Cassel vs. Brady - a tale of the tape

by MaPatsFan on Oct 28, 2008 4:44 PM EDT

Boston Globe

I swear to god, I'm going to get fired. Every morning, around 9am, Marima's "Shots Heard 'Round the Web" links comes out...and I'm screwed. There's so much awesome info that it takes me a bit to get through. It's a good thing my boss is in Chicago or I'd be a dead duck. Ultimately, I'm forced to prioritize and the editorial style of "Shots..." is a godsend. It helps me peruse through, get a quick 1 or 2 sentence summary, and figure out what I need to dive into. Usually, I'm looking for something to rant about. Some squibble of injustice perpetrated upon my kin. Or, a really cool story I'd been intending to write and someone else beat me to it. Ah well, can't win 'em all. I do have a day job, ya know.

Any who, our comparisons of Cassel to Brady have been a bit unfair, in my mind. The premise in question? MC is a clone of TB. Matty can simply step in for Tommy and VOILA!! Our New England Patriots barely skip a beat. Nothing could be further from the truth. After 7 years, 3 superbowl rings, and countless clutch come-from-behind victories, Brady has more than a few reps under his belt.

Matt recently called Tom after the Chargers' loss and you know what Tom's advice was? Just be yourself and stop trying to carry the whole team on your shoulders. There was nothing about mechanics, about how to throw the ball or about what plays to run and when. Just be yourself.

As you've probably read on this site, comparing the 2008 Cassel to the 2007 Brady is ludicrous. The only valid comparison is 2001 Brady to 2008 Cassel:

Cassel			Brady
5-2	Record	4-3
131	Completed	125
199	Attempts	200
65.8	%	62.5
1,362	Yards	1,319
6.8	Yds/Att	6.6
194.6	Yds/Game	188.4
7	TD	10
6	INT	4
28	Sacked	13
84.62	Rating	89.97

Pretty darn close, if you ask me and a much more accurate way to compare our 2 quarterbacks. The good part of this is Matt is fast making a name for himself. Given that his contract is up in 2008 and barring any 2009 issues with Brady's knee, Matt will have himself a starting job somewhere. I would not be surprised if many NFL teams with quarterback issues had Cassel's agent on speed dial. Come the end of the season, he'll be getting a lot of frequent flyer miles.

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Comments

Beat me to it

I posted this on another forum I visit as well. It’s crazy how close the numbers are. The main difference that stands out is the number of sacks, which was partly due to Cassel holding onto the ball too long and part of that was shoddy blocking (the Denver game, as an example, had four sacks that could be attributed to players such as Morris and Watson missing their assignment). However, Brady ended up with 41 sacks by the end of the ‘01 season, so we’ll see how that plays out.

I also believe Cassel could’ve had an extra touchdown and two less interceptions if it weren’t for the receivers messing up on Sunday against the Rams (Welker slipping and Randy tipping one up in the air).

by NESilver on Oct 28, 2008 4:54 PM EDT reply actions

I think you're forgetting one important factor

2001 wide receivers:
Troy Brown (101 catches, 1199 yards, 5 TD)
David Patten (51/749/4)
Terry Glenn (14/204/1)
Charles Johnson (14/111/1)

2008 wide receivers:
Moss, Welker, and Gaffney

Cassell has a much better team supporting him than Brady had, with the offensive line and pass defense possibly excepted. He also had a much better QB to learn from than Brady had, and he had a much longer time to learn than Brady had.

Still, they’re promising stats for a player getting his first playing time. His contract is up after this year, and I’m sure some lousy team will offer him starter money.

by RSNexile on Oct 28, 2008 5:53 PM EDT reply actions

You also

have to factor in that Cassel had not started a game since high school, but Brady did in college. Interesting how close the stats are after 7 games, other than the number of sacks. Is it possible for lightning to strike twice?

"Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory...lasts forever."-Shane Falco, "The Replacements"

by Ironman63 on Oct 28, 2008 5:58 PM EDT reply actions

I dare not hope..

but I still do anyway. Can’t help it. : )

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Oct 28, 2008 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions

If Cassel does really well this season...

What happens to him when Brady comes back? Do the Patriots keep him or flip him to another team where he’ll have a chance to play?

by Squeaky on Oct 29, 2008 8:37 AM EDT reply actions

Kevin O'Connell will be the new Cassel

Just my opinion of course, but next year will be the real beginning of Matt Cassel’s career as a franchise quarterback…just not for the Patriots. Banking on a healthy Brady resuming his position in New England, it wouldn’t make sense if Cassel returned to his backup role in a league literally hurting for quarterbacks, especially a Belichick-sanctioned quarterback. It’ll finally be an opportunity for this perennial bridesmaid to make some team a quality franchise QB, and make some big money in the process.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Oct 29, 2008 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions

good chance

With the horrid qb play in the league, he certainly might be picked up somewhere if he doesn’t destruct this season. I bet the Chiefs would ironically take him.

"These players, a lot of other people didn't believe in them, but they believe in themselves. And that is all that matters."- Bill Belichick

by Mainiac on Oct 29, 2008 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

It's not entirely up to the Pats

Cassell’s contract is up. There’s no question some lousy team is going to offer him starter money. Why would the Pats give him that kind of money to be a backup?

by RSNexile on Oct 29, 2008 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions