EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- End the preseason nonsense. It's time for the real thing.
On a night when the running game was a top priority, the Patriots couldn't get out of first gear and were stomped by the Giants in a 19-14 loss. When it mattered, they tried to run the ball and didn't get far. When it mattered, they tried to stop the run and got run over.
So, what does it mean?
Preseason football seldom, if ever, provides the answer. So bring on the regular season.
Only then, after four lackluster weeks of preseason play, will the following question be answered: Can a team look lifeless through much of the preseason, post an 0-4 record without its top quarterback, and turn it on in time for the Sept. 7 season opener against Kansas City?
We'll soon find out.
As safety John Lynch pointed out last week, there are plenty of examples in which teams went winless in the preseason, then stormed out of the gates on a long winning streak in the regular season. And vice versa.
So, just as football consumers might think long and hard about attending an exhibition game -- Giants Stadium was barely three-quarters full -- they should also think twice about reading too much into preseason results.
"Once the season starts, it's a whole new ballgame; we know that," coach Bill Belichick said. "What counts is how you play in the regular season. That's what matters. It doesn't mean that the individual performances and group performances and how you execute plays isn't important. It is important, and that leads to your execution at a later point in time, but I'd say that's what you gain from preseason."
The fourth exhibition game, in particular, generally is one in which both teams are looking to escape healthy, and in that case, both teams won. The defending champion Giants, who open their season Thursday against the Redskins, didn't play quarterback Eli Manning, receiver Plaxico Burress, and defensive end Justin Tuck.
The Patriots played without a spark last night, which is pretty much the way they've played throughout the preseason. Once again, they put up little resistance on an opponents' opening drive, surrendering points for the fourth straight game (two touchdowns, two field goals).
Most glaring were struggles in the running game, Brandon Jacobs ripping off a 19-yard run on the second play from scrimmage, powering through the right side, and racing past diving linebacker Tedy Bruschi. Jacobs, a load at 6 feet 4 inches, 264 pounds, was hardly touched.
