Last modified: Friday, October 10, 2008 2:56 AM EDT Matt Cassel and the Patriots continue their California stay. (Staff photo by KEITH NORDSTROM) Cassel all business BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - Keep in mind that California is a very big state, and that there are roughly 330 miles between where Matt Cassel has been spending his days and where his family lives. Makes it easier to keep this week "a business trip," doesn't it? "It's definitely been a business trip," the Patriots' quarterback said Thursday from his hotel in Santa Clara, just west of the team's temporary headquarters at San Jose State University. "We understand what we're out here for, and that's to play football and to get that aspect taken care of first. I've talked to my family and seen a little bit of them, but they all understand and know that this is my job, and that it's the No. 1 priority right now." Cassel's family lives in Northridge, which is a Los Angeles suburb. Sunday night, Cassel will be another 150 miles further south beyond there, at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, leading his 3-1 New England Patriots against the 2-3 San Diego Chargers under the spotlight of a national television audience (8:15 p.m.; Ch. 7, 10). Just another day at the office, Cassel said. "You just don't pay any attention to it," he said of the hype surrounding the Patriots' first prime-time game of the season. "You have to go out and play your game. All the rest of that stuff just goes along with it. Once you go out there and you take that first snap, all the rest of that stuff just goes out the window. You can talk about it and stuff, but the fact is, when it comes down to it, it's just playing football." It will be Cassel's fourth game as the Patriots' starter, and it comes after a performance that made a lot of people - including him - feel better about the direction in which things were going. "It was a big win for us and I thought the offense played well," he said of the Patriots' 30-21 victory over San Francisco last Sunday. "We came out and ran the ball well, we had a balanced attack and we had some good efficiency in the passing game. Overall I thought we did well, and hopefully we can build on that and continue to grow as an offense." One thing that seemed to soothe the masses was Cassel's determination to re-involve Randy Moss in the Patriots' offense. Moss caught five passes for 111 yards in the win over the Niners, including a 66-yard touchdown early in the game. "You continue to learn something each and every week," Cassel said. "Especially as a young quarterback, and you're thrown into the fire as I was early on into the season, you go and get better each and every week." Rather than force the ball to Moss, however, Cassel made a point of keeping his involvement part of the scheme that the coaches drew up for the game. "I rely a lot upon the coaching staff to put me in a good position," the quarterback said. "I try to just go out there and execute the game plan to the best of my abilities, and hopefully I'll continue to progress, and continue to get a feel for what they're looking for on particular plays. "And if I can get the ball to Randy, that's great," he continued. "I'd like to do that each and every week. We weren't really able to do that in Weeks 2 or 3, but we were able to do that last week, and that was great." But he also knows that he has to continue to get the ball to Moss, and not just rely upon an occasional catch or two to keep opponents on their heels. "You have to try to get the ball to your playmakers," Cassel said. "And obviously, Randy's one of the best playmakers in the NFL. So we're going to continue to try to do that, in whichever way we can." Despite the Chargers' slow start, Cassel knows from having watched the most recent games between them and the Patriots that nothing will come easily Sunday night. "They're a very physical defense," he said. "The front seven plays hard and they're aggressive, and they try to create a lot of pressure for the quarterback position. Their secondary's doing a great job and they've got some playmakers back there with (Antonio) Cromartie and (Quentin) Jammer, and (Eric) Weddle has stepped in at the safety position and is doing a great job. "They've got quite a few players, they're a physical defense, so we just have to be ready to match their physicality when it comes to getting off the ball, whether it's running the ball or blocking them up front," he said. At 2-3, the Chargers may be more desperate for a victory and will have the home crowd behind them in the effort. But as Cassel said, the Patriots can't be distracted by the pressures facing the other team. "We approach every game the same," he said. "We go out with the intention of winning each and every game. So we're not going to be surprised if they come out with intensity. We expect them to come out with that intensity, whether they're 5-0 or 2-3. We have to come out and play our best game in order to win." MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.