The disclosure on Monday that Chris Simms and Tim Rattay were brought to New England and then asked to leave is, to say the least, unusual.  And we see only two explanations for it.

First, the Patriots abruptly decided to move ahead with unproven Matt Cassel and rookie Kevin O’Connell as the only two quarterbacks.  Second, the Pats came up with another plan.

Under either scenario, the decision to not even kick the tires of Simms and Rattay makes no sense.  Why not see what they have, in the event they can help the team over the balance of the year?

Chris Mortensen suggested on Monday night that receiver Randy Moss might be lobbying for the team to pursue recently-retired Daunte Culpepper, who hasn’t responded to our Sunday e-mail regarding whether he’d pull a Favre if the Pats call.

The other possibility is that the Pats are planning to swing a deal for someone currently on another team’s depth chart.  The problem, however, is that any team with a solid backup likely won’t be inclined to trade him, because said team might need him as soon as this Sunday.

Moreover, how many backup quarterbacks out there are any better than Matt Cassel?  Patrick Ramsey?  Shaun Hill?  Kellen Clemens?  Ryan Fitzpatrick?  Charlie Frye?

So our guess is that the Patriots have decided that, for now, they’re going to go with what they have, and hope for the best.

By the way, the rest of the team isn’t too bad.