Taking the long view on defense

Belichick saw positives despite the big gainers

SAN DIEGO - Patriots coach Bill Belichick defended his defense a little bit the day after it allowed three 40-yard-plus passing plays and a 32-yard pass interference penalty and surrendered 404 yards in a 30-10 loss to the San Diego Chargers.

Belichick said the performance of the defense was skewed by those big plays. Indeed, the Patriots held the Chargers to 3 of 10 on third downs and limited LaDainian Tomlinson to 74 yards on 20 carries.

"I thought we played competitively on third down," Belichick said yesterday. "I thought we played competitively in the running game. I think we were competitive for the most part on the short and intermediate routes.

"Overall, it was, I think, a pretty competitive game defensively other than the big plays, but you can't dismiss those. But I think there were a lot of positives in terms of the overall way we defended them, but not on those handful of plays."

Belichick was asked if the team's lack of a pass rush - no sacks and no quarterback hits - contributed to San Diego's success with the long ball. He wouldn't absolve the secondary of responsibility for Vincent Jackson's 48-yard catch on the game's first play from scrimmage, Malcom Floyd's 49-yard touchdown grab, or Jackson's 59-yard reception in the third quarter.

"It's every defensive back's job to keep the ball in front of them," Belichick said. "The intent is never to get it thrown over your head, so whether there is a pass rush or not, that's the last line of defense.

"You've got to prevent the big play. Ultimately, it's got to fall, the long passes, with the secondary. You're always looking for more pass rush and always looking for tighter coverage, but you've got to defend the deep ball first, and we didn't do a real good job of that."

He isn't kicking himself

Stephen Gostkowski wasn't going to make every kick this season, but it sure seemed that way until Sunday night.

Gostkowski started the season 10 for 10 on field goal attempts and had made 17 straight regular-season kicks before he pushed a 48-yarder that would have tied the game, 3-3, on the Patriots' first drive.

"It just went a little left," said Gostkowski. "I wish I had another crack at it, but I don't.

"If there is anything positive out of it, it's that I came back and made the next one. It's one kick. It's one game. The team could have used the points at the time. I've just got to be better than that. I know I can make that kick. It happens and you move on. I'm not going to cry over it all day."

After the miss, Gostkowski started a new streak, connecting on a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter.

High marks for LeVoir

One of the positives from Sunday's loss was the play of reserve tackle Mark LeVoir, who filled in for Nick Kaczur at right tackle after Kaczur left with a right ankle injury on the Patriots' second possession. LeVoir, who was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Rams Sept. 1, did a solid job and had a key hustle play with 44 seconds left in the first half, when he dived on a Matt Cassel fumble at the Patriots' 18. "He did a pretty good job," said Belichick. "We were throwing the ball a lot when he was in there. It didn't seem like there were a whole lot of problems there. It can always be better, but there weren't a whole lot of problems at that spot."

No way, Jose

Belichick dismissed the notion that the Patriots' performance against San Diego was due in part to the decision to set up camp at San Jose State last week and practice there instead of flying back to Foxborough after defeating the San Francisco 49ers the previous weekend. "I think it was the best thing we could have done for our team," said Belichick. "I think we had a good week of preparation. I think it worked out well. I don't think that was the problem." . . . Belichick did not have an injury update on Kaczur, defensive end Jarvis Green (right ankle), safety Brandon Meriweather (hip), or cornerback Ellis Hobbs (leg). Both Meriweather, who was hurt in the second quarter and came back in the second half, and Hobbs, who left, then came back in the first quarter, did not appear to have serious injuries. Green, who was hurt on the first drive of the game, was seen without crutches after the game . . . Patriots players are off today and return to Gillette Stadium tomorrow.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.