Sunday was what I invisioned Matt Cassel would be once he was running the full offense. Yes, the offense is still short pass-heavy, but Cassel did look long and tried to connect on a few big plays. Cassel will complete these deep passes soon enough, but it's important to know he will utilize it when he sees the opportunity.
Cassel is unquestionably confident in the pocket, standing tall and ignoring the rush. We've seen him roll out on called plays. He even did so to buy time and made an excellent throw across his body for a completion in the second half. To take advantage of his athleticsm, the coaches will call run plays for Cassel. That 13-yard sprint up the middle looked like a designed run and Cassel sold it perfectly. And his pocket awareness finally caught up to his years in the league. He now "feels" when to wait for a passing lane to open or when to make a run for it.
It was just one month ago fans wanted to replace Cassel after a 30-10 defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. They wanted the Patriots to sign Daunte Culpepper from out of retirement to reunite him with WR Randy Moss. Some even said give rookie Kevin O'Connell a chance because they believed anyone could play better than wack Matt from USC.
Those same detractors now are solidly in Cassel's corner. After saying Matt couldn't beat a high school J.V. squad has everyone thinking he can beat the division and win the AFC East.
Enough credit won't be given to the coaching staff and how they handled Cassel's development. They treated him like a first round draft pick and eased him into the starting role, despite being thrown into the fire. As the season progressed, the coaches put more and more on Cassel's plate. Now it looks like all plays are available to him and Cassel understands how to use them all.
Also the rest of the team must be applauded for stepping up. The offensive line that was so bad at the beginning of the season gave up one sack while allowing Cassel plenty of time to survey the field before making his decisions. The front five have also propelled a running game despite the rash of injuries that knocked the top three ball carriers out of multiple games. The Pats start their fifth-string running back and yet New England keeps churning out the yards. The Pats are seventh in the league with 133 yards per game the hard way.
The defense took a little time to round into form, but are now stingy against the run and they give up just 17.8 points a game, good for seventh in the league.
Now that the most important stretch has begun for the Pats, they move forward confidently behind Tom Brady's understudy. The kid gloves are off for Cassel and he has a full grasp of what he must do to help the Patriots win.
Ask any Patriots fan to take a look around the league at the back-ups that play significant minutes this year. There may not be one they'd trade Cassel for now.
