Franchise tag on Cassel

The Patriots put the franchise tag on Matt Cassel today which would mean it would be much more difficult to sign him. This is a surprise that they would put this on Cassel, there must be a lot of doubt whether Tom Brady can come back at the start of next season. It is not normal to do this for a backup quarterback just "to be on the safe side." We still need to hope Tom Brady gets the opportunity to come back. One can only wonder how effective he will be should he come back. Also, can Cassel have an encore act like he did last year.