Pioli played the Pats

[unicar15]

IMO it was Pioli who was the mastermind of building that team. But whats even better is he is the mastermind of taking that team to the woodshed in this trade that he just pulled off. He just got arguably the Pats biggest team leader AND a QB with a cannon arm...all for a 2nd round draft pick. It is my suspicion that Pioli knew all along that he was going to the Chiefs as soon as the season ended and that his first move would be to get Matt Cassel. In order to get Cassel he knew that he would have to set up the Pats so that they had no choice but to franchise him after he left. So...he convinced everyone in that organization that it was in their best interest to franchise Cassel (despite knowing that Brady is gonna be back and ready to go). Therefore the Pats had too much cap tied up in QBs and would then have no leverage to trade Cassel to anyone other than the Chiefs because there is not a big market out there for the QB. The bare market for Cassel combined with the Pats cap situation forces them to play to the Chiefs demands and they end up having to give away not only a good QB but also a very experienced LB.

Kudos to Pioli he played this one perfectly...

[Delhommey]

So he's a genius because he somehow set up a situation where he would have to send the Pats compensation rather than simply signing Cassel as a free agent and not losing any picks?

[Fireball77]

Doesn't the Tampa-Den three way scenario indicate otherwise about the market for Cassel? All it takes is two teams bidding/interested for there to be some competition.

[dimbee]

I see where you're going with this! I'll bet that Pioli even went so far as to advise Bernard Pollard that he should go low at Brady

[scpanther22]

the pats dont wont the 3rd overall...it will cost to much for them so they took the 2nd it was a good business move.seeing as they have some good draft picks already..

[Kevin Greene]

They took the second and upwards of 17 million in cap space for Cassel.

This is the kind of cap move you see all the time in the NBA. Expiring contracts sometimes worth more than players themselves.

[unicar15]

Getting rid of a guy who is a potential franchise QB and one of the leaders on your defense for a 2nd round pick in order to save cap room isn't so much a good decision as it is an unavoidable one. Pioli knew that and he took advantage...

[monstercat]

Read this...http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1155427&srvc=sports&position=0

And perhaps he did. But if the many in these parts who believe Bill Belichick is Einstein in a hoodie are correct, what Pioli may have gotten instead is Scott Mitchell the sequel and an expensive linebacker on the wrong end of the football timeline.

What the Patriots learned during the past few weeks is the market for Cassel was neither deep nor strong. Even two teams thought to be interested, Detroit and Tampa, are now said to have been seeking Cassel only to deal him to Denver to acquire the more highly regarded Jay Cutler.

[scpanther22]

Getting rid of a guy who is a potential franchise QB and one of the leaders on your defense for a 2nd round pick in order to save cap room isn't so much a good decision as it is an unavoidable one. Pioli knew that and he took advantage...

they already have a franchise QB..and they dont wont to give a huge contract with the 3rd overall to a unproven rookie it was a smart move to take the 2nd

[Fireball77]

OK how many times in the NFL have you EVER seen a team trade for a player UNDER the FT# with no LT deal in place/agreed to? I can't remember once. Perhaps that is the reason they "settled" for a 2 as well.

[MadHatter]

IMO it was Pioli who was the mastermind of building that team. But whats even better is he is the mastermind of taking that team to the woodshed in this trade that he just pulled off. He just got arguably the Pats biggest team leader AND a QB with a cannon arm...all for a 2nd round draft pick. It is my suspicion that Pioli knew all along that he was going to the Chiefs as soon as the season ended and that his first move would be to get Matt Cassel. In order to get Cassel he knew that he would have to set up the Pats so that they had no choice but to franchise him after he left. So...he convinced everyone in that organization that it was in their best interest to franchise Cassel (despite knowing that Brady is gonna be back and ready to go). Therefore the Pats had too much cap tied up in QBs and would then have no leverage to trade Cassel to anyone other than the Chiefs because there is not a big market out there for the QB. The bare market for Cassel combined with the Pats cap situation forces them to play to the Chiefs demands and they end up having to give away not only a good QB but also a very experienced LB.

Kudos to Pioli he played this one perfectly...

Did you actually just use "Cannon Arm" to describe Cassell? Are you kididng me? His arm strength is his weakness. He does NOT have a cannon arm.

I like Cassell and think he would be a successful QB in the right system. However, he does not have great arm strength.