Cassel Will Take It Slow With Patriots

They had a three-time All-Pro quarterback on their roster, but the New England Patriots sensed there might be something special about the lanky college kid and selected him late in the NFL draft.

The year was 2000, and Tom Brady, chosen 199th overall, eventually displaced Drew Bledsoe and became the leader of a team that has won three Super Bowls in the last four years.

Matt Cassel knows the story line.

Cassel, who sat behind two Heisman Trophy winners and threw 33 passes during five seasons at USC, was selected by the Patriots in the seventh and last round of last week’s NFL draft. He began his indoctrination Friday, the first day of a three-day rookie mini-camp in Foxboro, Mass.

“It’s been made quite clear,� Cassel said in a brief phone interview Friday night. “You’re no longer on a four-year scholarship program. You’re in the NFL and you have to earn your keep. You have to act like a professional.�

Cassel, chosen 230th overall, has no illusions about challenging for playing time. Besides growing-legend Brady -- “I’d like to refer to him as Mr. Brady until told otherwise,� Cassel said -- the Patriots also have quarterbacks Rohan Davey and Chris Redman, and Friday they signed 42-year-old Doug Flutie.

Cassel is the only quarterback at the mini-camp. The players practiced twice on Friday and Cassel said he got plenty of repetitions in a system that utilized terminology similar to what he learned at USC.

“The best-case scenario is to go in and compete, show them I can do some things, and make them confident enough to go with me as a No. 3 guy,� Cassel said last week. “The worst-case is that they put me on the developmental squad, which will allow me to develop in the system. Either way, it’s an incredible opportunity.�

And an incredible turn of fortune.

Cassel, 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, backed up Carson Palmer for two seasons and Matt Leinart for most of two more. He was moved to tight end midway through the 2003 season but requested and was granted a return to quarterback last season.

During his college career, Cassel, 22, completed 20 of 33 passes for 192 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. His biggest play? Recovering an onside kick that helped ensure the Trojans’ 29-24 victory over UCLA at the Rose Bowl last season.

Cassel, however, impressed scouts during a workout at USC in late March and was drafted, whereas 2003 Heisman winner Jason White of Oklahoma and Timmy Chang of Hawaii, the NCAA’s all-time passing yardage leader, were passed over.

“He really hasn’t had the opportunity under fire, but he has shown a lot of talent and has been behind two of the very best quarterbacks in college football,� Patriot Coach Bill Belichick told Associated Press after the team selected Cassel.

Patriot tight end Christian Fauria said Cassel stood to benefit from a system that has developed other outstanding role players.

“They have the foresight to see the potential in a guy,� Fauria said in a phone interview Friday. “They’ll say, ‘Listen, he’s not Tarzan right now, we know that. Let’s give him some time to eventually turn him into a player.’ �

When Cassel arrived at USC from Chatsworth High in 2000, he thought he would possess bona-fide NFL credentials by the time he finished his eligibility.

But he red-shirted his first season and backed up the strong-armed Palmer in 2001 and 2002, the year Palmer won the Heisman. Leinart then beat out Cassel for the starting job during 2003 spring practice.

“There was a time when I thought, ‘God, this whole football thing might not work out for me,’ � he said last week. “At some point, you can only go through so much because it starts to take a toll.�

Cassel missed spring practice last year to play for the Trojan baseball team. In May, he told Coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Norm Chow that he wanted to play his last season at quarterback.

“I was just coming back, really, to make a statement that I enjoyed the quarterback position and wanted to end the way I started,� said Cassel, who was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 36th round of the 2004 baseball draft.

With Leinart on his way to the Heisman Trophy, Cassel played sparingly as the Trojans won their second consecutive national title. He completed 10 of 14 passes and was not invited to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, the Senior Bowl or any other event that serves as an evaluation forum.

Instead, Cassel set his sights on March 23, the day NFL scouts and coaches would descend on USC to evaluate draft-eligible Trojans.

That day, Cassel threw better than perhaps at any time in his career.

“You kind of get in a zone,� he said. “Every throw was just, ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’ It was a great day.�

Said Carroll: “He was like a pinch-hitter who came in and hit the ball out of the park.�

Nearly a dozen scouts requested that Cassel send them tapes of his throws from practices and games over the years. As the draft approached, about seven teams told Cassel they wanted to draft him late or sign him as a free agent.

When the seventh round began last Sunday, Cassel’s phone began ringing with calls from NFL personnel directors.

“I was like, ‘Hello, hello, hello.’ It was just nuts,� he recalled.

Once the Patriots were on the clock, Cassel’s phone rang again. He was told that Belichick wanted to speak to him.

“I ran down the hall as fast as I could to see the television,� Cassel said, laughing. “Then I hear in my phone, ‘Matt, this is Coach Belichick. I want to say congratulations. It’s official. You’re a Patriot.’ �

Cassel called his selection by the Super Bowl champions a perfect fit. The Patriots have thrived by adhering to a team concept, and Cassel said his humble nature and his experiences at USC left him well prepared for his new challenge.

“Being a good guy, being a team player -- it’s become quite pivotal in how they look at you these days,� he said. “Teams really take into account character. For me, obviously, it really helped in the whole process.�