If New England fails to make the playoffs, could it be the last time Cassel plays quarterback for the Patriots?
"I don't know," Cassel said yesterday. "Nobody knows the future. If anybody knew the future, I probably wouldn't be here right now, with a lot of people predicting that I wouldn't be here after the preseason.
"The fact is, nobody knows where I'm going to be next year and I could definitely be back here, but it's some thing that we're going to have to wait and see."
"We're not looking at it like that," said wide receiver Jabar Gaffney. "We know that Matt loves it around here and, hopefully, we will have another game after this one."
If the Patriots do qualify for the tournament, it will prolong what's already been "a long journey" for Cassel, who ascended from the role of lightly regarded backup to emergency starter when Tom Brady suffered a season-ending left knee injury on the 15th play of the opener Sept. 7 vs. the Chiefs.
Cassel's journey took a jarring personal detour when he dealt with the Dec. 9 death of his 52-year-old father, Greg. Cassel rebounded from that family tragedy to guide New England to back-to-back wins at Oakland Dec. 7 (49-26) and vs. Arizona last Sunday (47-7), giving the Patriots a 10-5 record.
"When you first jump in there, you have to establish a new role for yourself and amongst your players in the locker room as a leader," said Cassel, reflecting on his season. "And then, as you move forward in the season and you start to earn the respect of your teammates and coaches, then it starts to become fun again and you start to have fun playing the game.
"As a quarterback, all you want to look for is that you want to continue to progress and that you continue to give your team the best opportunity to win each and every week, and I think, for the most part this season, I've been able to do that."
But it remains to be seen whether Cassel will continue to do so next season.
The invaluable experience Cassel gained this season likely will make him a hot commodity on the open market. He will be able to peddle himself as a leading man rather than an understudy to those teams desperate for an experienced starter.
