(Originally posted November 25th, 2008)
We all stood there on the bow of the ship, the cool air giving us the same calm that the boat always seemed to provide as we gently coasted through calm waters. Ah, regular season games, a piece of cake. But a hidden iceberg struck, and as Tom Brady fell to the ground in Week 1, the S.S. Pursuit of Perfection sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. As we raced for the lifeboats, Bill Belichick pointed to the only two that remained. The sturdiness of one lifeboat spoke to us, clearly signifying that all hope for the season was lost, so let's just pack in and wait to be rescued next season. The second lifeboat was rickety, but it had the slim chance that Belichick would work his magic again, and Matt Cassel would save us sooner rather than later. Here we are with just weeks left in the season, and which lifeboat stands the best chance of rescue?
From our first boat, the view of rescue is still grim. The Patriots offense is clearly not what it was last year, as Matt has only 10 TD's with just 5 games to go. New England ranks 11th in the NFL for yards per game, an obvious decline from last season. Randy Moss resembles the old lady standing on the bow of that doomed ship, telling Tom, "I'll never let go," but still tossing the necklace into the ocean at the end, as he's giving up on routes like he's back in a Raiders uniform.
But hope is not lost on the second lifeboat. Cassel's completion percentage is 8th in the league. He ranks in the top 10 in passing yards, has an 87.3 QB rating, and…oh yeah, the Patriots have a winning record without Tom Brady at the helm for the first time since December 12th, 1999, when we were 7 – 6 under Drew Bledsoe (We ended that season 8 – 8 after a 6 -2 start, if you're wondering.)
By comparison, Brady ended his mythic 2001 season 4th in the league for completion percentage, 22nd in total passing yards, had an 86.5 QB rating, and a total of 18 touchdowns. The league was led in all those categories by Kurt Warner that year, and because the football gods love sweet irony, Kurt Warner leads in all those categories this season as well.
Looking at those stats (and the rather ominous rebirth of Kurt Warner like a Phoenix from the ashes), this could well be another glorious zero to hero story for Bill Belichick, as Cassel is on pace to repeat Brady's stats for 2001, even beat a few of them handily. As a bonus, one stat line where Cassel dominates a younger Brady is how Matt is 2nd only to David Garrard in scrambling yards this season.
As I sat in Gillette Stadium last Thursday night, watching the iceberg drift into the distance, I had to wonder, "Which life-boat would people pick today?" Is hope still lost on the season? Before Tom Brady, a performance of 400 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns in one game would inspire hope into any Patriots fan (considering that is the first time a quarterback has ever done that since the AFL-NFL merger.) But New England fans have short memories, and Matt's impressive handling of New York's defense seemed to just lack something for us. What was it he lacked? Probably the number 12 on the back of his jersey.
There are plenty of fans on both lifeboats that only remember the S. S. Pursuit of Perfection, forgetting the decades many spent on the S.S. Meandering around Mediocrity. Matt Cassel is a perfect answer to the every problem the Patriots had at quarterback before 2001. Unfortunately for Matt, the AFC East isn't what it used to be. Let's hope he can tread water long enough for the Patriots to beat the Colts to a Wild Card spot. That's right, I just said that.
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