JetNation<\/a> for taking the time to talk to us.<\/p>\nChad Cascadden:<\/strong>\u00a0It’s a pleasure, and it was\u00a0a pretty interesting\u00a0ride coming from Wisconsin to New York and I’ve been here for nineteen years, married with kids, and now a full-fledged New Yorker.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong>\u00a0You were an honors student who majored in Kinesiology (the study of moving\u00a0objects) at Wisconsin, was this\u00a0in any way related to the fact that you were a football player and essentially\u00a0did the same thing on the field?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> I was going more for a medical degree but I liked their kinesiology program that dovetailed into my sports career so that worked out well for me.\u00a0 The plan was ultimately to go to\u00a0medical school.\u00a0 Coach\u00a0(Barry) Alvarez\u00a0got me in to a blood study with Dr. Bruce Harnes\u00a0so I got to assist\u00a0him in surgery,\u00a0setting up and breaking down some surgical procedures so it was an interesting thing for a football player.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong>\u00a0 Having played for Coach Alvarez,\u00a0is there anything you can recall in terms of\u00a0 him having a long-term influence on you or\u00a0your career?<\/p>\nCC:\u00a0<\/strong> (Laughing) I’m sorry to laugh, but we can sit here and talk for hours about the things he did for me.\u00a0But when he took over the program we were not very good, but when he came in he cleaned house and had multiple scholarship athletes that\u00a0quit because\u00a0they didn’t want to do it.\u00a0\u00a0He demanded\u00a0hard work, he didn’t ask.\u00a0\u00a0The workload was incredible and intense.\u00a0 Under coach Alvarez, you knew when you were playing us, you were in for a battle.\u00a0\u00a0There were\u00a0games where we just out-hit, and\u00a0out-hustled people and just beat ’em up.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong>\u00a0Your former teammate, Darrell Bevell\u00a0has had some success as an offensive\u00a0co-ordinator in Seattle.\u00a0 Have you given any thought to getting in to coaching?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> I did think about it initially, but I gotta’ tell ya’, it wasn’t for me because of the hours.\u00a0 These guys are putting in 15-20\u00a0hours\u00a0a day and they don’t see their families.\u00a0 There’s not much stability either.\u00a0 But that’s the nature of the beast and if your spouse in on board with it that’s great.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong>\u00a0 So you came into the league as an undrafted free-agent for the Jets and those first two years were polar opposite from the next two years. What was it like to experience that culture shift from struggling under coach Kotite, and then the complete turnaround under Coach Parcells.<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> A lot of people are down on Rich Kotite\u00a0and the job that he did.\u00a0 If\u00a0 he went back and could have changed some things then I’m sure he would have done that but\u00a0 he’s the one who gave me my shot.\u00a0 He saw the talent in a kid out of Wisconsin who wasn’t drafted, who tried in practice, worked hard, made plays when I was supposed to and in our last pre-season game I actually ended up getting hurt.\u00a0 He placed me on the practice squad just long enough for me to heal up.\u00a0 As an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin he took a chance on me.\u00a0 Once I was healed up, he cut a five-year\u00a0veteran to get me in there.\u00a0 If you look at the NFL all-rookie team, you had Wayne Chrebet\u00a0at WR, Hugh Douglas on defense, and myself on special teams.\u00a0 Three guys on one team is\u00a0a real testament.\u00a0 To answer your question about the culture shift, Rich expected leadership to come from the veterans, and I think we had too many veterans who didn’t lead like they were supposed to.\u00a0 When Kotite was with the Eagles he had Randall Cunningham, Reggie White, and Jerome Brown, he had all this leadership.\u00a0 We did have leaders, but we had some other veterans who didn’t want to put in the extra work and the extra time in the film room.\u00a0 Ultimately, that was probably the beginning of the end.<\/p>\nWhen Parcells\u00a0came in, he was a lot like Alvarez.\u00a0 First thing he said was, “guys, if you have thin skin, this probably isn’t the place for you.\u00a0 We’re gonna’ coach the hell out of you, and we’re gonna’ out-work, out-hustle, and out-scheme.”\u00a0 One of the first things he did was he traded Hugh Douglas.\u00a0 He basically said “guys,\u00a0I need players who run our system, if you’re not interested, we’ll find another place for you” and I really appreciated that about him.\u00a0 Parcells didn’t care if you were drafted in the first round, or a walk on, he was going to play the guys who make plays.<\/p>\n
JN:<\/strong> How did he interact with you?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> He told me one time, “Chad, you’re not a starter”, but by the end of the season I was starting so I guess that was his way of pushing my buttons.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> Of course, a lot of people say that he used that type of talk as a way of motivating guys, much like he did with Terry Glenn in New England when he referred to him as “she” when he was banged up in practice.<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Exactly, and if you remember, who was the first guy Parcells went out and traded for when he went to Dallas?\u00a0 Terry Glenn.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> He definitely liked to have his guys around.\u00a0 That’s why we saw Dave Meggett\u00a0and Pepper Johnson, Parcells liked having “his” guys in the locker room.<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Speaking of Pepper Johnson, do you remember the\u00a0linebacker\u00a0crew we had?\u00a0 Listen to this, we had Mo Lewis, Marvin\u00a0Jones, Pepper Johnson, Brian Cox, Dwayne Gordon, Roman Pfifer, James Farrior, and me.<\/p>\nJN<\/strong>: Speaking of Mo Lewis, you got your first significant playing time when he went down with a torn Pec, what kind of relationship did you have with Mo Lewis?\u00a0 What kind of teammate was he?\u00a0 Did he or anyone else act as a mentor?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Mo Lewis wasn’t a vocal leader but he led by example. He was a rare combination of size and speed who played the game as hard as he could\u00a0and he was a guy you would look to when it was a “what do we do here” kind of\u00a0 thing, it was just “well, watch Mo Lewis, he’ll get it done”.\u00a0 As far as me and him, we’d watch film and critique each other and he led more by example.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> So what players or coaches did try to\u00a0mentor you under both regimes?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> I spent a lot of time with Peter Giunta\u00a0who I believe is with the Giants now.\u00a0 I did that for a better part of two\u00a0 years with him.\u00a0 So much so that when we had pass-rushing issues in ’96, I hounded him saying “I can do this if you give me the chance”.\u00a0 After a few weeks of this, I got called over to the defensive line\/offensive line pass-rush drills by coach Hamilton (Sugar Bear) and he said “alright kid, you said you can pass-rush, let’s see what you can do” and they put me against Jumbo Elliott on my first\u00a0drill (laughing).\u00a0 That’s\u00a0 a quick way to find out if you could play.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> So how did that go?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Well, it went well enough that the following week against Jacksonville, I was the starting end on the nickel and dime packages, and the first time they called nickel, I went out there and on my first play I sacked Mark Brunell.\u00a0 It was a good way to start and my role on defense grew, then I ended up taking over for Mo when he got the injury.\u00a0 I\u00a0was also a pass-rusher on nickel\u00a0and dime.\u00a0 I also continued to play all of the special teams.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> So when Parcells\u00a0and Belichik come in, how do things go?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Well, my position coach was Al Groh and we’d watch a lot of film looking at what my role would be.\u00a0 On occasion\u00a0I would talk to Belichick\u00a0about what it is he needs me to do based on who we’re playing that week.\u00a0 I was fortunate enough to give them flexibility.\u00a0\u00a0 I was a guy who could move around the field based on down and distance and personnel.\u00a0 It was nice because\u00a0I could be a confusing player.\u00a0 Sometimes they’d bring me in to rush the passer, other times they’d have me cover the back out of the backfield, I was able to cause confusion for the other team’s offensive line.\u00a0 There were times they’d change their protections when I would line up, and we’d use that to decide what kind of blitzes to run.\u00a0 It was because sometimes Belichick\u00a0would make defenses\u00a0work, based on me and that was very flattering.\u00a0 It was my niche and my way of staying in the league.\u00a0 That’s how I was able to stay on the roster because Parcells wanted guys who could play multiple positions.\u00a0 I played multiple linebacker spots and in a pinch I played goal-line safety.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> When Coach Parcells\u00a0left, how surprised were you when Coach Belichick\u00a0stepped down after one day as head coach?<\/p>\nCC<\/strong>: My initial reaction was mass confusion.\u00a0 Why would Parcells\u00a0step down so quickly and why would Belichick\u00a0resign?\u00a0 My point of view is that Belichick\u00a0stepped down because he didn’t want Parcells\u00a0over him, and this is my best guess.\u00a0 I’m not claiming to know this for sure, but I think that when Parcells\u00a0stepped down it was the first anyone had heard about it.\u00a0 I don’t think Belichick\u00a0had even heard of it.\u00a0 No communication, no\u00a0heads up, and Belichick\u00a0 may have felt painted in to a corner and didn’t appreciate it.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> Then after that, your former position coach, Al Groh takes over for one season and then walks away.<\/p>\nCC<\/strong>: Well, I honestly think that when Belichick\u00a0stepped down, there was no clear successor and Parcells\u00a0wanted to keep the staff in tact, so elevating Al Groh was the most logical choice.\u00a0 My best guess is that Virginia approached him with such a great package, that Parcells even told him “I’d love you to stay, but even I as a friend would tell you to take\u00a0 this deal”.\u00a0 The offer they made him must have been a game-changer.\u00a0 Things went okay too, I think he coached there for eight or nine years.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> So, the 1998 AFC championship game against Denver.\u00a0 You guys are scoreless against the Broncos, late in the second quarter, and every defensive player’s worst nightmare is staring you in the face.\u00a0 You’re facing John Elway\u00a0and his two-minute\u00a0offense.\u00a0 He hands off to Terrell Davis for a couple of yards, hits McCaffrey\u00a0for a seven yard gain, and then scrambles for a first down.\u00a0 Now Denver is approaching mid-field and fans get that sick feeling that Denver is about to score.\u00a0 On the first play of the next set of downs, you chase down Elway\u00a0for a sack and an eight yard loss.\u00a0 Elway\u00a0fails to complete a pass on 2nd and 3rd and long.\u00a0 You guys get the ball back and kick a FG to go in to the locker room up 3-0 at the half.\u00a0 How would you describe the feeling in that locker room?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Well, I must say I’ve been fortunate enough to be in some cool atmospheres.\u00a0 When we played Mich. St. in Tokyo to earn a Rose Bowl berth, that was a great, great locker room.\u00a0 Incredibly electric and exciting.\u00a0 Wisconsin’s\u00a0first Rose Bowl win, it\u00a0was great.\u00a0 But in the pros, against the Broncos, we went in to the locker room feeling confident.\u00a0 We thought we were gonna’ beat these guys, the Jets are going back to the Super Bowl, the fans are gonna’ be awesome.\u00a0 The locker room was just super, super positive.\u00a0 I mean, we thought we were gonna’ go back out there and win that game.\u00a0 It was one of the most electric moments in the locker room for me.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> Who could blame you guys?\u00a0 When all was said and done you’d held Elway\u00a0to 38% completion percentage.\u00a0 For you guys to go in to Denver and face John Elway and Terrell Davis, to lose by 13 when you turn it over six times is hard to fathom.\u00a0 Then that bizarre kickoff after Denver scored when the ball just blew back and essentially became an unintentional onside kick?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> That’s the first and only time I’ve experienced a kickoff when a ball goes up in the air, stops, and comes straight down and becomes a scrum.\u00a0 It made no sense.\u00a0 It was like somebody just shot it with a shotgun.\u00a0 It was so bizarre.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> Did that have a big effect on the team?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Would I say a big effect? No, but some affect, absolutely.\u00a0 Denver scores on a big pass to McCaffrey then they kick off and get the ball back?\u00a0 You could feel the crowd coming back to life in Denver’s favor.\u00a0 Coach Alvarez used to talk a lot about momentum and the importance of holding on as tight as you can and to just fight when it’s going away from you.\u00a0 So suddenly we’re three and out, we’re not scoring, it’s like you said, you turn the ball over six times, you can’t win.\u00a0 You just can’t.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> So what did Parcells say to the team after a loss like that?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> I don’t really remember exactly what he said, but just a somber,\u00a0morgue-like tone and feel.\u00a0 We’d just let something amazing slip away.\u00a0 For me, it was just extreme disappointment.\u00a0 This was for us, for the fans, for Mr. Hess.\u00a0 We worked so hard and it felt like “we were supposed to win this” but it didn’t happen.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> It had to be hard to take such a tough loss.<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> And you know what, there are no moral victories.\u00a0 We lost, that’s it.\u00a0 Denver was the better team that day and they did a great job of fighting back and putting points on the board.\u00a0 Give them credit, they did a great job.\u00a0 It still stings a little bit though.\u00a0 We would have played Atlanta in the\u00a0Super Bowl\u00a0who we beat earlier in the year.\u00a0 But it was an honor to play in that game and you have to give credit to the Broncos.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> What are your thoughts on the current regime?\u00a0 Is Rex the right guy for the Jets?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> Absolutely.\u00a0 I was happy that they extended him, I think he’s\u00a0a great leader, players love playing for him, he’s a great schematic defensive\u00a0coach and Marty Mornhinweg\u00a0is a HUGE addition.\u00a0 Geno\u00a0Smith has shown improvement, good leadership and his decision-making\u00a0has\u00a0improved.\u00a0 We have good RB’s, good TE’s, the line is solid,\u00a0there are still some questions at receiver but we know we’ve got some people to throw it to.\u00a0 On defense we have a great front-7 and cornerback is clearly, clearly a place they need to address immediately.\u00a0 Hopefully with cut downs the Jets can make a move.\u00a0 You can’t go in with only the current guys.\u00a0 They have to add one or two, if not three more guys.\u00a0 I think they’re on the right track, but this is a big boy league and you have to be able to beat the Patriots.\u00a0 We’ll see, they look good on paper.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> What do you think of the Dmitri Patterson situation and how would you handle it?<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> My best guess, is that when he spoke to Idzik\u00a0before the game, Idzik said something that Patterson took exception to or felt disrespected and left.\u00a0 He didn’t make a call, take a text, or call anyone?\u00a0 In my opinion it’s incredibly unprofessional behavior.\u00a0 Somebody we’re counting on to be at that game, somebody we’re paying and you leave and don’t tell anybody?\u00a0 Of course, if this is a family issue it’s different, but there’s got to be a way for him to let somebody know.\u00a0 The bottom line is, it’s immature and unprofessional at the very least to not reach out to your coach or GM and explain to them clearly why you’re not there and why you’re not showing up.<\/p>\nJN:<\/strong> Chad, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to JetNation<\/p>\nCC:<\/strong> My pleasure Glenn, any time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For those of us who have been following the Jets since the mid to late 80’s like myself, it’s fair to say that the high and low points for the franchise may very well have happened in a span of three short years.\u00a0 The 1996 Jets managed to eek out just one victory, a week 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