Same Old Patriots

For all those who tuned in to the Patriots-Lions game on Saturday, they saw a Pats team that looked very familiar.

Remember the pass defense that would get carved into ribbons? It was there as they gave up 272 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. Detroit QB Matthew Stafford was 12-14 for 200 yards. One of the two incompletions was a drop.

How about the non-existent pass rush? New England got two sacks and practically no pressure the whole night. Neither of the new defensive ends signed for the sole purpose of harassing passers, Andre Carter and Mark Anderson, made their presence felt.

Recall that NFL-worst third down percentage? Detroit was 7/16, good for 43 percent. The icing on the cake was the Lions going 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions. On the other side of the ball New England mustered 31 percent on third down and was 1/3 on fourth down attempts.

And who can forget an offensive line unable to protect QB Tom Brady as he shuffled around the pocket for his life? Brady was sacked only twice but he never had a chance to get comfortable in the pocket as Detroit closed in every time he dropped back to pass and landed several hits.

Sounds like the playoff Pats, doesn’t it?

Go ahead. Say several players expected to play big roles in 2011 didn’t suit up. Point out that DT Albert Haynesworth was held out for a third game. Give the offensive line an alibi: OG Dan Connolly played part of the game hurt or it was LT Matt Light’s first game back. It doesn’t erase the fact that the Patriots were manhandled all night long.

The result doesn’t bother me much. It’s still a preseason game. If this game meant something, it’s practically guaranteed that New England would tear the next opponent a new one a week after being pimp smacked. Hell, if Detroit was on the regular season schedule this year, you know New England would turn the tables and stomp the Lions in a rematch.

But it is disappointing to see the problems that haunted the Patriots over the past few playoff games still linger. The names change, the scheme is scrutinized, but New England’s execution is still lacking consistency.

What happens to the Patriots once the playoffs start? They dominate regular season only to act like a bully whose victim stands up to him - they get punched in the mouth once, and it’s game over.

Is it psychological? Maybe, but it’s not the only thing. Is it health? Probably plays a factor, but there’s more to it. Is it the personnel? There are enough great players on the team to get them over the top. But one way or another, the team doesn’t get it done.

The coaches will take advantage of this situation. What better way to drive home a message to refocus a team than after an embarrassing performance? Every player on the team will see room for improvement once they review the game tape. Training camp was long, hard and tedious. But it’s over now. Fatigue and the routine are no longer excuses.

They have two weeks before the season kicks off on Monday Night Football. Between now and then the players have to put in the work so they won’t over-pursue the ball, passes won’t be short, assignments won’t be blown, and passes won’t be dropped.

 It’s only a preseason loss. But there are plenty of lessons to be learned and room for improvement. New England has time to fix these nagging problems. They don’t want to be the same old Pats for another year.