Views On A Former Patriot - Matt Cassel

[ctpatsfan77]

I agree with almost everything you said here, save one.

Have to say that if there is one non-Patriot I’m rooting for in the NFL it has to be Matt Cassel. The only player in NFL history to lead a team at QB after never starting a single game in college. It really is remarkable that the Patriots ever drafted him in the first place. What did they see ? Did they realistically envisage him as taking over from Brady ? Whatever the plan was it has ended up giving an NFL career to a kid no other team would likely have ever picked up.

I don't think they ever saw him as "the man," since they drafted him just after the third SB win, and it was pretty clear at that point this was Brady's team. As I think Box has suggested, what they saw was a guy who, after an apprentice year under Flutie, would give them three years of more than competent backup at almost no salary cap cost.

You have to think that if Bernard Pollard hadn’t blown out Tom Brady’s knee in 2008 that Matt would still be a Patriot. It’s ironic that because of a season ending injury delivered by a Kansas City Chief player Matt Cassel has progressed from clipboard holder to starting NFL QB for the very same KC Chiefs.

I disagree. As I said above, by 2005, it was clear that this was Brady's team, and there was basically nothing Cassel could do, on his own, to change that fact. And given that he'd been a backup for so long, I think he would have left NE and looked for a team where he'd have a chance to compete for the starting job.

 

[Deus Irae]

What's sad is that the Chiefs fans have made Cassel the whipping boy. The guy is throwing to players with grease on their hands and no ability to gain separation, yet the Chiefs message boards hang the QB out to dry.

 

[TheComeback]

What's sad is that the Chiefs fans have made Cassel the whipping boy. The guy is throwing to players with grease on their hands and no ability to gain separation, yet the Chiefs message boards hang the QB out to dry.

They didn't do enough to improve the rest of the offense this offseason. McCluster is a nice player, but he doesn't help you win the line of scrimmage, and they don't seem to use him as a receiver often enough. The oline is still pretty bad--all they did was add a couple of veteran journeymen through free agency.

 

[SanAngeloState]

I don't think Cassel is very good. Throws a flat kind of sidearm ball. He still stares down receivers...I don't think he will be a long term solution for anyone.

I think BB got really really lucky that someone traded for him...otherwise he would have had a 17M dollar paperweight on his hands for a year.

 

[BradyBranch39]

couldn't watch the game live, but saw a couple of the drops. I hate Dwayne Bowe.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Right now, Matt's a game manager, and a pretty decent one. He's got the #1 running game there and a solid defense that is coming together, but his receivers have really hurt him. Bowe's dropped pass in the endzone killed them.

But he has to start putting up some points, dropped passes or not. He's not being paid like a game manager, and fair or unfair, the NFL is about expectations. When you're some nobody who hasn't started a game since high school and win 11 games, you're a hero, and even have some of the locals wondering if you should replace Tom Brady. (I'm still not over this by the way).

But when a team trades for you, rewards you with a long-term deal, the expectations suddenly shoot up. And so far, he's struggled in KC. If he was some undrafted free agent KC brought in and he won the job, the expectations would be considerably lower, and everyone would be thrilled about the job he's done so far. But he wasn't, and he needs to start producing more points. Yesterday's loss falls on the offense.

Right now, he seems like a middle-of-the-road starter, a guy who is good enough to start, but not good enough that you don't think about drafting a young kid to develop. If he's going to take the next step though, Weiss would be the guy to do it under.

He has 'struggled' to a 4-1 start to the season. Losing a close game against an elite Colts team where one of his receivers dropped a sure TD pass. I doubt anybody in KC is too down on Cassel's chances given the WR talent he has around him and what they have managed to do so far.

The Chiefs are in 1st place in the AFCW and if they can continue to win divisional games, the division title and an offseason berth are assured for them. Who looks that great in that division besides the chiefs? The raiders are a joke, the chargers are playing far below talent and just lost to the raiders, and denver is a wildcard at best who got shut down by baltimore this week.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

He has 'struggled' to a 4-1 start to the season. Losing a close game against an elite Colts team where one of his receivers dropped a sure TD pass. I doubt anybody in KC is too down on Cassel's chances given the WR talent he has around him and what they have managed to do so far.

The Chiefs are in 1st place in the AFCW and if they can continue to win divisional games, the division title and an offseason berth are assured for them. Who looks that great in that division besides the chiefs? The raiders are a joke, the chargers are playing far below talent and just lost to the raiders, and denver is a wildcard at best who got shut down by baltimore this week.

You should visit some Chief's message boards. Try Chief's Planet. They are convinced they got snookered (twice) last season. Think Pioli is a dolt and Cassel was his folly. For some reason they still hold out hope for Bowe and even Croyle to emerge because they were part of their former illustrious regime. They're OK with RAC, disappointed Charlie can't make the offense work the way it used to with Trent Green, but the think Haley is a star and Pioli is holding him hostage... It would be comical if it wasn't so pathetic. They have no idea just how much they sucked when Scott took the job and they expected the fairy dust tweek to return them to relevance overnight. This season after week 1 they expected undefeated and a lock SB berth. They are some of the most delusional fans you will ever encounter. Worse than JETS fans.

 

[Lansdowne]

You must have forgotten Gaffney's horrendous drop against the Colts that probably cost them the game in 2008.

Read this thread and admit I thought the poster meant Caldwell too.

What I always remember with Gaffney is the amazing TD catch he had in that fateful AFCCG. (One that, undoubtedly, led to Polian motioning for the rules to change re: being pushed out of bounds).

 

[BadMoFo]

I agree with almost everything you said here, save one.



I don't think they ever saw him as "the man," since they drafted him just after the third SB win, and it was pretty clear at that point this was Brady's team. As I think Box has suggested, what they saw was a guy who, after an apprentice year under Flutie, would give them three years of more than competent backup at almost no salary cap cost.



I disagree. As I said above, by 2005, it was clear that this was Brady's team, and there was basically nothing Cassel could do, on his own, to change that fact. And given that he'd been a backup for so long, I think he would have left NE and looked for a team where he'd have a chance to compete for the starting job.

Actually, what you're missing is that without the injury, Cassel never plays and never gets to show what he can do. The only real game film teams would've had of Cassel was his horrendous play that preseason and some bad moments during mop-up duty. He'd be getting paid the league minimum and no way he'd be competing for a starting job anywhere else, well maybe Arizona or Cleveland.

 

[goheels22002]

Somebody posted that Matt is a middle-of-the-road QB which is about right. 15th or 16th best QB in the NFL is damn good. I root for him to do well, too. He really stepped up in New England and didn't belly-ache when Brady returned.

Right now would you take Cassell, Carson Palmer or Chad Henne if you were, say, Buffalo or Arizona looking for a decent veteran QB?

Cassell gets the ball out in a hurry and doesn't force throws into coverage most of the time the way Palmer does. Cassell also doesn't panic under pressure the way Henne does. I wish him the best.

 

[WelshPat]

Right now would you take Cassell, Carson Palmer or Chad Henne if you were, say, Buffalo or Arizona looking for a decent veteran QB?

Every team would take Henne. He is young, has a huge arm, and is going through the usual things a young QB goes through. Palmer is a shadow of his former self and i probably would take Cassel.

Too many of you in this thread are letting the heart rule the head. Cassel is a great story, but he is limited at this level. I still think he's a much better player from shotgun, from center he tends to panic and throw the ball to quickly. Does he have great talent around him? No. But he is a huge part of the problem, the only deep throws he makes are when theres a huge bust or on a trick play. He's late career Chad Pennington at best... and I don't think he's that good tbh.

 

[WelshPat]

He has 'struggled' to a 4-1 start to the season. Losing a close game against an elite Colts team where one of his receivers dropped a sure TD pass. I doubt anybody in KC is too down on Cassel's chances given the WR talent he has around him and what they have managed to do so far.

Most Chiefs fans think Cassel is the thing holding the team back. And let's remember, they have one of the top 3 running games in the nfl.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Most Chiefs fans think Cassel is the thing holding the team back. And let's remember, they have one of the top 3 running games in the nfl.

Most Chiefs fans are wrong.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Most Chiefs fans think Cassel is the thing holding the team back. And let's remember, they have one of the top 3 running games in the nfl.

And it let them down against a team that struggles to stop the run. And Charles fumbled the ball and and although he is easily brought down with an arm tackle their power back had something like 8 carries on the night... Cassel had a better passer rating than Manning on the road on a day when his receivers dropped several balls including a TD pass. And their egomaniacal young HC opened the game with an onside kick that their high powered opponent recovered on the 35 yard line, and then to dig the hole deeper and show no trust in RAC and the defense that just held the Colts to three after he set them up to fail, he went for it on 4th and 2 inside the 10 rather than put the points on the board early...

They got problems and holes yet to fill. QB isn't one of them. Cassel isn't a HOF'er in waiting, but he's a viable starting QB on a well built and properly coached team. Arguably the best NFL prospect Pete developed at USC...

 

[ALP]

Somebody posted that Matt is a middle-of-the-road QB which is about right. 15th or 16th best QB in the NFL is damn good. I root for him to do well, too. He really stepped up in New England and didn't belly-ache when Brady returned.

Right now would you take Cassell, Carson Palmer or Chad Henne if you were, say, Buffalo or Arizona looking for a decent veteran QB?

Cassell gets the ball out in a hurry and doesn't force throws into coverage most of the time the way Palmer does. Cassell also doesn't panic under pressure the way Henne does. I wish him the best.

cassell easily, in a heartbeat

matt is not a superstar QB...yet, but he can be
he can be better than cutler and orton, I bet you cant name 10 QB's in this league better than him

he just needs to gain some confidence down there in KC, and his targets need to start helping him out, cuz those drops are effin ridiculous

 

[eagle eye]

I expect Matty Cassel to get better as the season goes on. This time next year I think we will be raving about him. Charlie Weis will get things right for him.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Chiefs fans have an excuse for being stupid about Matt Cassell. Patriots fans do not. I remember the lynch mob here ready to CUT him in September 2008 after what admitedly looked like a bad pre-season. After a short few games to gain his balance, he managed to lead the Pats to 11-5. He's better than 50% of NFL starters.