InSpin

San Jose, Costa Rica, Sept. 9, 2008 - By now you have heard the devastating news for the New England Patriots, the NFL’s TV networks and the league altogether: Reigning NFL MVP and poster boy Tom Brady will miss the rest of the season after suffering ligament damage in his knee during the Week 1 victory against Kansas City.

Just like that, the Patriots bandwagon is quickly emptying, but you can still bet on whether you think the defending AFC champs will even make the playoffs this year: New England is a -200 bet to return to the postseason on WagerWeb.com.

If you believe in the Patriots and are ready to put your money where your mouth is, that means you believe, at least partly, in a quarterback who hasn’t started a game since high school (Nov. 24, 1999): Matt Cassel. That’s right, the Patriots’ No. 2 didn’t start a single game even in college, backing up Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at Southern Cal.

Cassel had thrown only 39 passes in his first three NFL seasons before taking over for Brady on Sunday against Kansas City. He was decent, throwing for 152 yards and a touchdown in a 17-10 home victory against a Chiefs team that is arguably the worst in the NFL.

New England is banking on Cassel’s experience in its complex offensive system and being around Brady for going on four years to be enough to him to manage the offense. Expect that offense to look a little different – less of the shotgun and empty backfield with five wide receivers and more running with Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, LaMont and Co.

"I'm not trying to be Tom Brady. I'm just trying to be Matt Cassel," the new starter said. "I don't know where that's going to take us."

The Patriots also have arguably the best receiver in the league in Randy Moss, an offensive line with three veteran Pro Bowlers and, on the other side of the ball and a top-five defense from last year. So they aren’t chopped liver.

“I'm excited to see what our team is made of. ... I still like our chances,” Brady wrote in an e-mail to NBC Sports.

Pats backers are pointing to 2001, when then-franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered a lacerated kidney in the second game of the season, and the Patriots turned to a young QB who had thrown only three career passes in the NFL.

His name? Tom Brady.