Come To Think Of It...New England Patriots Conundrum: Matt Cassel Vs. Tom Brady

It's a problem, to be sure. But it's a problem that every team in the NFL would like to have.

Two starting quarterbacks that both deserve playing time. As a Bears fan, I long for such a quandary. Hell, we haven't found a star QB since Sid Luckman! But I digress...

When Tom Brady went down, it was widely thought to be the end of the season for the Patriots. They couldn't win without Brady, so the common perception went.

But, um, then along came Matt Cassel. He passes. He changes everyone's mind.

Hey, he always looked like an NFL QB. It's just that when you have a future hall-of-famer like Brady on your squad, you're not going to get a lot of chances to show what you can do. I'm not saying that Brady's injury was good for the team, but...

Cassel has a QB rating of 90.5 with 13 TDs and 8 interceptions. He has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 2,615 yards. He is coming off of back-to-back 400 yard passing games.

In short, he has been impressive.

Ah, but he is also a free agent after this season. So what to do if you're Cassel? What to do if you're the Patriots?

Brady will return next season, but I suggest the Pats re-sign Cassel anyway. Look, it's great insurance should Brady have any lingering affects from surgery or in case he goes down again. It's a luxury, but a sweet luxury, to have two solid NFL QBs.

While he may cost in the neighborhood of $4m, and combined with Brady's salary, that's a lot to pour into one position, he's worth it. But I wouldn't franchise him because then you run the risk that he could cost even more than Brady. And you can't have that.

But is returning in the best interest of Matt Cassel? I say yes. Sure, he could go somewhere else and start every game. But he knows the system in New England, has a great coach and terrific receivers. In short, everything to ensure his continued success.

Well, everything except he'd be back on the bench.

Once the killer beast has had a taste of blood, there's no turning back. Perhaps Cassel wants the opportunity to go someplace where he can be the man. There's no arguing that he deserves it.

Some have even suggested the Pats trade Tom Brady. Wow. That would have been unthinkable prior to the injury. To me, it's still unthinkable.

But it's interesting, to say the least. And speaking of interesting, Sunday will provide a real test for Cassel, as their opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, have allowed the fewest yards passing per game of any team.

Cassel specializes in the short pass with his receivers turning those short passes into long gains many times. But how will he fare with another team that may have lesser ability at the wide receiver position? That's an open question.

Still, there's no denying that there will be a number of teams clamoring for his services if he goes out on the open market after this season. Come to think of it, it's a nice conundrum for anybody to have.