Matt Cassel good in relief, but remains a mystery

CelticKing · Sep 8, 2008

Matt Cassel good in relief, but remains a mystery

Late yesterday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, the game over, the Patriots [team stats] at last able to pull air into their lungs after escaping with a 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Laurence Maroney [stats] pulled Matt Cassel aside to offer some words of advice.

They were standing in a small hallway that connects the Pats locker room to the auditorium that’s used for postgame press conferences. Thinking that’s where Cassel was headed, Maroney got as close as possible to the left ear of the backup-no-more quarterback of the Patriots and said, “It’s your first time on the big stage. Don’t stutter.”

What Maroney didn’t know is that Cassel had already done his postgame media thing. And not only did he not stutter, he delivered quick, breezy answers to every question, handling the assignment like a pro.

In that respect, he was the perfect replacement for Tom Brady [stats].

That’s the easy part. Heck, if looking good and speaking eloquently on television were all that’s required of a quarterback, Tommy Hodson might have lasted 15 years with the Patriots.

But let’s discuss the hard part about being a backup quarterback, which comes when the coach strips the “backup” from your title and hands you the keys.

Deep down, every Patriots fan knew there would come a day when Tom Brady would suffer an injury that requires help getting off the field. The day has finally arrived - in the first quarter of the first game of this new season - and now Cassel gets his chance to see if three-plus seasons of sideline apprenticeship have prepared him for the big time.

He’s certainly off to a good start. In his first pass attempt as The Man Who Would be Brady, Cassel looked to his right, looked deep and connected with Randy Moss for a 51-yard completion.

Cassel has probably learned a lot of valuable lessons being Brady’s backup. For instance, Brady may well have walked into the locker room one day and said, “This Moss guy can play.” Perhaps remembering that, Cassel ended a 10-play, 98-yard drive by firing a 10-yard pass to Moss, giving the Pats a 7-0 lead.

Overall, he was 13-for-18 for 152 yards, including the TD. He was sacked twice and threw no interceptions.

In other words, he was a good, steady backup quarterback. He was much better than we saw in the preseason. He wasn’t as good as Brady. He was somewhere in the middle, and that was good enough to win.

With Brady reportedly out for the year, Cassel, to his credit, is already sounding like Al Haig - he’s in charge here.

“I don’t know what Tom’s circumstances are,” he said, “but I’m going to come in and approach it like I have each and every week.”

Cassel is understandably concerned about Brady’s injury and wishes him well. As he put it, “You never wish injury on anybody. Since I’ve been here and been around Tom, he’s always popped back up.”

This time he didn’t pop back up. And you’ll just have to excuse Cassel for seizing the moment.

“It’s great,” he said, this after being asked how it feels to get a win as the Pats’ quarterback. “I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.”

Asked how cool it was to play in an NFL game and get a win, he said, “I’m really, really happy. I couldn’t even tell you. There was a huge emotional charge after the game. I’ve been working for this for a long time. It was definitely rewarding today to get that victory, there’s no doubt about that.”

Good. You want your quarterback to speak this way.

But if there’s one thing that’s better than quarterback talk, it’s backup quarterback talk. Anyone remember Michael Bishop?

And if Cassel thought he was under the microscope during the preseason, when those mean ex-players were criticizing him on the NFL Network during the Tampa Bay game, he ain’t seen nothing yet.

For three years, Cassel has waited for this moment.

Now it’s here.

Now, finally, he gets to show us what he’s got.

Remember, you’re only the backup quarterback when you’re not playing. As soon as you step into the huddle, you own the team.
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Matt Cassel good in relief, but remains a mystery

CelticKing The Green Monster

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Matt Cassel good in relief, but remains a mystery

CelticKing The Green Monster

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