Looking back at the Matt Cassel trade in 09

[Pat the Pats Fan]

I was happy with Cassell's performance given he hardly played a down in college. The 11-5 was a team effort with MC being a placeholder. I was disappointed that, with 11 wins, they didn't make the playoffs. I was ecstatic that we got a 2nd for MC but bummed to see Vrabel included in the deal.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Good question. There were a few knuckleheads in the media that suggested the Pats should consider moving on from Tom Brady. While it was idiotic, there were concerns with his ACL as Carson Palmer was never the same after his injury in 2005 playoffs.

While Cassel had a fine season, it was only one season. Tom would've gotten his job back. Two things happened after the trade. One, the media started questioning how teams could franchise tag a player, but then trade the player knowing that they had no intention of keeping them. Players are more sophisticated now and won't sign until they find a team they want to go to and get the contract they want. The other was that McDaniels failed in acquiring him with Jay Cutler finding out which led to his demand to be traded.

 

[StockingAnarchyNumber12]

Don't forget, Vrabel ended up also being included in that deal.

But to answer your question, there were a handful of people who pondered Brady being traded as well during that:

Thread 'The Official 'Trade Brady' Debate Thread - Do Not Start Another One'

Nov 24, 2008

This is going here for one reason and one reason only. I understand there are some who want to speculate, even though most of these same people were ready to kick Cassel out in favor of O'Connell in week 3 yet now they feel he should be a good replacement for Brady. There are also some who just want to trade Brady for the sake of seeing what the Pats would do with two #1 Picks. I get it. I don't agree with it, but I get it.

However THIS IS THE ONLY THREAD TO DO IT IN. Please keep them in THIS thread. Do not post NEW threads on this, there have been plenty of them as it is...

• Ian
• Replies: 1,041
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

who the hell trades prime Brady?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Good question. There were a few knuckleheads in the media that suggested the Pats should consider moving on from Tom Brady. While it was idiotic, there were concerns with his ACL as Carson Palmer was never the same after his injury in 2005 playoffs.

While Cassel had a fine season, it was only one season. Tom would've gotten his job back. Two things happened after the trade. One, the media started questioning how teams could franchise tag a player, but then trade the player knowing that they had no intention of keeping them. Players are more sophisticated now and won't sign until they find a team they want to go to and get the contract they want. The other was that McDaniels failed in acquiring him with Jay Cutler finding out which led to his demand to be traded.

On the first point, there were significant concerns because they had to do a second procedure due to an infection after the first one.

On the second, the CBA has a clause to that effect (that the team is willing to pay that player that much for their services that season). FWIW the concerns over Brady's knee were technically sufficient to moot that issue, although Cassel probably holds the record for speed in signing a tag.

 

[Wozzy]

It was unceremonious to include Vrabel in the Cassel deal, but it was a salary dump for the Patriots and a net positive. He was not the same player at 34 years old.

 

[Hyped]

I don't remember anyone on any messageboard saying that Cassell should even have a shot at competing for a starting job...even though he threw for 400+ in Miami and if not for a 16 yard Favre-->Keller completion on 3rd and 15 from the Jets 15 yard line in OT...that team was a 12-4 play-off team (and could have won in the Burgh that post-season, IMO).

And while Cassel did amazingly good for a guy who didn't even start a game since high school, that team had Randy Moss turning in what I have always thought was his BEST season even though he had a 69/1003/11TD line in 16 games....Moss opened up things for Cassel.

 

[TommyD4207]

I don't remember anyone on any messageboard saying that Cassell should even have a shot at competing for a starting job...even though he threw for 400+ in Miami and if not for a 16 yard Favre-->Keller completion on 3rd and 15 from the Jets 15 yard line in OT...that team was a 12-4 play-off team (and could have won in the Burgh that post-season, IMO).

And while Cassel did amazingly good for a guy who didn't even start a game since high school, that team had Randy Moss turning in what I have always thought was his BEST season even though he had a 69/1003/11TD line in 16 games....Moss opened up things for Cassel.

Cassel still holds the 'best throw I've ever seen' award. You know the one, the Randy Moss TD in the Jets game you mentioned.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Many of us were excited about the 1st round pick we “knew” we were going to get for MC, but I don’t recall many actually clamoring to keep him.

I was most bummed that Vrabel went with Matt.

I thought that was Jimmy g

 

[Patjew]

I thought that was Jimmy g

 

[stinkypete]

There was a loud (and wrong) minority that wanted to keep Cassel and trade Brady for 3 firsts.

That 2nd round pick became Patrick Chung. It was a big win.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Cassel still holds the 'best throw I've ever seen' award. You know the one, the Randy Moss TD in the Jets game you mentioned.

That whole two-minute drive was close to perfection.

 

[Patjew]

That whole two-minute drive was close to perfection.

I was there. That was an epic comeback that ended in an epic loss that doomed us to miss the playoffs. ****ing Farveray.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Dreams sometimes come true. Just not then

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Dreams sometimes come true. Just not then

In the case of Garoppolo the trade was actually, but not officially, SF's second plus them eating Brian Hoyer's contract, paying him something like $10M for half a season to save the Patriots a comp pick.

 

[Hyped]

Cassel still holds the 'best throw I've ever seen' award. You know the one, the Randy Moss TD in the Jets game you mentioned.

I also liked the 50 yard one to Moss in week 1 after Brady left the field.

A Chiefs fan was cheering when Brady got hurt in a bar that I was. After that throw, I shouted him down…LOL!

 

[BennyBledsoe]

I also liked the 50 yard one to Moss in week 1 after Brady left the field.

A Chiefs fan was cheering when Brady got hurt in a bar that I was. After that throw, I shouted him down…LOL!

Cassel coming in and getting the Patriots to double digit wins and a playoff-worthy record (the team not getting in that year was one of the weirdest situations I'd ever seen... in a playoff situation without division winners, they get in), was the perfect response to everyone who said it's ONLY Brady that makes the team good. Nah, dude, the team being good made the team good.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Cassel coming in and getting the Patriots to double digit wins and a playoff-worthy record (the team not getting in that year was one of the weirdest situations I'd ever seen... in a playoff situation without division winners, they get in), was the perfect response to everyone who said it's ONLY Brady that makes the team good. Nah, dude, the team being good made the team good.

Of course that just fed the Brady haters. . . .

 

[TheRainMaker]

2008 was one of the weirdest seasons I've seen since watching in the early 90's. The Titans were a joke and the worst #1 seed joining the 2024 Chiefs. Pats and Giants probably have the first rematch in the Super Bowl since Dallas/Buffalo had Brady and Burress not gotten injured. The Cardinals were like the 2024 Eagles, were an afterthought until the better teams either got injured or eliminated themselves. Then the Pats miss the playoff with 11 wins. What joke.

 

[signbabybrady]

2008 was one of the weirdest seasons I've seen since watching in the early 90's. The Titans were a joke and the worst #1 seed joining the 2024 Chiefs. Pats and Giants probably have the first rematch in the Super Bowl since Dallas/Buffalo had Brady and Burress not gotten injured. The Cardinals were like the 2024 Eagles, were an afterthought until the better teams either got injured or eliminated themselves. Then the Pats miss the playoff with 11 wins. What joke.

It was doomed from the first play

 

[Wozzy]

2008 was one of the weirdest seasons I've seen since watching in the early 90's. The Titans were a joke and the worst #1 seed joining the 2024 Chiefs. Pats and Giants probably have the first rematch in the Super Bowl since Dallas/Buffalo had Brady and Burress not gotten injured. The Cardinals were like the 2024 Eagles, were an afterthought until the better teams either got injured or eliminated themselves. Then the Pats miss the playoff with 11 wins. What joke.

That Pat’s team could have made noise in the playoffs, they were pretty well balanced. 4th in scoring, 11th in points allowed. Their omission from the playoffs was so egregious they changed the seeding rule.