Cassel handles pressure
QB acknowledges early criticism
FOXBOROUGH - Matt Cassel stood tall in the pocket and didn't pass.
The Tom Brady-like crush of media that enveloped Cassel yesterday fired off question after question about the beleaguered backup's poor play in the preseason, which has contributed to the Patriots scoring a total of 25 points in two games.
Even if he hasn't been a starter since his days at Chatsworth (Calif.) High, Cassel has played the position long enough to understand that quarterbacks are showered with kudos when a team is playing well and doused with criticism when they're not.
"That's part of the position, and you know that going in," said Cassel. "You're seen as the leader of the team and the leader of the offense, so when things aren't going exactly right, they look towards you, and when things are going right, they also look towards you.
"So it's part of the job, and you take it as you go."
The question is, how much longer will Cassel, who is in the final year of his contract, have the job of just-in-case-QB behind Brady, who has yet to play in the preseason because of a right foot injury? Thus far, the fourth-year quarterback has been unimpressive in a pair of preseason losses. He is a combined 7 of 14 for 68 yards with an interception and no touchdowns. Cassel, who was 6 of 10 for 57 yards in Sunday night's 27-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has led the Patriots to 3 points in nine drives.
"There are a lot of things going on, and as the leader of the offense, you want to go out and you want to perform," said Cassel. "Statistics are not always the tale of the tape. You go and you watch the tape and you see what you did right and you see what you did wrong. They don't always tell the story."
When it comes to the quarterback position, the only numbers that coach Bill Belichick emphasizes are the ones next to "Patriots" on the scoreboard. Point production is one area in which the 26-year-old Cassel has fallen off.
The only points he has coaxed out of the offense came on a 53-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski just before the half against the Buccaneers. With Cassel at the controls, the team has punted five times - going three and out on four possessions - and turned the ball over three times (an interception and two fumbles).
Last preseason, Cassel was 23 of 40 (57.5 percent) for 230 yards and two interceptions. He quarterbacked 13 drives and led the Patriots to three touchdowns and a field goal. Five possessions ended in punts, one was a kneel-down, and one was a single play to end a half.
Going back to 2006, Cassel was 49 of 82 (59.8 percent) for 680 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception. In 30 possessions (not counting a drive he split with Brady), Cassel led the Patriots to seven touchdowns and six field goals. Nine of his drives ended in punts and three were either kneel-downs or running-out-the-clock situations. Fumbles ended the other four.
Cassel has been the victim of some bad luck this preseason.
His interception, which came in a 16-15 loss to Baltimore, resulted from a mix-up with Chad Jackson. Against Tampa Bay, running back Kevin Faulk fumbled at the Tampa 25 to snuff out a drive, and on the opening possession of the second half, backup center Dan Connolly fired an errant shotgun snap that was returned for a touchdown.
Overall, the offense has scored just two touchdowns in 23 possessions, both coming with rookie Kevin O'Connell at the helm late in games. Cassel said the entire offense takes the lack of production personally.
"I think that's what the offense is out here to do, from the receivers to the line to the running backs; everybody wants to go in and put points on the board," said Cassel. "Of course we take it personally. We didn't have two great outings thus far, and we want to go out and play well against the Eagles."
Cassel's woes have been magnified by Brady's absence, which has raised the question of whether Cassel is the kind of quarterback who can keep the Patriots afloat if Brady is lost for an extended period. Based on his preseason play, it would be hard to answer yes.
However, Cassel's teammates remain confident in him.
"He's a smart quarterback," said wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, "and we believe that if he's out there, he can make the right reads and do what Tom does out there."
They don't have a choice; unlike last preseason, when veteran Vinny Testaverde was in camp, there is no safety net. The alternatives to Cassel would be Matt Gutierrez, who didn't play against Tampa because of a bruised shoulder, and O'Connell.
Whoever ends up being the backup can't turn a Brady injury into a season-threatening Achilles' heel.
"If he happens to go down, one of those other guys would have to step in, and we have to have the confidence in them, and they have to have the confidence in us, just like Tom," said Gaffney.
Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com 