With the Dolphins and Ravens wins Sunday, the Patriots became the first 11 win team since the '85 Broncos to miss the playoffs, but fans should agree that it was still a good season considering most figured an eight and eight record would be generous after Tommy Boy went down. The question for next season is, Who will be quarterback?
My guess right now is Brady. I think he'll find a way back despite reports that surgery/scar tissue setbacks could sit him down until the 2010 season. But that doesn't mean that the Pats front office should let Cassel walk off into the next big thing, million dollar sunset. We need a for sure guy who can run Belichick's system and Cassel proved this year that he is the guy. Sure, it'll cost a bunch of money and blah blah blah to keep him around, but the Pats have proved the last couple of years that they are willing to spend money to win.
Some out there are saying that the Patriots should trade Brady and keep Cassel, especially now that Brady's future is even more of a question mark. To these people I ask, are you out of your mind? Both quarterbacks had similar first seasons but that does not make Cassel a Brady calibur quarterback. If Brady never played another game he would be a Hall of Famer, hands down.
But I know what your thinking, that doesn't matter if Brady actually doesn't play another down. Who better than Cassell to lead the offense after the year he had? It's quite a quandary. You risk the future of the franchise either way. How much will the Pats really get for Brady in his current situation. Is it enough to warrant trading him? How do we know Cassel will be at least a Jon Kitna type serviceable quarterback and not another Derek Anderson?
Nobody really knows. My points on keeping Brady are this:
1. Having Tom Brady stats for one year doesn't make you Tom Brady. Back in '01, nobody could have expected Tom Brady to become one of the best quarterbacks of all time. It is rare for rookie quarterbacks to succeed at the pro level, let alone become top tier Hall of Famers. Simply, lightning doesn't usually strike twice.
2. Tom Brady is not Drew Bledsoe. While Bledsoe was an above average quarterback he never possessed the skill set and leadership ability of Brady. Plus, Brady can actually move a little bit while Bledsoe needed a Rascal to get around. There's no way anybody can compare Brady replacing Bledsoe to Cassel replacing Brady.
3. Cassel has the likes of Randy Moss and Wes Welker to throw to. In '01, Brady had Troy Brown, David Patten, and Terry Glenn. Enough said.
4. Most importantly, if Brady leaves so does Gisele. That fact alone should be enough to keep him around.
At least nobody is suggesting that the Pats bring Bledsoe out of retirement, although it would give the pigeons something else to shit on besides the Benjamin Franklin statue.
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