What if the Patriots had made the playoffs under Matt Cassel?

[venecol]

Let's stop undermining Bill in every post, ok?

2008 was all about the coaching. You're little snipes about Bill are getting annoying.

 

[sb1]

yea, they had to reinvent the offense to suit Cassel, a guy who hadn’t started since HS. guess who was responsible for that?

McDaniels? Cassel credited him for his development at least.

Matt Cassel explained why Josh McDaniels works well with young quarterbacks

Former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel shared why offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was key to his development and how he can help Mac Jones. Read more on Boston.com.

bdc2020.o0bc.com

 

[SHOWTIME15]

McDaniels? Cassel credited him for his development at least.

Matt Cassel explained why Josh McDaniels works well with young quarterbacks

Former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel shared why offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was key to his development and how he can help Mac Jones. Read more on Boston.com.

bdc2020.o0bc.com

View attachment 43636

And?

What the Brady-less 2008 Season Taught Us About Bill Belichick

Despite the sudden loss of perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in the first quarter of Week 1, the Patriots still won 11 games. How’d Belichick do it? Matt Cassel and Rodney Harrison explain.

www.theringer.com

When Harrison thinks of that season, he remembers something that would be soothing only to a former Patriot. “What was comforting was Bill’s monotone voice. It was still there during this,” Harrison said. “The entire world was panicking. We were stunned. There are a lot of emotions in football, but he was always the same.” Belichick, Harrison said, addressed the Brady injury only once. “He told us the media would try to divide us and hit the panic button but that we won’t panic. He was not like, ‘Oh my god, the world is ending.’”


The sense of calmness defined the season. This was the year that “Do Your Job,” the unofficial franchise motto, was put to the test. Harrison said that previous injuries had prepared the team for this: Belichick was insistent that everything must stay the same afterward, and the loss of the best quarterback in football would be no exception.

For Cassel, just playing in the NFL seemed like a long shot—let alone capably replacing one of the best QBs to ever do it. Cassel did not start a game at quarterback from November 1999 until September 2008. At USC, he backed up Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. At one point, the team tried to convert him to tight end.

“Coach Belichick was incredible that entire year,” Cassel said. “When coach found out Tom was hurt, he just casually goes, ‘OK, Cassel, you’re in the game,’ and that was it.” Cassel said he’d been on teams in the past where a starter goes down and coaches start talking about the issue or worrying too much. “There was nothing like that here. It was ‘OK, we’re closing ranks, we’re moving forward,’ and that was his mentality the entire time I was there. He was a great supporter, and I got confidence because of it.”

 

[Lavictoire]

I hate that the Steelers took advantage of Brady being out and won the Super Bowl. If Brady was there it wouldn't have happened.

 

[Ian]

I hate that the Steelers took advantage of Brady being out and won the Super Bowl. If Brady was there it wouldn't have happened.

Same with Peyton Manning. If that team didn't have the flu that year, they win that game and they would have destroyed that Bears team...so frustrating.

 

[Lavictoire]

Same with Peyton Manning. If that team didn't have the flu that year, they win that game and they would have destroyed that Bears team...so frustrating.

Yes! I thought the same with Manning but couldn't remember the particulars. They snuck one in on the dynasty also!

 

[crawhammer]

And?

What the Brady-less 2008 Season Taught Us About Bill Belichick

Despite the sudden loss of perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time in the first quarter of Week 1, the Patriots still won 11 games. How’d Belichick do it? Matt Cassel and Rodney Harrison explain.

www.theringer.com

Imagine all that bluster for a second place finish. I think Bill was fantasizing of 2001.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

Did we blow out the Broncos on MNF that year? (my memory might be off)

 

[Ring 6]

(Sigh) - wasn't looking to censor you. You simply came in guns blazing and I tried to joke with you. That's about as far as it should have gone.

S’all good man.
When the negativity gets to the point of “you can’t say they wouldn’t have done as well as Belichick because they didn’t have the exact same situation” when they all failed in a very similar situation, and I point out that is a ridiculous argument and it results in a meme saying “easy there Spartacus” from the man in charge, it’s time to realize the negativity has won and this isn’t the place for me.
I’ll let whoever remains stay and wallow in made up negativity without me. Thanks.

 

[SHOWTIME15]

Imagine all that bluster for a second place finish. I think Bill was fantasizing of 2001.

Crap happens...besides Brady, we lost Adalius Thomas, Maroney, and Rodney Harrison to injuries. That's when the defense started going down hill. So despite all those injuries, Bill still managed to go 11-5...speaks volumes about his coaching.

 

[Ian]

S’all good man.
When the negativity gets to the point of “you can’t say they wouldn’t have done as well as Belichick because they didn’t have the exact same situation” when they all failed in a very similar situation, and I point out that is a ridiculous argument and it results in a meme saying “easy there Spartacus” from the man in charge, it’s time to realize the negativity has won and this isn’t the place for me.
I’ll let whoever remains stay and wallow in made up negativity without me. Thanks.

Again, it wasn't what you said, but the fact you came in hot and that meme happened to be the first image that I saw when I was looking for "slow down" or whatever it was...purely for the sake of joking with you. Obviously, here we are, and I guess in hindsight our senses of humor clearly didn't align.

And no, I maintain my sanity because I don't get worked up over much these days, especially a lot of the arguments regarding past coaching decisions, players etc. I try and respect everyone's opinions and understand various sides of things. People have opinions and I'm not here to change them or go to the wall to prove I'm right about anything. That being said, yes, you do tend to get a little fired up and I happened to see the exchange and was just trying to lighten the mood. Needless to say, no, I won't quit my day job.

 

[Ian]

Did we blow out the Broncos on MNF that year? (my memory might be off)

That was pretty good, yes, we did:

2008 Patriots Schedule - Regular Season and PreSeason Results

The complete 2008 New England Patriots Schedule with Game-by-Game results.

www.patsfans.com

 

[Ian]

Did we blow out the Broncos on MNF that year? (my memory might be off)

What is sort of crazy is the fact they went over 40 four times that season, including in two out of the final three games. That's what made it so frustrating because they came on late and it felt like they could have made a run if they had a chance. That was just such a weird year.

 

[Ring 6]

Again, it wasn't what you said, but the fact you came in hot and that meme happened to be the first image that I saw when I was looking for "slow down" or whatever it was...purely for the sake of joking with you. Obviously, here we are, and I guess in hindsight our senses of humor clearly didn't align.

And no, I maintain my sanity because I don't get worked up over much these days, especially a lot of the arguments regarding past coaching decisions, players etc. I try and respect everyone's opinions and understand various sides of things. People have opinions and I'm not here to change them or go to the wall to prove I'm right about anything. That being said, yes, you do tend to get a little fired up and I happened to see the exchange and was just trying to lighten the mood. Needless to say, no, I won't quit my day job.

It’s fine. Things change. Look at my post that got chastised then post #81 above with the eye chart that gets no criticism. The negative haters are taking over the board, with permission.
Your house, your rules. I just don’t agree.

 

[sb1]

S’all good man.
When the negativity gets to the point of “you can’t say they wouldn’t have done as well as Belichick because they didn’t have the exact same situation” when they all failed in a very similar situation, and I point out that is a ridiculous argument and it results in a meme saying “easy there Spartacus” from the man in charge, it’s time to realize the negativity has won and this isn’t the place for me.
I’ll let whoever remains stay and wallow in made up negativity without me. Thanks.

No it wasn’t a similar situation.

Weird..I guess other teams in the league are not allowed to have good coaches. Or something. Only our coach is good everyone else’s coach sucks. lol

 

[Ring 6]

No it wasn’t a similar situation.

Weird..I guess other teams in the league are not allowed to have good coaches. Or something. Only our coach is good everyone else’s coach sucks. lol

I’m not able to answer because evidently I may hurt your feelings by pointing out all of your examples failed under much less severe adversity.

 

[venecol]

By my count Andy has threatened to leave this thread 3 times but he's too busy arguing about why he's leaving the thread.

 

[crawhammer]

Crap happens...besides Brady, we lost Adalius Thomas, Maroney, and Rodney Harrison to injuries. That's when the defense started going down hill. So despite all those injuries, Bill still managed to go 11-5...speaks volumes about his coaching.

In a span of 17 seasons (2003-2019) the team won 16 division titles and the 1 season they didn't "speaks volumes about his coaching." Ugh.

A better question than "what if the Patriots made the playoffs under Matt Cassel?" is what if the Patriots had Brady in 2008? What's the cap on that season?... 14 wins, the #1 seed, and another Super Bowl appearance? Sounds likely to me. What do you think? Not baiting you into a Tom vs Bill debate... I'm seriously just asking the question.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

(Sigh) - wasn't looking to censor you. You simply came in guns blazing and I tried to joke with you. That's about as far as it should have gone.

No one thought you were. There’s a persecution complex here that’s hard to avoid. A few club members are hellbent on claiming they’re censored or canceled.

 

[Wozzy]

In a span of 17 seasons (2003-2019) the team won 16 division titles and the 1 season they didn't "speaks volumes about his coaching." Ugh.

A better question than "what if the Patriots made the playoffs under Matt Cassel?" is what if the Patriots had Brady in 2008? What's the cap on that season?... 14 wins, the #1 seed, and another Super Bowl appearance? Sounds likely to me. What do you think? Not baiting you into a Tom vs Bill debate... I'm seriously just asking the question.

They had Brady in 2002, what happened?

In the decade between 2005 and 2013 when the team was paying Tom near top of the market QB money they won a lot of games, went to two Super Bowls but never won that ring.... what happened?

Every time Tom won a championship, every single one, he had a top five defense, a top special teams unit around him, had a good/great OL and good/great weapons.... but that was because of Tom and not Bill. Laughable...

You are baiting us into a Tom vs Bill debate, it's what you do on every thread you enter... even when the mods built you a perfectly good TB12 echo chamber so QB fanboys could ***********.