Picking Up the Patriots Pieces

Seems to me like many Patriots fans out there aren't quite as depressed by last night's debacle as they were after the loss to the Colts. Around this time every year you start to really know how good your team is, or isn't. The Saints are good. Really good. The Patriots are not.

It has been easy to coast off of the success the Pats have had earlier this decade. Beating them meant a lot to the Saints, but New Orleans would be wise to not get too high off this win. This is not the 2007 Patriots that they beat.

But I am no longer concerned with the Saints. Let's talk about the Pats. We've all seen games over the years where Brady isn't getting any time in the pocket and the Pats end up losing. See vs. the Jets in 2006, the Super Bowl in 2007, even the first Jets game this year. Matt Light and Stephen Neal were being worked back in after having missed some time, and they were clearly not quite ready to handle a challenge like the Saints at the Superdome just yet. The O-Line is the least of my worries though. We've seen these games before, and they are fixable.

What is worrisome is the defense. I guess in retrospect we should've expected this to some extent. You don't lose four players who have been the heart and soul of your defense (and team) and just reload like they were never there. 2008 was the last straw for the dynasty defense with Bruschi, Vrabel, Harrison and Seymour leading the way. This new defense is filled with first and second year players and veteran free agents, and the lack of leadership on the defense was palpable against the Saints. Lack of leadership means lack of communication which means giving up embarrassing long plays like we saw many, many times last night.

Let me say that I like the Patriots defensive backs. Yes it certainly seems like Jonathan Wilhite get burnt alot, but I think the biggest problem for the Patriots is the lack of pressure. Drew Brees was rarely under duress last night, and ended up throwing for almost 400 yards on just 17 completions. No one on the defensive front seven is getting it done.

I'm not one who subscribes to the "Fire the Coordinators" movement that has taken on new life after last night, along with Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis suddenly being available again. I don't understand how any fan can criticize play calling when they have no clue on what play was called in the huddle, what play was or wasn't audibled to, the tendencies of the opposition, nor if their were missed blocks, misreads of coverage, etc. In brief every year a group of fans finds it easiest to root for the dismissal of the coordinators as a problem solver. The same people who want Charlie Weis back now were saying he was holding the offense back in 2003/2004. And those same people were all over Josh McDaniels for the Super Bowl loss.

So where do the Patriots stand after last night? Still in the drivers seat for a division title. Though the Patriots really haven't won a big game since the 2007 AFCCG against San Diego (not counting the 2008 game at Miami) they are still a dangerous football team. They have their weaknesses but really that should've been expected considering the turnover they've had on defense last year. Look at how they played in 2005 when both Bruschi and Harrison were out. It's not far from how they looked last night against the Saints.

We can only hope that the defense can improve for a playoff run. The Patriots still look good enough to win a Wild Card round game. Whether they take on Denver or Pittsburgh or Baltimore or Jacksonville, the game would be at Gillette and the Patriots are nearly unbeatable there. However does this team have the defense to shut down San Diego or Indy? Sure didn't look like it last night. But as the new mantra for Patriots fans goes, let's just get in the tournament and see what happens.