Last modified: Friday, November 21, 2008 1:46 AM EST Matt Cassel has thrown for over 2,000 yards with 10 touchdowns and an 87.3 quarterback rating. (Staff photo by Keith Nordstrom) Cassel has proven he's a patient student BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO - Over his four years at the University of Southern California, Matt Cassel was the understudy to Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, both of them Heisman Trophy winners. Twelve weeks into the 2008 NFL season, however, Cassel is the starting quarterback for a divisional contender, while Palmer has been out of action with the Cincinnati Bengals since Week 6 because of a shoulder injury, and Leinart is languishing as the backup quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals behind Kurt Warner. The unpredictable tides of fate have produced an outcome that no one could have anticipated four or more years ago, Cassel said Thursday. "Those guys have earned their way," the Patriots' quarterback said Thursday during his weekly press conference at Gillette Stadium. "Those guys were great college players and they're great professional players, and I've got a lot of respect for them. I'm just happy that I've had an opportunity to play now, and that we're able to talk about those kinds of things." Cassel said he feels fortunate in retrospect to have been part of a solid quarterbacking corps for Pete Carroll's Trojans. "They were all good quarterbacks," he said. "We had a really good group while I was there. We all worked hard and made each other better through competition, and it's fun to still have that connection and that relationship with those guys." Cassel also said something that perked up a few eyebrows, that he considered his tenure with Leinart as more of a "collaboration" than a support role. "I was the understudy of Carson," Cassel said. "And then when Matt came in, it was more of a collaboration because I was the older guy and maybe knew a little more of the offense when he first got there. "Carson's now the starter and he's established, he's just injured right now," Cassel continued. "And Matt, I've had discussions with him and I know that he's eager to get onto the field. I'm, sure he will and he's going to have a great career in the NFL. He's got to keep his head up, and I'm sure he is." Cassel, meanwhile, has plenty to keep himself occupied. He'll be leading the Patriots into battle this Sunday (1 p.m.; Ch. 4, 12) at Dolphin Stadium against Miami, which put a 38-13 hurting on the Patriots in September. Strange it is that like his New England mentor, Tom Brady, Cassel struggled mightily against Miami in one of his first NFL starts. Now, he hopes he has learned a few things from that game and will be able to put them to good use in what has become a must-win circumstance for his team. "There were a little bit of missed plays here and there," he said of the earlier game in Foxboro. "I don't think we played well as an offensive unit that day and I am sure the team felt that we didn't put on our best performance that day. We are working hard this week to get that corrected and go down there and put out a better performance on Sunday." Cassel's history against the Dolphins hasn't been great. Last October, when he went into the 49-28 Patriots' win in Miami, one of his first passes was intercepted by Jason Taylor and returned for a touchdown, prompting the decision of Bill Belichick to put Brady back into the game. "You never want to go into a game with that situation when you are winning by a bunch and throw an interception, but that happens as a football player," Cassel said. "You have to recognize it and I told you guys last year, 'It won't be the first time I throw an interception and it won't be the last.' As a player, your confidence is shook a little bit but you have to tell yourself, 'Look, there is the next day.' "Luckily for me, I was able to come back out the next week against Washington and a have a good week, score a touchdown and put together a scoring drive," he said. "That's football and that is sports. You are going to go through adversities on and off the field. You just have to continue to push through." Cassel has persevered and is starting to excel. One particular bonus has been his running ability, including the 62 yards he gained a week ago Thursday against the Jets. He said Wednesday that there haven't been any planned quarterback-draw plays among his scrambles - but you never know what might be added to the playbook if they keep succeeding. "They have all pretty much been scrambles on something where I feel I can make a play with my legs," he said. "We knew that (the Jets) were going to try and double some guys, play a lot of man coverage and probably not account for me in terms of me running the ball. So we had a few holes open up there and I was able to take off and get some good yardage." Unfortunately, a lot of that double-teaming was successful in limiting the effectiveness of Randy Moss as a receiver. Cassel said he hasn't given up on getting the ball to Moss if he's doubled, though. "It really depends on my read and what we have talked about in meetings," Cassel said. "Sometimes there are plays that my read will take me somewhere else based on him getting doubled, and there's other reads that I will stick with him a little bit longer because he still has an opportunity to get open on that particular pattern. So, it is all based on one play or another. But, to say that I eliminate him right away based on the fact that he is being double covered is not necessarily true all the time." One way or another, Cassel knows it's a good time to get all of his weapons involved in Sunday's game. "Every week is a must win for us," he said. "From Week One to right now, we always have a sense of urgency about ourselves. Would it have been nice to get that win against the Jets? Of course, but we know that each game going out is a big game, especially this time of year." 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.