It's time for the Patriots to end the Matt Cassel experiment

October 14, 1:23 AMNew England Patriots ExaminerSean Crowe

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Is it time for the Patriots to bench Matt Cassel?

Admit it. Four years ago, when the Patriots drafted the backup quarterback for the USC Trojans, you were intrigued.

It was an experiment that only Bill Belichick would have the guts to even think about. If any other administration in professional sports drafted a backup who hadn’t started a game in four years, they’d be laughed out of town—or more likely thrown out of town.

But not the Patriots. They’ve earned a level of respect that the other professional teams in Boston can only wish to achieve.

Bill Belichick is a genius. He did the impossible. He transformed the Patriots from one of the most incompetent franchises in professional sports to the team of the decade. He deserves to have a pet project or two, even if the only motive is to prove how much smarter he is than everyone else.

Because, after all, he is smarter than everyone else. At least, everyone else who happens to be running an NFL football team.

So, we were perfectly willing to play along with this experiment. Until now.

It’s time to admit that the Matt Cassel project is a complete and utter failure. Patriot fans were ready to admit this in the preseason, but we were OK keeping him on the team as long as he was holding Brady’s clipboard. When the unthinkable happened, we all rallied around Cassel. We wanted him to succeed. We wanted him to be the latest example of Bill Belichick’s brilliance.

But hey, even geniuses screw up every once in awhile.

I’m willing to listen to pro-Cassel arguments. I just can’t come up with any of my own.

To believe that Matt Cassel is passable as an NFL quarterback, you have to also believe all of the following:

*The Patriots’ wide receivers, who were historically good last season, have completely lost the ability to get open. The way Cassel bounces around the pocket looking for an open receiver, you’d think he had Vincent Brisby and Ray Crittenden running routes instead of Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

*The Patriots’ offensive line has completely lost the ability to pass block. Did Brady made the offensive line look better than it was? Probably. But there is absolutely no doubt that Matt Cassel is making them look worse than they really are.

*The Patriots’ offense, the same one that broke all sorts of NFL records last season, was really just Tom Brady. Everyone else was riding his coattails. Interchangeable parts that would be nothing without Tom Brady throwing them the ball.

I refuse to buy any of that rubbish.

Even the defense has suffered. Aside from a few big plays, they played pretty admirably in the first half despite the fact that their offense couldn’t do anything.

At the start of the third quarter, Cassel had three chances throwing the ball (don’t get me started on this) from the 1-yard line. He failed miserably, in a fashion that reminded long time Patriot fans of the immortal Tony Eason.

It’s never good when a Patriot fan compares the Patriots’ current starting quarterback to Tony Eason. Trust me on this one.

Their inability to score completely deflated the team. The Chargers took advantage, driving 98 yards for a touchdown. Then they forced a Matt Cassel interception on the Patriots’ next possession.

It’s hard to be perfect on defense, and when your offense can’t score more than 17 points against anyone except the 49ers, it’s deflating.

It’s time to play the rookie, Kevin O’Connell. Or Matt Gutierrez even. But one thing is for sure: Matt Cassel can’t be the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots.

I lived through Tony Eason the first time. My heart can’t take another go-around.