Quote:
Originally Posted by Sweetwater
I waited a while before weighing in on this because I didn't want to knee-jerk react to the deal. Let's put this in perspective. Cassel was basically "found money." A career backup in whom the Patriots had little financial investment initially. Then Brady goes down, Cassel takes the Pats to 11-5 and the ONLY way to get value out of Cassel (a free agent) was to franchise him at $14.7 million for one year and then he's an FA again. So I like the trade, it's 34th overall (can get good value there).
However, even now I think it's too quick to judge. By including Vrabel, the Pats just cleared $17+ million in cap room and they're going to spend it. So if the deal means they resign Wilfork, Seymour, etc. and can grab a significant free agent (Julius Peppers?), Patriots nation will once again be issuing currency with the motto "In Bill We Trust."
|
Well said. My roommate and I had a similar discussion earlier that went pretty much exactly like this. While Billy B may have has some in game gaffs, I have agreed with just about every move, trade, acquisition the Pats of made. Head-to-head, I do not think there is another coach in the NFL that can come close to the skills and foresight he has shown when coaching a team. Consistency is key and he has consistently put out an incredible product - just sometimes the guys didn't show up to play.
It is of no surprise that Cassel was a complete unknown before this year and turned out to be a spectacular QB.