For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Cliff who? The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has just gotten quite a bit of company: As many as 6,600 graves at the country’s hallowed Arlington National Cemetery for fallen U.S. service members may be mislabeled, one lawmaker said on Thursday.New claims for unemployment benefits slipped last week, but stayed at a stubbornly high level that underscored the labor market recovery was having trouble gaining traction.J.A. Happ said all the right things, just as the crafty lefty always has.Julian Assange, founder of the website that published more than 91,000 secret U.S. military reports from Afghanistan, says he’s revealing injustices. President Barack Obama says he’s concerned that disclosure of sensitive information may harm military operations.1. Will the Jets regret cutting Faneca?For many job-hopping careerists, smuggling a resignation letter in their bag like a guilty secret, there are few workplace rituals so hard as saying so long.Subletting in NYC typically involves some kind of covert transaction. Try to find a budget traveler who hasn’t enjoyed the risk of Craigslist’s lease-free rentals. But thanks to a bill Gov. David Paterson signed into law last Friday, renting an apartment for less than 30 days isn’t kosher. Fortunately, there’s a saving grace for those in search of short-term living: Jersey City.Could nail mats like the Acushakti be the next Snuggies?
When asked if he was surprised at Matt Cassel’s recent rate of improvement, teammate Heath Evans didn’t hesitate to give an answer.
“No, because Bill Belichick had him here,” Evans said. “At the end of the day, Bill always says, ‘You’re not going to be here unless I have confidence in you.’
“He’s coached well.”
And it’s clear the Patriots coach is starting to have more and more confidence in his quarterback. Belichick said yesterday — a day after Cassel led New England to a 23-16 win over the Rams, boosting its record to 5-2 — he’s starting to see improvement in many areas of Cassel’s game.
“I think Matt is really progressing in all areas — his decision-making, his read in coverages [and] his pocket presence,” Belichick said. “I think Matt’s improved in a lot of areas in his game, as have a lot of other players as they have played more.
“His pocket presence, his decision making, reading the coverages, going to secondary receivers, reminding guys offensively about their splits or their depths — just part of the overall operation of offense is better than it was two months ago.”
Belichick is always preaching a gospel of constant improvement, and Cassel’s in-game numbers reflect that. With the exception of a poor performance on Oct. 12 against the Chargers, several of his game-to-game stats have been on an upswing over the last month. Last week against the Broncos, he had a career-high three touchdown passes and looked comfortable for much of the 41-7 win. This past week against the Rams, he set another career-best, this time passing for 267 passing yards, his best performance as a professional.
“I feel like I’ve been playing pretty consistent throughout the year,” Cassel said. “Sometimes the score doesn’t reflect that, but we’re constantly working, we’re constantly trying to get better. I continue to mature, I believe, each and every week.”
Cassel still struggles at times — he’s still taking an awful lot of sacks. And when he gets hit, he has a hard time absorbing the tackle, collapsing slowly to the ground rigidly like a redwood instead of showing some flexibility and rolling with the hit. But over the last month, those bad moments are less and less.
One big area where Cassel had a chance to improve on this past week against the Rams was his ability to lead a team back from a fourth-quarter deficit. The Patriots fell into an early hole against the Dolphins and Chargers, and Cassel struggled to play from behind. Against St. Louis, his steady and calm approach was able to turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point win.
It was nice to see, but Belichick doesn’t want to have Cassel forced into repeating that this weekend against the Colts. A nice lead throughout all four quarters would suit the coach just fine.
“In all honesty, I hope he doesn’t have to do it again,” Belichick said. “I hope we don’t put ourselves in that situation again. I hope we can play from ahead. But if that is what we have to do, then that is what we have to do.
“It is great that Matt did that. I hope we are not in that situation every week though, I really don’t.”
|
|
| Advertise with us | About Metro | Contact us | Careers | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Classified Advertising © Copyright 2010 Metro International |
|
