When Brady was the backup...

When the Jets' Mo Lewis leveled Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe on Sept. 23, 2001, it was the beginning of the Tom Brady era in New England. Today, another quarterback will take center stage: Brady's backup, Matt Cassel, will make his first start since high school in 1999. How will Cassel be viewed? Possibly a lot like Brady was seven years ago. From the pages of the Globe . . .

Sept. 28, 2001
There must be a backup plan
"Tom Brady's going to have to have help," Hall of Fame coach Don Shula said. "You just can't expect a young guy that hasn't had a lot of experience in the NFL to come in and dominate. You want him to step in, do his job, get help from his teammates, and don't make a lot of mistakes. The rest of the offense, the defense, and the kicking game have to do their parts. All of the units have to come together when a guy like Bledsoe goes down."

"If the team is playing well, and the backup comes in and doesn't play as well as the starter, you may only see a bit of a difference," Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. "But if the team isn't playing well, and the backup comes in and doesn't play as well as the starter, chances are, it's really going to show."

Oct. 1, 2001
Brady takes reins, earns stand-in ovation
Tom Brady did what he had to do yesterday. He didn't immolate his team.

"He made a few mistakes early, but he didn't make the kind of mistakes a lot of guys do in their first game at quarterback," wide receiver Troy Brown said after the second-year signal-caller had finished leading the Patriots to a remarkable 44-13 pounding of the previously undefeated Indianapolis Colts at Foxboro Stadium.

"He was in charge," added Brown. "He was very confident in the huddle. If he was nervous, he didn't really show it. He came through big for us today."

Oct. 8, 2001
Exposed to a tough D, Brady struggles
What Brady did a week ago against the Indianapolis Colts was laudable. He gave his team the maximum for the minimum, which maybe means he should get an ad deal from T.J. Maxx. What it did not mean, not ever, was that there should be any doubt who the starting quarterback of the Patriots is and which guy gives them the best chance to win.

Frankly, Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana together wouldn't give them a great chance to win against most teams at the moment, but of the available options Bledsoe is the answer to that question. He was before he got hurt and he will be when he's healthy again in about five or six weeks.