Backup battle still up in the air
QBs misfire again in final audition
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The good news is the "practice games," as Patriots coach Bill Belichick called them last night, have come to a conclusion. The bad news may be that the Patriots look like they need more practice to be ready for the regular season.
Practice was the only thing quarterback Tom Brady did this preseason, never taking a snap in a game.
New England's signal-calling savior, who is nursing a sore right foot, sat out again last night, setting the stage for his backups to battle for their NFL existences, although a 19-14 loss to the New York Giants at Giants Stadium cemented the Patriots' first winless preseason since 1990.
But last night wasn't about the final score or exacting revenge against the Giants for Super Bowl XLII. It was about the bubble battles on the roster, which has to be down to 53 players by tomorrow at 4 p.m.
"We got a chance to look at a lot of players. I'm anxious to see the film, and see how all that turned out," said Belichick. "It's hard to evaluate from the sideline, but we'll get a good look at it and that will certainly help us in our evaluation."
Chief among the decisions prior to playing the Kansas City Chiefs Sept. 7 is what to do at quarterback behind Brady, where incumbent Matt Cassel, second-year man Matt Gutierrez, and rookie Kevin O'Connell are competing for spots.
Based on the preseason play of the QBs, neither Cassel nor Gutierrez deserves to be Brady's apprentice. Both were unimpressive in their final auditions. Gutierrez (5 of 9 for 69 yards and an interception) had five possessions and failed to produce points.
Cassel, who got the start, played two series and suffered the same fate. Now, both QBs await their fate.
"I think it's a stressful time for a lot of people, but I know that I've worked hard and played hard. Now, we can't control what decisions are made," said Gutierrez.
The most effective quarterback on the Patriots' roster last night was O'Connell. The third-round pick entered with 12:46 left in the fourth quarter and immediately put a pair of touchdowns on the board.
Following C.J. Jones's 44-yard kickoff return, the rookie audibled at the line of scrimmage to counter an all-out blitz, then hit Chad Jackson in the back of the end zone for his first TD pass as a pro, a 16-yarder that trimmed the Giants' lead to 19-7 with 9:26 to go.
"You get the check and the wideout makes a great play in the corner of the end zone, that's a pretty good feeling," said O'Connell. "It's exciting to just put points on the board. That's my main goal going in there, and this whole preseason that's how it's been."
Jones aided O'Connell's cause - and his own - with a 42-yard punt return, putting the Patriots in business at the New York 18 to set up O'Connell's 5-yard TD scramble, which made it 19-14 with 4:50 left.
But O'Connell (3 of 4 for 22 yards; two rushes for 15 yards and a score) didn't get another shot as the Giants ran out the clock.
"We were planning on winning the game if we got the ball back," said O'Connell.
Brady wasn't the only Super Bowl-winning signal-caller who sat out. Eli Manning wasn't in uniform, as the Giants started David Carr. Carr made a strong case to be the Giants' No. 2 quarterback, going 20 of 29 for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Cassel failed to do the same. Playing with the first-team offense, which included left tackle Matt Light, who made his preseason debut, the besieged backup ended the preseason without directing the Patriots to a touchdown. He led the team to just two field goals in his 17 series under center.
Cassel got little assistance from the supporting cast last night. On his second drive, facing third and 7 from the New England 49, Kelley Washington dropped a pass that would have gained a first down.
Regardless of who was under center, the Patriots' offense sputtered, punting on its first five possessions, ending the half with a Gutierrez interception in the end zone on second and goal. Gutierrez, who led the Patriots from their 27 to the Giants' 2 after getting the ball with 2:01 left, was looking to hit Jackson on a fade route. Jackson slipped and fell and R.W. McQuarters picked off the pass.
In its cameo, the first-team defense was just as uninspiring as the quarterbacks.
For the fourth straight preseason game, the Patriots' defense allowed a first-drive score. The Giants opened with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in tight end Darcy Johnson's 26-yard touchdown catch. Johnson caught a pass from Carr, ran over safety James Sanders, then bulldozed cornerback Fernando Bryant the final 5 yards.
That was fitting because the Giants pushed the Patriots' presumed starting defense around on the drive, ripping off runs of 19, 11, and 11 yards and gaining 43 yards on the ground on five carries. On the second - and final - series, the first-team defense forced New York to go three and out.
That was one of the Patriots' few bright spots.
The question is was New England's pitiful play simply a sign of the end of the preseason or the beginning of the end of their run of success? We'll have to wait for a Brady sighting and the regular season for the answer.
Belichick sounded unconcerned about the 0-4 record.
"We've had good records in preseason," he said. "We've had bad records in preseason. What counts is how you play in the regular season. That's what matters."
Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com. 