2008 Position Review: Quarterback

Tom Brady

Obviously, Brady’s season was cut short by the knee injury he suffered in the season opener.  In that quarter of action, Brady went 7/11 with an 83 quarterback rating.  Outlook: Brady, one of the greatest to ever play his position, has been struggling to recover from his knee injury.  The big question surrounding Brady will be if he’s ready to go from week one.  Also, Brady will be 32 next year, so we don’t know how he will react being away from football for a year.  Grade: Incomplete

Matt Cassel

Matt Cassel stepped in beautifully for Tom Brady this season.  He through for 21 touchdowns, nearly 3700 yards.  He also picked up 270 yards and two touchdowns on the season.  What was most remarkable however, was the improvement he showed as the year went on.  In a six game span to close out the year (minus the Bills game due to surreal conditions), Cassel through 14 touchdowns with just six interceptions (two in the Steelers game).  While the Patriots stayed short early in the season, by year’s end, Cassel showed the poise to throw the ball non-stop in the 10-20 yard range.  Cassel looked erratic and confused in the pocket early in the year.  However, by year’s end, he looked nearly as poised as Tom Brady, as he was able to step up into the pocket, make the right reads, and pick the right time to run.  Outlook: Cassel is a free agent.  While the Patriots will likely try to hammer out a contract extension, the more likely option is for the Patriots to use the franchise tag on Matt Cassel.  The Patriots will then keep Cassel until Brady is healthy, but will likely gauge his trade value in the mean time.  Grade: A

Kevin O’Connell

O’Connell, a third round pick in 2007, spent most of his time with the clipboard on the sidelines.  In garbage time, completed 4 of 6 passes for 23 yards.  He played well in the preseason.  He also must have shown enough in practice that the coaches let him stick as the #2 quarterback the whole season.  Outlook: O’Connell is under contract for the next few years, and will continue to develop behind the scenes.  He has all the raw tools, and if he can put it all together, could be something special down the road. Grade: B-

Matt Gutierrez

The Patriots cut Gutierrez at the end of training camp, and re-signed him after Brady went down.  Gutierrez didn’t play one snap the entire season.  He was an insurance policy’s insurance policy.  Outlook: Gutierrez signed a two year contract so he will be back in training camp with the Pats.  He will remain with the team only if Cassel is traded.  Otherwise, he’ll either head to the practice squad, or will be flat out released.  Grade: C-

Overview: The Patriots have two top 10 quarterbacks on the roster.  No other team in the NFL can say that.  The Patriots had very strong play from Matt Cassel this year, and down the stretch, it really helped them out.  This won’t be a position of need this offseason (unless the Pats want to pick up a new third string quarterback, counting Brady/Cassel as one).