Pats can still win the Super Bowl

[Triumph]

If Cassel or someone else can manage the offense and not make costly mistakes, the Pats still have a slight shot. I think the defense and running game will be solid. The Pats will have to win it all 2001 style though. They gotta be smarter, hungerier, tougher, and less mistake prone than the competition.

Brady's first season was one with a very short leash. He was basically a game manager. Why cant NE use Cassel in the same form? I see no reason not to. Mcdaniels needs to get busy and pour over Charlie Wies's notes.

Perhaps NEM could offer assistance in game planning. More passes accross the middle?

I agree on getting back to 2001 football. That team consisted of a combined offense, defense and special teams effort to win and achieve a Championship.

 

[letekro]

Belichick has done this TWICE already.

He did it when Simms went down with a nobody named Hostetler.

He did it when Bledsoe went down with a nobody named Brady.

He can do it again. It's going to be rough along the way. But it is nowhere near as bleak as it seems.

The Veteran Leadership on this team MUST believe. If they can believe, even through aloss or two, and stay positive, they can do it. If they waver, they will fail.

This is why Bruschi is on this team.

I was wrong in my evaluation of Cassel. He can play in the NFL, especially surrounded with this weaponry. He may be able to grow much more than we expect with a little seasoning.

Key difference - Hostetler and Brady were successful in college. There's really no precedent for this - a QB who has not really seen game action since high school. It's fine to be optimistic, but there's no real reason to think he can be effective. I think next week will tell us a lot. If he can just manage the game and make a few plays at the end there could be some reason for optimism.

 

[PittPatriot]

This team has tremendous talent surrounding the Qb position. From Moss, to Welker to Maroney to L. Jordan to D. Thomas to K. Faulk this is a Qb's dream. The defense is filled with young developing talent.

Cassel will struggle early and gradually develop as he gains experience. The Pats will just have to win in different ways than last year. The veterans on this team will have to extend Cassel their full support [I'm talking to you Moss!] and understand there will be growing pains. The veterans will have to show the character to believe in Cassel even when their eyes tell them not to. This season will be an act of faith for fans and vets and a test of character for everyone.

From this point on, Cassel has my complete support as the standard bearer of our franchise.

Scanning the league, I believe this is a down season for the AFC. SD is weakened on several levels. Indy could be due for a down year. Pittsburgh has holes on the O and D lines which will take their toll as the season wears on. Buffalo looks very strong. But the pats, even with the G.O.A.T gone, are still in it, and can win it.

As far as Brady's injury is concerned... Pats fans don't need to stoop to the level of our enemies, and wish injury on our opponents just because their fans wish them on our players.

For example, it's not Jets players' fault their fans are monsters.

IMO the unprecedented smear job directed at our franchise from the media over the trumped up Spygate "scandal" set the stage for this injury. It became chic to hate the Pats, to vilify them, to make them "less human" than other teams, like some WW II propaganda cartoon. Wilbon encouraged players to take out Brady's knee. The Giant "Bootprint" trumpeted with glee in the press called for "roughing up" Brady by any means necessary.

I also believe Brady's pocket awareness and timing were off due to the lack of preseason play. He did not seem to sense the field as well as he has in the past due to rust.

A very insightful post. I agree with all of it except the Spygate reference. Also, nobody in the press wants to see Brady get hurt. He is a media darling. BB could get hit by a truck and no tear would be shed...but TB is loved for the most part.

 

[emoney_33]

First of all this would be the greatest stick it to the media if he fed misinformation. But it's probably not the case, but it would be awesome.

If you watch the 2001 steelers game, brady grabs his shin the same way he did today, but that means nothing.

I think they will still compete this year. The good thing is it's week 1 and the team can grow together. as long as they progress each week and be able able to win it will bring the fans out of their abyss.

they ahve the easiest schedule.

this could result in the entire team elevating their play.

anything is possible

I normally wouldn't believe the misinformation thing, but playing the Jets next week..... I dunno, anything IS possible.

 

[Triumph]

says the guy who cant spell optimist

Typo

The Pats dont need fans like you. Go root for the Cowboys. They looked great today.

 

[hambone1818]

Brady is one of 53...is he the most important of the 53--one of the most important in the history of the game? Absolutely. But he doesn't play defense, he doesn't run routes and he doesn't carry the ball.

This team, if Brady is in fact out, is greatly weakened. But they still have the best coach in the NFL who has won with less talent, a coach who has won a SB with a new QB at the helm, and a veteran team that probably won't take all the 'Pats are finished' talk lightly. Don't discount how much this injury will rally the team. The Patriots are once again thrust into an underdog, 'no one believes in us' role, one they've thrived in before. I think Rodney, Bruschi, et al will be might pissed to read all week how they have no chance without Brady.

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Nice overall sentiment in the post Pony. Just don't blame the victim, please... In case you hadn't noticed, Manning's timing looks rusty tonight. Tom looked supurb by comparison.

Fans are freaks, this place proves that. Favre looked close to tears talking about Brady tonight - QB's are a tight fraternity. That said, all the pressure will be on the opponents going forward. And we can use that to advantage. Just do your job as Bill says...

Favre is close to tears talking about the omlette he had for breakfast.

 

[Brady to Brown]

Do you believe Belichick is sitting at his desk thinking the season is lost?

Hell NO. Belichick is an optomist.

And he has given me tons of reason to believe in him.

I believe in Cassel as well, this is his chance. If he were able to lead this team to the playoffs he would get himself millions of dolars next year.

 

[Rocky]

I'm not going to say it's impossible, but lets face the facts. The Pats squeaked by the Chiefs today at home. That does not bode well. The D is not one of the best in the NFL. They are good, but they have holes. Cassell stinks. Horrible opening day.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

You mean abilities that haven't been seen by fans because today was his first meaningful game ever? Oh yea, he must have some of those since BB kept him as the backup. Unless BB is a moron?

No BB is not a Moron

Yes he plays the cards he is dealt

This is the NFL not a video game.

 

[SVN]

iam real interested in seeing how moss reacts now during the season and if he plays with same amount interest when we face bumps during the season.

 

[letekro]

Brady is one of 53...is he the most important of the 53--one of the most important in the history of the game? Absolutely. But he doesn't play defense, he doesn't run routes and he doesn't carry the ball.

This team, if Brady is in fact out, is greatly weakened. But they still have the best coach in the NFL who has won with less talent, a coach who has won a SB with a new QB at the helm, and a veteran team that probably won't take all the 'Pats are finished' talk lightly. Don't discount how much this injury will rally the team. The Patriots are once again thrust into an underdog, 'no one believes in us' role, one they've thrived in before. I think Rodney, Bruschi, et al will be might pissed to read all week how they have no chance without Brady.

They might be pissed, but they're too old and slow to do anything about it, unfortunately.

 

[PrairiePat]

You people are unbelievable. Brady is *1* guy on this team. He's an important guy, to be sure, but come ON.

There are 52 other players on this team, and I'd take them against anyone else's 52.

The defense is top-10 easily. They will give us a chance to win even low scoring games. See this week's Chi-Indy matchup for an example of what a good defense can do to even a great QB.

The receiver corps is top-3. Cassel won't have to be a hall of famer to find guys to throw to each week. He won't throw 50 TDs, but I bet he throws 20+.

The OL is full of pro bowl caliber guys who will have to step up, protect Cassel, and create a viable running attack to help him through his inevitable rookie jitters. They're easily capable of this.

Speaking of running attack, we have 4 talented, veteran guys with diverse skills back there plus a road grader of a fullback.

Add to that the #1 coaching staff in the NFL, and some of the doom and gloom prophesies I'm reading here sound pretty damn stupid.

Just my 2c

 

[SoCal Pmen]

iam real interested in seeing how moss reacts now during the season and if he plays with same amount interest when we face bumps during the season.

Me too. He seemed the most deflated and vocally upset about the situation. We'll see what kind of a leader he can be to this team with Tom out.

 

[pheenix11]

Yes the Patriots can and will win a Superbowl this year. We have a solid defense that got a lot younger and faster this season, 3 good RB's, the best WR's in the game and Matt Cassel is going to surprise a lot of people.

The best part is that everyone has written the Patriots off. We have been left for dead. This SB is going to be the most satisfying of all because the look of shock on people's faces when we keep winning is going to be amazing. It is going to piss off the haters so much when we still win the SB after losing our HOF QB.

One thing I have learned in sports, 1 man does not make a team, I don't care WHO he is. They will win without Tom Brady. Maybe not 52-7, but they will win. Tom Brady is not going to be here forever, most of us will still be here after he retires. Well this year we get a glimpse of what life without Tom Brady will be like. It will just make us appreciate him even more when he comes back next year.

Circle the wagons and suck it up. The door is that way for you fair weather fans. I heard the Cowboys are hiring.

 

[Deus Irae]

I thought all the homerism ended today. I was wrong.

One would have hoped that knee jerk negativism ended when Cassel & Company won the game, too. That apparently didn't happen either.

 

[Ring 6]

I wish I could believe, I REALLY DO..

But i don't. They couldn't win it last year with the MVP as QB.

I will still watch, root and LOVE the pats, but I don't think a super bowl win is in the cards for this year.

Just my opinion

But the Giants DID win with Eli Manning.
The 2001 Pats won with a QB who had never played before.
The 2008 Patriots are certianly better at the other 21 positions on the field than the 2001 Patriots were.

There is still a ton of talent on this team, and it should contend. From there anything can happen.

 

[signbabybrady]

19-0 still

 

[mgteich]

This a fine team without Tom Brady. It is one of the best teams in the history of the NFL, certainly a Super Bowl favorite with Tom Brady.

To say we have no chance for the Super Bowl is ridiculous. Did we have a chance in 2001? Any team with a chance for the playoffs has a chance for the Super Bowl. We are certainly a playoff contender. I would argue that we are still the favorite in our division. Is the QB of the Bills much better than Chris Sims (by how many points). Is the rest of the Bills team better or worse than the pats (by how many points).

The season as well as the playoffs are played one game at a time. To say a Cassell-led team cannot do well in the playoffs is also ridiculous. That would say that Belichick and the coaches are incompetent and the team sux. That just isn't true. Cassell with 17 games of game experience as the starting QB of the patriots is a different Cassell than we've seen so far.

As the NFLN team said, I would expect to see the patriots favored next week (and certainly the week after). We figure to be 2-1 or 3-0 going into our bye. Belichick has three weeks to get Chis Sims or whoever ready for the season, while he watches Cassell and decides whether to stick with him.

I'm sure that there is some veteran out there that each of us would choose to sign (and start) in order to give us our best shot at the Super Bowl. In the end, we should trust Belichick's choice, even if it is Cassell.

Whoever the QB is, we will need to continue to improve our running game. Who was it who wanted to cut Morris? I think that Spach was out there for most of the running success. I'm glad that we didn't lose him.

So, Belichick will have a lot of work to do in the next week. And from watching the game he apparently is the DC. He was out there visibly calling signals at the end of the game.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I'll take 2001 over 2007 any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

I'll also take a 2008 WITH Tom, duh, if in fact there's any chance. But if the repeated reports have any merit, we're looking at gutting it out as fans.

What disgusts me isn't Jets fans cheering Brady's injury; they're known buttholes. What disgusts me is supposed Pats fans ready to throw in the towel.

It's an offense full of weapons, with a QB who's been waiting for his shot. Yeah, they'll want him to "manage the game," not throw 50 TDs. The question just becomes whether Cassel can manage it. I think he can... I think there's a reason he was kept around as the primary backup. Just my "in BB we trust" moment.

Time to find out about Mr. Cassel, it looks like. I'll be up for the next home game to reconnoiter... and if I see ANY freakin empty seats up there I'll know people are right about bandwagon-jumping fans.

PFnV