Pats will franchise Cassel (1 Viewer)

[fatkid]

Did anything happen to the Transition tag in the last round of negotiations, or Did the Vikings contract with Hutchinson effectively kill it?

If the Patriots Franchise Cassel, I would bet my house he would sign the deal as soon as it is offered. It would get him a guaranteed one year deal at roughly 14 million, plus allow him to be a free agent next year. If I was Cassel's agent I would notify the Patriots that was our intention in an effort to keep from getting tagged. He would make more as an Unrestricted FA than someone who also has to deal with trading with the Pats.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Mort confirms that the Patriots will franchise Cassel

Sources: Pats to franchise Cassel

ESPN.com news services

Updated: January 4, 2009, 1:29 PM ET

The New England Patriots have decided to ensure that quarterback Matt Cassel won't be an unrestricted free agent, as scheduled in March.

Sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the Patriots will use a franchise tag on Cassel that will give the team two options: Trade him if all goes well with Tom Brady's rehabilitation from a knee injury or keep him because all is not well with Brady.

The Patriots' intention to franchise Cassel was first reported by the National Football Post.

That would mean the Patriots would have about $29 million in salary cap space tied up in two quarterbacks, with Brady earning almost $15 million and Cassel guaranteed over $14 million.

However, the cap jumps to $123 million per team, which gives the Patriots $94 million to manage the rest of their roster.

 

[David Yudkin]

Mort confirms that the Patriots will franchise Cassel

Sources: Pats to franchise Cassel

ESPN.com news services

Updated: January 4, 2009, 1:29 PM ET

The New England Patriots have decided to ensure that quarterback Matt Cassel won't be an unrestricted free agent, as scheduled in March.

Sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the Patriots will use a franchise tag on Cassel that will give the team two options: Trade him if all goes well with Tom Brady's rehabilitation from a knee injury or keep him because all is not well with Brady.

The Patriots' intention to franchise Cassel was first reported by the National Football Post.

That would mean the Patriots would have about $29 million in salary cap space tied up in two quarterbacks, with Brady earning almost $15 million and Cassel guaranteed over $14 million.

However, the cap jumps to $123 million per team, which gives the Patriots $94 million to manage the rest of their roster.

Folks I know are not saying this is or isn't true but they cannot confirm that it is true.

 

[munchkin]

Specific games I watched in the 2nd half:

Week 11 vs. NYJ--I know he threw for 400 yds but he was absolutely horrible that game. He had over 50 passing attempts and made numerous TERRIBLE throws, particularly targets of Moss. As a Randy Moss owner in a few leagues, this is why I remember it clearly. It was probably the "worst" 400 yd passing game I've ever seen. Nice product in the stat sheet, terrible game if you watched it on his part.

The last drive was particularly horrible. He took over on the Pats 38 with 1:04 left and no time outs remaining. Two passes to Watson for 20 yds, spike; Welker for 17 yds, spike; false start penalty, Welker for 14 yds, spike; 8 seconds on the clock he rolls right to avoid a sack and hits Moss with a perfectly thrown ball with 1 second on the clock; tie game, defense loses it in OT. This was not 400 yds of garbage time production. Moss had a number of games this year in which his stats were down. You shouldn't focus on one receiver.

Is Cassel better than Brady, no. Would I feel comfortable with him replacing Brady if he could never play another down, YEPPER!!!

 

[gianmarco]

Specific games I watched in the 2nd half:

Week 11 vs. NYJ--I know he threw for 400 yds but he was absolutely horrible that game. He had over 50 passing attempts and made numerous TERRIBLE throws, particularly targets of Moss. As a Randy Moss owner in a few leagues, this is why I remember it clearly. It was probably the "worst" 400 yd passing game I've ever seen. Nice product in the stat sheet, terrible game if you watched it on his part.

The last drive was particularly horrible. He took over on the Pats 38 with 1:04 left and no time outs remaining. Two passes to Watson for 20 yds, spike; Welker for 17 yds, spike; false start penalty, Welker for 14 yds, spike; 8 seconds on the clock he rolls right to avoid a sack and hits Moss with a perfectly thrown ball with 1 second on the clock; tie game, defense loses it in OT. This was not 400 yds of garbage time production. Moss had a number of games this year in which his stats were down. You shouldn't focus on one receiver.

Is Cassel better than Brady, no. Would I feel comfortable with him replacing Brady if he could never play another down, YEPPER!!!

He was FANTASTIC on that final drive. Absolutely no denying that. That being said, 1 spectacular drive != good game play for 4 qtrs. If it makes you feel better, I will clarify.

58:56 minutes of horrible play

1:04 minutes of spectacular play

And even though I own Moss and mentioned that in my post, I actually have the capacity to focus on more than one guy, believe it or not. Amazingly, I was able to watch Cassel during that game while my eyes were glued on #81. Imagine that.

 

[munchkin]

Specific games I watched in the 2nd half:

Week 11 vs. NYJ--I know he threw for 400 yds but he was absolutely horrible that game. He had over 50 passing attempts and made numerous TERRIBLE throws, particularly targets of Moss. As a Randy Moss owner in a few leagues, this is why I remember it clearly. It was probably the "worst" 400 yd passing game I've ever seen. Nice product in the stat sheet, terrible game if you watched it on his part.

The last drive was particularly horrible. He took over on the Pats 38 with 1:04 left and no time outs remaining. Two passes to Watson for 20 yds, spike; Welker for 17 yds, spike; false start penalty, Welker for 14 yds, spike; 8 seconds on the clock he rolls right to avoid a sack and hits Moss with a perfectly thrown ball with 1 second on the clock; tie game, defense loses it in OT. This was not 400 yds of garbage time production. Moss had a number of games this year in which his stats were down. You shouldn't focus on one receiver.

Is Cassel better than Brady, no. Would I feel comfortable with him replacing Brady if he could never play another down, YEPPER!!!

He was FANTASTIC on that final drive. Absolutely no denying that. That being said, 1 spectacular drive != good game play for 4 qtrs. If it makes you feel better, I will clarify.

58:56 minutes of horrible play

1:04 minutes of spectacular play

And even though I own Moss and mentioned that in my post, I actually have the capacity to focus on more than one guy, believe it or not. Amazingly, I was able to watch Cassel during that game while my eyes were glued on #81. Imagine that.

You can't watch 30 minutes of a game and speculate about the previous 30 minutes with any degree of authority. What you missed at the end of the first half: Gaffney for 11 yds, Gaffney for 8 yds, scramble for 19 yds, Watson for 9 to the Jets 21, 2 yd sneak on 4th and 1, Gaffney for TD on 3rd and ten (following 2 incompletions) with 20 seconds left. (10 plays for a 68 yd TD)

While your eyes are glued on #81 I look at the Scoreboard and follow the capacity of QB's to make clutch plays when necessary whether on the ground or through the air. Cassel had 8 carries for 62 yards to augment his 400 yds through the air. He used six different receivers. His stats are aided by receivers getting YAC's but I like a QB who can carry out, successfully, the team's game plan.

You may remember that the Jets were playing very well at this point of the season.

This from Jaw's when asked if he would trade for Cassel. "If I was planning on drafting a QB in the first round, absolutely. I would take Matt Cassel instead.

I like a sure thing. Matt is a player."

Now Jaworski isn't the final word and I am sure he has made a mistake or two throughout his career, but I think he knows a thing or two about analyzing the position.

 

[gianmarco]

Specific games I watched in the 2nd half:

Week 11 vs. NYJ--I know he threw for 400 yds but he was absolutely horrible that game. He had over 50 passing attempts and made numerous TERRIBLE throws, particularly targets of Moss. As a Randy Moss owner in a few leagues, this is why I remember it clearly. It was probably the "worst" 400 yd passing game I've ever seen. Nice product in the stat sheet, terrible game if you watched it on his part.

The last drive was particularly horrible. He took over on the Pats 38 with 1:04 left and no time outs remaining. Two passes to Watson for 20 yds, spike; Welker for 17 yds, spike; false start penalty, Welker for 14 yds, spike; 8 seconds on the clock he rolls right to avoid a sack and hits Moss with a perfectly thrown ball with 1 second on the clock; tie game, defense loses it in OT. This was not 400 yds of garbage time production. Moss had a number of games this year in which his stats were down. You shouldn't focus on one receiver.

Is Cassel better than Brady, no. Would I feel comfortable with him replacing Brady if he could never play another down, YEPPER!!!

He was FANTASTIC on that final drive. Absolutely no denying that. That being said, 1 spectacular drive != good game play for 4 qtrs. If it makes you feel better, I will clarify.

58:56 minutes of horrible play

1:04 minutes of spectacular play

And even though I own Moss and mentioned that in my post, I actually have the capacity to focus on more than one guy, believe it or not. Amazingly, I was able to watch Cassel during that game while my eyes were glued on #81. Imagine that.

You can't watch 30 minutes of a game and speculate about the previous 30 minutes with any degree of authority.

Huh? Who said I watched 30 minutes of the game? I watched the entire thing. I'm assuming you are saying this because I said "2nd half". That was in reference to 2nd half of the season when a previous poster said that Cassel improved significantly. That's why I listed those games in particular. They aren't the only games of his I watched. And it doesn't mean I just watched half of the game.

I like Jaws and respect his opinion a lot. And if anyone else had to bet money on whether I was correct or if he was, I would certainly hope they put their $ on his side as I would probably too. At the same time, I also know what my eyes told me and I do form my own opinions that don't always go along with others. If I did, I could just go along with whatever Jaws said and not ever have my own thoughts. I don't work that way. Doesn't mean I'll be right all the time and far from it. If Cassel comes out and has continued success, I have no problem eating crow and admitting I was wrong. Won't be the first time and won't be the last.

But, I watched a LOT of Cassel this year and I don't think he's got what it takes at all. I spelled out all the reasons above. You said you looked at the scoreboard and I said I looked at what actually happened on the field. If you look at the stat box, you'd be a fool to think Cassel wasn't any good. But he's one of those cases, IMO, that the stats don't match what happened on the field. I saw a QB that missed WAY too many throws, particularly almost everything down field.

I mean, I'm not a Patriots fan and I'm not a Patriots hater and I'm not a Brady owner. I have no vested interest in this whatsoever. It's simply my 100% objective evaluation of watching him play. I'm not making it up for any other reason than that's what I think judging from what I saw. I may very well be wrong. He definitely performed better than I initially thought he would in the 2nd half but still not good enough to warrant a team spending a lot of money and making him a starter.

 

[Wilbur Wood]

I think its time for Matt Cassell to become very selfish. The NFL is a cold business and windows of opportunity don't come along often, sometimes only once.

MC is in a position to procure a ~ $80+M free agent contract. As important, he has the chance to immediately build as a starter in a decent situation of his choosing on his QB career in which he has already toiled inactive for far too long.

Funnell most of it through your agent, but act like a Diva WR. Demand to be named the 2009 NE starting QB if franchised. Raise a stink, if no assurances. NE can still go ahead and franchise him, but he should make it very clear to Kraft/BB that he will be a royal pain in the rear if he ends up being a Brady backup in 2009.

 

[massraider]

I think its time for Matt Cassell to become very selfish. The NFL is a cold business and windows of opportunity don't come along often, sometimes only once.MC is in a position to procure a ~ $80+M free agent contract. As important, he has the chance to immediately build as a starter in a decent situation of his choosing on his QB career in which he has already toiled inactive for far too long.Funnell most of it through your agent, but act like a Diva WR. Demand to be named the 2009 NE starting QB if franchised. Raise a stink, if no assurances. NE can still go ahead and franchise him, but he should make it very clear to Kraft/BB that he will be a royal pain in the rear if he ends up being a Brady backup in 2009.

If I was Cassell, I'd sign the franchise tender, get paid 14 mill for one year, then sign a long term deal with whoever I want next year, as opposed to whoever offers the pats the best deal.

 

[Boston]

Specific games I watched in the 2nd half:

Week 11 vs. NYJ--I know he threw for 400 yds but he was absolutely horrible that game. He had over 50 passing attempts and made numerous TERRIBLE throws, particularly targets of Moss. As a Randy Moss owner in a few leagues, this is why I remember it clearly. It was probably the "worst" 400 yd passing game I've ever seen. Nice product in the stat sheet, terrible game if you watched it on his part.

The last drive was particularly horrible. He took over on the Pats 38 with 1:04 left and no time outs remaining. Two passes to Watson for 20 yds, spike; Welker for 17 yds, spike; false start penalty, Welker for 14 yds, spike; 8 seconds on the clock he rolls right to avoid a sack and hits Moss with a perfectly thrown ball with 1 second on the clock; tie game, defense loses it in OT. This was not 400 yds of garbage time production. Moss had a number of games this year in which his stats were down. You shouldn't focus on one receiver.

Is Cassel better than Brady, no. Would I feel comfortable with him replacing Brady if he could never play another down, YEPPER!!!

He was FANTASTIC on that final drive. Absolutely no denying that. That being said, 1 spectacular drive != good game play for 4 qtrs. If it makes you feel better, I will clarify.

58:56 minutes of horrible play

1:04 minutes of spectacular play

And even though I own Moss and mentioned that in my post, I actually have the capacity to focus on more than one guy, believe it or not. Amazingly, I was able to watch Cassel during that game while my eyes were glued on #81. Imagine that.

You can't watch 30 minutes of a game and speculate about the previous 30 minutes with any degree of authority. What you missed at the end of the first half: Gaffney for 11 yds, Gaffney for 8 yds, scramble for 19 yds, Watson for 9 to the Jets 21, 2 yd sneak on 4th and 1, Gaffney for TD on 3rd and ten (following 2 incompletions) with 20 seconds left. (10 plays for a 68 yd TD)

While your eyes are glued on #81 I look at the Scoreboard and follow the capacity of QB's to make clutch plays when necessary whether on the ground or through the air. Cassel had 8 carries for 62 yards to augment his 400 yds through the air. He used six different receivers. His stats are aided by receivers getting YAC's but I like a QB who can carry out, successfully, the team's game plan.

You may remember that the Jets were playing very well at this point of the season.

This from Jaw's when asked if he would trade for Cassel. "If I was planning on drafting a QB in the first round, absolutely. I would take Matt Cassel instead.

I like a sure thing. Matt is a player."

Now Jaworski isn't the final word and I am sure he has made a mistake or two throughout his career, but I think he knows a thing or two about analyzing the position.

The bottomline is the kid kept improving all year and by the end of the year was playing like a very good starting QB. IMO from the second half of the Jets game he really raised his game. In those last seven games he had 14 TDs to 4 Ints (with one rushing Td), had a rating over 100 in 5/7 games and averaged 270 yards (and that's including the 78 yards in the Buffalo weather mess). The team went 5-2 (4-0 in December) with a depleted defense that put even more pressure on the offense. Sure he had some rough spots (i.e. the Steeler debacle) and still needs to improve his pocket presence with regard to the pass rush. Yet, weather he was playing in snow, sun or windy conditions he more often than not played well...especiually for a first year starter. The other thing that really impressed me was the intangibles (often taken for granted). The kid handled a tough media market very well and the respect his teammates had for him was incredibly impressive. The kid has leadership and intelligence qualities that can't be taught...and often get overlooked by those who only look at numbers.

 

[munchkin]

But, I watched a LOT of Cassel this year and I don't think he's got what it takes at all. I spelled out all the reasons above. You said you looked at the scoreboard and I said I looked at what actually happened on the field. If you look at the stat box, you'd be a fool to think Cassel wasn't any good. But he's one of those cases, IMO, that the stats don't match what happened on the field. I saw a QB that missed WAY too many throws, particularly almost everything down field.

Yes I look at the scoreboard. Wins and loses do matter. Cassel completed 63% of his passes. This after starting very slowly in the first few games while getting his feet wet as a starting QB in a very sophisticated system. Of course the guy had some bad and inconsistent games. Rivers didn't always look good last night but he got the win. Eli Manning was not stellar in last year's SB but he stepped up when it mattered most (the culmination of a rather sketchy career).

You may not like Cassel's ability to make all the throws down field but I like his ability to win. Moving the team under pressure, coolness in the pocket (though admittedly spotty at times) and an understanding of the system are qualities I look for. Cassel showed that in spades; particularly for a QB who hadn't started a college or pro game prior to this year.

 

[gianmarco]

You may not like Cassel's ability to make all the throws down field but I like his ability to win. Moving the team under pressure, coolness in the pocket (though admittedly spotty at times) and an understanding of the system are qualities I look for. Cassel showed that in spades; particularly for a QB who hadn't started a college or pro game prior to this year.

That's exactly my point. I'm NOT saying he can't be a decent QB. As I compared him to above, he's similar in those regards to a guy like Jeff Garcia or Chad Pennington. Those guys don't have the arm strength to make those long throws but they are still starting QB's and can win. However, those guys aren't QB's I would want to build my team around and those aren't guys I would throw a lot of money at. That's my whole point. Cassel has thrived in NE this year because of the structure of the team and the brilliant play calling by the NE coaching staff that made him look good. They catered to the fact that he could make quick, short throws and asked him to do just that and let his players do the rest. That's exactly what I said above.There are those saying he has a good arm in this thread. I completely disagree with that. There are those looking at his #'s from this year and think he can be a top QB in this league as a result. I completely disagree with that. I think his #'s are inflated by 1) The brilliant play calling by NE that suits him and 2) the outstanding play of his receivers that gained so many YAC. Thus, if he goes elsewhere that doesn't have those 2 things going for him, I think he's going to struggle mightily. Garcia works in TB because they called plays for his strength. Pennington worked in Miami this year because they did the same. He didn't work as well in NYJ for exactly the opposite reason.When I compare him to a similar QB that was a backup turned starter in Schaub, I think Schaub is a much more complete QB that can make all those throws and would have thrived anywhere he went. Cassel can definitely succeed in the future but I think he's going to land in the perfect situation for that to happen. I think there are far more places where he would flop than where he would do well. In the end, I give Cassel all the credit for this year because he did what was asked of him and he did it well and as you said, put the W's in the W/L column. That doesn't change the fact that he played very poorly at times and there are things he simply can't do, IMO.