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Former Patriot Assistants trip over themselves trying to claim Kevin O’Connell

By ArtieFufkin

Kevin O'Connell could reunite with Josh McDaniels in Denver

When the Patriots released back-up QB Kevin O’Connell on Monday, it seemed clear that at least  one of Belichick’s former staffers would make a play for the 2008 3rd round choice.  With the recent injury to Kyle Orton and presence of his former OC Josh McDaniels, Denver seemed like the most obvious fit for O’Connell.

But according to ProFootballTalk, not one, but FOUR teams have put in a waiver claim for O’Connell: Denver, Cleveland, Detroit and the NY Jets.  Both the Jets and Lions need back-ups for their rookie QBs, so those teams make sense too.  Cleveland is interesting, though. They already have a QB controversy, so does this mean Eric Mangini simply wants more in-house fodder for trade talks?

Let’s face it, Belichick could release a turd, and most of his disciples would kill themselves trying to scoop it out of the toilet.  So is O’Connell a real viable option at QB, or just a sign that these young head coaches are desperate, and would be happy with Belichick’s table scraps?

Interestingly, the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t made a claim for O’Connell, which means that the GM who drafted him (Scott Pioli) a year ago isn’t interested.  And with an ailing Matt Cassell, that could be a statement in and of itself.