Reports: Pats release QB O'Connell7:22 PM Sun, Aug 30, 2009 PermalinkBy Shalise Manza Young Email this author Email this entry
According to both Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe and John Clayton of ESPN, the Patriots have informed second-year QB Kevin O'Connell that he will be released.
The move is quite surprising -- O'Connell was initially slated to be Tom Brady's primary backup this year, and the team spent a third-round draft pick on him just last year. But there were indications that O'Connell was more of a pet project for former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, now with Denver, who went to California to work out the former San Diego State standout during the pre-draft process.
O'Connell certainly looked the part at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, but he visibly struggled throughout training camp and (to put it kindly) turned in a less-than-stellar performance Friday night against the Redskins, when he was intercepted twice.
What this means remains to be seen. At the moment, it certainly looks like a good sign for Andrew Walter, the former Raider who was signed a few days into camp after being released by Oakland, and undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer.
However, those two players don't have much time in the Patriots' system, and Matt Cassel and Matt Gutierrez, the most recent understudies to Brady, are now both with Kansas City.
The good news for O'Connell is that he likely won't be twisting in the wind for long: it would be surprising for him to not get picked up by Denver.
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