Nov 14th 2008 9:34AM by Shane Bacon (author feed)
Filed under: Patriots, AFC EastNope, understudy quarterback Matt Cassel wasn’t able to carry New England to victory on Thursday night. The Patriots dropped to the Jets last night in a thriller of a football game, mainly because they had to play catch up and couldn’t stop the Jets offense when it mattered most.

None of that matters, however, when talking about Matt Cassel. This was his breakout game, and what a performance it was.

All the unknown players have one of these before they become household names. Tony Romo had his game against the Buccaneers in 2006, throwing five touchdowns and no interceptions in just his fifth start as a Cowboy. Tom Brady had his in 2001, a three touchdown performance against his soon-to-be foe Peyton Manning as the Patriots took down the Colts at Indianapolis and set us up for years of Brady-Manning showdowns.

Thursday night was Cassel’s birth, a 30 of 51 performance with three touchdowns and 400 total passing yards. The numbers can ‘t exactly explain that final drive though.

If composure was a verb, it would have been Cassel at the end of regulation. Cassel to Ben Watson for nine yards. Cassel to Watson for 11 yards. Cassel to Wes Welker for 17 yards, every time making sure to get his team to the line and spike the ball a split second after they were set.Continue Reading