fully confident".

I think he's a pretty good QB now and still learning. I've been confident in making the playoffs from the beginning and am somewhat confident Matt will come through for us but I don't think I'm "fully confident" that Cassel will WIN the big games FOR us.

Well, it could be worse. After all, Brett Favre won his last big game . . . for the Giants.

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

I was one of the original members of the much malaigned by the kneejerkers value of Matt Cassel fan club who never waivered and he has not disappointed me. It is a process but he is proving weekly he was always up to the challenge and it's gaining him national attention that could pay dividends. For my money he's the best performing backup turned FT starter in the league this season with unlimited remaining upside and I hope we benefit from that throughout the playoffs as well as at draft time next season...

I'm proud to say I was part of that group. Matt continues to improve, and i'm very happy with his progress. I can see us in the playoffs now. Granted, i'm not sure we go too far, but that has nothing to do with just one player, like Cassel for instance

 

[Rob0729]

I was really down on the guy going into the season, although when Brady went down I never doubted he was the Pats' best option at QB at that point. I think he definitely has the tools to be a very good QB. Whether he develops them enough is not a guarantee yet.

I think McDaniels and Belichick do keep him on a shorter leash than he will have later in the season. I expect him to do a lot more come December and January which could be a huge advantage because teams won't have complete game film on him going into the playoffs.

 

[tombonneau]

I'm stuck in between the last two options. I think we'll easily make the playoffs with Cassel & I think we can win the Super Bowl with him. But I don't think he's a very good QB yet, he's proven he's an above average QB surrounded by very good weapons.

Since 1993, the Patriots have been fortunate to have two very good QBs, one of them is beyond very good and is an all-time great. So I'm very reticent to put Cassel anywhere near that category at this point, having seen some truly great QB play over the last couple decades in Foxboro.

I'm with you. I'd put him in between the last two and say he is Good Enough to Win the SB With. And the way the 2008 season is unfolding, that should be good enough.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Wow! 90% of the fans polled think Matt is playoff caliber or better. What a huge change from pre-season thru the 1st few game weeks.

Then again, I just noticed that the former loud "Send Cassel to Walmart as a greeter" contingent is notably absent.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Cassel still has a lot to prove so I'm undecided. But he has shown some signs of improvement. Unfortunately the gameplan with Cassel is so conservative, he just has not shown any ability to connect on long passes and challenge the defense. The Colts game was the perfect opportunity to go long and get Moss involved, but we didn't go to him until the second half and by then it was too little too late.

The problem with Cassel is that he isn't good at reading the whole field yet and going through his progressions quickly enough to find the open man before the pass rush gets to him. He really needs to work on this if he is going to be able to throw passes over 10 yards, otherwise he's just gonna keep getting sacked. I think this weakness is one reason, though not the whole reason, why the playcalls went the way they did against the Colts.

 

[captain stone]

Cassels has 2 problems:

1- He can't finish it when we are in the red zone.
2- He needs to improve his medium and long range throw.

I agree, though his RZ struggles can be improved with better play-calling & better blocking.

 

[woolster22]

I chose the Cassel's improving we can make the playoff option. Seems a fairly safe choice in the pbvious that as the season progresses, MC has been looking better (for the most part) in his reads and comfort in the pocket. One thing I was huge on Sunday was that he didn't seem indesicive in the pocket. In prior games he would tuck and stumble, so to speak, but last week he would tuck and GO. Maybe thats gameplan, maybe thats more gut instinct play on his part, tough to tell through a camera... I do feel that Pats are in the thick of things as far as the playoffs go. This week against the Bills will be huge as far as playoffs go...a loss here would be crippling. I still think the Jets will taper off and the 'phins will make a run, but thats based off what I saw Mr. LT do to our vaunted Seymour.
In any case, this will be a great second half of the season, I just hope we eek out a win or two in the next 2 weeks to remain relevant.

 

[PATRIOT64]

I had him pushing carts at Walmart months ago but now I see a gradual maturity set by him but I still don't think when the going gets tough that he will get going

Opposing teams don't get truly hungry for blood until the end of the season creeps even closer and playoffs berths are on the line,Thats when he needs to be his best even more so

Right now I just am not convinced in a game thats a do or die he will do the right things - Not only him but the entire team failed against good teams - Even those that are struggling like Indy and San Diego have an overall excellent squad who are way underacheiving this year but still managed to beat the Pats anyway - Pittsburgh is better than both of those and that game could be very ugly as well as the one at Buffalo with possibly that game being the winner wins the division title and loser sits home till next year

His performance in 2 games coming up (in particular importance they are Pittsburgh and at Buffalo as I said and also the task of trying to win 2 back to back west coast road games again albeit Seattle and Oakland are not very good) will tell the story for this kid in 2008 and maybe for his future in the NFL if he still is in the NFL next season.