Raise your hands folks if you are as worried as I am that the defending Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots will have extreme difficulty just earning a playoff spot?

Never mind a repeat trip to the Big Game or foolish nonsense of back-to-back titles. After starting the season like the ultimate team to be reckoned with, the Patriots have dropped three in a row for the first time since November 2000, when many of us around here were still wondering if Coach Bill Belichick was worth a first round pick.

The Pats have a bye-week and boy it couldn’t have come at a better time. Coach Belichick probably considered giving his team a little R & R, but that is surely out the window. And can you blame Belichick? After scoring 115 points the first three games, the offense has managed just 37 points in the last three. And the defense well, let’s just say they haven’t done much better.

There is not one area of the team (with the exception of kicker Adam Vinatieri) that is playing solid right now. Everyone is mistaking huge mistakes, mentally the team is as unfocused as it was during the Pete Carroll regime, and the effort by some of the players on the field is down right shameful. There has been little progress by the young players from last year’s squad, and the older ones have seen their game slip several notches.

Now the teams that the Patriots have lost to (San Diego, Miami, and Green Bay) are no slouches and they very well could make the playoffs. The most irritating element is that the Pats have been out muscled, beaten mentally, and the most disconcerting one of all, out coached. All the talk of coordinators Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel may have gotten to their head, because the focus on both sides of the ball is just not there.

I was going to wait until exactly eight games had been played before I gave the Patriots progress reports, but I’m mad now. So without further ado, my midseason evaluation with short relevant commentary.

Quarterbacks (C): This is all Tom Brady. Damon Haurd and Rohan Davey have no effect on this grade. Brady has looked a little lost at times; his throws are often way off the mark; and he is holding the ball in the pocket way too long (remind you of someone). His totals in the last three games: four touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Running Backs (D): This one is about performance and execution, not so much about stats. Antowain Smith, Kevin Faulk, and the rest of the running back corps look sluggish and often disinterested out on the field. Smith may not be running as much as he should, but lately he takes a day and a half to hit the hole in the line of scrimmage. Faulk, well, he is no Marshall, but he could at least pay attention to what’s going on.

Wide receivers and Tight ends (B): The one area that holds some respect, and that’s mostly due to Troy Brown. Rookie Deion Branch disappears for quarters at a time, and David Patten often follows suit. The upgrade at tight end is significant, but Brady is still not trying to use them as much as he could. Injuries have taken a toll on both positions.

Offensive Line (C-): Again, there have been some injuries, but what NFL team has no injuries? The run blocking is a joke at times, and on passing downs, there is almost always one lineman that gets beat by his man. A once solid unit is now shaky at best. (Matt Light what has happened to you?)

Defensive Line (F): Why are they failing? Tackle Richard Seymour is not making any plays, just stupid plays. The imports Belichick brought in are completely invisible. They don’t shed blockers; they don’t penetrate the line and get to the quarterback. You name it, they don’t do it. Every respectable team in the NFL that stops the run has a defensive lineman or two that makes tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The Patriots are not one of those teams.

Linebackers (D): These guys miss tackles. A linebacker’s main function is to bring down the ball carrier, first and foremost, and these guys can’t do it. Teddy Bruschi is being swallowed alive by the behemoths of the offensive line; Roman Phifer often grabs at air when trying to bring down a running back; Mike Vrabel is always third man in a tackle. Ted Johnson has lost too much of his game to be effective any more and there are no young guns waiting to step into a starting role. A very disheartening position for the team to be in.

Secondary (C): These guys have not played too badly, although the last couple of games have not been too kind to them. They make too many tackles on running backs and they are asked to cover their assignments for too long, thus they become worn down. Despite that, they are not without their faults. Lawyer Milloy has not made his presence felt in the last two games or so. Smith can no longer defend the long pass and is constantly being beaten down field. Law still has not regained his form; he’s too timid with the receivers.

Special teams (B): Vinatieri is rock solid, and the team has had good coverage on punts and kickoffs. Faulk scares the hell out of me when he returns punts, and Ken Walters is still very shaky in punting.

Coaches (D): No adjustments during the game. All last year, both sides made changes at half time that propelled them to outplay the opponent and win the game. There has been no sign of that this year. The strategy at times makes one scratch his head.

The funny thing is that all this complaining and the team is at 3-3. Times sure have changed. And that’s a good thing, mediocrity is no longer acceptable for this franchise and it’s no longer acceptable for its fans. The team has two weeks before it squares off against the Denver Broncos, another championship contender. We’ll see if the two weeks was enough time for Belichick to save this sinking ship.