If the Pats are going to be a playoff team their defense is going to have to carry them but I'm not sure they can do it anymore. Certainly not like they did earlier in this decade. They still have talented recievers but I think they really need Brady to deliver the ball to them.
Hey, who knows, maybe Cassell just needs more playing time but he hasn't been a starter since high school, kind of worrysome. Time will tell.
They don't need Cassell to be Brady cuz thats not happening... what they need him to excel at is good ball management.. keep the mistakes down.. know when to THROW THE BALL AWAY!! under pressure.. and I agree the defence will have to step it up... thats very important..