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Jeff Howe is an award-winning sportswriter who is in his second season as the lead writer on the Celtics beat for the Boston Metro.  
 
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Published 20:24, May the 21st, 2008
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In three years as Tom Brady’s backup, Cassel has seen limited action. In three years as Tom Brady’s backup, Cassel has seen limited action. 
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
 

Back to backup?

Cassel aiming to fend off challengers for No. 2 QB spot

NFL. Matt Cassel doesn’t want to be just another cautionary tale.

Under Bill Belichick, backup quarterbacks usually have a relatively short shelf life. Just ask previous backups like Rohan Davey, Damon Huard or Michael Bishop, all of whom lasted no more than three seasons in Foxborough before moving for a variety of reasons. With Cassel entering his fourth season with the Patriots — and the final year of his contract — it’s reasonable to assume that Cassel needs a strong preseason if he wants to stick around.

However, despite the fact that the Patriots drafted quarterback Kevin O’Connell and still have Matt Gutierrez in their system, Cassel says he’s preparing for the 2008 season in the same fashion he’s always done.

“The draft is the draft — you figure they’re going to bring people in,” Cassel said. “It was one of those things where I just accepted it and said, ‘There’s a little bit more competition here, and you have to go out and do your job.’”

Sitting behind Tom Brady the last three seasons, Cassel hasn’t gotten the sort of reps a quarterback would really need to succeed in the NFL. (Brady has started 127 consecutive regular-season and playoff games.) When he’s seen action, he’s been a bit of a mixed bag: there was a nice touchdown drive against Miami at the end of the 2005 season and a strong performance this past season against Washington. But there have also been some subpar performances, including an ugly interception this past year against Miami that caused Belichick to put Brady back into the game. After the draft, NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger lauded the Patriots for getting someone “to replace Matt Cassel.”

Cassel shrugs off the criticism, saying his only goal is to go out and try to remain the “second-best quarterback” on the Patriots.

“I don’t put any added pressure on myself,” he said. “I just go out and try to play to the best of my abilities and try and get better each and every day, and show that I’m the second- best quarterback on my team behind Tom, and prove that to the coaches and my teammates.”
 

 
 
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