Dropped passes have not been the issue this year. So far there have been three total. Of course, compared to the number of passes attempted, that is still a pretty high percentage.
There are a number of factors going on here.
1. Cassel's birddogging. Cassel seems to know before the snap ever comes exactly who is going to throw to. He looks at that receiver all the way down the field to the complete ignoring of any other receivers. He will throw it away, or into traffic before he checks any other receiver.
If he does check another receiver, it is a safety valve dump for short yardage. 1 - 3 yards on average.
Cassel's birddogging has a lot to do with the next issue as well I believe.
2. Receivers for the most part are not getting seperation. I am not sure if they are televising their routes, or just not making the cuts they need to be making, but they are being covered very well. I believe a lot of this is because of Cassel following that receiver down the field.
3. Play calling. Look, let's face it, if you know your quarterback has a tendency to birddog your receivers, then call plays that involve flooding that part of the field. We saw some success for a couple pass plays at Clevelend where they did just that. If you have two or three guys in the vicinity of where Cassel is tending to look, then it will be harder for the defense to cover all of those receivers equally as well. This should allow at least one of them to get open in the amount of time Cassel has to throw.
4. The offensive line is better at giving Cassel more time, but what I have been noticing is a lack of a pocket forming. Everyone comments on a QBs ability to step up in the pocket to buy more time, but frankly we really do not have a pocket formed on most pass plays. The left side of the line forms pretty well, but the right side is getting pushed all over the field. Luckily, these guys are able to hold of the defenders, but there really is no pocket for Cassel to use. Watch the game this week and see if you see what I mean.