Your 2010 New England Patriots...

The Pats open another football season tomorrow at home against Cincy. Fall is here. My favorite time of year. If only every day could be 67 degrees with a few wispy clouds and a cool breeze. And with football. At least for the next several months there will be football.

The Patriots finished 10-6 last year. Then they got steamrolled by the Ravens in the playoffs.The question going into 2010 is a simple one. Are the Patriots better than last year -- or will they take a step back?

BELICHICK: On a mission.

Some years it's easy to answer that question. At the start of training camp it seemed like this was one of those years. The Pats would be better. How better would depend on how many of the young players would become reliable playmakers, especially on defense and special teams. Welker is back. Brady, Moss, and Taylor are all healthy and have the look of focus. The offensive line is a rock. Big Vince was signed and happy. The young players on D would benefit from the experience -- good and bad -- they gained last year. Finally, Belichick has a history of getting his team motivated by their failures. Like that playoff game last year.

But then things started to happen. Pro Bowl lineman Logan Mankins didn't come to camp and made it clear he would sit out the season if he didn't get more than the $35 million the team reportedly offered him. Linebacker Derrick Burgess also didn't come to camp, not because he didn't like his contract (he had just signed an extension) but because he was thinking of retiring. Then things really took a turn for the worse. Defensive stalwart Ty Warren was ruled out for the season with a hip injury. Shortly after that, starting cornerback Leigh Bodden went down for the year with a bad shoulder. Then Brandon McGowan -- one of the young hitters on the D -- was put on the IR with a chest injury. Combine all that with a couple of sloppy preseason losses and my optimism was taking a hit.

But even with all that I still get the sense that this team -- youth and all -- is on a mission. They were embarrassed at home by the Ravens. With that loss as motivation, Belichick will have Brady and the offense locked in. That's why he drafted monster tight ends Gronkowski and Hernandez. It's much like 2007. The year before the Pats had blown a large lead in the AFC title game against the Colts. Belichick went out and got Moss and Welker and Stallworth. Brady and the offense broke almost every single-season record imaginable. If the injury bug doesn't start hitting the offensive side of the ball then the Pats should have an even better offense.

The defense was not as big a problem last year as many seem to remember. It was actually the offense that made huge mistakes late in games against Miami, Denver, Indy, and Houston that were largely responsible for those games ending as losses. The defense had trouble getting off the field but the offense had chances to lock up games and failed. The defense had similar trouble getting off the field in the preseason. But if young, physical players like Mayo, Meriweather, Chung, and Spikes can continue to make strides then that should get better.

If the defense shows just marginal improvement over last year, Brady and that offense will turn many of those tough losses last year into big wins this one.

An opener against Cincy is a good test right out of the gate.