the buzz log

Tom Brady's season-ending knee injury wasn't just big news for fantasy football players, it was huge. As soon as word hit the Web, armchair GMs turned their attention to Brady's backup—some guy named Matt Cassel.

Lookups on "matt cassel" surged into breakout status the day of Brady's injury, and then jumped an additional 59% on Monday. Folks quickly learned that the unknown quarterback played college ball at USC and was drafted in the seventh round in 2005. Yahoo! Sports reports that before Cassel made the NFL, he was best known as being a hero in the 1994 Little League World Series. For the record, the New York Times points out that Cassel hasn't started a "meaningful game" since high school.

And yet, despite the lack of experience, blogs like Bleacher Report are reporting that Cassel is now a "must-add" to any fantasy football roster. The Patriots are still stacked and Cassel is the likely starter for the rest of the season. 

CNBC reports that Brady's injury could shift $150 million in fantasy football winnings from "those who had Brady to those who didn't." Only time will tell if fantasy football glory—and the pool of money that often comes with it—awaits those who put their faith in some guy named Matt Cassel.

Filed under: NFL, Tom Brady, Injuries

Tom Brady leads a charmed life. The talented Patriots QB is gunning for his fourth (!) Super Bowl ring and he hasn't even turned 30. Widely acclaimed as the master of clutch situations on the gridiron, the square-jawed All-Pro also scores with searchers. After leading his squad to a stunning come-from-behind win over the Chargers, queries on Brady spiraled up 83%. Gals gaga over Tom's good looks scurried to the Search box to find "tom brady pictures" (+93%).

We compared Brady's searches to the three remaining quarterbacks in the NFL playoffs. It isn't even close. In a blowout, Brady pulls in twice as many searches as rival QB Peyton Manning. Manning's skills as a pitchman can't be questioned, but he'll never come close to Brady-level buzz until he brings home some Super Bowl bling. Brady notches four times as many searches as either of the NFC signal callers, even with recent surges in interest in both Drew Brees (+371%) and Rex Grossman (+224%).

He's faring quite well off the field as well. Waiting for him outside the Patriot locker room on Sunday evening was none other than supermodel and superbabe Gisele Bundchen. Online chatter about the possible pairing led to some bodacious Buzz for Bundchen, as the Brazilian stunner jumped 228% after word of romance began to spread. Searches on "tom brady's girlfriend" and "tom brady's new girlfriend" also spiked as whispers of a new love fueled curious searchers. Will Brady's buzz carry over after this weekend's AFC Championship? Win or lose, he's bound to be buzzin' with Gisele on his arm.

Filed under: Sports, Football, NFL, Tom Brady