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I couldn't find a thread to post this in, soooooooo. This article reflects my thoughts about Cassel and the TEAM. 
:heart: "New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel should not be judged quickly"
by The Republican Sports Desk
Thursday September 18, 2008, 7:05 PM
By RON CHIMELIS
rchimelis@repub.com
For Patriots fans, last week's hollow doomsday feeling is gone.
The swagger is back. After a brief lapse, the sky is again the limit.
Matt Cassel is 1-0 as a starter, 2-0 as The Man. The weak Miami Dolphins are coming to Foxborough.
Still, overstating Cassel's impact now is as deceiving as overstating his potential for failure last week.
The Patriots look like a solid playoff team again, but we should not be lulled into thinking a full season without Tom Brady will be a smooth, unimpeded ride.
Cassel was adequate last week, nothing more, but more importantly, nothing less. He was certainly good enough, and his game plan will likely become more bold and varied with time.
He seems tough enough internally, and Bill Belichick sounds committed to the guy.
Associated Press
Matt Cassel has done everything he's been asked to do, including win two games for the New England Patriots.
Cassel's real test, though, will come after he's had his first rough game.
That won't be this week. Next week is a bye week, which should help Cassel settle in even more.
In October, it gets a little tougher against the Chargers and Broncos. The generally unimposing 2008 schedule, though, allows Cassel to ease into his role naturally.
And a long as the defense allows 10 points a game, he'll look just fine.
But, in some games down the road, he will have to elevate his play, and be more than just functional for his team to win.
I'm not saying he can't, just that we don't know yet.
In the warm, fuzzy post-Jets afterglow, it's been tempting to make Cassel out to be a little more than he is.
Most of the time, this week included, the Patriots will not have to win because of him. They just don't want to have to win in spite of him.
That's how Brady started out, too, winning his debut by avoiding mistakes.
The stats from their first starts are nearly identical. On Sept. 30, 2001, Brady went 13 for 23 (168 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions) in a 44-13 pounding of the Colts.
Cassel went 16 for 23 (165 yards, no TDs, no picks) in the 19-10 win over the Jets.
It took weeks, though, for Brady to build his case as a true No. 1 - which Cassel, while certainly no Brady, must now be.
Brady's first five starts included two bad losses. Had Drew Bledsoe returned from his injury in a couple of weeks, Brady would have been back on the sidelines.
With Brady out of the picture until 2009, Cassel has received a stamp of approval almost overnight, partly as a debt of gratitude from relieved Patriots fans.
Cassel has revived their grandest dreams. He has also produced three touchdowns in two games, against mediocre opponents.
So far, so good, but harder tests await down the road.
Only then will we start to know whether simply making the playoffs is this team's ceiling, or whether Cassel's Patriots can do much more, as we hope they can.
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:heart: "New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel should not be judged quickly"by The Republican Sports Desk
Thursday September 18, 2008, 7:05 PM
By RON CHIMELIS
rchimelis@repub.com
For Patriots fans, last week's hollow doomsday feeling is gone.
The swagger is back. After a brief lapse, the sky is again the limit.
Matt Cassel is 1-0 as a starter, 2-0 as The Man. The weak Miami Dolphins are coming to Foxborough.
Still, overstating Cassel's impact now is as deceiving as overstating his potential for failure last week.
The Patriots look like a solid playoff team again, but we should not be lulled into thinking a full season without Tom Brady will be a smooth, unimpeded ride.
Cassel was adequate last week, nothing more, but more importantly, nothing less. He was certainly good enough, and his game plan will likely become more bold and varied with time.
He seems tough enough internally, and Bill Belichick sounds committed to the guy.
Associated Press
Matt Cassel has done everything he's been asked to do, including win two games for the New England Patriots.
Cassel's real test, though, will come after he's had his first rough game.
That won't be this week. Next week is a bye week, which should help Cassel settle in even more.
In October, it gets a little tougher against the Chargers and Broncos. The generally unimposing 2008 schedule, though, allows Cassel to ease into his role naturally.
And a long as the defense allows 10 points a game, he'll look just fine.
But, in some games down the road, he will have to elevate his play, and be more than just functional for his team to win.
I'm not saying he can't, just that we don't know yet.
In the warm, fuzzy post-Jets afterglow, it's been tempting to make Cassel out to be a little more than he is.
Most of the time, this week included, the Patriots will not have to win because of him. They just don't want to have to win in spite of him.
That's how Brady started out, too, winning his debut by avoiding mistakes.
The stats from their first starts are nearly identical. On Sept. 30, 2001, Brady went 13 for 23 (168 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions) in a 44-13 pounding of the Colts.
Cassel went 16 for 23 (165 yards, no TDs, no picks) in the 19-10 win over the Jets.
It took weeks, though, for Brady to build his case as a true No. 1 - which Cassel, while certainly no Brady, must now be.
Brady's first five starts included two bad losses. Had Drew Bledsoe returned from his injury in a couple of weeks, Brady would have been back on the sidelines.
With Brady out of the picture until 2009, Cassel has received a stamp of approval almost overnight, partly as a debt of gratitude from relieved Patriots fans.
Cassel has revived their grandest dreams. He has also produced three touchdowns in two games, against mediocre opponents.
So far, so good, but harder tests await down the road.
Only then will we start to know whether simply making the playoffs is this team's ceiling, or whether Cassel's Patriots can do much more, as we hope they can.
See more in Ron Chimelis
Send To A Friend | Print this | Permalink
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COMMENTS (0)Post a comment
Username (Don't
