Lombardi on Patriots

I don't agree. Cassel has been mentored by Brady for several years and he knows that offense as well as anyone. He makes good deccisions, has a great arm, is very smart and more mobile than Brady. I am feeling good about the season with Cassel. There will never be another Brady (but he will be back next year!), but this team is not about one individual, the quarterback just happens to be the most important position.

This analysis is right on the money. Run the ball, short passes and laterals, ball control offense generally with the threat of the deep ball to keep defenses honest. The defense will have to tighten up, but apart from a few mistakes, I thought they were stout against the run and played decent against the pass. Gonzalez is a stud and he is going to make plays. The season is not lost if Brady is gone - it will certainly be more interesting, but the Patriots still should win the division and we will see what happens in the playoffs - who know? Maybe Brady can come back in December? That's 3 months away.

Baltimore won with Trent Dilfer!

I agree with Mark and TRB.

Cassell has learned under the best in Tom Brady.

This team aint dead yet. There is too much pride and hard-working professionals in that locker room to make excuses and give up.

This will be the rallying point.

Time to play the role of the underdog.

Put in O'Connell

Short passes, dink and dunk, lots of runs, lots of screens

Tighten up the defense

Call DREW BLEDSOE!!! He's got what we need! Put it up to Moss and we all get a ring...And could there be a better story in the history of Sport? It would be awesome. Chris Simms? Are you kidding me... We aren't rebuilding... Get a vet in there and get the ring!

Mike, for the sake of work productivity in New England...could you post an update? Even if its "No update, for now"

David

the more you look at the video and the pictures of the hit the more suspicious the hit looks. pollard should be suspended for atleast 5 games. he was so low and his arms arent even reaching for anything but he's flopping down his shoulder and all his weight right into tom's knee. im sorry to say this, but i wish the absolute worst for him and the rest of his career. i say our defense start taking people out left and right leaving a path of destruction.
what are the odds tom could be back for the playoffs? can he play from a wheelchair? im devistated like superman died.

Tom didn't want to play anyways

now he can go to the Caribbean and "recover"

Hurry guys - there's still time to follow the lemmings jumping off the bandwagon. But no one is allowed to whine - especially if the people working for the team aren't.

Belichick will do what's best for his team no matter what demands fans and the press may be putting on him. Relax, accept what's happened. If you're too caught up in Brady's injury then reassess your life and get some balance in it.

It's amazing there has been no official response on Brady's knee yet. He is having an MRI this morning----yet we have heard torn ACL and are already hearing how hard it is to come back from a torn ACL---

Can't we just wait til the 3PM press conference with BB....

By the way, how many of you thought the season was over when Bledsoe got hurt?

If we look in the mirror and digress about Brady we will be in the mirror very quickly and looking up at everyone.

Time to move on. Everyone has to play better. No whining or quitting on this team.

None.

Patriots dont make excuses. Think Bruschi and Harrison are just going to give up.

Bring your helmet and get to work.

How about this....maybe if the offensive line was not so atrocious this never would have been a possibilty. Blame Sammy Morris or Pollard all you want but our offensive line has contributed to this calamity! Makes me sick to my stomach.

How about this....maybe if the offensive line was not so atrocious this never would have been a possibilty. Blame Sammy Morris or Pollard all you want but our offensive line has contributed to this calamity! Makes me sick to my stomach.

The Patriotsare not the same team without Brady !!! period !! Cassell has never been and will never be the anwer at back-up !! Please face reality !! All pre-season he was terrible......Now that the team is in a crisisdo you really think his game will improve ???? We need to adjust the chair here !!! Tell Josh he better go down to the drug store and buy some imagination !!! We need to do one of two things
1) Concentrate on the run and shorter passing routes with Cassell
2) if he can't get it done ....go immediately to O'Connell for the rest of the entire season....forget the bandaid solution of getting another quarterback and getting the same results ......We are forced to need to know what we have for the future !!

Well Mark you are 100% wrong and don't have a clue. They are not going to ask Matt to do the same things as Brady. They WILL change the game plan and play book. Please get a clue.

Glasgow: Did you happen to see Balt's D that year?? I'm just curious because the Pats don't have that type of D. Please use some logic. Please

They can no win the SB without Brady

Anyone in panic mode must be forgetting the amount of talent and leadership the Pats have in every phase of the game. Hey, maybe they won't destroy their opponents like last season, but prior to that they were typically a team that did what it took to grind out wins. This is still a top-notch group of players and they are led by perhaps the finest coach in the game today.

Maybe I'm not confident in Cassel 100%, but he did his job yesterday.

you're nutz Alex - The NFL is a brutal sport & the hit Brady suffered was clean - injuries happen in these games all the time & very few are actually committed intentionally - it's just very unfortunate for the P& their fans , that this happened to Brady - but that's the way this sport plays out sometimes.

Wishing the Pats D goes out and intentionally starts "hurting" other players as retalliation only proves how much of an azz you are.

Please get off the Patriot "band-wagon" now, because you're obviously not a true fan & scum like you give the rest of the Patriot "haters" justified ammunition to continue their bashing.

Get well soon Tom, but take as long as it requires - if anyone knows The Patriot Organization will pull together & get the job done without you, it's YOU! If you're able to return soon, that's great, but forcing the issue isn't necessary.

Patriot Nation is looking forward to you making a complete recovery & returning - when you're ready, and NOT before.

This is not just your career - but also your life, health & well-being as a person that is at stake more than anything!

GO PATRIOTS - AFC CHAMPIONS AGAIN & another trip to the February match-up - one way or the other.

In BB & the TEAM we trust!

I think Bob Kraft should have a yard sale and see what he can get for the fixtures for Patriot Place....Maybe the banks will buy the place back...What do think the price of tickets and parking will be next year if they go 1-15???

They should trade Ben Watson and a a few rolls of tape for a better alternative at QB. Cassel = career backup. He aint got the goods...

RD

If the Pats go 1-15 (they won't), they will have one of the top 3 picks in the draft along with the return of a healed and hungry Tom Brady. I think they'll be just fine.

Did you guys ever think they should play as Lombardi suggested even if Brady was healthy? Did you notice how much more their offense struggled the second half of the season last year? Their last 2 SB teams were much better than this offense was. Why? Because they mixed it up with the run, and ran the clock to keep the Defense fresh. Last year they showed the league everything they had to offer and by mid season we began to really struggle. We looked like we were not in control, and pulled too many games out by the seat of our pants. If we had played more conservatively, we would lull the D to sleep and set ourselves up for the big play when the D least expects it. Manning like teams as we were last year don't always win the championships. Take the Colts SB. Manning finally became
Brady like. Last year we became more Colt like and we struggled offensively down the stretch and in playoffs. Brady learned to become Manning. I'll take Brady
with Branch, Givens, Patten, and Brown. As a unit they always stepped up and made the big plays, and the Offense was always in control of the game.

How in the WORLD do you find the NY Tabloid headlines 'Classless'?!?!

Why are so many New England sports fans so paranoid and thin-skinned?!

UNBELIEVABLE