From today's Globe quoting BB in a recent TC press conference when asked about the #3 QB:
"Change certainly is not anything the organization fears. Quite often, conventional NFL wisdom says one thing, while the Patriots do another.
In fact, Belichick has never done it before, but he said he is not opposed to entering the season with only two quarterbacks on the active roster.
Matt Cassel, a second-year player out of the University of Southern California who has played in only two NFL games, is almost certain to be Tom Brady's backup. Todd Mortensen and Corey Bramlet are competing to be the No. 3 quarterback.
But in an unusual twist, they may actually be competing with a linebacker or defensive back for a spot on the roster.
``I'm for doing whatever is best for our football team. I'm not going to put any limits on that and say, `Well, we're never going to carry more than this or less than that.' We'll do whatever we think is best. That is the way it always will be. I'll reserve that right to do it. It may be unorthodox. It may be heavily criticized in the media, but I have to do what I think is best for the football team and that may or may not be what everybody else does. I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying it's what we think is best."
Should New England choose to go with only Brady and Cassel on the 53-man roster, it would keep a third quarterback on the practice squad. (Bramlet, a first-year player from Wyoming, seems to be a bit ahead of Mortensen at the moment.)
A few teams in the NFL went that route a year ago, most notably the Denver Broncos, the team that knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs.
``Denver is a good example of a team that only had two quarterbacks on the roster . . . a pretty good football team, a pretty good organization, a pretty smart coach," Belichick said."
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2006/07/31/two_a_days_are_one_hot_topic_with_the_patriots/
