Mort saying the idea of Culpepper floated around, while Schefter says

[PatsWickedPissah]

So are you willing to have Culpepper to turn over the ball 3-4 times a game so he can get one or two passes down the field for Moss? Culpepper in this offense would be a turnover machine because he will not be on the same page as his receivers A LOT.

That is a critical point. Listening to Moss post game he noted that on the game crucial escape from the 2 yd line he (Moss) read the DB coverage as inside, meaning that his pattern would have run him straight into coverage, so he the vet WR decided to break off the inside cut and go down the sideline away from the coverage. Moss said that the QB made the same read and completed the critical pass to him. A QB deficient at reading defenses and unacustomed to the wideouts would not have had a shot at that play. Even Brady and more often Cassel will make mistakes reading such situations but most of the time they'll be congruent with their receivers.

 

[goz421]

How do you know how smart he is. Are you just saying this because he is black? He failed twice on bad teams trying to come back to early from knee surgery. Before that he was a solid, close to elite quarterback. You can not make judgements based upon his intelligence on these things.

Fact is physically he may be done. He also may be only 31 and needed the right place and further time to heal. As a backup for Cassel I would take this option over Gute. Simply put, it's going to bee one or the other.

 

[bradmahn]

My personal feeling on the matter is that they have Gutierrez on speed dial, ready to sign in case of an emergency start, and they have a gentleman's agreement with Culpepper that he will be signed in the event of an emergency as long as he has demonstrated a healthy knowledge of the playbook and the offense they run.

I know this sounds completely off base and it is wholly unfounded, but hear me out. Culpepper is undoubtedly a talented player. He is a physical specimen at quarterback, the type of athlete every general manager is looking for at the position. Six feet four inches, 260 lbs, a cannon for an arm and the type of mobility that makes him a threat to run in the event of a broken play. The knock on him, and most likely the reason he is still out of the league, is an inability (or unwillingness) to grasp the small nuances of the game. He struggles with taking what is given and forces unnecessary mistakes down the field.

Most of the league has caught on to this fact (that is why he is still unemployed, despite the not untrue notion that, athletically, he can still string 'em up). By retiring, he has accepted that he can no longer make it in the league as things are presently constructed.

If I were Bill, I'd send Culpepper a portion of the playbook to determine whether or not he is either motivated enough to put forth the mental effort necessary to succeed or to see if he can even do it. Culpepper's motivation in this instance is that, in the event of an injury to Cassel, he will have an opportunity to start for an NFL team. Not just any team, at that, but one with a wealth of offensive and defensive talent that is ready to play at a championship level.

The odds of him signing with another team are slim at this point and would be absolutely nothing-at-all if he has agreed to this type of situation.

It's a potentially win-win situation and makes sense on the Patriots part because they don't have to devote a valuable roster spot to a third quarterback.

This would also explain why they turned away Tim Rattay and Chris Simms at such a short notice and is plausible if Culpepper contacted the Patriots on his own (I don't see why he wouldn't make such an attempt).

 

[Rob0729]

How do you know how smart he is. Are you just saying this because he is black? He failed twice on bad teams trying to come back to early from knee surgery. Before that he was a solid, close to elite quarterback. You can not make judgements based upon his intelligence on these things.

Fact is physically he may be done. He also may be only 31 and needed the right place and further time to heal. As a backup for Cassel I would take this option over Gute. Simply put, it's going to bee one or the other.

This is not a race issue. I think McNabb is a very smart QB. I think Garrard is a smart QB. I think Kyle Boller isn't a smart QB. I think Culpepper isn't a smart QB.

Find any scouting report on Culpepper and even when he was very good in Minnesotta, his lack of football smarts was always in question. Saban benched him because he couldn't read defenses and his knee slowed him down so that he couldn't use his excapability to compensate for his lack of ability to read defenses.

Many of his career decision moves have been just downright stupid. He decided he wouldn't use an agent because his agent got him what he considered a bad deal as if he could get better deals than say a more competent agent. While rehabbing his knee injury he decided to workout at his local gym without a legitimate trainer than at the Dolphins' facilities.

I am not pulling this out of the blue and I am not judging the guy because of the color of his skin. There are plenty of white QBs I would say the same thing about. There are also plenty of black QBs I would take if available. One black QB I wouldn't be totally upset about adding who is available is Quinn Gray although he would not be my first choice and he would only be brought in to back up Cassel not to compete for a starting job.

 

[goz421]

Again he played on crappy teams and he was injured. Now these two facts may seriously negate the arguements that he is not smart and makes mistakes based upon that.

I wonder how Peyton would do if he were suddenly thrown on the worst team in the league and was coming back from injury. Didn't look to good coming back on a good team.

 

[goz421]

Even when Saban benched him didn't the team still suck. somaybe there was more to it.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Again he played on crappy teams and he was injured. Now these two facts may seriously negate the arguements that he is not smart and makes mistakes based upon that.

I wonder how Peyton would do if he were suddenly thrown on the worst team in the league and was coming back from injury. Didn't look to good coming back on a good team.

I thought Culpepper sucked before he was injured, just as I know Peyton needs a stronger support structure around him than Tommy, Favre is a sandlot gunslinger, and Penny has a noodle arm.

 

[Rob0729]

Again he played on crappy teams and he was injured. Now these two facts may seriously negate the arguements that he is not smart and makes mistakes based upon that.

I wonder how Peyton would do if he were suddenly thrown on the worst team in the league and was coming back from injury. Didn't look to good coming back on a good team.

Again, people were questioning his intelligence and ability to read defenses when he was throwing for over 4,700 yards and 29 TDs. It wasn't because of how he played on the Dolphins or Raiders. People forgave him back then because he made up for this flaw with escapability. This allowed him to make plays because even if he was dead to rights on a blitz teams couldn't bring him down. He was impossible to tackle. In a dumbed down offense like the Vikings ran, his escapability made up for his obvious misreads on plays.

The problem is even if he regains his escapability, it doesn't help him with presnap reads. Being able to run around to avoid the blitz isn't going to allow him to know what route Moss is running if he misreads the coverage on the play.

 

[pheenix11]

Why do people bash Cassel for backing up Leinart? Brady backed up Brian Griese of all people. College is not the NFL.

 

[Rob0729]

Why do people bash Cassel for backing up Leinart? Brady backed up Brian Griese of all people. College is not the NFL.

You can bash Cassel because of lack of experience, but not for backing up Leinart. I thought the reason they went with Leinart over Cassel was purely because Cassel was one year ahead of Leinart and they would more likely get an extra year out of Leinart, not because one outperformed the other.

Brady did at least start though in Michigan and constantly won. The powers that be in Michigan liked the long term prospects of Drew Hensen over Brady. Brady didn't get played out the job though.

 

[Deus Irae]

Huh ?

The Patriots don't choose based upon best player. They choose based upon what they call best value.

 

[Ring 6]

My personal feeling on the matter is that they have Gutierrez on speed dial, ready to sign in case of an emergency start, and they have a gentleman's agreement with Culpepper that he will be signed in the event of an emergency as long as he has demonstrated a healthy knowledge of the playbook and the offense they run.

I know this sounds completely off base and it is wholly unfounded, but hear me out. Culpepper is undoubtedly a talented player. He is a physical specimen at quarterback, the type of athlete every general manager is looking for at the position. Six feet four inches, 260 lbs, a cannon for an arm and the type of mobility that makes him a threat to run in the event of a broken play. The knock on him, and most likely the reason he is still out of the league, is an inability (or unwillingness) to grasp the small nuances of the game. He struggles with taking what is given and forces unnecessary mistakes down the field.

Most of the league has caught on to this fact (that is why he is still unemployed, despite the not untrue notion that, athletically, he can still string 'em up). By retiring, he has accepted that he can no longer make it in the league as things are presently constructed.

If I were Bill, I'd send Culpepper a portion of the playbook to determine whether or not he is either motivated enough to put forth the mental effort necessary to succeed or to see if he can even do it. Culpepper's motivation in this instance is that, in the event of an injury to Cassel, he will have an opportunity to start for an NFL team. Not just any team, at that, but one with a wealth of offensive and defensive talent that is ready to play at a championship level.

The odds of him signing with another team are slim at this point and would be absolutely nothing-at-all if he has agreed to this type of situation.

It's a potentially win-win situation and makes sense on the Patriots part because they don't have to devote a valuable roster spot to a third quarterback.

This would also explain why they turned away Tim Rattay and Chris Simms at such a short notice and is plausible if Culpepper contacted the Patriots on his own (I don't see why he wouldn't make such an attempt).

Truly bizarre.
You say he is physically what everyone wants. (Yet almost no QBs resemble him?)
You list all of the reasons why no other team even wants him as a 3rd stringer.
So then you decide BB should waste his time trying to cajole him into caring?

Culpepper is a waste of time. He sucks. No team wants him. Because he sucks.
Move on.

 

[dakevdude]

Cannon arm, Strongest QB physically in the history of the NFL. Played with Moss for several seasons.....Had a tough couple of years and everyone wanted to bail on him.......Sounds like Randy Moss's story before he came to New England.

Moss never had all of his knee tendons torn in a game...

I dont understand why some people do not see the main problem, which is a mobile quaterback with reconstructed knee surgery...he is not a pocket passer like Carlson Palmer folks...

Also agrees with others that he cant read defenses worth a darn...

Of course slim pickins for whats available...

Am I crazy to think they should just bring in Testaverde to backup Cassel?

 

[bradmahn]

Truly bizarre.
You say he is physically what everyone wants. (Yet almost no QBs resemble him?)
You list all of the reasons why no other team even wants him as a 3rd stringer.
So then you decide BB should waste his time trying to cajole him into caring?

Culpepper is a waste of time. He sucks. No team wants him. Because he sucks.
Move on.

Yes, yes. Those are exactly what I said.

What do you want in a quarterback? Tall, strong arm, mobility, the ability to withstand a hit. He is a physical specimen as are Roethlisberger, Russell, Cutler, Cassel - big, tall guys with strong arms.

No, no one wants those at quarterback, right?

BB does what is best for his team, a gamble on Culpepper has the potential to be best for his team.

Forgive me if I disagree with you.

 

[stcjones]

Culpepper had an MVP-caliber season before the knee injury, and he's had time to heal. When the Steelers brought him in, they couldn't believe he wasn't starting for a team in the league, per PFT. It might be worth a look considering Cassel hasn't proven himself worth starting since high school...Just my 2 cents

Agree with your 2 cents.....I just don't think Okee is ready to be in the mix......He looked good overall in his time in there........need a little more seasoning.....Culpepper....Cassel.....Gutz....looks better (with Cassel or Gutz 2 or 3....doesn't really matter).....I just don't see Matt Cassel getting it done.....heck in interviews even he doesn't sound all that confident:

"I'm not Tom Brady....I'm Matt Cassel (at least he knows who he is....that's good).....Where that takes this team this year I'm not sure" (Not verbatim...but close quote by Matt Cassel)

 

[Rob0729]

Yes, yes. Those are exactly what I said.

What do you want in a quarterback? Tall, strong arm, mobility, the ability to withstand a hit. He is a physical specimen as are Roethlisberger, Russell, Cutler, Cassel - big, tall guys with strong arms.

No, no one wants those at quarterback, right?

BB does what is best for his team, a gamble on Culpepper has the potential to be best for his team.

Forgive me if I disagree with you.

You do realize that what makes a guy like Brady special is his mind, not his physical skills. He has a good arm, but not the greatest. He has no mobility.

If Brady had to rely solely on his physical skills, he would be no more than a decent back up QB. Luckily he relies far more on his mind and his brilliant ability to read a defense, go through his reads, feel the rush, etc. Those are skills that Culpepper don't possess.

It is no coincedence that many of the best QBs of all time were not the best athletes at the position and were more cerebral QBs. Guys like Brady, Manning, and Montana would never win a skills competition with their peers.

 

[stcjones]

I just wonder what happens if Cassel goes 7-25 with 3 INT. What then ? Gutierrez who we cut and no-one picked up ? The rookie ?

Sunday will be VERY interesting.

I will say, though, this will be the first time ever that Cassel will get first team reps in practice in the regular season which could really help him.

Now THIS is the perfect scenario that SPELLS IT ALL OUT......Let's use your example (and it probably isn't far off....but lets clean it up a little).......Cassel 10/26 with 3 picks.....Following week....more of the same.....The home town crowd gets talking.....Players on the team get disgruntled.....Cassel loses EVEN more confidence....Now what do we do????? Now.....the FA QB possibilities are NOT out there perhaps....From what everyone's opinion here on Gutz is concerned.....and the fact that BB CUT HIM..........what can he do to turn it around???? So.....in short.....the ADDITION OF A VET is IMPERATIVE in my opinion.....Need someone who has taken the heat, that won't crack under pressure.....to come in and sign......If we go with the lineup of Cassel, Okee, and Gutz (who I always liked as a player here....but again....BB did not so why bring him back).....we are going to be in trouble.....just my 2 cents

 

[RavenOfProphecy]

The Steelers couldn't believe Culpepper wasn't starting and then signed Byron Leftwich over him? That make sense.

I say bring Culpepper in and ask him multiplication problems just to laugh at his answers. Sorry, Culpepper is arguably the dumbest QB in the league who has trouble reading defenses. No way could he play in the Pats' system. If they cut WRs for being too slow to pick up the offense, why would they want a QB who is just as slow and needs to know everyone's presnap reads and not just his own.

Actually, Culpepper rejected offers from both Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Those are two of the best-run teams in the business. Pep just said he didn't want to be on the bench any longer and if he wasn't going to get to go for a starting job, he wasn't going to sign.

 

[bradmahn]

You do realize that what makes a guy like Brady special is his mind, not his physical skills. He has a good arm, but not the greatest. He has no mobility.

If Brady had to rely solely on his physical skills, he would be no more than a decent back up QB. Luckily he relies far more on his mind and his brilliant ability to read a defense, go through his reads, feel the rush, etc. Those are skills that Culpepper don't possess.

It is no coincedence that many of the best QBs of all time were not the best athletes at the position and were more cerebral QBs. Guys like Brady, Manning, and Montana would never win a skills competition with their peers.

This is completely inaccurate when it comes to Brady. Don't confuse "fast 40" with athleticism.

Tom Brady is the prototypical quarterback, minus the ability to tuck the ball and run with a lot of effectiveness but even then he has the best pocket presence and mobility of any quarterback I've ever seen. He has a great arm because he has the ability to make every throw anywhere on the field accurately and strongly (or are you going to continue to sell his deep ball short in spite of all the evidence from last year?). He's worked to get to that point, but few are naturally gifted with the ability to huck an oblong ball fifty yards downfield (Culpepper may just be one of those individuals). Culpepper is Bledsoe-esque in that he has a great arm and size, but hasn't put it together with regards to the mental approach to the game. You assume he can't, I am merely stating that he hasn't.

Belichick isn't afraid of taking a cost-less gamble on a physical specimen.

I'm not saying he has done or will do this, but it makes perfect sense once you ignore your assumptions regarding Culpepper and what Belichick thinks of him.