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Following a Saturday night scrimmage in which he did not see a ton of reps and only attempted six passes, Matt Cassel learned through reporters that Rex Ryan had, for all intents and purposes, named him the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback for their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers this coming Friday.
#Bills HC Rex Ryan: We'll probably start Matt Cassel against the Panthers for the first preseason game.
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) August 9, 2015
Matt Cassel did not know he will likely be starting against Carolina next week. Says, with a smile, that he hopes he plays the entire game.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 9, 2015
It's fairly routine for NFL teams conducting starting quarterback competitions to award the first start of the preseason to the veteran of the group. Cassel has seen the most first-team reps during regular practice sessions to this point, and has also been the most consistent competitor, but both Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel have flashed bigger-play ability through the first week of camp, as well.