NFL key dates

Thanks for those dates. On Feb.27 Brady is due a 3 mil.dollar bonus. What are the Patriots options on that? If his knee is so bad that he would be out all of 2009 could the opt to not pay the bonus and release him?

Hi Pam. That is always an option, although I'd say it is highly unlikely.
--Mike

Add one date.  January 15th, deadline for college juniors and eligible sophomores to declare for the NFL 2009 draft.

If I hear one more, "Let's keep Cassel over Brady"-esque comment I may have an aneurism. This is ludicrous talk. It would be like the Sox trading Ruth all over again.

I was just asking. i do not want thePats to release Brady either.

Hi Mike,
You are my favorite source for Pats news. Keep up the excellent work.

Thanks for the dates. Other relevant dates are of course when the trade deadline is. If the Pats franchise Cassel, what are the timing options to trade him?

Thanks.

Joe

If the Pats place the tag on Cassel on February 5th are they allowed to start working on a trade right away assuming Brady is on schedule with his rehab? So would it be possible to have him traded and that $14+ million free again before free agency starts?

cassel will be good somewhere else but not great as not as good as he has been with us. brady understudy, coached by Bill, and the luxuries of moss, welker. won't find that in san fran or detroit!

Hi Joe. I don't have the exact trade deadline date but it's usually somewhere in mid-October. Mike, a trade of Cassel couldn't be consummated until Feb. 27 at the earliest.
--Mike

Mike! Great shout out today from SI's Peter King. He's right -- you are one of the best in the business. Go Pats in 2009!

Gotta agree with Jamie regarding Brady vs. Cassel. We all enjoyed watching Cassel play and develop next year. Under normal circumstances he'd be a great guy to lead the offense for the next decade. But we have the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL on our team. So enough with the nonsense.

I would also say to everyone who questions Brady's heart - (he has a girlfriend and a kid! he didn't participate in the offseason program! he wasn't on the sideline after he got hurt!) - just stop. Please. You're making the other 99% of Pats fans look like idiots.

I just want to know when BIll Polian will convine the Competition Committee to take up de-emphasis of defensive holding.

Keep Cassel. Trade Brady.

I agree with Jamie, Tom is Tom, and Matt is Matt..Apparently they both have their strengths but there is something Matt has not yet done and that is lead us to the SB. Yes that is right, even with the great season he had for us, I do believe Tom is a proven winner, and has great respect earned by his teamates, coaches, and everyone in the league. Though Matt will get his chance maybe in another team i do believe he will also be successful.

Just another thing, last year we had the O-LINE in the NFL, but when you look at this season I find the QB sacks were huge, meaning though someone might say that it's the OLINE fault,loosing 1 on 1 matchups, but as i read on a column here in the globe,someone said Tom Brady made our O-LINE looked the best, he has great pocket awareness, sees the blitz, and can take the hit, though Matt's pocket presence improved later in the season he really need to improve on this and i think somehow caused us some of the important games we should have won.

trade brady?? crazy talk. he'd join the jets or bills and terrorize the patriots for the next decade. he broke the TD record just last year and has led the patriots to three rings.

Brady will play 2 or 3 more years.
Brady had a serious injury, and today he is not healthy yet.
He earns 14 million dollars.

Only one game in the season (against Indy) we loose because of the offense.
We could give contract to MC with about 5-6 million/ year.
He is young, he is healthy, he could develop.
And from the different of the payments, we coluld sign two good D-players.
I think these are the facts.

Trade Brady!!!! Anyone who says that is a fool. We will be happy to have him! Thanks Boston!

Bill B. always seems to make the right call with personnel. Many wanted Cassel out as a back up, now everyone wants Cassel to replace Brady. If Cassel is traded (which I believe he'll be), then it's because Bill knows that Brady is okay, and, if not O'Connell or another can fill in, as did Cassel. Bill was right with Brady in the 6th, Cassel in the 7th, so why not O'Connell in the 3rd?

With regard to zinedine5's comment that "We could give contract to MC with about 5-6 million/year": there is no way that Matt Cassel would accept 5-6 mil/year, if the average of the top 5 QB's is around 14 mil. per year. A contract implies two parties.

As for Brady only playing "2-3 more years", I would remind you that Peyton Manning (the only QB a Brady's level) is about 4 to 5 years older, and he seems to be playing pretty well.

Finally, for your comment that Brady is "not yet healthy", unless you are on the Pat's medical staff, neither you nor I know how healthy Brady really is.

For Sal B!

Thanks for your comment, but:

Manning is one of the greatest, like Tom, and he is 32 now. (Tom is 31.)

I know, MC with the tag will get 14 millions for 2009, but I think with a long term contract in the first year, he could sign for 5-6 million. Like Derek Anderson.

And finally this, what I wrote is in the case if Tom is not healthy. If he is fully healthy, there is no question who will be the starting QB for us in 2009.