New England defense lacks consistency

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. --- The New England Patriots' young defense kept Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts under control for three quarters.

The Patriots forced seven punts, made one interception and led 24-14 with 15 minutes left. But they couldn't finish the job as Manning rallied the Colts to a 35-34 win Sunday night.

"We would play well for a series, play real well, and then the next series (with) similar calls and we just maybe didn't play them quite as well," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said Tuesday. "We're a little bit inconsistent at this point in time, and that's across the board basically with the young guys, and no particular guy."

It could have been worse after the departure of five veteran starters.

The Patriots traded linebacker Mike Vrabel to Kansas City in February and cornerback Ellis Hobbs to Philadelphia in April. Then came the retirements of safety Rodney Harrison in June and linebacker Tedy Bruschi in August. The biggest shocker came Sept. 6, eight days before the Patriots' opener, when they traded five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Richard Seymour to Oakland.

Suddenly, the kids had to grow up fast.

"Rookies are not rookies anymore," Pees said. "We've played nine games, four preseason games -- that's 13. ... That's more than a college season."

Three rookie draft choices have played well on a regular basis -- safety Pat Chung, cornerback Darius Butler and lineman Myron Pryor. Starting inside linebackers Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton and cornerback Jonathan Wilhite are in their second seasons. Safety Brandon Meriweather is in his third.

Pees denied that fatigue among defenders contributed to Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the New England 28-yard line leading 34-28 with just over two minutes left Sunday. With starters Ty Warren and Jarvis Green out with injuries, the Patriots had just four defensive linemen.

"I don't really think that was a factor," Pees said. "Everybody thinks about either the last drive or the last play, but there's always plays in the game that could have changed the outcome. We had two interference calls that were costly penalties. Both of them led to scores, which, if they don't lead to scores, maybe we get off the field."