Let's put the backup QB issue on 'paper'

[Brady to Brown]

So if other teams don't have good backups it's ok for us too. Sounds like positive thinking right there.

A lot of teams have lousy starters. Maybe we should trade Brady before he gets old.

From here it looks like Belichick is doing everything he can to have a solid back up behind Brady. Maybe you you call him and tell him what to do.

 

[Wildo7]

You just have it in your little mind that Belichick is free of making mistakes and judgment - While I agree that he is the best coach in the league both in smarts and strategic plans vs. his opponents, he is far from being perfect and Casell on this roster is a waste and a mistake that everyone EXCEPT YOU realizes.

Maybe its crazy but maybe Cassel is that Patriot player type of guy from head to toe and is so likable by everyone that its hard for the team to let him go despite him sucking in just about any game he has been in,Thats the only logical explanation I can see because I dont think there is a fan in Patriots Nation EXCEPT YOU that can agree that Cassel does not have the talent for the pros

Show me what you have seen that makes us all wrong besides the fact that you think Belichick is perfect in who he signs and keeps?


Let me guess,You are the ONE that bought that Cassel jersey on sale at Patriots proshop because I saw they finally sold the one they had just last week after being in inventory for 3 years - I knew it was going to sell quickly for $1.99 - congratulations - What a deal,wear it proudly!

What part of the team should have been sacrificed so that the Pats could upgrade the backup QB position? Should we have drafted a new QB in higher rounds years ago? Should we have taken a cap hit on a veteran that will likely still be available to pick up if Brady goes down? First everyone freaks out when the Pats "waste" a draft pick on O'Connell, now Belichick has made the mistake of not investing enough into the backup QB position. The fact is that the Pats have done as much as they can to make the players that actually play the best they can for the system, if that means the backup QB isn't very good then I'll take it.

I'd rather have an excellent team with a mediocre backup QB than a good team with a good backup QB. Either way if Brady goes down the SB hopes for that season are over. Whether the Pats finish 10-6 after he goes down or 7-9 it doesn't really matter, so why waste money and draft picks on such a trivial difference? Not to mention that if Brady goes down the same veteran backup QBs everyone wants will still be there ready for the taking (see Vinny T.)

 

[RayClay]

From here it looks like Belichick is doing everything he can to have a solid back up behind Brady. Maybe you you call him and tell him what to do.

He has decided to go with young quarterbacks instead of veterans. I don't question his preference.

Are you saying because he chose a QB in the 7th round years ago he has to keep him as backup forever?

By that logic, every player he cuts is a horrible mistake, rather than normal business. Most players we draft or acquire don't last 5 years and these players were acquired by Bill Bellichick and Scott Pioli!

By the way, he drafted two linebackers high this year. I guess that means I'm much smarter than Bill Belichick. I am! I have the posts to prove it.

 

[RayClay]

There simply aren't a lot of good quarterbacks in the league, backup or otherwise.

It's hard to get something out of nothing, especially when you're not inclined to invest a lot of money or draft picks on the position of backup to an Iron Man legend. (Knock on wood, of course.)

Sometimes, no matter how positive you think, you just can't turn **** into gold.

I agree. However, I think Gutz and O'Connel might be too green. I'd give Gutz a shot, however.

Hopefully we won't need to use the backup.

 

[JMarr]

What part of the team should have been sacrificed so that the Pats could upgrade the backup QB position? Should we have drafted a new QB in higher rounds years ago? Should we have taken a cap hit on a veteran that will likely still be available to pick up if Brady goes down? First everyone freaks out when the Pats "waste" a draft pick on O'Connell, now Belichick has made the mistake of not investing enough into the backup QB position. The fact is that the Pats have done as much as they can to make the players that actually play the best they can for the system, if that means the backup QB isn't very good then I'll take it.

I'd rather have an excellent team with a mediocre backup QB than a good team with a good backup QB. Either way if Brady goes down the SB hopes for that season are over. Whether the Pats finish 10-6 after he goes down or 7-9 it doesn't really matter, so why waste money and draft picks on such a trivial difference? Not to mention that if Brady goes down the same veteran backup QBs everyone wants will still be there ready for the taking (see Vinny T.)

C'mon that is just a ridiculous statement. Tom Brady is the most valuable player in the National Football League. Tom Brady was injured last year when we lost the super bowl. Tom Brady has some sort of foot/ankle injury now--we don't know how severe. As of now we don't have a backup QB on the roster capable of winning more than 8 games for us. The answer to your question is no, we shouldn't have drafted differently the last few years, and yes, we are probably going to need to pick up a veteran back-up this year unless either Cassell or Gutz shows a HELL of alot before the RS starts.

 

[Wildo7]

C'mon that is just a ridiculous statement. Tom Brady is the most valuable player in the National Football League. Tom Brady was injured last year when we lost the super bowl. Tom Brady has some sort of foot/ankle injury now--we don't know how severe. As of now we don't have a backup QB on the roster capable of winning more than 8 games for us. The answer to your question is no, we shouldn't have drafted differently the last few years, and yes, we are probably going to need to pick up a veteran back-up this year unless either Cassell or Gutz shows a HELL of alot before the RS starts.

A) you don't know this. You're extrapolating performance from limited snaps amongst backup players. Do you think Cassel/Gut/O'Connell will be taking snaps from Dan Connolly and throwing to CJ Jones if Brady goes down? How many people had a comfortable feeling when Bledsoe got taken out by Mo Lewis?

B) So if Brady is unable to play at some point during the season, are you suggesting that there is a QB available right now that you know is more capable than our current backups? Are these veterans affordable?

I'm talking about setting proirities. You're right when you say that we don't know what the deal is with Brady's injury, but BB does, so how exactly can anyone definitively say he has made some kind of blunder here?

 

[Pats726]

He has decided to go with young quarterbacks instead of veterans. I don't question his preference.

At this POINT he's going in that direction..he might change and bring in a vet..I DO think that could happen..but I also believe that he thinks Cassel is a lot closer to a backup and is disappointed.

 

[Brady to Brown]

He has decided to go with young quarterbacks instead of veterans. I don't question his preference.

Are you saying because he chose a QB in the 7th round years ago he has to keep him as backup forever?

By that logic, every player he cuts is a horrible mistake, rather than normal business. Most players we draft or acquire don't last 5 years and these players were acquired by Bill Bellichick and Scott Pioli!

By the way, he drafted two linebackers high this year. I guess that means I'm much smarter than Bill Belichick. I am! I have the posts to prove it.

I would never say that because he chose a young QB in the 7th round years ago he should keep him forever. He is still on the team, that means Belichick wants him here. I will take his view on the position over yours

What do LBer's have to do with the QB position? This thread is about QB's.

 

[JMarr]

A) you don't know this. You're extrapolating performance from limited snaps amongst backup players. Do you think Cassel/Gut/O'Connell will be taking snaps from Dan Connolly and throwing to CJ Jones if Brady goes down? How many people had a comfortable feeling when Bledsoe got taken out by Mo Lewis?

B) So if Brady is unable to play at some point during the season, are you suggesting that there is a QB available right now that you know is more capable than our current backups? Are these veterans affordable?

I'm talking about setting proirities. You're right when you say that we don't know what the deal is with Brady's injury, but BB does, so how exactly can anyone definitively say he has made some kind of blunder here?

You're right--only BB and the insiders know whether Brady's foot/ankle issue may be problematic, and whether or not Cassell is truly a lost cause. And to say that I trust that BB usually knows what he is doing is an understatement. That being said, there's nothing wrong with fans giving their opinions on what is or isn't being done from a coaching standpoint to address potential problems. To say that the Pats maybe should be handling the backup QB situation differently than they appear to be right now is jumping the gun a bit, but is still a point worth making.

I would say yes, there are QBs available now, or will be soon, who are much more capable than our current backups. And when you're talking about what it would mean to this team if TB went down, "affordability" is a secondary issue.

 

[RayClay]

I would never say that because he chose a young QB in the 7th round years ago he should keep him forever. He is still on the team, that means Belichick wants him here. I will take his view on the position over yours

What do LBer's have to do with the QB position? This thread is about QB's.

Not a logician, eh? There are a lot of players still on the team that won't be in a couple weeks.

How do you know BB wants him here, have you interviewed him? He could be showcasing him, waiting for someone to become available and myriad other things.

From here it looks like Belichick is doing everything he can to have a solid back up behind Brady. Maybe you you call him and tell him what to do.

What do LBer's have to do with the QB position? This thread is about QB's.

Don't strain yourself if this is too complex, but it looked like BB would never draft a high linebacker ever since he got here and he changed completely this year.

 

[JoePats]

I think the answer to Part 2 is: NONE.

Exercise over.

Edit---Let me add, that doesn't mean you necessarily tank the position. Say Brady went down for 3 weeks in November. Those 3 games could easily be the difference between a bye and not. And that could easily be the difference between going to the Super Bowl and not. So the backup QB does have some value and importance, but if some starter tore his Achilles today, it's good night.

 

[Deus Irae]

I think the answer to Part 2 is: NONE.

Exercise over.

It really is that simple, and yet none of the listed teams have signed Culpepper, Leftwich, Holcomb, etc...

Why that doesn't make the mob re-think their position is what I don't have an answer for.

 

[Brady to Brown]

Not a logician, eh? There are a lot of players still on the team that won't be in a couple weeks.

How do you know BB wants him here, have you interviewed him? He could be showcasing him, waiting for someone to become available and myriad other things.





Don't strain yourself if this is too complex, but it looked like BB would never draft a high linebacker ever since he got here and he changed completely this year.

If he is still on the team Belichick wants him here.

If you don't believe me track down Pollard and ask him.

 

[NormZauchin]

The only thing 'the OP' is advocating is for people to step off the ledge and to stop acting as if they know more than BB does about his quarterbacks and how they are doing this exhibition season. The rest is just common sense that doesn't seem to be all that common here lately.

However, that has nothing to do with the exercise I posted about, which is a separate question, even though there is some overlap.

Fans are supposed to "stop acting as if they know more than BB does about his quarterbacks and how they are doing this exhibition season."

Nothing like appealing to authority. Citizens shouldn't question their government and workers shouldn't question their bosses, because, after all, coaches, presidents, and CEOs know more than the average Joe. That may be true, but it doesn't mean that coaches (even BB), presidents, and CEOs don't make mistakes.

 

[RayClay]

If he is still on the team Belichick wants him here.

If you don't believe me track down Pollard and ask him.

How do you type in crayon?

 

[JoeSixPat]

I'm still trying to get a grip on this issue with Cassell's performance on Monday.

He went 6-10 and I'm pretty sure I saw three dropped passes. Now all QBs wind up having a dropped pass or two hurt their stats but let's just assume that all three were caught.

If my calculus is correct (I'm a little out of practice) that would make him 9-10 on the night.

Is 9-10 really that bad or am I missing something?

Now I'm not saying Cassell looks like a starting caliber QB to me either - but I'm not clear on why everyone thinks he did so badly on Sunday night. Can someone fill me in?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

A) you don't know this. You're extrapolating performance from limited snaps amongst backup players. Do you think Cassel/Gut/O'Connell will be taking snaps from Dan Connolly and throwing to CJ Jones if Brady goes down? How many people had a comfortable feeling when Bledsoe got taken out by Mo Lewis?

B) So if Brady is unable to play at some point during the season, are you suggesting that there is a QB available right now that you know is more capable than our current backups? Are these veterans affordable?

I'm talking about setting proirities. You're right when you say that we don't know what the deal is with Brady's injury, but BB does, so how exactly can anyone definitively say he has made some kind of blunder here?

A) I did...

Because for the first time in 3-4 seasons this team wasn't spinning it's wheels with an ungainly albatross hanging around it's collective neck.

B) There isn't which is why they don't name them. If they think Fumblepepper is viable let alone viable here they are delusional. The guys most often named have been available all off season and Bill showed no interest. Believe me, if he wanted one in camp he'd have gotten him here in time to learn half the playbook...

Bill addressed the myth that teams can still set up the Montana to Young scenario in the salary cap era on WEEI the other day. You're lucky to have a bonifide starter, fewer than a third of the teams in the league do. There are fewer still bonifide backups available since half of them are starting out of desperation and the other half are ensconsed on teams with crappy, draft bust or injury prone starters.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Giants and Chargers maybe.

Particularly Chargers. Billy Volack defeated the Colts. If you asked me if the Chargers could win 10 games w/o LT, different story. Rivers isn't the franchise player in that org.

Guess you missed the SD/Rams game this week. Volek looked like crap. Although Bulger looked even worse...

 

[Brady to Brown]

How do you type in crayon?

Do I type in crayon? You will need to explain that to me?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

It doesn't mean you accept lack of progress. We've had vets who could hardly run or throw, but they could control a team.

There is a minimum standard. If it isn't met, you move on until it is. Maybe you'll get lucky with a 6th, it happens.

Really? Since Brady? I must have missed their impressive performances...it's not hard to control a kneeldown. And please, don't give me Vinny's TD in a blowout which was a set up if ever there was one...