You don’t mess with Tom Brady. That is true on the sphere, and, apparently, it’s true within the locker room and within the parking zone too. Matt Cassel, Brady’s former backup for the New England Patriots, realized this lesson the onerous approach when he performed with the seven-time Tremendous Bowl-winning QB from 2005 to 2008.
Cassel just lately informed the story of how he thought he obtained the perfect of Brady till the present Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller proved in any other case throughout a prank struggle that Invoice Belichick needed to step in to cease.
Matt Cassel was the primary Tom Brady backup to seek out success
Being Tom Brady’s backup in New England has historically been a springboard to alternative within the NFL.
However, earlier than gamers like Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett, and even Ryan Mallett obtained probabilities within the NFL based mostly on their proximity to TB12, there was Matt Cassel.
Cassel spent 4 years at USC however didn’t begin a single sport at quarterback. He was the first backup to 2 Heisman Trophy winners, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. At 6-foot-4, 225-pounds with a powerful arm, although, the California native’s expertise was sufficient for the Pats to pick him within the seventh spherical of the 2005 NFL Draft.
In his first three seasons as Brady’s backup, Cassel threw a grand complete of 39 passes. Then, within the opening sport of the 2008 season, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs security Bernard Pollard hit Brady low, and the then-three-time Tremendous Bowl Champion tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee.
With Brady gone for the season, Cassel stepped in admirably. He guided the workforce to an 11-5 document whereas throwing for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. With Cassel on the helm, the Patriots barely missed out on the final Wildcard spot through a tie-breaker with the Baltimore Ravens.
After the spectacular understudy efficiency, Invoice Belichick traded Cassel to the Chiefs for a second-round choose, and the previous backup signed a six-year $63 million deal through the 2009 offseason.
Cassel performed 10 extra seasons within the NFL. In 2010, he led the Chiefs to a 10-6 document and made the Professional Bowl. He spent the final six seasons of his profession primarily as a backup once more with the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Payments, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Detroit Lions.
Cassel pranked Brady, and the revenge was swift and big
Professional athletes have a superb quantity of downtime of their workdays and infrequently flip to pulling pranks on one another to cross the time. Whereas Matt Cassel was backing up Tom Brady with the New England Patriots, the workforce had a legendary prank struggle that Cassel described this week on the Pat McAfee Present 2.0.
The battle began when Brady wedged his foot towards the lunchroom door, inflicting Cassel to run into it and spill his lunch throughout himself.
The battle escalated as Cassel stuffed Brady’s beloved Air Drive 1 sneakers with Gatorade powder and his underwear with Atomic balm. Brady responded by dumping a “full shake” over his backup’s head, and Cassel retaliated by doing the identical to Brady with a trash can.
As any NFL workforce that’s gone punch-for-punch with Brady on the sphere is aware of, although, he’s the GOAT as a result of he is aware of find out how to sink the dagger.
The celebrity informed Cassel he had till the top of observe to apologize for the pranks and begin calling him “Daddy Longshanks.” Cassel refused. He then described the second when he realized he ought to have simply executed what Brady requested:
I are available in, and there’s actually three tires from my automobile in entrance of my locker. The fourth one’s hidden someplace within the facility. I’m going out, and I look, and my automobile’s on blocks. Fully on blocks. Needed to get a experience residence for like three or 4 days earlier than I began calling [Brady] ‘Captain Longshanks’ for a short while. … And I do bear in mind pondering — and it’s a superb lesson — simply don’t mess with individuals who have more cash than you do.
Matt Cassel on prank struggle with Tom Brady
Regardless that Cassel realized his lesson about messing with Brady, the New England Patriots prank struggle didn’t finish there.
Invoice Belichick stopped the Patriots prank struggle
After the incident with Cassel’s automobile, the prank struggle continued.
Cassel defined that the Patriots’ offensive linemen on the time, led by three-time Professional Bowl sort out Matt Gentle, additionally obtained in on the motion. The group took foam peanuts, put them in Brady’s automobile, and “actually stuffed it to the brim.” They even put confetti in Brady’s AC vents.
When the workforce came upon about this prank, all of them congratulated Cassel on getting Brady again. Nonetheless, the backup was sufficiently scared by Brady’s final retribution that he distanced himself from this one.
The prank struggle might need continued indefinitely if Patriots head coach Invoice Belichick heard about what was happening. Dropping into his finest Belichick impersonation, Cassel defined:
Then Belichick obtained a maintain of it, and he’s like, ‘Look, this isn’t World Warfare 3. You guys have gotten to cease this s*** earlier than any person will get harm.’ And so, at that time, we type of shut it down.
Matt Cassel on Invoice Belichick
Cassel’s Patriots prank struggle story is a improbable story, however it additionally shed extra gentle on the greatness of Brady. One of many keys to his success for thus a few years is that there are many tales like this that present how, regardless of all his success, he’s simply one of many guys within the locker room.
It additionally reinforces one of many inalienable truths of the NFL: don’t mess with Tom Brady.
All stats courtesy of Professional Soccer Reference and contract figures courtesy of Spotrac
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