After a tumultuous preseason, in which the New England faithful saw a horrible 0-4 finish and watched three seemingly inept backups struggle for two roster spots, all still seemed well in the world.
Tom Brady would start the season and fans would never again have to see Matt Cassel, except on the sidelines with a clipboard.
Bernard Pollard did the damage on Tom Brady's knee
All that hope came crashing down in Sunday's 17-10 win over Kansas City when Tom Brady was taken down by Chiefs safety Benard Pollard while stepping up in the pocket, his leg bending awkwardly underneath him. While he was able to walk off the field under his own power, as he headed for the stairs, it was obvious that this was not a run-of-the-mill knee injury.
Time to shine for Matt Cassel
It was clear. Tom Brady was done. The Matt Cassel era is now.
The fate of the Patriots' season now rests on the shoulders of a man who has not started a game since he played for Chatsworth High School.
Does that mean the season is over? No. Remember that Brady was a backup in college and in the pros before replacing Drew Bledsoe in the infamous sheared blood vessel incident.
But Brady is the exception, not the rule and Cassel has yet to show any signs that he is capable of leading this team.
Sunday's performance was a good start. The USC product connected on 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 152 yards and a touchdown. What's even more promising is he didn't turn the ball over.
However, he completed more passes Sunday than he has the rest of his career and his relatively good performance came against a defense that is less than stellar.
Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris aren't the answer
The Patriots don't have a power running game. Their schemes use running the football as a change of pace to the pass, as illustrated by the conference-leading 586 pass attempts last season. Laurence Maroney has yet to show to this point that he can be a feature guy and while this year the team also has a healthy Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan, it is hardly a crew that this team can feel comfortable leaning on.
Cassel cannot be that OK quarterback who doesn't turn the ball over and maybe passes for 150 yards and a touchdown every week. This team's entire playbook is heavy on the pass, so Cassel has to prove he's ready to step up and deliver.
Randy Moss and Wes Welker must step up
No one has ever questioned his arm strength and when you have Randy Moss running downfield, good things can come from that. Between Moss and Wes Welker, Cassel has two big-play receivers, so it's not as if the team is without talent. Also to Cassel's benefit is the fact that with the exception of Maroney, the team has a good group of pass-catching running backs. Sammy Morris had five catches on Sunday.
AFC East outlook
So can this team still compete? In the AFC East, yes, but that's not much to cheer about.
Even the much-improved Jets who were projected to finish second in the division aren't expected to finish over .500 this year. Without Tom Brady, all three of these teams have a shot at giving the Patriots trouble, but not much.
Light Patriots schedule helps
Outside the division, the Patriots play an easier schedule than last season. In fact, New England's out-of-division opponents this season, including Kansas City, posted a combined 75-85 record last season.
All of this bodes well and points to the season being far from over.
But it remains to be seen what Cassel can do and how he'll react to the pressure of being the guy in Foxboro for the remaining 15 games. The man who was almost cut this preseason now has to prove the Patriots were right in betting on him.
