Q: Ever since we’ve been here, we’ve been asking you how it feels to be the starting quarterback. You’ve been in that role for awhile, is it any different than you anticipated?

MATT CASSEL: “Not really. I was in the situation last year for 16 games. So it’s not any different from what I expected it to be. I know the role and I’m comfortable in it. Nothing has changed from my preparation or how I go about my business. It’s the same pretty much week-in and week-out for me. You know, like anything else, it’s a process though. It’s a new team, new faces, new coaching staff and new playbook, so it’s a process.”

Q: Generally, how do you think you’ve thrown the ball? We’ve seen moments of frustration, but that happens all the time. How do you think it’s gone?

CASSEL: “So far, so good. I think there’s good days as an offense and bad days as an offense. All-in-all, I feel comfortable with where I’m at. This is what preseason is used for too, is to learn what you’re going to keep as you go into the season, what routes are good for certain coverages, and move forward that way.”

Q: At the start of camp, if someone told you this was how camp was going to go for you, would you be happy?

CASSEL: “Yeah. I feel like we’re making a lot of progress as a team and as an offense. Like I said, we’re getting a lot of stuff thrown at us right now and they’re trying to put a lot in and see where we’re at as a team and what we can handle offensively, especially from the quarterback position, where we’re putting a lot on our shoulders and seeing what are we going to be as a team. Are we going to be a running team? Are we going to be a throwing team? There are a lot of plays going in every week.”

Q: Who or what influenced you or put you on the path you are on now, life and career?

CASSEL: “Well, it’s hard to say because at any given point in my life or my career there are different people that have influenced me. Obviously, my family members play a huge role in my life, whether it’s my dad, my mom, my brothers, my sister. And as I moved forward into high school, there were obviously high school coaches and mentors. As I went into college, it was the same thing. Two people that standout the most recent have been Ken O’Brien who has been quarterback coach for a long time and he a guy that I look up to. Tom Brady is obviously a guy that has really mentored me over the last four years of my career and as I move forward.”

Q: With Tom, what did you learn from him early on?

CASSEL: “It’s just one of those things, when you’re a young quarterback, you come in the league you hope there’s going to be a guy there that will kind of look after you and kind of teach you the way. He’s a professional in every sense of the word. He really was able to teach me how to prepare off the field and on the field, in the film room. Also, those leadership qualities you need as you move forward in this business as the starting quarterback.”

Q: What are your feelings about Brett Favre coming back and playing again?

CASSEL: “I think it’s always exciting to play against a guy like Brett Favre, who’s an icon of the game, especially at the quarterback position. He’s a guy that I grew up watching. To come back and be able to play against him again is exciting. My first start last year, ever as an NFL quarterback, was against Brett Favre, so that’s pretty cool to say. It’s great, I think people are excited about it and it brings energy to the game.”

Q: Would you like to play more in the preseason?

CASSEL: “You know, it’s not up to me. I’ll play as long as they’ll let me play. That’s part of what we do, we go out and we’ll play, and when they tell you you’re done, you’re done. It’s just kind of part of the deal.”

Q: Have the coaches said anything about tomorrow night and how much you’re going to play?

CASSEL: “They haven’t. I was pretty limited in what we did in the first game and we’ll see what we do tomorrow night. Again, I don’t make those decisions. I just get ready to play quarters, and if they let me play four quarters, great, if they tell me I’m down after a quarter, that’s what it is.”

Q: Is there any urgency to get things done after four series and no points last week?

CASSEL: “There’s always a sense of urgency, especially in preseason because you’re trying to go out there, score points and have some production. At the same time, we’re also trying to look at some things. As a coaching staff last week, I think they wanted to really run the ball and see what we can do running the ball. We’ll see what we’ll do this week. I don’t know exactly what the game plan is going to be going into the game, but we’ll find out. But there’s always a sense of urgency.

Q: Is there any sense of impatience right now; quit experimenting and let’s just get going and moving?

CASSEL: “I’m an impatient person by nature. You kind of have to be patient though because this is a process. Like I said there is new coaching staff, new players, and as we move forward and go into the season, we still are trying to find out what our identity is going to be. So there has to be some patience there, in terms of what are we going to be, and who are going to be the 11 guys on the field.”

Q: Do you feel like you’re rushing your throws from time to time (after taking criticism for hanging on to the ball for too long last season)?

CASSEL: “Not really. There’s going to be times when the defense just gets you and makes good plays out there, especially during camp this time of year where they’ve been playing against the same opponent for the last two weeks. They’re going to jump a route here, they’re starting to learn what our concepts are, our signals, so there’s going to be days when they beat us. All-in-all, I’ve been working hard on getting the ball out quickly, and it’s been going well. That’s just part of it.”

Q: Do you have a percentage you could give as to where you think you are of how much offense has been put in?

CASSEL: “No, I really can’t. The playbook continues to expand. You would really have to ask Coach Haley and (offensive coordinator) Chan (Gailey) about that and what direction they are going to go.”