Matt Cassel and Josh McDaniels: Where to Next?

Back in 2004 when the Patriots drafted Matt Cassel, I wondered what Bill Belichick was thinking. A backup quarterback who never started a game in college?

Surely Belichick had finally lost it. Success had gone to his head.

His critics were right. This guy is the epitome of arrogance. He was so filled with himself that he thought he could take any sow’s ear and turn it into a silk purse.

In addition, Belichick was just throwing away Mr. Kraft’s money. Why waste a draft choice on Cassel and have to pay him up front? Let him come into camp undrafted.

Belichick reasoned that Cassel’s former coordinator at USC, Norm Chow, who had signed on in Tennessee to take over Jeff Fisher’s offense, might draft him. Then again, Carson Palmer could convince the Bengal staff to take his former backup.

Good, let them have him.

Over the next few years, Patriots fans seemed to agree with me. After Cassel’s poor showing during his stints in exhibition games, fans wanted him cut.

But Belichick would hear none of it. He stuck with Cassel. Maybe he saw something that none of his critics could see. Or, maybe he was too arrogant to admit that he had made a mistake.

In any case, all Pats fans could do was hold their collective breath each time Brady got hit and pray that he would get up without a noticeable limp.

Cassel, himself, was probably praying just as hard if not harder.

Then there was the ankle injury last January and the discovery of Brady wearing a boot. Heart palpitations shot up. So did church visits, lighted candles, and offering box donations.

Before gathering at their local watering holes to commiserate, fans bowed their heads and intoned, "Please, God, not Cassel."

Their prayers were answered. Brady survived. The Patriots survived. Unfortunately, their perfect season did not.

Fast forward to this summer’s exhibition season.

With memories of Brady’s high ankle sprain and the boot fresh in their minds, fans groaned with each incompleted pass that Cassel launched. They winced and shook their heads as he was unable to avoid the sack like Brady always had.

This was bad. Really bad.

Fans scoured through training camp reports from other teams to see which quarterbacks had been waived.

Then in late August, final cuts were about to be announced. Once again the offering boxes throughout New England overflowed as did the taps at the local taverns.

There were quite a few backups available. Most had been starters at one time or another. They had had promising careers, and all of them had actually started on their college teams: Chris Simms, Daunte Culpepper, Steve McNair.

But final cuts had come and gone, and Matt Cassel was still the backup to Tom Brady. Even worse, no word from the front office on any other quarterback signings.

Then on that first Sunday of September in the opener against Kansas City, a Patriots fan's worse nightmare came true. Belichick staunchly refused to sign any of the available quarterbacks and said he was sticking with Cassel.

To a Patriots fan, that pronouncement was like a stake right through the heart.

Unbelievably, what has happened since then must be considered a miracle. Either that, or we once again have to bow our heads to Bill Belichick, the miracle worker genius of the NFL.

The Patriots are 7-4 and still in heated contention for a playoff spot and possibly another division title. Two of their losses—to the Colts and the Jets—would have been winnable if it hadn't been for mistakes.

A drop of a sure touchdown pass, a couple of inexcusable penalties, a key fumble on an important drive, and a coin toss that went the other way or the Pats would be 9-2 and sitting at the top of the division with Matt Cassel at the helm.

What’s more, Cassel became the first Pats quarterback to have two consecutive 400+ passing games. Plus, he is the only quarterback in NFL history to have passed for 400 yards and run for 60 yards in one game.

Unfortunately, the Pats lost that game on account of the key fumble, an inexcusable penalty, and the errant coin toss.

But they didn’t lose yesterday. Or did they?

With Cassel seeing Chad Pennington yard-for-yard and score-for-score and then raising him a couple of scores, the Pats skewered the Fish 48-28 in a must-win division game in Miami.

In fact, Cassel, who is in a contract year, has been so impressive over the past three weeks that the Pats may not be able to re-sign him.

With at least a dozen teams in need of a decent quarterback and possibly only one or two of those available in the coming draft able to take over the reins of an NFL team, Cassel’s stock has risen dramatically.

But along with Cassel, Josh McDaniels’ stock has also risen quite significantly.

As it happens, a majority of those teams in need of quarterbacks for next year will also be looking for a new head coach.

While some may credit the genius of Belichick for the Patriots' rise from the ashes of the Tom Brady injury, others feel that offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach McDaniels is just as responsible.

Of course, a lot depends on how the rest of the season plays out. But should the Pats make the playoffs, Cassel and McDaniels will become hot offseason commodities.

In that case, where’s the next stop?

Kansas City, San Francisco, and Seattle will definitely be looking for an experienced field general. Of course, the Lions are perennially in need at nearly every position

Then there are teams that may figure it is time to make a change at quarterback, namely the Rams and Jaguars. Possibly the Bengals, Panthers, and Eagles, as well.

Oh, and then, there are the Jets who will be hit with the on-going Bret Favre saga—should he or shouldn’t he?

Although Cassel and his agent may be dealing with multiple bidders, Matt is not likely to make money his main consideration. He is aware that any quarterback is only as good as the system he is in.

So, Cassel no doubt will want a system that is a comfortable fit. And what could be more comfortable than a system headed by Josh McDaniels?

With McDaniels having worked successfully with both Brady and Cassel and tailoring an offense that took advantage of their respective talents, he is likely to become a head coach sooner rather than later.

Connect the dots.

Could you see Cassel running McDaniels offense in Kansas City? What about San Francisco? Not without a decent O-line, receivers with breakaway speed and, above all, a solid running game.

Seattle is likely to tap Jim Mora, Jr. for head coach if he doesn’t take the job with the Washington Huskies, his alma mater. Mora, who coached Michael Vick in Atlanta, could have some interest in Cassel, who is not afraid to tuck the ball and run.

If Seattle’s injured receiving corps can come back healthy and they can pick up another receiver through the draft or free agency, then Cassel could fit in. But the Seahawks need to bolster the run.

Should Mora decide to take the job with the Huskies instead, the Seahawks will definitely set their sights on McDaniels.

The other possibility is Philadelphia. This is liable to be Andy Reid’s last year, one way or the other. Yanking Donovan McNabb in the third quarter yesterday with the Eagles down by only one score has likely sealed both of their fates.

With McDaniels taking over for Reid, this could be a really good fit for Cassel. The Eagles have the receivers and a decent running game with Brian Westbrook.

Of course, Eric Mangini in New York is quite familiar with Cassel’s abilities. Should Favre decide to hang up his spikes for good, I would expect Mangini to give Cassel serious consideration as long as the Pats haven’t stuck the franchise tag on him.

So, those are my choices. What are yours?