Globe's Gasper - Patriots' O'Connell could be in soon

by MaPatsFan on Sep 29, 2008 9:21 PM EDT in News

I like Chris Gasper. Under the tutelage of Mike Reiss, he's suddenly come out from behind the scenes to share the spotlight with his mentor. The problem is, he's a little short on substance, kind of like Mike Reiss Lite. In his latest gem, and I quote, "Kevin O'Connell could be the quarterback sooner rather than later."

One bad game does not a bench warmer make. Cassel is not ready to be riding pine...yet. He will develop the relationships he needs, specifically with Moss. He will develop the ability to read defenses and make better throws. And let us not forget, my friends, Matt Cassel doesn't play defense; our big bad D looked terrible against Miami. Without Tommy Terrific to cover the points, there was nowhere to hide.

Hey, I like Kevin O'Connell. I've been big on him since we drafted him eighth in the third round. However, unless he's developed NFL level skills in six months, he should be holding Matt's clipboard. Relax, Chris Gasper, and don't try so hard to be irreverent. Learn a thing or two from Reiss - the facts, just the facts.

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cassel vs o'connell

i say unless matt c takes a big dive, stick with him. i love an underdog (remember the pats pre-2001). :) i want him to kick ass, just so all those naysayers can get theirs.
time will tell if he will…

by mellyh on Sep 29, 2008 9:31 PM EDT 0 recs

call me doubting Thomas

‘cause unless I see Belichick bench Cassel with my own two eyes and then hear him say that O’Connell is the new starting quarterback, I’m not even going to speculate.

Of course O’Connell is going to see a bit of playing time even with Cassel as the official starting quarterback, just as Cassel saw some playing time with Brady. That’s just smart coaching. This happened with Belichick with the cornerback position in 2004. Troy Brown had only one week’s practice at corner before Asante Samuel left the game with an injury. Brown was supposed to be an emergency option, but the emergency came sooner than anyone anticipated. I figure with O’Connell, who is still quite green, Belichick is doing the same thing. Trying to get him a feel for the pace of an NFL game so his first taste doesn’t come during an emergency.

I like Gasper too, but I don’t like trumped up controversy. If he knows something we don’t, then he should spit it out. If he’s speculating, that would be like him making a fuss over the fact that Joe Biden or Sarah Palin could be president. We know.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Sep 29, 2008 11:33 PM EDT 0 recs

Agreed

If he knows something, he should not beat around the bush and just break the story. Otherwise, he shouldn’t speculate and instead fact check everything. My tolerance for unresearched journalism pertaining to anything the Pats do is at an all time low after our episode with Tomase and the Herald earlier this year.

I’m guessing that Belichick is doing what any intelligent coach would do; giving the new backup some additional reps. Cassel could go down as well, in which case we’ll need yet again someone new to step in and help lead the team.

by jctsai12 on Sep 30, 2008 12:05 AM EDT up 0 recs

Simmons

Bill Simmons has mentioned this as a possibility, but it comes down to this.

Either Cassel struggles, or he doesn’t. O’Connell is a rookie, and may have a great career, but I think Bill will only put him in if he feels he will perform the system better than Cassel. If Cassel can minimize mistakes and win games he will probably stay in. If we drop the next 3 games due to Cassel not being up to snuff(Lord I hope not), well, that would be a good time to let O’Connell warm up against the Rams.

But Belichick will only pull Cassel I think if he’s ready for O’Connel to finish the season.

by Mainiac on Sep 30, 2008 1:05 AM EDT 0 recs

Yeah,

I think it’s safe to say that Belichick wants no part of any more quarterback controversies. There’s probably no greater distraction to a team and its fans than that.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Sep 30, 2008 7:35 AM EDT up 0 recs