Matt Cassel
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| New England Patriots — No. 16 | |
| Quarterback | |
| Date of birth: May 17, 1982 | |
| Place of birth: Northridge, California | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 232 lb (105 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2005 for the New England Patriots | |
| Career history | |
| College: Southern California | |
| NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 7 / Pick: 230 | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season) |
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| TD-INT | 2-2 |
| Passing yards | 253 |
| QB Rating | 71.8 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Matthew Brennan Cassel (pronounced /mæt 'kæsəl/) (born May 17, 1982 in Northridge, California) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the NFL.
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[edit] Youth and high school career
Cassel was a member of the Northridge, California baseball team that reached the finals of the 1994 Little League World Series.[1]
Cassel attended Chatsworth High School and was a letterman and standout in football and baseball. As a senior, he was ranked as the number eight quarterback and number 53 overall of the top high school players in the nation according to ESPN's Tom Lemming's Top 100. Lemming stated he was a "Pro-style pocket passer with a very strong, accurate delivery."[2] As of February 2008 (and despite years in the NCAA and NFL) high school remains the last time Cassel was a starting quarterback.[3]
[edit] College career
Cassel spent all of his time at USC as a backup behind Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. Cassel was the backup for Palmer during his Heisman-winning 2002 season. In the fall, Cassel lost the battle for the starting position to the previous third-string quarterback in Leinart. As a result of Leinart's success, Cassel spent time at tight end, even making his lone collegiate start at that position. He eventually returned to the quarterback position and was once again the backup during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He is the only football player in NCAA history to have backed up two Heisman winning quarterbacks. Moreover, in his first season in New England, he was third on the Patriots' depth chart behind Heisman winner Doug Flutie; in 2006, he was on the 45-man active roster for every game, while yet another Heisman winner, Vinny Testaverde, was designated as the Patriots' emergency quarterback.
[edit] Professional career
Cassel was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft with the 230th overall pick, ahead of more accomplished college quarterbacks such as Timmy Chang and Heisman winner Jason White.
As Tom Brady had done in 2000, when he himself was a late-round draft choice, Cassel worked hard in training camp and made the team, which resulted in the release of backup Rohan Davey.
Cassel began the 2005 season third on the Patriots depth chart, behind the talented Brady and Flutie. He saw his first regular season action in the closing minutes of the Patriots' 41-17 loss to the San Diego Chargers on October 2, 2005, going 2-for-4 for 15 yards and throwing an interception.
In the Patriots' final game of the 2005 regular season, a 28-26 loss to the Miami Dolphins on January 1, 2006, Cassel played the final three quarters. Though he was sacked for a safety, he threw two touchdown passes, one to Tim Dwight, and the second to Benjamin Watson. The pass to Dwight set up Flutie's drop-kick goal (the first such goal since 1941).
Following Flutie's retirement in the 2006 offseason, Cassel moved up to second on the Patriots' depth chart. Although the Patriots considered signing a veteran quarterback to compete with him, Cassel played well in preseason and became the primary backup to Tom Brady.
In Week 16 of the 2006 season, after injuries to Josh Miller and Ken Walter, Cassel assumed duties as holder for kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
In Week 7 of the 2007 season, Cassel's second pass was intercepted by Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins and returned for a touchdown. The next week, after the Patriots pulled ahead of the Washington Redskins by more than 30 points, he capped off the 52 to 7 blowout with a memorable 15 yard touchdown run in which he dove over two Redskins defenders.
[edit] Personal
His older brother, Jack, is a pitcher in the Houston Astros organization. Cassel's younger brother, Justin, is a pitcher for the Birmingham Barons, a AA baseball affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.
Matt played one season of baseball for USC (2004) and was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 36th round of the 2004 MLB Draft.
He was a communication major at USC.
[edit] Career stats (as of January 5 2008)
| Year | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Comp | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2005 | 24 | 13 | 183 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 2.0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 5 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | 22 | 253 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 28 | 2.3 | 1 | |
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ [1] "Exit Interview: Matt Cassel" Accessed 12 August 2006.
- ^ ESPN.com - RECRUITING - Tom Lemming's Top 100
- ^ Tom Casale, Cassel has fun while he waits, Patriots Football Weekly, July 23, 2007.
