Monday night's 38-17 loss to the Saints was a systematic dismantling of the Patriots by a superior team. When Bill Belichick comes out after a loss and says, “We got outplayed and outcoached,” he usually sounds like he is reading a script. Monday night, after that game, he was speaking from the heart.

The Pats were dominated like we have not seen in many years. The good news is that the Patriots are in relatively the same place they were before Monday night. They are in that next level of teams in the NFL behind the Vikings, Saints and Colts. The Pats are right there with San Diego, Dallas, Cincy, Denver and maybe one or two others. The Patriots will win the AFC East. They’re pretty much where they were before the debacle in New Orleans.

That being said, there were some disconcerting performances on both sides of the ball. Mental errors and physical mismatches ruled the day for the Patriots.

OFFENSE: D-

Tom Brady was way off his game. He never looked comfortable after the first drive. His throws were off target. He missed low and high and never really got in any sort of rhythm. He missed Sam Aiken, who was open deep once, and uncharacteristically never saw some other open receivers. Granted, he was facing a decent pass rush, but we have seen him handle tougher pressure before.

The receivers were unable to get open on a regular basis. More often than not, the Saints were dropping seven or eight guys into coverage. New Orleans was also working to disrupt the releases of Wes Welker and Randy Moss. The defense also was clamping down on the receivers early in their drops, taking the chance that the pass rush would help disrupt the offensive timing. Aiken stepped up when Moss and Welker were taken out of the equation.

Laurence Maroney came to play, but circumstances took him out of the offensive game plan. He did have his third fumble in three games, though he made a great effort to strip the ball from the defender who recovered it. Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris both played hard but did not have a big impact on the game.

The offensive line had its share of problems. The Saints were able to apply fairly consistent pressure even when they were rushing only three or four guys.

Matt Light worked his way back into the lineup, but the coaches understandably did not want to throw him in for the entire game. Mark LeVoir was a drop-off when he came in for Light.

The run-blocking was good. The O-line made an average pass-rushing team look pretty good. This effort was almost as bad as in the first Jets game.

DEFENSE: F

I understand that the Saints offense is the best in the league and may very well end up as the top-scoring offense in NFL history. But even an average offense would have taken advantage of some of the stupid mistakes that the Patriots secondary made.

Jonathan Wilhite had a very difficult day. More than one Saints receiver outmatched him. Even the one time Wilhite had good coverage, Drew Brees placed the ball perfectly. Brees also abused the Pats safeties with some of the most basic tools of an NFL quarterback. Pump fakes and look-offs cannot cause those monumental gaffes. The secondary played a big part in allowing Brees to have one of the best and most efficient passing days I have ever seen.

The linebackers were ineffective. Jerod Mayo had a couple of hits, but that was about it for the group. Derrick Burgess should have made that tackle on the sideline on the screen to Pierre Thomas that resulted in a touchdown.

The defensive line looked tired, as if it lacked the energy needed to compete. Vince Wilfork made some great plays early but faded as the game wore on. He was seen being checked by team trainers on the sidelines. The Patriots defense can ill afford to lose Wilfork. The Pro Bowl-caliber nose tackle is the key to the run defense.

There was little pressure on Brees from the front seven. Considering the long routes that the Saints receivers were running, the lack of a pass rush was puzzling.

The defense is missing a playmaker, that guy you can look to who has the ability to make a big play at a key point in the game. The Pats have some good players and some great athletes but no playmakers. There are some nice young players, including Brandon Meriweather and Mayo, who could become that guy. But right now, nobody has stepped up.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-

Welker's long punt return gave the special teams enough to barely pass. Stephen Gostkowski had his first sub-par game of the year. His kickoffs were short and lacked enough hang time. The Patriots coverage teams were good enough, but the kickoff return team showed little. Chris Hanson is punting better than he did in the first half of the season.

COACHING: D-

The Patriots still are struggling offensively in the second half. Monday night, they started struggling after the first drive. The in-game adjustments for which Belichick and his various coaching staffs have been famous just were not there.

With the youth movement on defense, the coaching staff has to find ways to make the unit a little less vulnerable. That could mean a more conservative approach to defense or a more aggressive one. Right now, however, they are floundering and may need something to focus on. They need an identity.

By the way, does anyone know someone who might need an offensive coordinator's job? Maybe someone with some NFL experience? It's a bonus if he knows the system and some of the personnel. Any thoughts?

Belichick and former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis are actually good friends who talk frequently. Do not expect anything this year, but do not rule out anything for next year.