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Chandler resident Kasper in Super Bowl with Pats
Jason P. Skoda
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
Kevin Kasper has had a hectic time deciding whom to invite and where everyone will sit once they get there.
The south Chandler resident isn't planning a wedding, but he might as well be - other than the fact that Lisa, his wife of two years, might get a little upset.
He's preparing for a special day - Super Bowl Sunday - as a member of the defending champion New England Patriots.
"It's like planning a wedding," said Kasper, an Illinois native who has lived in Chandler the past two years. "There are so many people that want to come, but I can only get so many tickets. My wife, dad and brothers are going for sure, but I have to get it settled so I can start concentrating on the biggest game of my life."
Not bad for a guy who was a walk-on in college at Iowa and was a perennial backup player for the Arizona Cardinals. Kasper was released at the end of the Cardinals' 2004 training camp.
"I never expected to be going to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season," said Kasper, who was one of the last cuts by Cards first-year coach Dennis Green.
That changed once the 27-year-old signed with New England in October after tryouts with Buffalo and San Diego. The Patriots signed Kasper, who wears No. 10, when the wide receiver corps was decimated by injuries. He was released by the Pats on Dec. 3 but brought back Dec. 22.
It was a nice little upgrade as Kasper went from one of the NFL's worst franchises to one of the best.
"It's been a great experience," said the 6-foot-1, 202-pound speedster. "The wide receivers, guys like Troy Brown and David Givens, took me in and accepted me right away. You hear about what a close-knit group this team is and it is. That's why it is so successful.
"When you enter the game with a common goal of winning and just winning, it is easier because you don't want to let down the guy next to you in the locker room. Other places I have played haven't been that way. It's the biggest thing I have noticed, that everyone is focused on the team and winning."
Kasper, who was drafted by Denver in the sixth round of the 2001 draft and also played for Seattle before coming to Arizona in 2002, saw limited action in eight regular-season games for the Patriots, but has been inactive for both of the team's playoff games so far.
"That's been frustrating, but it is part of the business," said Kasper, who left Iowa as the program's all-time leading receiver. "Of course, you want to be out there competing, but that is my role right now."
He found out an hour before the Patriots took the field against Indianapolis (for a 20-3 divisional playoff win) that he wouldn't be able to play, and that was tough.
"But I know the reason we won was because of the way we prepared that week, and I was a part of that," he said.
Kasper, who had 15 catches and three touchdowns in 13 games for the Cardinals in 2002, isn't sure what his role will be when the Patriots attempt to defend their Super Bowl title Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla., against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He's just looking forward to getting a reprieve from sub-zero wind chill factors, blizzard warnings in New England and having a great week of practice in the sun.
"Who knows what is going to happen or how they are planning to use me?" said Kasper, who hasn't caught a pass but had a 20.3-yard average on three kickoff returns. "(Head coach Bill) Belichick and the coaching staff do an incredible job of game planning and, hopefully, I am involved.
"It would be incredible to return a kick, catch a pass or play on special teams in the Super Bowl," Kasper said. "Anyone who has put on shoulder pads has had that dream, and I hope I get a chance to fulfill mine."
Chandler resident Kasper in Super Bowl with Pats
Jason P. Skoda
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
Kevin Kasper has had a hectic time deciding whom to invite and where everyone will sit once they get there.
The south Chandler resident isn't planning a wedding, but he might as well be - other than the fact that Lisa, his wife of two years, might get a little upset.
He's preparing for a special day - Super Bowl Sunday - as a member of the defending champion New England Patriots.
"It's like planning a wedding," said Kasper, an Illinois native who has lived in Chandler the past two years. "There are so many people that want to come, but I can only get so many tickets. My wife, dad and brothers are going for sure, but I have to get it settled so I can start concentrating on the biggest game of my life."
Not bad for a guy who was a walk-on in college at Iowa and was a perennial backup player for the Arizona Cardinals. Kasper was released at the end of the Cardinals' 2004 training camp.
"I never expected to be going to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season," said Kasper, who was one of the last cuts by Cards first-year coach Dennis Green.
That changed once the 27-year-old signed with New England in October after tryouts with Buffalo and San Diego. The Patriots signed Kasper, who wears No. 10, when the wide receiver corps was decimated by injuries. He was released by the Pats on Dec. 3 but brought back Dec. 22.
It was a nice little upgrade as Kasper went from one of the NFL's worst franchises to one of the best.
"It's been a great experience," said the 6-foot-1, 202-pound speedster. "The wide receivers, guys like Troy Brown and David Givens, took me in and accepted me right away. You hear about what a close-knit group this team is and it is. That's why it is so successful.
"When you enter the game with a common goal of winning and just winning, it is easier because you don't want to let down the guy next to you in the locker room. Other places I have played haven't been that way. It's the biggest thing I have noticed, that everyone is focused on the team and winning."
Kasper, who was drafted by Denver in the sixth round of the 2001 draft and also played for Seattle before coming to Arizona in 2002, saw limited action in eight regular-season games for the Patriots, but has been inactive for both of the team's playoff games so far.
"That's been frustrating, but it is part of the business," said Kasper, who left Iowa as the program's all-time leading receiver. "Of course, you want to be out there competing, but that is my role right now."
He found out an hour before the Patriots took the field against Indianapolis (for a 20-3 divisional playoff win) that he wouldn't be able to play, and that was tough.
"But I know the reason we won was because of the way we prepared that week, and I was a part of that," he said.
Kasper, who had 15 catches and three touchdowns in 13 games for the Cardinals in 2002, isn't sure what his role will be when the Patriots attempt to defend their Super Bowl title Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla., against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He's just looking forward to getting a reprieve from sub-zero wind chill factors, blizzard warnings in New England and having a great week of practice in the sun.
"Who knows what is going to happen or how they are planning to use me?" said Kasper, who hasn't caught a pass but had a 20.3-yard average on three kickoff returns. "(Head coach Bill) Belichick and the coaching staff do an incredible job of game planning and, hopefully, I am involved.
"It would be incredible to return a kick, catch a pass or play on special teams in the Super Bowl," Kasper said. "Anyone who has put on shoulder pads has had that dream, and I hope I get a chance to fulfill mine."
