Quote:
Originally Posted by Just Passin' By
Last season, the Patriots won 11 games with Cassel under center, even though the first half of the season was on-the-job training for the guy. He was sacked one more time than Roethlisberger was, but his sack numbers decreased dramatically in the second half of the season. As the season went on, he not only became able to avoid the rush, he became a running threat, finishing with 270 yards rushing.
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Pats with starting QB = 16 wins
Pats with backup QB = 11 wins, no playoffs
Matt Cassel was a backup at USC for a reason. The reason is that he really does not have a strong arm. Cassel floats anything more than 25 yards or so. Good thing the Chiefs don't have any "deep threats" because they would be "decoys." Cassel is smart, has a reasonably quick release, and is better than most NFL backup QBs. The way to stop Cassel is to play tight, safeties up, jump routes, and dare him to throw it deep, because he can't zip a deep ball. Even the Raiders will eventually figure it out...