2001 Redux (Sorta)

[DaBruinz]

I can remember back in 2001 when quite a few of the Pats fans were crying "Oh woe is us" when Drew Bledsoe went out due to the freak injury he suffered. Many people were saying that Brady hadn't done well in pre-season (which he hadn't) and they didn't understand why the Patriots let him finish the game and not Huard.

I can remember Brady going out there and making rookie starter mistakes in the games he played. And I can remember people decrying Bill Belichick for not putting Bledsoe back in when Bledsoe was healthy.

There are similarities to the current situation. The big difference is that everyone knows that Cassel is only a stop gap because he's a UFA at the end of the season. And, unlike Bledsoe, Brady is still performing at the top of his game.

I see this team pulling in around Cassel and moving on and doing its best. I also see Brady, returning to the team when healthy (be it this year or next) and continuing on as the starer.

Cassel will make or break his football career in the coming weeks and months. If he goes out there and plays well, then there is the possiblity that another team would want to sign him. If he goes out there and is mediocre, he'll cement a solid career as an effective back-up (ala Damon Huard and Kelly Holcomb). If he goes out there and stinks it up, then he'll be done, the Pats will move on and so will we.

 

[the taildragger]

well, the good thing for MC is this team is at least twice as good as the one Tom inherited (when "he passed SIDEWAYS," thanks Ron Borges, YES, let's see your favorite QB throw it down the field with zero protection, and a relative dearth of talent around you).

What gets lost about that situation, was that managing the game on that offense took a ton of talent....it wasn't like TB was given the keys to a Porsche and just had to keep it on the road....we're talking about taking the team all the way despite inarguably the worst offense in the NFL.

Though we didn't realize it, we actually UPGRADED at the QB position. That's the benefit of hindsight, but still safe to say we're not upgrading over the winningest QB in NFL history who has won 3 parity SBs.

TB is no DRew. And Matt is no TB.

That said, this is a pretty talented team, but I think you'd have to say the Bills just became the biggest threat in the division (I actually think they could become one of the strongest in the league and a serious contender this year).