PatsFans opinion on why Cassel kept over Gutz?

carolinatony said:

Cassel is the worst QB I have ever seen in 50 yrs.
Makes no sense to me.

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wow way to over state things. Someone has obviously been spoiled by the pats success of late.

how soon you forget the likes of Scott Secuils, Hugh Millen, and the rest of the bums we had

It's an easy answer really, more time in the system and probrably shown more to BB thoughout camp and their times here for Cassel over Gutz alone. Doesn't mean he is a good QB though does it.

If Brady gets hurt, it doesn't make any difference whether Cassel

or Gutierrez is the backup. With Brady the Pats are playoff bound,

without Brady they are no better than an average team.

Jimke said:

If Brady gets hurt, it doesn't make any difference whether Cassel

or Gutierrez is the backup. With Brady the Pats are playoff bound,

without Brady they are no better than an average team.

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I agree with this, there is a reason why Brady is one of the greatest players ever.....he makes a huge impact on a game. However, anyone who says Cassel is any better than a bum, is totally delusional, and chugging the kool-aid at a record pace. Cassel is terrible!

Bill knows we are screwed if Tom goes down, and thats why he let Cassel stick around.

Cassel knows the system better than Gutz. I don't think it was any more complicated than that.

If the unthinkable happens we will move towards a West Coast offense with a smashmouth running game and hope the defense can hold its own.

Obviously BB felt that Cassel could manage this better then Gutz.

I still have hopes that Gutz can make it to PS. I have my doubts however.

Patslifer said:

I agree with this, there is a reason why Brady is one of the greatest players ever.....he makes a huge impact on a game. However, anyone who says Cassel is any better than a bum, is totally delusional, and chugging the kool-aid at a record pace. Cassel is terrible!

Bill knows we are screwed if Tom goes down, and thats why he let Cassel stick around.

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You are absolutely correct. Cassel is horrible. Mercifully,

his contract is up at the end of the year.

DefenseRules said:

To be honest, I didn't see much difference between the two after watching all four games. Cassel's experience sealed the deal for me. If the unthinkable happens, he'll manage the offense, but our DEFENSE and RUNNING GAME will have to STEP UP.

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Cassel will have to be able to complete key third down passes

which he hasn't been able to do.

Patslifer said:

I agree with this, there is a reason why Brady is one of the greatest players ever.....he makes a huge impact on a game. However, anyone who says Cassel is any better than a bum, is totally delusional, and chugging the kool-aid at a record pace. Cassel is terrible!

Bill knows we are screwed if Tom goes down, and thats why he let Cassel stick around.

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I love how when the know it alls here are proven wrong they lash out at those of us who weren't not to mention impuning the intelligence of a HOF HC.

You people want a HOF QB backing up our HOF starter, NOT EVER GONNA HAPPEN. Absent that you want some guy whose got name recognition and nothing more, ALSO NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Every season you fall in love with the new kid on the block and turn on the incumbent backup like a pack of rabid dogs...

You're the delusional ones and what your chugging is half ignorance and half sour grapes with a dash of overinflated football ego. The media led you on because you have no basis on which to judge these guys and when one of them reported the team really loved Gutz the rest of them climbed on that bandwaggon and suckered you along for the ride by beating that drum in the face of a whole preseason worth of evidence Cassel remained firmly in the #2 slot. It got to the point seemingly Cassel could do no right and Gutz could do no wrong. Then of course there was the rookie...slinging it past the hamburger flippers at the tail end of 2 preseason games...like they all don't do that.

What a bunch of freakin' sheep...

Jimke said:

Cassel will have to be able to complete key third down passes

which he hasn't been able to do.

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How'd Tom manage that the last time you saw him perform behind a line WITH Light but absent Neal...

Casell's survival is a tacit acknowledgement of just how bad the O-line was this pre-season.

The difference in opinion concerning Cassel and his standing on the team in this thread compared to the pre-season game threads is amazing.

signbabybrady said:

1) goat
2) 4 years in the system (knowledge is power)
3) Rookie with upside and talent

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That's GOAT, thank you very much. "(1) goat" describes the Bears roster.

Cassel had his good moments and his bad moments this preseason. The mob mentality here and in the media focused exclusively on the bad. Facts: he threw a lot of INTs, didn't throw any TDs, looked weak in practice. Undeniable. Also fact: in the 4th preseason game, before the half, he had a nice series where he behaved like a pro QB against a starting defense.

We never ever saw Gutierrez do that because he never faced a starting defense. He also looked horrid in the 4th game. Absolutely horrid, against a 2nd string defense. After that game how anyone could have been promoting Gutierrez over Cassel, I don't know. I was amazed that Reiss fell in line with the lemmings this afternoon.

I've been back and forth on Cassel, but after this last preseason game, there was simply no choice. He never took Cassel's job even when it was there for the taking.

O'Connell had a completely different job this preseason. Go out and have fun. He did and he looked like he has potential and next year he might be the first real backup locally grown since Brady. But not today.

Disco Volante said:

The difference in opinion concerning Cassel and his standing on the team in this thread compared to the pre-season game threads is amazing.

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The peanut gallery has quieted some.

EDIT: To make this post more substantive, I never viewed this preseason as Cassel making a claim for, or fighting for, the backup role. It was more like BB giving him the game seasoning he needed.

If there was to be competition, they'd have rotated QBs against opposing #1s like they do at other positions they are evaluating talent at, like CB or OLB. In 2001, when they were evaluating multiple QBs for Bledsoe's backup, they rotated Brady in against #1s. Or if they just didn't like Cassel, they'd wouldn't have wasted reps on him, like they didn't with Hobson, Flynn, or some of the other vets.

And they probably could have called Brady out during these games to work on offensive "timing" if they wanted to. But they never did, and all that adds up to giving Cassel experience. They'll probably continue to do that in the regular season, instead of letting Brady play bombs away in the 2nd half again.

Cassel has been on the roster for quite a few years already. It actually would have surprised me if the coaching staff was just now trying to "figure out" if Cassel was a talent at QB. Like BB standing on the sidelines going, "Holy ****, this guy blows!"

unoriginal said:

The peanut gallery has quieted some.

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This reminds me. I forgot to give you props in the other thread. Your one-liners have been brilliant lately.

Wendel said:

I can imagine most of you are quite angry today, but kudos to guys like Deus who didn't necessarily have Cassel as a lock cut.

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I thought he was gone until the last game, when he came out to start again. I figured they wouldn't play him if they had decided to cut him. They were either trying to get him some more playing time or they were giving him one last chance to show something. Then, he outplayed Gutz. I kept thinking of two things people had said on here: 1) that Cassell wouldn't look so bad if he had any kind of line in front of him. Well, Matt Light was back and suddenly he had a little more time and didn't look quite so horrible, even though he didn't score. 2) someone else on here said Gutz couldn't throw a sideline pass and this was a death knell to an NFL career. I thought of this as several of his attempted side line passes sailed like wounded ducks.

So, even though I am a Cassell Complainer, rather than a Hater (he stinks, but it's only football) I was not surprised that he wasn't cut.

I still think if there was any kind of decent experienced backup out there he'd be gone, but there doesn't seem to be anyone available (and no, I don't think Dante Culpepper would be better than Cassell - he never seemed that smart to me).

In politics they say you can't be somebody with nobody and therein lies why Cassell made the team. That being said I'll still be shocked if he's got his baseball hat and clipboard on the sidelines next Sunday. I have to believe BB grabs Simms or someone like that off waivers.

signbabybrady said:

I think people were ignoring the fact that Guit was not obviously not doing anything in practice to deserve more reps than Cassle. The pre-season games are not fair comparisons because Cassel went against better talent but there were plenty of practice reps that would have allowed Guit to overtake Cassell and he obviously couldn't.

So now the QB position looks like this and it actually is pretty Ideal if you take the nakes out.


1) goat
2) 4 years in the system (knowledge is power)
3) Rookie with upside and talent


not sure what else you want.

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You've got to be kidding. For starters, how about a backup QB who has won at least ONE GAME in his entire college and professional career. I could be wrong, but the Patriots may be the only team in the history of the NFL who have a number one backup with seven plus seasons (college and pro) under his belt who has never led his team to as much as ONE VICTORY. Oh, I forgot. Cassell looked great in the preseason except that he played against first string football players (which he won't have to do if he replaces Brady) and Bill Belichick is a football genius who never makes mistakes.

If Brady goes down for more than a game or two, the Pats are in deep kimchi.

1976pats said:

In politics they say you can't be somebody with nobody and therein lies why Cassell made the team. That being said I'll still be shocked if he's got his baseball hat and clipboard on the sidelines next Sunday. I have to believe BB grabs Simms or someone like that off waivers.

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By Simms or somebody like that I assume you mean a guy who washed out as even a 4th stringer in the organization that drafted him? LOL

Personaly I wanted Gutz because I see him as having a stronger arm. However ... in Belichick I trust there are Guttierez QB's in the draft and as FA's every year. Let's face it .. neither one of them is/was going to beat out O'Connell by next season and perhaps towards the end of this season ... Cassell got himself an extra years pay is what he did.