From the Brink of Perfection to Brink of....

FOXBORO - So when I talked to the office earlier, we had a deal. If Tom Brady played in the Patriots third preseason game, I'd do a little blow-by-blow on how the man looked. If not, I'd just gather some knowledge and then talk to Bill Belichick after the game for some preview stuff I'm working on.

Well, given that the Patriots are getting their helmets handed to them with their heads still in them, my guess is Billy Beli is going to be less than chatty.

It's currently 27-3 late in the third quarter. In the first half, the Eagles had 242 net yards. The Patriots had 56. The Eagles had 14 first downs. New England had three. The Eagles have 199 return yards and two return touchdowns - a kickoff return by Quintin Demps and a punt return by rookie DeSean Jackson.

This goes way beyond the absence of Brady who hasn't played a snap in this preseason. The Patriots offensive line is neither protecting the quarterback nor opening holes for the running game (0 rushing yards in the first half if you take away QB Matt Cassel's lead-footed 22-yard scramble).

The defense got dissected by Donovan McNabb (13 for 17 for 180 yards and a touchdown pass in the first half) and the overall emotion level is....tepid.

With one preseason game remaining - and that being the "mail-it-in" fourth contest - the Patriots haven't even showed a flicker of prowess since...well, since the AFC Championship game? Earlier?

On the flip side, the Eagles look terrific.