Poor Finish to Preseason Spells Disaster For New England Patriots

September 6, 2010   ·   Benjamin Altsher   ·   Jump to comments

While the National Football League preseason won't tell you everything you need to know about your football team, it'll certainly tell you more than you'd think.  Even though the games don't count and the primary players are backups or eventual roster cuts, fans and media can still gauge how their respective teams will do based on game management, discipline, and simple player attributes such as tackling ability, quarterback accuracy and overall speed. 
After some good performances against potential NFC playoff contenders New Orleans and Atlanta, the Patriots suffered some serious setbacks.  While the potential is still there for yet another postseason, New England on paper (and on the field) looks about as vulnerable as they have been since Bill Belichick's first year as head coach.
The team's key weakness, no doubt, lies on the defensive side of the football.  For the second straight season, the focus is on young players who come in with a high pedigree....

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