The life of the backup quarterback

He is the most popular guy in town, beloved and flawless, a magic pill who could solve everything if only the coach would just come to his senses.

And then the No. 2 quarterback enters a game and takes a sack or throws a pick or fires a pass over an open receiver's head and he's a bum, just like the guy he replaced in the lineup.

Such is the life of a backup quarterback. In Week 2 of the NFL season we'll already see four of them as New England's Matt Cassel, Tampa Bay's Brian Griese, Tennessee's Kerry Collins and Kansas City's Damon Huard step in for injured starters.

Cassel certainly doesn't fit the No. 2 stereotype -- he's not the alternative the fans crave, he's the no-name nobody ever knew much about because he played behind the most successful quarterback in the league, Tom Brady...