So Long, Farewell: The Vrabel-Cassel Trade

It has taken me nearly a week to accept this move by the Patriots, as well as figure it all out. For a while, I couldn't figure out why I was so upset about this trade. Matty goes somewhere he can start, we free up cap room, and we get rid of a veteran who, though he's not down the hill yet, you can see is startig the turn in the downward direction.

I get it, really I do. It makes sense financially, it makes sense from a roster perspective, and it gives me hope that Tom's knee is just fine. I mean they wouldn't have gotten rid of Matt if they thought Brady couldn't go, would the?

So why was I so upset?

Then I realized the answer, I was sad. It was the same, gut-wrenching feeling I felt when they took off Rodney Harrison. It looked like that was it, that was the end of his career.

It might not be, and I have a theory that Rodney will be back for at least a year so he can leave on his own terms; not because he got hurt.

I loved it when Vrabel lined up as a tight end. He would get so excited that they were going to throw him the ball, and it generally resulted in a touchdown for the Patriots. He was always a part of the team, and it really sucks that he got traded. 

This is one of those things in football that you just have to try and see from the business side, and not from the emotional side. I make no secret about it, I love Vrabel. Absolutely love him.

He ranks up there with Welker, Bruschi, and Harrison. I love them because they are gritty and give their all. They are funny and adorable. You can tell that they genuinely love what they are doing.

It's hard to let one of "my boys" go. It won't hit me until the season has started and I see Vrabel in another uniform; just like it didn't hit me how much I loved watching Tom Brady play until I watched highlights from the Pats-Eagles Superbowl.

Then it all came flooding back to me. As much as I love Matt Cassel, and respect the tremendous job he did as QB this season, there is no one I'd like to see in the pocket more than Tommy.

Free agent mayhem will continue, I'm sure of that. Bigger trades than the deal that sent Cassel and Vrabel to the Chiefs will go down, but honestly, I'm not sure any one of them will have the emotional impact this had on Pats fans, well, at least the ones I know. 

So farewell Matt, we knew we couldn't keep you for long, and so long Mikey, yes I call him Mikey, you will be missed.