Cassel stood tall in pocket

Numbers don't illustrate poise

INDIANAPOLIS - He won't be adding to his collection of AFC Offensive Player of the Week awards because the stats don't leap on the page. And this isn't likely to be remembered as the day he made the quintessential leap, because his team didn't emerge with the sort of come-from-behind victory that can define a young quarterback.

But it's hard to find much fault with the performance turned in by Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel last night.

Cassel completed 25 of 34 passes for 204 yards with no touchdowns and one interception as New England fell to the Indianapolis Colts, 18-15, at Lucas Oil Field.

The numbers don't tell the story of a quarterback who looked poised and confident while battling another AFC power in a hostile environment. If you squinted hard enough, you might have thought No. 12 was under center for the Patriots.

And this was a night the Patriots desperately needed a leader on offense. The Patriots wanted to keep Peyton Manning and the Colts' offense on the sideline as long as possible, and Cassel put together numerous sustained drives.

His only fault was he couldn't turn those drives into touchdowns, but he shouldn't shoulder all the blame for that.

Jabar Gaffney dropped what looked to be a sure touchdown pass late in the third quarter. The Patriots settled for the last of Stephen Gostkowski's three field goals, tying the game at 15 early in the fourth quarter.

Those were the last points the Patriots scored.

Gaffney took the blame in the locker room, sitting in a chair and softly telling reporters over and over again, "I just dropped the ball."

But in an interview room around the corner, Cassel wasn't willing to pin the loss on a single play or player.

"I just told him to keep his head up," said Cassel. "Jabar makes that play all the time."

Cassel admitted he didn't see how close the pass was to being caught (a perfect 39-yard lob down the left sideline with Gaffney wide open as the Colts converged on Randy Moss in the slot).

But Cassel did know how close the Patriots came to winning, which left a bad taste in his mouth.

"It's tough to take," said Cassel. "We played a tight game and lost by 3 points. You take your hat off to the Colts. We have to regroup and get ready for next week."

When the sting of letting a winnable road game slip away wears off, the Patriots should look back fondly on the performance of Cassel and the offense.

In only the seventh start of his pro career, Cassel stood in the pocket with confidence and didn't take a single sack, despite facing one of the league's fiercest pass rushes.

He rushed five times, scrambling early in the game to avoid pressure, but otherwise stood in the pocket and delivered his passes with poise. In typical Cassel fashion, he praised the offensive line for its play. "The offensive line really stepped up tonight," said Cassel.

In the locker room, his teammates were offering the same praise in return.

Coach Bill Belichick wouldn't directly compliment his quarterback, choosing to speak in generalities about Cassel's performance.

"I thought overall we played a good football game, but came up a couple plays short," said Belichick. "I thought we played very well in all areas and just came up a few plays short."

Cassel would admit as much. While he thrived putting together lengthy drives (the Patriots ran 67 plays to the Colts' 50), he struggled to get his team into the end zone.

The lone touchdown drive came on the first possession of the second half, a 15-play, 72-yard march culminating on a 6-yard run by BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Cassel converted three first downs on the drive, scrambling for one and finding Moss and Wes Welker for two others.

But he couldn't produce the same magic in the fourth quarter.

After an unnecessary roughness penalty on David Thomas that pushed the Patriots out of field goal range with less than five minutes to play, Cassel was intercepted by Bob Sanders on a desperation heave to Benjamin Watson on fourth and 15 from the Indianapolis 45. The Patriots got the ball back at their 20 with 21 seconds to play, but didn't cross midfield.

"From one week to the next, you just try to continue to get better," said Cassel. "You see different looks and you become more comfortable with your teammates. That's where I'm at right now."

He didn't make the leap. But if last night was any indication, it could be coming soon.

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@boston.com.