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Belichick couldn't figure out how to stop Miami from repeatedly burning them with that direct snap to Ronnie Brown, but he is going to school one of the NFL's best young QBs? Very doubtful. He doesn't have the personnel he used to. Anything is possible, though...
Keep us posted, preferably in updates in your sig.
I've got Cutler in many leagues. I need every point i can get
It is by no means a lock, but historically, the Broncos have OWNED the Patriots, even since Belichick arrived. As a head coach, he has only beaten the Broncos once, and that was a Monday night game back in '03 when the Broncos had to start their 3rd string QB, Danny Kannel, and even then, it took a last minute TD drive for the Pats to eke out the win. The Broncos beat them in two of their three SB seasons, and also gave Brady and Belichick their first playoff loss together, back in January '06. So, given all of that, the Broncos have history on their side, and the Patriots not having Tom Brady tonight only makes the Broncos winning that much more likely. Of course, I probably just jinxed them, but hopefully not.
I agree with everything you say here other than the bolded. Cassel played very well last night. You could make the argument that he only played well because the run game was working and because the Donkey Defense was horrid, but he certainly looked good last night. It was definitely not "despite Cassel" that they won that game last night. He was certainly a part of that win. Sure, with Brady they win 68-7 but I am pretty sure every Pats fan on the planet will take that sort of game from Cassel every week.
Fail. I'll take it this week but in future weeks there needs to be improvement for the pats to hope to get to / do anything in the playoffs.Half the sacks were on the oline or running back, but half the sacks were on cassel's lack of pocket presence (reading progressions, when to rollout, when to throw it away, etc.).
Other than the nagging feeling that he is a Bledsoe clone. Drops back, stays in the pocket, gets sacked.
It's a shame too, because he's demonstrated the physical ability to scramble, he just lacks the decision-making. Bledsoe was the opposite; he'd realize the need to scramble but didn't have the speed to escape from a nose tackle.
Sadly, it's the same result. The surprise is that his decision making while in the pocket has not been corrected. Where are we on the curve of Cassell's growth? I know he's not Brady, but seeing the same in-game tendancies is frustrating. It's urgent that he must recognize his check downs. Between Watson, Welker or Morris, one of them is around the line if things go sideways. The little coverage clock in his head is not working and if it continues, he might not last too much longer.
Obviously I am not a Pats fan and you are, and I definitely agree that he is lacking greatly in pocket presence (experience and lack of playing time certainly must have something to do with that) but as a guy coming off the bench for Brady it sure sounds a lot to me like you expect him to play like Brady. Perhaps your expectations are a bit high? Games like that are EXACTLY what I would hope for out of a backup QB. Not perfect, but certainly solid and good enough to help the team win as opposed to lose it.
Cassell is getting on the job experience. The issue here is whether he's developing as you'd hope a guy in his situation (getting his first NFL starts after several years of bench learning) would develop. I think the answer is yes. This should be continually evaluated all year long, and we'll see where we are in the last couple of weeks of the season. As mediocre as the Pats have been without Brady, the good news is that the AFC is not as powerful as it was the last few years, meaning that the Pats still have a clear road to the playoffs if they take care of business.
