A break in the schedule

WEEK 7
The Patriots have come to their bye week. Time to take a little break from football -- and blogging. My break is a two-week bye as Dev and I head to Spain and then Morocco to visit my brother and let him know that Brady is having another MVP season. Oh, and see North Africa.

By the time I return to the land of the NFL the Patriots will have played a road game against the Steelers (VCR set) and will be in the process of hosting the Giants in Week 9. The way the 5-1 Pats have played, I like their chances in both those games.

The combined records of the six teams the Pats have played so far is only 13-14, but one of those teams is the 0-5 and soon-to-have-a-new-coach Dolphins. The Jets, Chargers, Bills, and Cowboys are all in the top 15 teams in the league and have posed serious tests to both the Pats' offense and defense. Tests they have mostly passed. As the players and coaches recharge -- and I head overseas -- here's a quick look at where they stand on both sides of the ball.

OFFENSE
What's not to like? The whole key is to keep Brady standing upright as much as possible. Give him time -- with all the weapons at his disposal -- and he will almost always make a play. He's one of the all-time greats and one more Lombardi away from sitting atop everyone's list. I know the rest of the football-loving world can't stand looking at him anymore. But he sure makes it good to be a Pats fan. And although I really don't care what his hair looks like, I have to admit his short hair is better.

The offensive line holds that aforementioned key and so far they have more than done the job. The last two weeks against Ryan brothers' defenses. They don't get any tougher than that. And all without center Dan Koppen. There aren't many teams that can miss a player like him and yet not miss a beat. That's coaching. Brian Waters (left), the veteran from KC, may be the best offseason pickup in the entire league. He's been that good. And he seems to have a lot left in the tank. As does Matt Light, the versatile leader with the three rings who can move all over the field. Mankins and youngsters Vollmer and Solder are beasts. The Pats have a lot of strengths, but none stronger than the O line.

The emphasis is always on protecting #12. But the last three games have seen the offense rush for more than 100 yards. That shouldn't surprise because the Pats could run the ball pretty well last year. BenJarvus and Woody are perfect for this offense. Tough. Protect the ball. Rarely lose yards. Solid blockers. Rookie Stevan Ridley has shown some flashes and maybe -- just maybe -- Kevin Faulk has a little more magic left. The Patriots can attack all kinds of ways.

Then there are the guys that catch Brady's passes. First and foremost there's Welker. He could shatter the record books if he keeps it up. And there's no reason to think he won't because he has lots of help. There's veteran Branch, who can be quiet for a stretch but then put together a string of big catches. And when he's quiet he's still playing hard and throwing blocks all over the field. Throw in the two-headed tight end monster of Gronk and Hernandez and you have lots of offensive weapons. Even Ocho, who has yet to have a big impact, has made some key plays. When he is your fourth or fifth option on a play, well, you have an offense that is tough to stop.

An offense that has had only eight three-and-outs so far this year. Eight. Some teams have that in one game. Like I said, what's not to like?

DEFENSE
Unfortunately, there are several things not to like about the defense. They are last in the league against the pass and last in yards allowed per game. But stats -- as they say -- are for losers and Ron Borges. The D is also ninth in the league against the run and fourteenth in points per game at 22. Now 22 is a lot to give up on average, but not when you are scoring 30 all the time. And the 22 has been trending downward.

The pass rush from the revamped defensive line has only made occasional appearances. Big Vince is having another great season. He truly is one of the rare cases of a star player finally landing his big pay day and actually playing harder and better. Gotta love Big Vince. He's the one constant in an ever-changing cast on the D line. Phat Albert, Shaun Ellis, Andre Carter, Kyle Love, Gerard Warren, Mark Anderson, Jermaine Cunningham. Carter has been a great addition. Not a stud, but definitely a playmaker. Ellis and Albert have yet to make a big impact for guys of their size. I think as the weather and the games get tougher, so will they.

The linebacking group WILL be a strength of this team. When everyone is healthy at the same time. First Brandon Spikes was out. He is back and starting to make an impact. Check out the first and second down plays of the Cowboys possession right before the Pats game-winning drive. Spikes smashed through the middle on back-to-back run plays, forcing Dallas into a third-and-long and eventually a punt. Big plays. And he did it with defensive captain Jerod Mayo on the sideline. Mayo had completely returned to his rookie-of-the-year form and seemed on the verge of taking the next step into Bruschi territory. Then he got hurt again. But he is already back on the practice field. Role players Ninko, Guyton, Fletcher, White, and Tarpinian round out a solid -- if not outstanding -- linebacking corp. When Mayo is on the field they are more than solid.

The secondary? I repeat. The Pats are last in the league against the pass. The pass rush needs to be better. No doubt. But when the D is getting passed on it's the coverage that has been really lacking. Especially in the first three games. Since then the coverage has been better. McCourty is having an ugly sophomore slump. But last year proved that he has the skills. He'll get it right. On the other side, veteran Leigh Bodden is back and you aren't hearing much about him. That's the way it should be for a cornerback. Patrick Chung is the man in the middle. I don't know how many times I've seen him limp off the field only to come back a few minutes later and make a huge tackle. He's fast becoming one of the best young safeties in the game. Which is good because he's practically playing the position by himself. Oh, I know James Ihedigbo, Sergio Brown, and Josh Barrett are on the roster. Someone has to play free safety.

The defense gave up lots of yards last year but the Pats went 14-2 because they got stops and turnovers when they had to. They led the league with 38 turnovers, 25 of them interceptions. They scored five defensive touchdowns. Those are the stats the defense needs to repeat. They already have eight picks and three fumble recoveries. That's a good start.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Gostkowski is back and looks strong although I thought he'd be sending his kickoffs off the lighthouse with the new rules. He made two big field goals last week in the comeback win against Dallas and he was 3-for-3 against the Jets in a game the Pats win by nine points. He's clutch. It was a big loss when he went down last year. Zoltan is having a much better start to his second season than his first. He wasn't bad last year for a rookie punter, but he's looking much more confident and comfortable so far this season. His average is up from 43 to nearly 46 yards and he has already dropped eight inside the 20. He only did that 19 times all of last year. The former Michigan captain is showing he was worth the draft pick.

Young players Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater have the potential to become a great pair of kick returners. Injuries have slowed them down. When one of them can't make it, some guy named Welker is there to fill in. he's pretty good.

COACHING
The quarterback may some day go down in the books as the greatest the NFL has ever seen. The coach already is. Watching the Pats' bench from my view in Section 109, I get to see the coaching staff in action. There's not a lot of high fiving and laughing and hysterics. Whether up by 10 or down by 10, the bench is always focused. Belichick had replaced Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel -- two key parts to the dynasty -- with Eric Mangini (rat) and Josh McDaniels. But they were too quick to bolt for their own head coaching jobs. (How did that work out?) Belichick now has a new group of young coaches led by Bill O'Brien (offense) and Matt Patricia (defense) and they seem to be learning fast. The Pats aren't perfect, but they very rarely beat themselves or look lost. Watch the coaching staffs of many other NFL teams and you'll realize just how rare that is.

Ten years after the first Super Bowl title and the Pats are still one of the best teams in the league. How good can the 2011 Pats be? They have lots of strengths and very few weaknesses. The season is still young. Ten more weeks to go. The Pats -- as they have done with regularity with Belichick as coach -- have put themselves in a good position. If they can stay relatively healthy, they should be in even better position when they finish up Week 17.