Brady being traded?

[Dphins4me]

A team does not have to give up two #1's for him if the Pats are willing to take less. 

No one would give up two #1's for a QB coming off one good year after years of riding the pine.  If he bombs with his new team, that team is crippled for years.

  Yes, they do.  If they simply sign him to a contract. 

Now, they can work out a trade, then sign him to a new deal, but if they simply sign him to a new contract then its 2 No. 1's.  ( This is assuming that Cassel has not already signed the franchise tender - if he had then the only way for a team to get him is to work out a trade )

[Dphins4me]

Bledsoe was not on the IR - in fact he played in a playoff game after Brady injured his ankle (? maybe knee) on a play. They would not have made the Super Bowl if not for Bledsoe's play in that game

  That is correct.    My error in forgetting Bledsoe was not out for the year, when he was hurt in the 2nd game.

[fyo]

This is assuming that Cassel has not already signed the franchise tender - if he had then the only way for a team to get him is to work out a trade

Ahh, but Cassel HAS signed the franchise tender.

OK, technically he hasn't... because technically, the Patriots have only notified him (and the NFL and the NFLPA) that they are franchising him. He then replied (officially, to the Patriots, the NLF and the NFLPA) that he accepted the tender.

The actual contract signing takes place whenever the team gets around to actually sending the contract to Cassel (or his agent).

[Pats2006]

Will not happen.  Is he starting? Thats another question to ask.  If he does start Cassel is getting traded!

[Defense54]

Will not happen.  Is he starting? Thats another question to ask.  If he does start Cassel is getting traded!

Will you cry if it does happen? 

[Pats2006]

Will you cry if it does happen? 

Nope, Cassel is a good QB as well.  Something that you wouldn't know,  you haven't had one in a long time!!

[Frimp]

Nope, Cassel is a good QB as well.  Something that you wouldn't know,  you haven't had one in a long time!!

Uhhhh...We have one now, and have had good ones pretty much our entire existance with the exception of the last 4 years. (Or 10 years if you are a Fiedler hater which I am not)

[NADS]

From something Dphins4me found:

The Pats were going to offer Welker a seven-year, $38 million deal, which would have become fully guaranteed had the receiver played four games in Florida (assumed to be this year). While this isn't illegal, it's not necessarily an accepted practice. As a result, the teams worked out a trade where the Pats sent the Dolphins the second-round pick they would have received anyway, and included a seventh-rounder as a gesture of good faith.

A 7th rounder as a gesture of good faith so the Pats wouldn't have to pony up the cash?  It looks good in print but sounds like bullshit to me.  Huizenga boned it.

Same with Peyton Manning.

Don't kid yourself, Brady and Manning are unbelievably good at what they do.  Sure, they've got some weapons but they know how to read defenses and are both quite accurate.

[fyo]

A 7th rounder as a gesture of good faith so the Pats wouldn't have to pony up the cash?  It looks good in print but sounds like bullshit to me.  Huizenga boned it.

I disagree. That poison pills are allowed makes a complete joke of the "matching contract" clause in the restricted free agent designation.

It's perfectly valid to believe Huizenga botched it, but any botching occurred much earlier. Huizenga could have worked out a deal with Welker, preventing him from getting RFA status in the first place - or a higher tender could've been placed on Welker. That would have assured the Dolphins of getting at least a first-round pick.

Personally, I'm still not sure if Welker is worth it. He is to the Patriots (and therefore, you might argue, he is to any competitor, including us), but as much as I like him, I just don't think he's worth millions a year.

[Defense54]

Nope, Cassel is a good QB as well.  Something that you wouldn't know,  you haven't had one in a long time!!

Sorry if you didn't notice.........but you don't get to be the AFC EAST Champs without a decent QB.  If White Cassel was so good you would have thought he would have at least made the playoffs with a 11-5 record no? 

[MaineDolFan]

Nope, Cassel is a good QB as well.  Something that you wouldn't know,  you haven't had one in a long time!!

Dude - try to see things in reality and not through Patriot colored glasses.  Pennington was head and shoulders better than Cassel this season and had a lot less to work with.  Miami's top WR wouldn't be a fourth WR in NE.

Who won the AFC East this year?  Was it NE?  I can't recall.

[Sunstroke]

Dude - try to see things in reality and not through Patriot colored glasses.  Pennington was head and shoulders better than Cassel this season and had a lot less to work with.  Miami's top WR wouldn't be a fourth WR in NE.

I am not putting Pennington above Cassel in the current QB class...I just can't. Sure, Pennington is accurate on the short routes, and manages a game well, but Cassel has accuracy AND can throw the deep ball. I am thankful that Pennington did an outstanding job "managing" the offense this past season, but if I had to come to camp with one or the other for this upcoming season, I'd take Cassel. I was impressed enough by his first season as a starter...

...but I do like your aqua and orange glasses though.

[Brian Fein]

We joked during the season that Cassel would look downfield after the snap and if Moss wasn't wide open, he'd tuck-and-run.

It was funny because it seemed like it was true.  He doesn't seem to have great "he's covered, look at the next guy" ability.  I've seen him take off scrambling a few times while the pocket was still intact and he had time to throw, but just didn't look at the check down.

[MaineDolFan]

I am not putting Pennington above Cassel in the current QB class...I just can't.

Cassel - in a system built for over rated QB success - and heaven on earth in WR help, didn't put up the over all stats that Pennington did.  Sorry, Pennington was a better QB this season.  First year in the system, a patched together o-line at times, non-existing running game at times and WRs that scream "who?"

[Sunstroke]

Sorry, Pennington was a better QB this season.  First year in the system, a patched together o-line at times, non-existing running game at times and WRs that scream "who?"

Take out the "who" WRs at the end, and I thought you were talking about Cassel there. NE had O-line issues all season long, their best RB (Morris) wouldn't crack the Ronnie-Ricky tandem and it was his first year starting at QB since HS.

I'm judging both QBs by what I saw on the field. Pennington's a better game manager, and Cassel is the better overall QB. Stronger arm on the deep ball, tighter spiral on the mid routes and much more mobility.