The Chargers: For real or frauds? - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
Contrary to a report on nbcsports.com, which suggests that Tom Brady’s knee injury is healing so slowly that he might have to sit out the 2009 season, my sources tell me that the Patriots quarterback is rehabbing daily at the team’s facility and expects to be ready for next year’s opener. In the meantime, the Pats are smart enough not to let Matt Cassel, due to become a free agent after the season, get away until they’re sure that Brady can return. Does that mean the Pats would be willing to franchise Cassel, potentially putting them on the hook for roughly $12 million in ‘09 salary (and tying up a reported $26 million of the salary cap for the team’s top two QBs)? As a certain former vice presidential candidate would say … You betcha. Yes, New England could make it work cap-wise, and no, the Pats wouldn’t let Cassel go for free even if they knew Brady was healthy. At the very least, franchising Cassel would allow them to get some compensation via a trade. Another question for the Pats: If a trade is made, who’ll be executing it? Sources say longtime vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli may finally be ready to end his successful partnership with coach Bill Belichick and listen to offers from Cleveland (which fired general manager Phil Savage on Sunday), Kansas City or other teams looking for a new front-office chief. Watching a guy who worked under him in New England, Thomas Dimitroff, enjoy enormous success as the Falcons’ first-year GM undoubtedly is influencing Pioli’s willingness to consider running his own show somewhere else. Under such a scenario Belichick, presumably, would hand-pick Pioli’s successor in New England. One man you can be sure he won’t be selecting: Pioli’s shameless father-in-law, Miami executive vice president of operations Bill Parcells, who according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen may be ready to execute an out clause relating to a Dolphins ownership change, pocket $12 million for a year’s worth of work and jump to another franchise. The report surfaced on the day the Dolphins were getting ready to play their biggest game in years. Stay classy, Tuna. Finally, a word on Belichick: After losing Brady in the season opener and numerous key players thereafter, he finagled an 11-5 record and near-playoff appearance out of a team that set an NFL record for fewest penalties (57) in a 16-game season. Think the man can coach a little?