It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or even an NFL expert to realize the Patriots have issues this year.  But 30-10?  

The Patriots loss to the San Diego Chargers was not only a setback; it was genuinely unpleasant to sit through.  Things went from bad (17-3) at the half to worse 30-3 in the fourth quarter.  A late gimme touchdown made the blowout seem less so, but the game was over early.
How did the keys to the game play out in our What To Watch?

Patriots offensive line vs Chargers Front Seven

The blame cannot go to the offensive line, though lack of running room was another obstacle the backs had to overcome.  Fortunately for them, the Patriots were in catch-up mode where Matt Cassel had to pass to get back into the game.  The offensive line can always use improvement, but at least 2 of Cassel’s 4 sacks on the day were a result of him not getting rid of the ball fast enough.  Cassel holds the ball far too long, and his pocket presence lacks the type of early detection system Tom Brady seemed to have.

LaDainian Tomlinson vs Patriots Front Seven

The Patriots front seven seemed to dial in on LaDainian Tomlinson.  The former league MVP managed just 74 yards on 20 carries for a respectable (3.7 avg.)   But Tomlinson also managed 44 yards on 3 receptions to get his 100 combined yards for the game.  Combined between their three backs, the Chargers managed just 98 yards on the ground, and improvement for the Patriots who had yielded close to 120 per game.  Unfortunately the real damage against the Patriots defense came through the air, reducing the need to run the ball at all.

You can ask Bill Belichick why Laurence Maroney missed most of the middle of the game against the San Francisco 49ers, but the reality is he’s not going to tell you that he was benched.  While it was obvious to everyone who was watching that  Maroney wasn’t having a banner type day, his head coach refused to throw the third year running back  under the bus.  Belichick defended Maroney after the game, on Monday and again on Tuesday when prodded by reporters.

"I think Laurence has done a good job for us," Belichick said. "He’s a good back. He’s played well and I think he will continue to play well."

The coach described the decision to use more of Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan and Kevin Faulk as game plan related than performance related. 

“With the running backs and our offensive game plans, you know those change and fluctuate week to week and even sometimes within the game,” Belichick explained.  “So depending on how we have our personnel grouped for a particular game or the situations that come up, it could be different players doing the same thing or it different players doing different things on a week to week basis. We will just take that as it comes.”

Morris leads all Patriots ball carriers with 143 yards on 43 carries (3.3 avg.), followed by Jordan’s 106 yards on 24 carries (4.4 avg.) and then Maroney with 93 yards on 28 carries (3.3 avg.).

More fun with the media. Here are quotes from the week by players and coaches from both teams.  We translate what they actually said into what they meant to say if they weren’t talking to the media.

“When I was there he was the two, so it was just his level of professionalism. I felt that he was always ready to play. He practiced hard, all of those things, I mean everything you would want out of someone who wasn’t playing, Matt would do it.”
– 49ers quarterback JT O’Sullivan on Patriots QB Matt Cassel.

Translation: So they picked him over me, what am I supposed to say leading up to this game?  Figures that the voodoo doll I bought that summer didn’t work.  Pox on him, I got a cursed chicken leg in my locker with No. 16 on it… we’ll see how it works this time.

“I think that’s just been typical of what we’ve done in the first three games. We’ve played well at times. We’ve played poor at times. We just have to learn to be more consistent.”
– Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees on the team’s run defense

Translation: We stink. Have you looked at the stats?  I’m gonna have to kick some ass to get these geezers moving or Belichick is gonna have his buddy Dom take my job.

Here is the complete transcript from Troy Brown’s retirement announcement.  Courtesy Patriots Media Releations.

Robert Kraft

RKK: Welcome everyone. I want to welcome Troy [Brown] back to his home here at Gillette Stadium. I was thinking back that it was 14 years ago when we bought the team. Since that time we have had three head coaches, dozens of assistant coaches and 820 players. There is only one player that has been a constant through that whole period, who was actually here before my family got here right through the end of last season. How lucky for us that Troy Brown, to me, is the consummate Patriot. What he did on the field and the way he conducted himself off the field, the fact that he always put team first, that he stayed with the Patriots his whole career, he could have gone some other places and got more money and he chose to stay here. I think it’s a great lesson for the young players on our team today who are worried about making the team.

Does It All Come Out In The Wash?

Is it really fair to judge Matt Cassel behind an offensive line that couldn’t protect Vince Young from getting creamed? Probably not, but that’s what looks like is going to happen unless by some miracle, the line returns to form and Cassel finds his groove on Thursday. The problem now is getting past the first round of roster cuts (80-to 75) by 4 pm Tuesday the 26th.

Will Cassel do it?

We have no doubt, but it’s that second cut (75 to 53) four days later which will likely seal his fate.

In his fourth year, Cassel has yet to show why he deserves to stay, other than an above-average sense of modesty and a certain class in which he carries himself and handles the barge load of criticism that’s been printed about him. Cassel isn’t just fighting for a roster spot in New England, he’s fighting to land on ANY roster in the league. His performance in Friday night’s 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was an improvement over his previous outings, but gave little cause to be hopeful it was enough to earn him another season behind Tom Brady.

Cassel said a little over a week ago that the criticism gets him going.

"It always fires you up," he said. "You go out there and you want to prove people wrong and get better."

Dan Koppen leads the offensive line as they deal with injuries (Getty Images)

10 Observations From Camp

The second day of training camp for the Patriots went much better than the first – at least in terms of weather conditions. Practice was held on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium under a bright sun and a light breeze. For the first time this year, fans were able to see the team practice, and they made the most of it, cheering loudly when players made a good catch, or a solid hit. The atmosphere was electric for most of the fans.

Here are 10 quick observations from the first two days of practice:

Belichick’s Season Has Already Started
Bill Belichick isn’t one to lose his thoughts at the start of training camp due to excitement. For the Patriots head coach football season doesn’t begin in July, it starts shortly after the Super Bowl. Though most fans feel that training camp is the start of the season, Belichick explained that the tam breaks down the roster shortly after the end of the previous season. For Belichick, the work is never truly done. Maybe that’s why the Patriots have been so successful for so long.

In the next installment in our "Camp Checklist" series, we count down the days until Patriots Training Camp begins with Michael Felger and Michael Holley talking about head coach Bill Belichick. As the author of his best selling book, "Patriot Reign", Michael Holley knows Coach Belichick better than most in the Boston media.

Make sure to tune-in to Comcast SportsNet during the first full week of training camp as we bring you "Pats Camp Report ‘08" weeknights at 7:30pm beginning July 28th, live from Gillette Stadium.