Its not always so black and white and for many of the posters here, and their perceptions of what should be done or should have been done, they have the benefit of hingsight in shaping their opinions. The coaching staff does not.
I feel that BB and SP did make a mistake in having someone with so little experience positioned as Brady's back up. But I also recongize that in many respects, their hands were tied.
It's noy like there are a lot of quality back ups just floating around like so many of you think. Before yesterdays game, Brad Johnson was being held up as the holy grail of back up QB's. How did that work out fot the Cowboys in St Louis? What do you think happens to the Colts if Manning misses any sustantial time? Is Sorgi going to cut it? Probably not! And who of the quality back ups, if there are any, want to sign here when, given Bradys history, that they will get virtually no playing time because he hadn't been hurt very often? Todd Collins did very well getting the Redskins into the playoffs last year as the back up to Jason Campbell. What happened to him? Did he even get near the open market? NO! The Skins paid him handsomely (3 years and 9 million) to stay in Washington.
There just aren't alot of good QB's in the NFL and there are even less good back ups. To think that a journeyman can just come here and pick up a new system and then excel in it when Brady goes down is just crazy!
Cassel has been in the system for 4 years and he's done ok. His Oline sure hasn't helped him. His running game has not really helped him and McDaniels play calling hasn't exactly helped him a whole hell of a lot either! His defence hasn't given him many short fields to work with by forcing tunrovers, or getting off the field on 3rd down.
Am I thriilled with his play? NO!
But, Cassel is doing about as well as can be expected. I had hoped the rest of the team would have played better and helped him out more. And the notion that KO should come in and play is merely illustrating that there are a lot of ignorant arm chair quarterbacks out there who simply don't uderstand the pro game. KO is not ready. If he was, he might be out there playing. This is a young guy who, while having the tools, is still so green that the game is going by at a million miles an hour for him. How thoroughly does he know his playbook? Are his progressions in practice the right ones? Is he focused and developing in the Patriots offensive system? And yet there are people on this board who don't know the answers to these three questions who are sreaming for him to play on sundays? How is this even possible?
4 years in the NFL, practicing, learning how to be a professional quarterback, studying film, being tutored by one of the best to ever play the game or a first year guy from a relatively small school who has never thrown a ball in the NFL, other than some limited pre season games?
Its not a hard chioce for the coach!
I must admit I didnt read your entire post, just the start of it.
But here's the thing.
Lets go back 4 years. Bill Belichick is given a choice.
With the knowledge that Brady is his QB is durable but will be hurt at some point in the future, and the season will depend on the backup.
1) You can go out NOW and get someone who is an experienced cast off. Trouble is that you do not know how long it will be before you need him, and playing behind Brady if the castoff is any good, he will want to go elsewhere soon, so you may train him to lose him before you use him.
2) You can keep recycling the castoffs. The idea here is that having played, but not played well enough to earn a staring job, is a positive quality to have in the QB that is one heartbeat away from the fate of your franchise.
3) Go get a rookie, and develop him. When the time comes he will have no experience but will know your system, and only your system, and will only know the mentality oyu taught him.
What do you do?
Most fans here think that BB could have had the best backup QB in the NFL, whoever that is sitting around ready to step in whenever, and whenever occured he was here long enough to run our offense, and know our system.
I am not sure what the thought process is. It APPEARS:
A) A QB who has played in the NFL but played poorly enough that no one wants him as a starter is a good choice.
B) Once we get that guy, he is ours forever, until we eventually need him
C) If C is wrong they are a dime a dozen, and we can get a new one every year, and time with our team and in our system is pointless
D) Playing, evidently badly (since you have to accept a contract backing up Tom Brady) makes you a better QB than the guy who hasn't played before, because he hasn't played before.
This is where I lose my sanity. Fans are coming out of the woodwork to call BB negligent because he chose to develop a QB instead of going out and signing someone who failed elsewhere.
Is there ANYONE who honestly thinks that a QB with a track record that suggests he is good and capable of starting would sign on as Tom Brady's backup so he has zero chance of winning the job? Those guys go to teams where they can start.
In any event, for those in this mindset, please get me the list of all the backup QB who are certain successes here, who would come here to back up Brady, and who we could have gotten.
