On Sunday, the first day NFL teams could franchise eligible players, the Patriots did exactly that to quarterback Matt Cassel. Which means that, if Tom Brady is healthy by the start of the 2009 season, Cassel will pull down close to $15 million to ride the pine. Unless the Patriots trade him -- and that seems like a long shot at this point. But it's February; there's still free agency and the draft, and training camp doesn't begin for another five months. A lot can happen.
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, on a Wednesday conference call to talk up the draft, made it clear that if he were the Lions or the Chiefs, he'd want Cassel over Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez. Kiper also admitted that he didn't expect Cassel to be available given the uncertainty surrounding Brady's recovery. And then he lost his mind:
"[Cassel] looked like he should have been the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. It's amazing. To watch him play this year, if he would have been the No. 1 pick in the draft, people would have been very happy with the way he's playing right now," Kiper said.Alright, Mel, I was willing to give you Smith and maybe Campbell, but Rodgers AND Cutler? That's crazy talk. I can't imagine there's a head coach in the league who would rather have Cassel over Cutler, and that includes Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, two guys intimately familiar with his abilities. And I'm pretty sure the same holds for Rodgers.
"He came out the same year the other three quarterbacks did [Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Jason Campbell] and right now he's better than those other three – and I'm including [Jay] Cutler in that. I would rather have Cassel than Cutler. So, to me, I think Cassel is more than worthy of being a guy that the Kansas City Chiefs or Detroit Lions go after. He's played to the level of a No. 1 pick overall this year."
Campbell's struggled (although not nearly as much as Smith), but part of that can be blamed on the fact that he's been in three offenses during his four-year career (and Smith's been in four). Put him in New England's system and we'd be talking him up as the next great young quarterback right now.
Replace Cassel with Rodgers or Cutler and the Patriots make the playoffs, possibly return to the Super Bowl. The offseason scuttlebutt wouldn't be about where the just-franchised insurance policy might end up in '09, but which team in need of a starter would give up the most to acquire Brady.
The fact that Mel Kiper's hair doesn't get that is surprising. Even for Mel Kiper's hair.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-11-2009 @ 5:51PM
Alec said...
Mel is a just a jerk on Cutler. He picked Young and Leinart over Cutler and both are on the bench. Cutler led the AFC in passing yards and was in the pro bowl.
Mel does not want to admit he was wrong!
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2-24-2009 @ 5:23PM
Mike said...
What Kiper also fails to mention is that Cassel has been in the Patriots' system for 4 years and knows it like the back of his hand. It was just a matter of getting time to hone his skills with the first unit.
Cassel situation in New England is the equivalent of a veteran quarterback minus the playing time, so it's not fair to compare him to last year's draft class.
2-11-2009 @ 6:50PM
Michael said...
You have a lost a lot of credability in my eyes Mel
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2-11-2009 @ 10:10PM
buddzkmk420 said...
Not to mention that Jay Cutler played a whole friggin season not knowing he had diabetes. Come on Mel your crazy if you think Cassel is better then Cutler.......crazy indeed
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2-13-2009 @ 12:36PM
nafeygirl said...
Cassel is better than anyone in the draft. He had a better year than cutler. he is worth a #1 pick if your looking for a franchise QB in the draft.
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2-13-2009 @ 6:03PM
steel wheel said...
I actually use to enjoy Kiper and his evaluations. However, this has been an eye-opening season as to the complete and total fraud that is "Mel Kiper". This tool is not only the most biased fool in the media but also the worst "professional" at his craft. I use to wonder why he laid into the Colts back in the 90's. And earlier this year he was all over the Steelers. The answer came clear...the moron is from Baltimore and he's bitter about the Colts move to Indy and he hates the Steelers because they're rivals. At what point in ESPN's governance do they pull this S.O.B. aside and say "Hey Mel, perhaps you should portray an unbiased reporter". If I see him come on the tube now I turn the channel cause I don't take anything he says for value. I'd rather read mock drafts on the net by reporters of integrity that leave their favorite teams jersey in the closet when they conduct their professional opinions. Piss off Mel!
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2-26-2009 @ 1:10PM
dino said...
Mel Kiper is entitled to his opinion. The one thing I would point out to him is, the Patriots franchised Cassel so he will be making 14 mil this year? I don't know if he is worth that to another team. Teams think in terms of salary too so Cassel needs to have a monster year to validate that salary. If I am any team I will look at other options before I pay that much to a guy who had one good year.
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