Quite an exhibition

GRONKOWSKI: He's got hand.

The exhibition season is over. Now the fun begins. Hopefully.

The Patriots closed out preseason action with a 20-17 loss at the new Meadowlands. The starters actually played a bit in this one, a rarity in the Belichick era. He clearly thought they needed to see some more game action before the season starts for real -- especially the defense. He was right.

The defense has some issues. The Giants started the game with the ball at their own 14-yard line after another excellent Gostkowski kick-off. That's exactly what the Pats want to start a game. Stop the Giants and Brady and the offense get good field position, giving them a chance to get off to a fast start. That was the formula for success (and blowouts) and '07. The key that year was that the defense could get off the field. This one -- so far -- can't. New York drove 76 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown. Against the starting defense. This came on the heels of the preseason game against the Rams in which St. Louis had several long, time-consuming drives. Not a confidence builder.

The Giants added a 10-play drive that ended in a field goal in the second quarter. That one was led by rookie Rhett Bomer out of Sam Houston State. Sam Houston State! The Pats D helped Sam Bradford win the starting job for the Rams last week and if the Giants didn't already have Eli Manning then Bomer would have done the same. No pass rush. Inability to seal the corners against the run. Those are problems that can lead to some long Sunday afternoons. Surely Belichick can see that too. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with to fix it.

The starting offense has had a strong preseason, scoring six touchdowns and two field goals on 14 possessions in the four games. Besides a lack of pass rush, the other problem that cost the Pats wins last year was offensive troubles in the red zone. There's no sign the pass rush problem is fixed. There are strong signs that the red zone issues are. That would be a huge help this year. Gronkowski caught four touchdowns alone. Maybe there is a role for a tight end in this offense after all.

The preseason is over. It was not a good one. Not because the team lost its last two and finished 2-2. Not because the defense has looked shaky. Not because the new scoreboards are not as huge as I had hoped. The reason it was not a good one was because of injuries. Ty Warren. Leigh Bodden. Brandon McGowan. All important parts of the defense. Warren and Bodden are done for the year. The most important part of the preseason -- staying healthy. The Pats did as poorly on that front as they did in tackling. Both better improve starting next week.