So we already know that the Patriots have franchise-tagged Matt Cassel. This is an interesting situation. Are the Patriots honestly willing to part with the quarterback that just took them to an 11-5 record this season? And, if they are, do the Jets seriously make a run at him and tell Favre that his time is up in New York? I know that we could raise the argument that Cassel had a decent year, but was not a spectacular quarterback. However, he was smart and did what he needed to do to help the team win. He's not a real flashy quarterback, but he does know how to win. He looked shaky at first, but developed into a team-leading QB as the season went on. I'm just thinking on the perspective that there is not much free agent talent out there for us to even consider. Boller- NO, Leftwich- NO, Grossman- NO... and of course this is speculating that Favre does retire. I'm not all that comfortable with what we have in-house already. I have been a Jets fan for a long time. I just want this Rex Ryan hire to start a winning tradition for us. Let's get everything in place and make a serious run here in the next year or two. Thoughts?
You do not give up a 1st and 3rd for Cassel and the Pats will take nothing less from the Jets. From other teams, maybe, but not the Jets.
Belichick would never want to give us anything we all know that. He has a hot nut for this franchise. I doubt that the Patriots would even allow Cassel to sign with another AFC East team. I just want us to come into the 2009 season and look like a team that is serious to contend!
I don't know Cassel that well :rofl2: but I would be willing to bet that he does not want to become the next "Jet's Whipping Boy for Ignorant Fans" !! Actually, after blowing off Favre and Chad in only two years, The Jets may not look so attractive to good future QB's after all !!!
The Patriots will not unload Cassel because Tom Brady will not be ready to go at the beginning of the season. It's going to be tough to pinpoint when Beli pulls him tho throughout the course of the season, because Beli doesn't lose twice in a row, unless Cassel just right out blows. This could be the end of the Tom Brady era.
I think its a great situation for non-Pats. If they franchise Cassel, he will make around $12 (avg. of top 5 qbs. Wild guess. Mannings salary is about $21m in 09 if not negotiated). Brady will also make more than $12 this yr. So the Pats need to get rid of Cassel otherwise cap hell is inevitable for them. God I hope they keep both and give an 8 yr $150 million contract to Cassel.
They have never officially applied the tag on him. It's just been a rumor that is the logical choice for the Pats.
I guess they fooled the UPI then. Ahh, yahoo has a better article. This one explains the process and why the patsies can not have applied the tag already. My bad.
and you think Cassell does that? seriously, the guy took over statistically the greatest offense in NFL history, and led them to 5 less wins than they got the year before. I'm not in love with 11 wins because the offense around the QB was great enough to win 16 the year before. you don't give up a 1st and a 3rd in the face of that. heck, you don't even consider the possibility.
I was going to say. . . there was an ESPN story on 1/5/09 saying that the Patriots were going to franchise the guy, so citing ESPN as the source for having already done it wouldn't be very logical. Bad form, UPI. Plus, I'm thinking it would make a whole lot of sense for them to negotiate up to the date of free agency and avoid all the bad blood that comes with franchising. Either way, I see Belichick as smothering Cassel with a pillow before he'd ever let him join the Jets.
Any qb coming from the pats would be wrong. I could not stomach that at all. I have come to hate cassel just as much as I hate brady.
I don't know why there's so much talk of Cassel being a "fraud." It's pretty clear that he has the arm and legs to be a successful NFL QB. Yeah, the Pats have a great coaching staff and receivers and that undoubtedly helped him out. But think about that touchdown throw he made at the end of regulation to Moss against us in Foxboro....no QB on the Jets roster, including Favre, could've put that ball where it had to be. If the Pats are foolish enough to let him go with Brady still injured then the Jets would be remiss to not at least give him a sniff.
