... Carson Palmer left USC, a quarterback battle between Matt Leinart and Matt Cassel for the starting role took place.

Both players were pretty much dead even in the competition. In fact, they were so evenly matched that it caused a split in the coaching staff.

Head coach Pete Carroll favoured Leinart while his offensive coordinator at the time, Norm Chow, preferred Cassel.

Carroll prevailed and named Leinart his starter near the end of spring practice, which was a huge disappointment for Cassel at the time.  

However, when Norm Chow left USC to join the Tennessee Titans, he promised to give Cassel a shot as a free agent. That wasn’t necessary, as the Patriots took an untested Cassel in the seventh round (230th...

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