This is not a dig, but a question (I don't pretend to understand the intricacies of this thing).  If the patriots didn't want the financial burdens of a first rounder but also didn't want to keep 2 QBs at that salary cap space, then what was the point of franchising cassel?  Not like it matters but this is how it seems to have gone done:

1) Patriots franchises Cassel thinking someone is going to offer the moon

2)  When they don't get great initial offers they panic a bit

3) Smelling the panic, Pioli  lowballs

4)  They accept the offer.  At the last minute when other teams realize this is going down the put in sweeter bids, but its too late. 

On another note what was the point (from the patriots perspective) of giving Vrabel essentially for free?  I know that they wanted to free up cap space, but would the chiefs really have turned down a straight up trade of  #34 for Cassel?  They didn't even ask for a 7th rounder, conditional pick or something?  Why not just cut the guy and let him go where he wants?

Its all moot, I know, but would have loved to be a fly on the wall for these negotiations.