On Pro Football

Hector Longo

FOXBORO — Cool, calm, competent.

Matt Cassel delivered the goods, leading the New England Patriots to a 17-10 opening day win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cassel's heroics came after the franchise, Tom Brady, tumbled to the turf after taking a nasty hit to his left knee. The Pats may need him to do it 15 or more times in a worst-case scenario.

Brady's backup, in his fourth season, had the right to fire back at his detractors after a 13-for-18, 152-yard, one-touchdown, no-interceptions effort.

And there were plenty of detractors after his preseason struggles (19 of 24, 165 yards, 0 TDs, 1 interception, 56.6 rating) had some calling for him to be cut.

The USC grad is much too smart to gloat, though. He has to be. How else do you explain that he's in his fourth pro season, despite never having started a football game in five years for the Trojans. He never even completed a TD pass while playing behind Trojan legends Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer.

"This is something I've been preparing for a long time," said Cassel, who actually was moved to tight end for a time in college. "I got a lot of reps during preseason and that ended up being pretty fortunate for me because I got a lot of looks. Obviously, there's an adrenaline pump that went on immediately."

Cassel's NFL reputation, or lack thereof, ended up playing a crucial role in his success.

On his first possession, New England was stacked up deep, third-and-11 from its own 1 after two runs nearly resulted in safeties.

"I'm thinking they're not going to let this guy come in and (throw it long). They're going to try and play it safe with a quick throw or something," said Chiefs cornerback Pat Surtain. "It's just a bad play on my part at that particular time."

Given the shot, Cassel read Surtain jumping Randy Moss as if it were a short route.

"On that particular play, it wasn't any kind of athleticism. He was reading me. It was just that one bone-headed play by me," added Surtain.

Regardless, Cassel made the read perfectly and delivered a strike to Moss, good for 51 yards to immediately stop the bleeding.

Seven plays later, the two connected again, this time for 10 yards and the first score of the season.

Cassel and the Pats finished the job, relying heavily on the run (the Pats rushed 28 times for 126 yards) and some clutch defense, including Deltha O'Neal's game saving knockaway in the end zone in the final minute of the game.

"They're still a really good team without Tom Brady," noted the man who knocked the reigning league MVP out with a first-quarter shot to the knee, safety Bernard Pollard.

Ironically, Cassel ended up outdueling a player that several NFL experts thought Bill Belichick might make a play for in the preseason, Chiefs backup Damon Huard.

"I don't really know Matt ... He did a good job leading his team to victory," said Huard, a former Patriot who entered the game in the third quarter when Brodie Croyle went down with a shoulder injury.

"(Being a backup) is kind of like coming out of the bullpen, being a reliever. In this league, you expect to be coming in. You have to be ready to go every week because injuries happen."

Cassel, who played the whole preseason, proved he's no Billy Joe Hobert, the Bills backup who was released in 1997 after admitting he didn't prepare during the week.

The preseason, and Brady's balky right foot, were a blessing for Cassel.

"They ran their offense for the most part," said Chiefs coach Herm Edwards.

And they ran it efficiently, chewing out 237 yards on 44 plays — 5.4 yards per attempt, good for all 17 points.

Brady's knee did not look good. In fact, Cassel might now be in this thing for the long haul, like it or not.

"There's only one Brady," said Pollard, a fact anyone who has seen this team since 2001 knows quite well.

But right now, because of Cassel acing the first real football exam since high school (his last real start was in 1999 for the Chatsworth (Calif.) High Chancellors), the Pats can feel a bit more at ease.

And on a day like this, it's all anyone could ask or expect.

Hector Longo is an Eagle-Tribune sportswriter. E-mail him at hlongo@eagletribune.com.

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