Ron Jaworski: high praise for Matt Cassel

[BPF]

Cassel is worth a 1st plus.

If or when he is traded, I hope the picks are in THIS year's draft. It is shaping up to be a lollapalooza as some 70 underclassmen, especially the potential 2010 #1s, are contemplating coming out to avoid a possible rookie cap.

So this draft may have 1st round talent deep into the second round! :singing::singing:

Excellent point about the draft. I believe the picks will be in this year's draft.

 

[BradyFTW!]

But to play Devil's advocate--how many perfect/near perfect passes have the receivers just botched on their end? If the receivers played as well as they had last year, Cassel's TD/INT numbers would be much closer to 30/3 than 21/12.

Welker's another issue, but I'll save that for a separate thread.

Valid point, definitely. I'm not sure that a lot of GMs in the league will see it that way, though. They're far more likely to say "well, he had Moss and Welker" than "well, he had Moss and Welker, but they did drop some passes...". I also think that, at some point, the increase in drops has to be attributed, at least partially, to Cassel. Not to say that Cassel isn't a really good, young QB- he just doesn't necessarily have Brady's accuracy or touch (then again, nobody else does either).

 

[billdog3484]

So you got wrecked in a debate or two with guy then, huh? Enjoy having to get your posts approved before you make them.

haha, i definitely did not get wrecked, you can make that decision for yourself if you want to waste your time reading one of the draft threads

i made him aware of the fact that he definitely thinks he knows more than he actually does. he comments on everyone's posts, i think he did that to one or two of mine. i mean, the guys trying to give me lessons on how to earn respect when he comments on every single person's posts every single day. obviously he doesnt know what he is talking about. its a weak routine but apparently his m.o.

he rated Long Snapper as the teams #4 priority in the offseason. thats really all you probably need to know

 

[RayClay]

In addition to Jared Allen, DT Corey Williams was also traded after being franchised. I don't see any way the NFL can prohibit the Pats from deisgnating Cassel a franchise player if they so choose. The player's association ageed to the franchise tag back in 1993 and again when the cba was most recently renewed in 2006. The league would be setting a bad precedent if they ever invalidated a franchise tag. The more likely scenario is the case heading to an arbitrator at the request of the player and his agent in a case where they felt that the Pats weren't negotiating in good faith but I don't see that happening. Cassel is currently making around $520K and he is on verge of making millions because of the coaches and a team who developed him and took a chance on him even though he hadn't played a down since high school.



I know the franchise tag usually isn't something that makes players or their agents happy but it's part of the process of free agency as currently negotiated. It does limit player's options on the open market and gives most, not all, of the negotiating control to the team, which is what the Pats should be looking for so Cassel doesn't wind up with a divisional rival or they lose him for less compensation then he is worth in a QB driven league.

There's some sort of regulation, I saw it posted here.

I can't see how its enforceable, though. Maybe someone recalls it.

 

[spacecrime]

Just to be clear, Jaworski was NOT saying he would trade a first for Cassel. What he said was, if he were a GM looking to use a first-round draft pick on a QB, he'd try to land Cassel instead.

Whoa. You say let's be clear and then you misquote Jaws from your own post to make it sound like he wouldn't trade a first for Matt. He didn't say land. He was asked if he give a first round pick for Cassel and he said, "Absolutely." He had the proviso that he would if he were going to use a first round pick on a drafted QB. His point was that for the first round pick you get a seasoned QB, not a rookie.

Not that we are going to franchise Cassel, but Jaws thinks he is worth a first round pick and said so.

Monday Night Football analyst Ron Jaworski was asked the question that will be asked many, many times this winter and spring.

If you were general manager of an NFL franchise that needed a quarterback, would you offer the New England Patriots a first-round draft pick for Matt Cassel?

"Are you kidding me?" said Jaworski last week from NFL Films headquarters in Mt. Laurel, N.J.

"If I was planning on drafting a quarterback in the first round, absolutely. I would take Matt Cassel instead. Rather than going through the maturation process and bumpy road, I like a sure thing. Matt is a player."

 

[spacecrime]

We're not getting a first round pick for Cassel.

There are five-six teams in the NFL this year who just missed the playoffs due to poor QB play. Their GMs might be more generous that you.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

There's some sort of regulation, I saw it posted here.

I can't see how its enforceable, though. Maybe someone recalls it.

AFAIK, there is no provision in the CBA that requires a team to make any effort to sign a tagged player to a long-term contract.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Excellent point about the draft. I believe the picks will be in this year's draft.

Perhaps, but as we've seen with SF, there's some value to taking a team's 1st rounder in the next draft - especially with 2010 currently looking to be uncapped.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Whoa. You say let's be clear and then you misquote Jaws from your own post to make it sound like he wouldn't trade a first for Matt. He didn't say land. He was asked if he give a first round pick for Cassel and he said, "Absolutely." He had the proviso that he would if he were going to use a first round pick on a drafted QB. His point was that for the first round pick you get a seasoned QB, not a rookie.

Not that we are going to franchise Cassel, but Jaws thinks he is worth a first round pick and said so.

Mea culpa. It's rare that I make a mistake like that.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Mea culpa. It's rare that I make a mistake like that.

Well, medium-rare. opcorn:

 

[DaBruinz]

The question of what will be gotten for Cassel is probably going to depend upon how many teams get into a bidding war after looking at what's probably going to be a very pedestrian quarterback class, especially if the underclassmen don't come out. I don't think that a first rounder, or even a first rounder plus, is out of the question, given what was reportedly offered for Anderson after last season.

The key for the Pats will be to strike a deal before people start pulling out, if they do, indeed, deal him. Its going to be very interesting.

 

[DaBruinz]

There are five-six teams in the NFL this year who just missed the playoffs due to poor QB play. Their GMs might be more generous that you.

Not only that. The was a thread not that long ago that had as many as 10 or 12 teams needing a QB. As it stands today, Cassel is better than any 1st round QB coming out in the draft. He might even be better than any of the juniors.

I would say that there will be numerous GMs who inquire to the Patriots about Cassel if he's franchised.

 

[RayClay]

AFAIK, there is no provision in the CBA that requires a team to make any effort to sign a tagged player to a long-term contract.

Somebody posted it. Hard for me to comment further since Its hard to search for and I didn't memorize it. It'll turn up.

 

[billdog3484]

Not only that. The was a thread not that long ago that had as many as 10 or 12 teams needing a QB. As it stands today, Cassel is better than any 1st round QB coming out in the draft. He might even be better than any of the juniors.

I would say that there will be numerous GMs who inquire to the Patriots about Cassel if he's franchised.

ok DaBruinz, I think we are on the same page. but again, you quote someone else...not cool

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Somebody posted it. Hard for me to comment further since Its hard to search for and I didn't memorize it. It'll turn up.

If it's there, it's not in the section on the franchise tag itself; I re-read that article to make sure before posting.

 

[VJCPatriot]

The Falcons received great picks for Matt Schaub who started only a couple of games his entire career before he was traded to the Texans. Cassel is better or just as good as this guy and has started alot more games, we should get just as much or more considering what the Falcons got for Schaub.

There's plenty of precedent to indicate that a young up and coming potential stud like Cassel will net a 1st round and possibly more. Just look at the Jared Allen and Schaub trades. And Roy William who isn't even a QB also got a 1st and 3rd from the Cowboys, though admittedly they were overpaying. And people here don't think a QB that is playing so well that people are questioning keeping Brady won't fetch a nice sum on the trade market?

The Pats WILL franchise Cassel, the only question will be Brady's health. If he's healthy in 2009 Cassel will be moved for the highest compensation offered. If not we keep Cassel for ourselves.

As for the franchise tag, why would anyone be under the impression that a team needs to negotiate a long term contract with the tagged player. The very NATURE of the tag is to allow a team to keep a player for ONE year albeit at a top 5 salary and guaranteed money. The only requirement I think is that the team offers the tag in good faith, that they want to keep him. And with the fact that Brady has suffered a serious injury, it is VERY HARD to prove that they didn't make the franchise tag in good faith.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The only requirement I think is that the team offers the tag in good faith, that they want to keep him. And with the fact that Brady has suffered a serious injury, it is VERY HARD to prove that they didn't make the franchise tag in good faith.

As I said before, in the article of the CBA that discusses the use of the franchise tag, it says absolutely nothing about reasons for using the franchise tag.

 

[patsox23]

The Patriots have a perfectly valid excuse - or perfectly valid seeming - to franchise Cassel. They'll be able to argue that they don't yet know how Brady's knee will respond. They'll slap the tag on, trade Cassel for a #1 and more (future conditional #4?) and that'll be that.

At this point it's just silly to suggest they won't try to trade him. It doesn't AT ALL match up with what we've seen them do, and how OCD they are about getting "value" at every possible turn.

 

[VJCPatriot]

The Patriots have a perfectly valid excuse - or perfectly valid seeming - to franchise Cassel. They'll be able to argue that they don't yet know how Brady's knee will respond. They'll slap the tag on, trade Cassel for a #1 and more (future conditional #4?) and that'll be that.

At this point it's just silly to suggest they won't try to trade him. It doesn't AT ALL match up with what we've seen them do, and how OCD they are about getting "value" at every possible turn.

Considering that they used a tag on Tebucky Jones of all people... yeah. the only reason they did not tag Samuel is that the previous year they came to an agreement they wouldn't tag him again if he played for them that year.

 

[patsox23]

the only reason they did not tag Samuel is that the previous year they came to an agreement they wouldn't tag him again if he played for them that year.

Actually, that came later - in the pre-season last year, when one day, seemingly out of the blue, the Patriots caved to Samuel's hold-out demand. Less than a day later, we learned, one assumes, why they did a pretty out of character thing like that. News of Rodney's suspension broke, and it was important to get Samuel's veteran presence back in the fold.