Two Guys Sports
Bruce BostwickMVP Brady Done for Season - Cassel to Start
September 8th 2008 21:19
MVP Brady Done for Season
It is now confirmed, Tom Brady will undergo season ending surgery on his left knee. Speculation says it is a possible torn ACL, but behind the Iron Belichick Curtain we won’t know for some time exactly what it is. This breaks Brady’s streak of starting 128 straight games, the third longest streak for a quarterback.
Belichick denies that the team has contacted Chris Simms or Tim Rattay. Both were expected to workout for the team on Monday. For now the New England Patriots starting quarterback is Matt Cassel. Even if Simms or Rattay sign with the team Cassel would remain the starter for a few weeks while they learned the system. If Cassel continues to get it done it might be his job to lose regardless of who the team signs.
During Belichick’s press conference he didn’t quite call the hit by Bernard Pollard dirty. He did however point how his players are always taught it is their job to hit the quarterback above the knees and below the shoulders.
Did no one else watch the replays of this play? Pollard was coming in after Brady and was being tackled from behind by another Patriot. It is the Patriot on Pollard’s back that caused him to hit Brady at all. I find it ridiculous that they keep coming back to saying it may have been a dirty hit. I also find it amusing that Belichick had the nerve to try and call someone out for cheating. It astounds me.
Now let’s learn a little bit about Matt Cassel. He is 26 years old, just two years older than Brady was when he took over for Drew Bledsoe. In his senior year at Chatsworth (California) High he completed 137 of 261 passes for 2,020 with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. This is important because it is the last time he started a game. This is because he was stuck on the bench behind a couple of other quarterbacks while he was at USC. Their names, Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart. He played in just 25 games in his college career, and as I said, he didn’t start any of them. In those 25 games he threw just 33 passes, completing 20 of them for 192 yards.
The Patriots drafted him in the seventh round, number 230th overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft. Prior to Sunday he had played in just 14 games for the Pats. In those 14 games he completed 22 of 39 passes for 253 yards with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions.
I look for Cassel to start the next few games, and for the Patriots to struggle mightily. They could barely overcome the Kansas City Chiefs this week with their backup quarterback. With Belichick’s, lets call it stubbornness, the team is likely to miss out on Simms who will end up signing with the Chiefs, and have to settle for Rattay, or give up something to trade for someone else’s backup.
Patriots regular season record: 6-10 and out of the playoffs.
The question now is who will step forward to control the AFC East? I think the answer is easy. There is a guy I have already seen referred to as Broadway Brett. The New York Jets led by possibly the greatest quarterback to ever play should step right into the role of Division Leader. Buffalo looks good too, and should slip in right behind the Jets. Their head-to-head match-ups should be fun to watch too.
Belichick denies that the team has contacted Chris Simms or Tim Rattay. Both were expected to workout for the team on Monday. For now the New England Patriots starting quarterback is Matt Cassel. Even if Simms or Rattay sign with the team Cassel would remain the starter for a few weeks while they learned the system. If Cassel continues to get it done it might be his job to lose regardless of who the team signs.
During Belichick’s press conference he didn’t quite call the hit by Bernard Pollard dirty. He did however point how his players are always taught it is their job to hit the quarterback above the knees and below the shoulders.
Did no one else watch the replays of this play? Pollard was coming in after Brady and was being tackled from behind by another Patriot. It is the Patriot on Pollard’s back that caused him to hit Brady at all. I find it ridiculous that they keep coming back to saying it may have been a dirty hit. I also find it amusing that Belichick had the nerve to try and call someone out for cheating. It astounds me.
Now let’s learn a little bit about Matt Cassel. He is 26 years old, just two years older than Brady was when he took over for Drew Bledsoe. In his senior year at Chatsworth (California) High he completed 137 of 261 passes for 2,020 with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. This is important because it is the last time he started a game. This is because he was stuck on the bench behind a couple of other quarterbacks while he was at USC. Their names, Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart. He played in just 25 games in his college career, and as I said, he didn’t start any of them. In those 25 games he threw just 33 passes, completing 20 of them for 192 yards.
The Patriots drafted him in the seventh round, number 230th overall, in the 2005 NFL Draft. Prior to Sunday he had played in just 14 games for the Pats. In those 14 games he completed 22 of 39 passes for 253 yards with 2 TDs and 2 interceptions.
I look for Cassel to start the next few games, and for the Patriots to struggle mightily. They could barely overcome the Kansas City Chiefs this week with their backup quarterback. With Belichick’s, lets call it stubbornness, the team is likely to miss out on Simms who will end up signing with the Chiefs, and have to settle for Rattay, or give up something to trade for someone else’s backup.
Patriots regular season record: 6-10 and out of the playoffs.
The question now is who will step forward to control the AFC East? I think the answer is easy. There is a guy I have already seen referred to as Broadway Brett. The New York Jets led by possibly the greatest quarterback to ever play should step right into the role of Division Leader. Buffalo looks good too, and should slip in right behind the Jets. Their head-to-head match-ups should be fun to watch too.
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