"I think, for me, the hardest thing is looking at some of the guys and how hard they worked and seeing the looks on their faces and the disappointment with not making the team," said running back LaMont Jordan, who is entering his eighth cutdown day. "This is a business, but at the same time, that's the hard thing about this business is that you see a guy who has been there for every workout, comes out and busts their tail in the workouts, and they just don't make the team."
It's not just the players who are released who suffer. Often the teammates they leave behind are just as disappointed to have lost a coworker and confidant.
"One day a guy is your friend, the next day he's gone," said defensive end Jarvis Green. "So that's part of the business and that's the way it is. It's a performance business, the NFL."
There are a few players who will be fretting over their job security today. Veterans such as linebacker Victor Hobson and offensive linemen John Welbourn and Mike Flynn; young players such as safety Antwain Spann, wide receiver Chad Jackson, and quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Matt Gutierrez; and rookies such as linebackers Vince Redd and Gary Guyton and safety/wide receiver/return man Matthew Slater find themselves with a tenuous hold on employment.
The biggest decision coach Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli must make is at quarterback. They can either elect to carry three behind Tom Brady, who sat out the preseason, or go with two backups, in which case either Cassel or Gutierrez will be sent packing.
Neither did much to aid his cause Thursday in the Patriots' 19-14 loss to the Giants. Cassel, who finished the preseason 19 of 34 (55.9 percent) for 165 yards and an interception, was 4 of 6 for 37 yards in two series. Gutierrez had more playing time - five series - but was 5 of 9 for 69 yards and an interception. He ended the preseason 29 of 45 (64.4 percent) for 362 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.
