The old saying is lightning doesn't strike the same spot twice. In this case, I think it may have.
Matt Cassel is the next Tom Brady.
I know most of you reading this will just say that I'm another New England Patriots homer and this is just wishful thinking.
Well, I am a die hard Jacksonville Jaguars fan.
But Cassel has impressed me these past few weeks and has convinced me that he is a pro bowler this year and he could be a MVP candidate with a good finish to the year.
After Brady went down everyone, including me, thought the Pats were done. Just like when Drew Bledsoe went down in 2001 (even though they weren't that good to start with.) But instead of losing or winning despite of Cassel, they are winning because of Cassel. Just like in 2001 with Tom Brady.
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Now I'm not saying Cassel is going to end up winning a MVP and three Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVPs. It is way too early for that.
But maybe the Tom Brady era in New England could be coming to a close. I am not predicting that this will happen, but it very well could.
I see three possibilities that could happen: one, Cassel signs elsewhere as a free agent, gets paid tons of money and becomes a franchise QB. This is the most likely thing that will happen.
Two, Cassel gets franchised by the Pats because of Tom Brady's knee and they have a competition for the QB spot. If this happens I do not see the starting job going right back to Tom Brady, because it would take around $14 million, yes $14 million, to franchise a QB this offseason, and unless you are the Dallas Cowboys you do not spend $14 million on a backup QB.
The last possibility is the Pats giving Cassel a huge contract and trade away Brady. Now when you first read this it sounds crazy, but when you think about it, it starts to make a little sense.
Now I do not know how much Brady is being paid, but he is getting paid more than Cassel would, and this will free up some cap space for the Pats, maybe to sign Brandon Jacobs. And Brady has already had multiple operations on his knee.
Another reason why they may do it is because it worked for them a few years back why not do it again?
All I know is Cassel is doing pretty well for a college backup.
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about 1 month ago
not going to happen. matt cassel is a decent quarterback, nothing more nothing less. He is succeeding for two reasons.
#1. his offensive line is amazing, giving him tons of time to throw.
#2. look at his recievers, Randy Moss? Wes Welker? these are the guys causing the success
cassel has one thing going for him, he can move pretty good with the ball, but he's no Tom Brady.
from about 1 month ago
I would disagree with one thing here, the OL is not playing nearly as well as last year and one of the things Cassel has done well this year, and should make him attractive to other teams if he hits the free agent market, is his ability to scramble and move just enough to avoid sacks. He has also learned over the course of the year to get rid of the ball faster to avoid sacks -- one of his biggest failings the first quarter the season. I don't think he's a Tom Brady either, but one the other hand he's not a Matt Leinert or Vince Young. If I were starting a team and had to choose between these three, I'd go with Cassel.
about 1 month ago
The comparisons between Brady and Cassel amount to an exercise in futility. The franchise needs to figure out which direction they want to go in in 2009. One can make a cogent argument for either QB. What people seem to be missing here is the 900lbs elephant in the room - THE DEFENSE. When Tom Brady took over the helm in 2001, the defense performed at a different level than that which we see from NE today. Brady developed into a great throwing quarterback last year, but early on in his tenure the offense was circumspect and efficient and the defense was suffocating.
about 1 month ago
to be honest i would love to see Cassel under centre next year
but on the other hand i want Tom Brady aswell, he has the "Big Time PLayer" tag on him that scares defences, and cassel is gaining that, i wanna see the pats trade brady and build a "New" tom brady in matt cassel, becaus he can bring it down and move the chains with his feet.
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