The Pressure Is On For Cassel

[PatsFans.com Article]

Ian's Daily Blog - Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel is off to a rough start through his first three NFL games.*In his two starts for New England it appears the coaching staff has had him on somewhat of a leash, but so far when he’s needed to make a big play, it hasn’t happened.* The worst part of the problem [...]

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[PromisedLand]

So THAT's what you look like! Nice job, Ian, very well written article.

 

[gonzo99us]

it's really too bad he did not get the job done last week.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

Nice article Ian.

I hope that Cassel will l step up against SF...and as you said...it will be make or break for him.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Bill said he didn't really understand the question in his PC so he gave the mediots a primer in QB responsibility...What he said about Cassel's performance specifically post game was probably more instructive as to how he's feeling:


"Asked to assess Matt Cassel's performance, Belichick said: "Take away the interception in the first half, he's 15 for 20 [at the half]. I thought he actually threw the ball pretty well. We got behind in the game and that skews a lot of things, how you approach the game, how you play. I think there were some good things, and a couple plays he'd like to have back, just like probably everybody else."

Don't fall into the abyss with all the lemmings...

 

[Ian]

"Asked to assess Matt Cassel's performance, Belichick said: "Take away the interception in the first half, he's 15 for 20 [at the half]. I thought he actually threw the ball pretty well. We got behind in the game and that skews a lot of things, how you approach the game, how you play. I think there were some good things, and a couple plays he'd like to have back, just like probably everybody else."

True, but the quote by Belichick you mentioned was from Monday, the quotes I used were from today, and I thought they were pretty insightful by Belichick and enjoy when he talks x's & o's during his press conferences.

Besides:

Heading into the Meadowlands many wondered if Matt Cassel could play in a hostile environment and help "manage the offense" and play mistake free football. They wondered if he'd be able to avoid turnovers and put points on the board.

For the most part he delivered. Cassel finished 16-of-23 for 165 yards, and also didn't commit any turnovers. He let the running game and kicker Steve Gostkowski handle the rest en-route to a 19-10 win over Brett Favre and the Jets. It's about what you could have asked for from a young quarterback getting his first NFL start.

This week it was more of the same, as Cassel finished 19-of-31 for 131-yards including a touchdown pass, although he did throw an interception early in the game that he'd probably like to have back.

That's what I wrote on Sunday.

New England Patriots Coverage: After One Loss Patriots Season Far From Over

 

[ConfederateSoldier]

Personally, I don't like Cassel. I would much rather have Gutierrez start for us. Now there is an athlete.

 

[JR4]

Nice article Ian. Nice Picture also.
I think most here agree with you that the pressure is on
Cassel. Really doesn't matter if he throws the ball "pretty well" if he can't
lead his team to putting enough points on the board. There are a lot of
QB's that thow the ball "pretty well". A team needs more than that
from it's QB.
The fact BB talked about decision making a lot might indicate what
has been on his mind a lot with regard to the QB situation. I feel BB
may be close to making a decision ... and it may be during this bye week.
I bet he'll be looking real close at each one of his QB's during
this break with what is best for the team going forward.

 

[NJPatsfan26]

Nice article Ian. Nice Picture also.
I think most here agree with you that the pressure is on
Cassel. Really doesn't matter if he throws the ball "pretty well" if he can't
lead his team to putting enough points on the board. There are a lot of
QB's that thow the ball "pretty well". A team needs more than that
from it's QB.
The fact BB talked about decision making a lot might indicate what
has been on his mind a lot with regard to the QB situation. I feel BB
may be close to making a decision ... and it may be during this bye week.
I bet he'll be looking real close at each one of his QB's during
this break with what is best for the team going forward.

I agree. Thankfully our bye week is now so we can figure these very important items out.

Hopefully, in 11 days we will all find out the conclusion to what BB is thinking and how he can have this team perform at its best.

 

[bradydaman29]

I hope BB doesn't wait too long to remove Cassel. I keep thinking back to the 2001 season. Bledsoe had just come off a year in which the team lost alot of games and they had lost to a weak Cincinnati team the first game of the season and seemed to be headed for the same dismal record. Who knows what would have happened if Mo Lewis had not forced BB to put Brady in, but I have a feeling he would have waited at least a couple more weeks. If Drew continued to lose a few more games and Brady was finally put in, it would have changed destiny and the Pats probably would not have even made the playoffs. If Drew somehow got lucky and won a few games, BB would have waited even longer or not at all to put Brady in, resulting in a no playoff situation in that scenario also.

I'm not saying McConnell/Gutz are at the same level as Brady. But my feeling is they will be lucky to make the playoffs with Cassel and if they do, it will be one and out, so why not roll the dice and see if you can capture lightning in a bottle again. Even if the other qb's dont' turn out to be like Brady, maybe they can at least throw the ball accurately for more than 6 yards on 3rd and 10. Watching Cassel you can just feel something bad is going to happen each time the ball is snapped.

Bill said his stats were pretty good but he got lucky on a couple tipped passes that were caught by Pats players that could have easily been interceptions or at least incomplete passes. I hope Bill doesn't wait until it's too late!

 

[MoLewisrocks]

McConnell...LOL

The kind of lightening in a bottle that Brady represents comes along once in a generation if you're lucky. Consider yourself lucky.