How many backup QB's have started 3-1?

[Ryan]

. This season, Brady went 7 for 11 for 76 yards, no TDs, in two possessions. Cassel, coming in as a backup, threw 7 more times (13 for 18) in that game for 152 yards, no TDs.

This is not a Brady/Cassel comparison but rather an offensive output comparison. If Brady would have put up crazy numbers this season, why didn't he immediately progress toward those numbers in that game? Rust? Is it possible teams learned from the Giants how to affect passing numbers?

You have to remember that both Welker and Moss fumbled the ball away during Brady's drives. Brady may have led them to scores if they didn't turn the ball over.

 

[MassPats38]

You have to remember that both Welker and Moss fumbled the ball away during Brady's drives. Brady may have led them to scores if they didn't turn the ball over.

Those guys are on offense and key contributors to last year's offensive numbers. They did in fact fumble and ended the drive, so saying the offense would have been productive if it had not turned the ball over doesn't change anything. You will never know because those drives ended. You can say that of pretty much any offense that turns the ball over - that it had the potential to score.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I'm a huge Cassel backer but I think alot of backups could have started for THIS team and gone 3-1 with THIS schedule. That's not a knock on Cassel I just think it's true. This team is very very good, it just needs a guy who can play a manager role and Cassel has done that.

 

[Ryan]

Those guys are on offense and key contributors to last year's offensive numbers. They did in fact fumble and ended the drive, so saying the offense would have been productive if it had not turned the ball over doesn't change anything. You will never know because those drives ended. You can say that of pretty much any offense that turns the ball over - that it had the potential to score.

The point I was making was that it's very, VERY rare for the Patriots to turn the ball over two times in a row like that. Those lost fumbles weren't really the defenses doing; just Moss & Welker losing the ball. Had they not lost the ball, it's very possible that Brady would have started off this season putting up those big offensive numbers again.