The easy thing to say about the Patriots’ preseason play is that it’s not what we’re looking for.

But there’s a big problem with that:

We have no idea what Bill Belichick was looking for.

What if this year, for whatever reason (the length and strain of last season, the Super Bowl hangover, whatever), Belichick was okay if his team never really put it all together in game action? If all he really wanted was to see was how the players picked up the terminology and communicated with each other on the field, if the big focus was player evaluation, then perhaps he’s happy with what he saw. In other words, maybe he wanted a “soft opening.” Would you put that past him?

If that’s the case, just know that it would mark the first time ever. In his Patriots past, Belichick always made sure his team had at least one stellar preseason outing. Usually, it was in the third exhibition, and often it came after a stinker the week before. In those years, he wanted to see at least some form of collective aptitude in August before the Pats hit September – and he got it without exception.

This year, it never happened. The Patriots couldn’t even put together a good half by the starters, never mind a good game. The offense had an excuse (no Tom Brady), but what’s the excuse of the first- and second-string defense, which gave up opening-drive scores in each of their four games and were outscored by a collective 67-9 in the first half?

Friday at the Meadowlands was particularly noteworthy, since Belichick broke from tradition and had virtually his entire starting defense on the field to open the fourth exhibition. You would think that among veterans like Richard Seymour, Mike Vrabel and Rodney Harrison there would have been a commitment to not get run over again. “This time,” you imagine them saying, “we’re setting the tone.” Instead, the Giants marched 80 yards in nine plays as star-crossed quarterback David Carr completed 3-of-4 passes and three times the Giants had running plays go for over 10 yards. The punctuation mark was an embarrassing one for the Pats, as Fernando Bryant, once the presumed starter at Asante Samuel’s left corner spot, showed no interest in tackling tight end Darcy Johnson and was carried seven yards into the end zone like a Yorkie terrier. Two days later, Bryant found himself out of a job.   

Apparently, such effort was definitely not what Belichick was looking for.

The following grades are for the entire preseason. Of course, they include evaluations from Friday's loss at the Giants.

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QUARTERBACKS: D

Three weeks ago I ranked the Pats’ backups in the bottom third of the NFL, which may have been kind. They’re probably closer to the bottom five. Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez and Kevin O’Connell just isn’t a good enough depth chart, not when you have so much else going for you and procuring a veteran just takes a little bit of money. This remains a problem even though Cassel actually improved through August and was hardly the only reason his unit never reached the end zone. Friday was another good example of how he just wasn’t put in position to succeed very often, as he was once again plagued by a key third-down drop (Kelly Washington) and a pair of running plays that failed to cross the line of scrimmage. Gutierrez was a hair better, but he remained with the second unit all preseason and couldn't crack the 53-man roster. A lot of folks thought he out-performed Cassel, but Belichick obviously saw something different. The rookie O’Connell may very well be a fine player one day. Bottom line? Bring back Damon Huard.

RUNNING BACKS: D+

It’s hard to do much when the line doesn’t give you any room, and the running backs didn’t. Laurence Maroney was particularly ineffective, rushing for just 44 yards on 22 carries (2.0-yard average). No one should be surprised if he loses snaps early in the year to LaMont Jordan, who was the best of the group with 103 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Sammy Morris (39 yards on 12 carries) took time from Maroney last year but doesn’t seem to be in that position right now. Kevin Faulk's one-game suspension to start the season may have been a factor in Belichick's decision to keep five running backs.

RECEIVERS: D+

If this camp was about third-year receiver Chad Jackson emerging and showing the coaches he deserved to be taken seriously, then he failed miserably. He did nothing to help Cassel in the first game, and from thereafter he did most of his damage with the scrubs. He caught seven passes (second-most on the team), but aside from two really nice touchdown grabs at the back pylon, Jackson was uniformly unimpressive. From a mentality and maturity standpoint, the kid just doesn't get it. Good for the Pats for cutting bait and not hanging on to him just because they devoted a high draft pick to him three years ago. Nevertheless, the move underscores just how thin the Pats suddenly are at this position. Why do you think the coaches worked so hard to get Washington involved in the passing game Friday? He won’t just be a special teams guy this season, especially if Wes Welker’s rib injury is significant. One big surprise was how much Randy Moss played (four catches) despite having such a huge year last season without the benefit of any exhibition action. Ben Watson (no catches) was a total non-factor while David Thomas (three grabs) showed some of his old promise as a possession receiver.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F

So many guys played so poorly it’s hard to know where to begin. Like the receiver position, the Pats have seemingly lost all their depth here overnight, especially after Russ Hochstein went down early in the preseason. Guys like Billy Yates, Wesley Britt and Dan Connolly were brutal while normal starters like Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins and Nick Kaczur also struggled. The hope was that Jon Welbourn and/or Mike Flynn would provide upgrades at the backup spots, but when the dust settled, Yates, Britt and Connolly were still on the team and Welbourn and Flynn were gone. Go figure. Overall, the August numbers told the story, as Pats quarterbacks were sacked 12 times and hit 21 times while the running game, excluding quarterback scrambles, averaged just 3.0-yards-per-carry (246 yards on 80 carries).

DEFENSIVE LINE: D+   

Perhaps the scariest thing about the way the Pats played defense in the preseason was the fact Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork started every game and Ty Warren started 3-of-4. That's the best defensive line in football, folks, and they got rolled. It’s not like it was Steve Fifita out there getting gashed (although that usually came later in the game; the reserve nose tackle was released last Friday). That said, you’ve got to be confident in this unit’s ability to get it done when it counts in September, especially if Seymour is as healthy and motivated as he claims. Jarvis Green and Mike Wright also came through the summer in good shape. In other words, this unit should be the least of our worries.

LINEBACKERS: B-

This group showed a lot of promise. Jerod Mayo looks like a stud and fellow rookie Sean Crable should see situational snaps immediately. The Pats shouldn't have to wait for them to make an impact. Meanwhile, Pierre Woods had a strong summer and made plays throughout the preseason. He's probably in the mix to enter the rotation as well, especially if Adalius Thomas is hampered by a wrist injury. Further adding to the youth movement is rookie free agent Gary Guyton, whose special teams work won him a roster spot. Tedy Bruschi will benefit the most by Mayo's presence.

SECONDARY: D

Veteran safety John Lynch really started to throw his body around in the first half against the Giants, but apparently it was too late. The Pats didn’t see enough to warrant guaranteeing his salary, which they would have been forced to do had Lynch started the year on the active roster. He'll probably be back in a week, but the time on the outside won't change a fundamental truth about Lynch: he can't run any more. He'll be a nice run-defender, but if he and Rodney Harrison are asked to cover the deep part of the field, the Pats could be in trouble. That's why a lot is riding on Brandon Meriweather being healthy and productive and James Sanders improving (he had a bad missed tackle against the Giants that resulted in a touchdown).  Meanwhile, corners Fernando Bryant and Jason Webster were worthy cuts. The Pats got what they paid for with these bargain-basement free agent signings. After looking at the Pats current four-deep, depth chart at corner -- Ellis Hobbs, Lewis Sanders and rookies Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite -- there's really only one thing to say: The Pats better have a hell of a pass rush.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D-   

The only thing that prevents a failing grade is the consistent work of Stephen Gostkowski (5-for-5 on field goals). Otherwise, the Pats had one atrocious night in coverage, giving up a punt and kickoff return for a touchdown against the Eagles with another long gain thrown in. They also had problems against Baltimore, giving up a 52-yard punt return and a 48-yard kickoff return. Punter Chris Hanson enraged Belichick with a poor decision at the end of the first half of the Philadelphia game, which resulted in return for a score.

COACHING: C

Again, we don’t know exactly what Belichick wanted to see on the field, so it’s hard to grade the results. Here’s our one bone to pick: If you are going to be overly-cautious with Brady, why play Moss so much? Why put Welker back on punts? Was that necessary? On the other hand, I really liked his cuts. By releasing Fernando Bryant and Victor Hobson, Belichick ensured that slower, ineffective veterans wouldn't take time away from the kids. The only way to get younger and faster on defense is to go with younger and faster players.

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3 UP

Jerod Mayo: Looked every bit the first-rounder.

Sean Crable: Surprise impact from rookie ‘backer.

LaMont Jordan: Don’t be surprised if he takes carries from Laurence Maroney.

   

3 DOWN

Defensive line: Never really asserted themselves.

Offensive line: Super Bowl hangover.

Fernando Bryant: All you need to know is that the Detroit Lions didn’t want him, either.

Mike Felger can be seen nightly on Mohegan Sun’s Sports Tonight on Comcast Sportsnet. You can reach him at mfelger@weei.com.