Saturday night, Matt Cassel made the Arizona Cardinals defense look about as effective as the security team at 400 Soundbar.
After listing Cassel's accomplishments on the night:
For this, he received golf claps. When Teddy Bridgewater completed a few passes in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead score with 18 seconds left, against a defense comprised of future baristas, he received the full “Teddy! Teddy!” chant.
I guess I'm missing the point because there's nothing here. Everyone -- including Cassel -- knows that Teddy is the future. He's getting those chants because the fans know this. Not a big deal in my opinion.
Sure, there's that. But I thought his point was well made. Cassel was electric last night and definitely deserves to be the starter. I find Souhan to be pretty funny, despite his shortcomings. I know others do not.
Did you post in another thread that you got to go to the game? If so, how fortunate! That was one of the most entertaining PRESEASON games I've ever seen, from beginning to end. How did TCF feel? When they showed the future stadium on the air, I told my son we'd be going to see a game there soon. Can't wait.
Yeah, man. It was a blast. Money well spent. Very entertaining game and the college setting made it feel more intimate in terms of being so close to all the action. Definitely need to make it back over here when the new stadium opens.
It's hard to gauge. Cassel played with the first team offense against the Cards' first team defense and marched us up the field at will. Teddy came in and played well too, but he was playing against second and third string defenders, and was himself not playing with the first team offense. Apples and oranges. Both played very well, no doubting that.
dead_poet wrote:
Meh. I wouldn't call anything he did "electric." He was efficient. As a Vikings fan, I won't be picky. I'll take efficiency all day long.
I agree. I liked Cassel's work in the game for that reason. But then I see his job as being an efficient and effective starter until Bridgewater is ready to take over.
On another note, I believe Cassel's arm strength is mildly underrated. The guy can put zip on the ball when he sets up. And while he's not a scrambler, he's smart and athletic enough to pick up yardage with his legs, which is good to see.
dead_poet wrote:
Meh. I wouldn't call anything he did "electric." He was efficient. As a Vikings fan, I won't be picky. I'll take efficiency all day long.
We saw things differently.
I saw a guy very determined and confident--leading his team by example. I really like what I'm seeing out of Cassel this preseason.
The Cardinals had a top notch pass defense last year, top 10 in most categories, so that made Cassels performance all the more encouraging. He was pretty bad last year vs good defenses (Carolina, Seattle, Cincinnati). Teddy despite going up against the backups, he faced a lot of pressure (blitzes and game situation) and I thought he handled it perfectly. He did everything right. At this point I still think Cassel should be the starter. If he falls on his face in these final 2 games and Teddy continues to shine, then I think we have a real controversy on our hands.
"Our playoff loss to the Vikings in '87 was probably the most traumatic experience I had in sports." -- Bill Walsh
Cassel is looking like a starter. A solid player, serviceable, but not flashy like some. Loved the runs, even though he's not a 'pretty' runner LOL
I was glad to see Bridgewater get in some good, solid work against a decent defense. That's what it's going to take to get him up to speed. He's awfully calm for a rookie though! I almost felt better when I saw the happy feet at one time, and that drives me nuts usually.
~Ginny~
A woman is only vulnerable while her nails are wet. Even then, she can pull the trigger if she needs to.
dead_poet wrote:
I think we just have different definitions of the word "electric."
Were you thinking literally? Like he was full of static electricity? Or like the emperor from Return of the Jedi, he had lightening bolts coming out of his fingers?
Call it "efficient" if you must; but if he plays like that all year, we will have no problems putting points on the board this year. 125.3 Rating should do just fine.
losperros wrote:On another note, I believe Cassel's arm strength is mildly underrated. The guy can put zip on the ball when he sets up.
That's the first thing I noticed when he started the Steelers game last year. Maybe we had gotten so used to Ponders floaters that we forgot what real zip looked like lol. But yeah, I would have to agree, arm strength doesn't seem to be a concern with Cassel.
"Our playoff loss to the Vikings in '87 was probably the most traumatic experience I had in sports." -- Bill Walsh
