High School Game Plan Fails Patriots

Today was the perfect time to open the Patriots offense for Matt Cassel and let him start airing the ball out. Instead the Patriots stuck with their past games plans and continued to work on short passes that made the completion percent look nice but nothing else.

If Matt Cassel can't be the quarterback who can pass the ball down field and help the offense score points then don't put him on the field.

We would be better off using the game time in a failed season to develop a younger Kevin O'Connell, because if Cassel can't be a down field passer now, he never will be, he is completely useless to the New England Patriots.

Losing today was tough to take, it was the Miami Dolphins after all. Several people have used the words "karma is a bitch" or "karma sucks" and while that maybe true, right now I'm not upset about losing to Miami, I am upset with how we managed to lose.

Trailing 21-6 with about a minute left in the first half and knowing Miami gets the ball first in the second half, the Patriots offense went out on the field and continued to good off with the damn short passes.

I don't care if coverage was tight, at some point you need to say the hell with it, send Randy Moss deep, air it out and let Moss do what he does best, make amazing plays.

Early in the fourth quarter the Patriots had a series that went, incomplete short left, Cassel 2 yard rush, Cassel 2 yard rush, punt. It was clear even before then that this team gave up.

The Patriots have a bye next week and then have back-to-back games out west, first in San Francisco and then in San Diego. It may benefit the team to remain out west between games, if not to save them from the excessive jet lag, than to save the players from seeing the trashing they are sure to take in the media over the next couple weeks.

If the Patriots aren't competitive in three weeks against the Chargers it will be clear this team is toast for 2008.

At least we have the ability to look forward to the day Tom Brady returns to the huddle for the Patriots.