In the end, the disappointing truth is this: It was the New England Patriots' own fault and no one else's that they didn't get an invitation to the postseason party. As Richard Seymour said during this afternoon's player postmortems at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots lost to the Colts, Steelers, and Chargers, so what do they really have to complain about?

To put it another way: When you have to count on Brett Favre rescuing your season, the cause is already lost. (Somewhere, Eric Mangini nods solemnly while engulfing his third $5 Footlong of this day and wondering if he can get away with sneaking Bill Belichick onto his list of references.)

The Patriots simply let too many opportunities slip through their hands along the way -- literally, in Jabar Gaffney's case during the ultimately costly loss to the Colts -- and those calling for a change in the playoff system today are simply doing so out of frustration and parochialism. The Patriots are the first 11-win team to miss the postseason since current 12-team playoff format was implemented in 1990, which tells you that in the vast majority of seasons, the system works flawlessly.

But even as we sit here wishing that the season could have lasted a few weekends longer -- and I know I'm not the only one who thought the battered but peaking Patriots had a chance to make some noise in the playoffs, particularly had the Jets won and Ravens lost yesterday -- I think this is a team that leaves us with warm memories to get through the winter. Given how it all began -- with the franchise quarterback crumpled on the turf and our hopes apparently snuffed out barely seven minutes into the season -- that is a truly remarkable thing.

In many ways, I enjoyed this season more than last, when the Patriots ran roughshod over the rest of the NFL while being cast as villains (and worse) from coast to coast, only to be left stunned as their detractors gloated and celebrated that "1" in the loss column at the end.

We've been trained during the franchise's unprecedented success to believe that a season was only successful if it ended with a Super Bowl victory, and that mind-set makes sense to some extent; it sounds smug, but you hate to see that window of opportunity close without all of your championship hopes being fulfilled.

But given what the Patriots endured in terms of injuries this season -- and that's not an excuse, it's the reality -- only the most demanding among us would consider this season anything less than a success.

The 2008 Patriots weren't champions, but they sure were admirable. I'm going to miss watching them.

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I'll remain forever convinced that no other coach in the NFL could have coaxed 11 victories out of this team after the devastating developments of Week 1, and what Belichick accomplished with this season's tattered roster should restore all of the luster to his reputation that he supposedly lost during last season's ESPN-endorsed soap opera.

But anyone who suggests that he pulled off his greatest coaching job this season has an extremely short memory. I've probably written this a half-dozen times this season, but I'll say it again: Beating the Rams and winning the Super Bowl XXXVI with a patchwork roster ranks among the single greatest coaching feats in NFL history -- and it may be at the very top of the list.

Maybe it's just a matter of perspective, or maybe it's because the pregame suspicion was that defeat in this one might be inevitable, but I wasn't as ticked off or frustrated or bummed out after the Patriots' suspense-free 33-10 loss to the Steelers last night as I would have been, say, three seasons ago. Ultimately, I suppose that's because I feel like the better team won, and that's how it should be.

That maniacal defense makes Pittsburgh a legitimate Super Bowl contender, more so if Ben Roethlisberger can continue to limit his mistakes they way he did last night. (Tell me again why the Pats rarely blitz? Because they prefer to prolong the agony rather than get it over quickly?)

The only real aggravation I felt came from the repeated and uncharacteristic physical and mental errors by the Pats, who looked like they had never played in lousy weather before and couldn't wait to get back to the locker room to grab some hot chocolate and a cozy blanket.

In way, it reminded me of the '05 playoff loss to the Broncos, when miscues repeatedly put Denver in great field position. The Patriots couldn't overcome their blunders then, and they couldn't last night, either. Hate to say it, but that's justice.

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I still think the Patriots' second priority this offseason -- after, obviously, getting at least one defensive back who is better than mediocre -- is finding a capable and consistent pass rusher, either at linebacker or defensive end. But I will admit that I now appreciate Ty Warren's contributions a lot more after watching Mike Wright look like a kid chasing a school bus for most of the night. He may not be the second coming of Tony McGee as a pass rusher, but there's something to be said for a lineman who knows how to hold his ground and allows others to get the glory. I won't take him for granted again.

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Anyone who ever had as much a fleeting thought that Matt Cassel should be the Patriots quarterback in 2009 and beyond is either someone who found "Football For Dummies" too complex and layered, a member of the Sharpe family, or both. Two terrific games did not make him the second coming of Tom Brady, and we got a harsh reminder last night that he's still got a lot of growing to do. I'm convinced that Cassel will be a very good NFL quarterback for whichever team he joins as a free agent, provided the system is the right fit for his skills.

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All right, I'll say it: Randy Moss has let down Cassel a heck of a lot more than he has picked him up this season.

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Two who did show up: The admirable Kevin Faulk had his typical Mr. Dependable game, and Richard Seymour was often beastly -- you had to laugh when he clobbered Roethlisberger a split-second after Ellis Hobbs bounced off the Steelers' behemoth quarterback like a bug on a windshield.

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Ben Watson might be the NFL's most specialized specialist -- there is no one better in the history of the NFL then running the length of a football field to tackle a defensive player at or near the 1-yard line after a turnover. Yup, it's quite a gift, though I think we'd all prefer he had more skills suitable for playing tight end -- like catching the football when it hits his bleepin' hands, for instance. Hmmm . . . maybe the Patriots should move Watson to linebacker and Mike Vrabel to tight end.

1. I wasn't among those who came into last night's game believing a Patriots-Colts matchup had lost some luster. Too much has happened between the rivals in recent seasons for it to be relegated to Just Another Game status simply because Tom Brady is two more infections away from having a peg leg and the Colts are supposedly mediocre. So count me among the apparent minority who is more frustrated than encouraged by the Patriots' hard-fought 18-15 loss at Indy last night. While there certainly are several plot developments to be optimistic about as the season hits the midway point -- primarily, Matt Cassel's steady and continued improvement at quarterback, and hey, who's blaming the Pats for not having a serviceable backup like Brad Johnson now? -- I guess it's just hard to consider a three-point loss to the teetering-on-the-brink-of-disaster Colts as a moral victory. Real victories are much more fun -- especially when you have a chance to hammer a few nails in your chief rival's coffin in the process. Yes, the Patriots played well, and there is reason to be hopeful. But in the end, I can't help but think of it as one that got away.

2. Jabar Gaffney sure picked a terrible time to borrow Ben Watson's hands. While I imagine my reaction to the drop was the same as yours -- a guttural groan followed by the punching of an inanimate object (like, say, a cat) and a string of creatively used curse words -- I also felt bad for Gaffney. He has been a very dependable receiver since arriving as a street free agent during the '06 season -- remember how quickly he won Tom Brady's confidence? -- and he's been something of a forgotten man this season as he's rarely the first option and Cassel still falls into the habit of locking on to his first or second receiver.

3. I realize the Patriots' ball-control game plan was effective, and I realize a big reason it was effective is because the Colts were so concerned with Randy Moss that they basically kept their safeties deep the entire game. Still, I can't help but wish Cassel and Josh McDaniels could find a way to get the ball in his hands more often. He's the lone game-changing weapon on the Patriots offense, and maybe some of those field goals would turn into touchdowns if Moss got more touches.

4. Bob Sanders wasn't the Human Tornado he usually is against the Patriots' running game -- mostly because he was on don't-get-beat-by-Moss duty all night -- but the safety did play a significant role in the Colts' win, and I'm starting to get annoyed that his annual litany of injuries always seem to heal just in time for him to return to play the Patriots. In a related note, the Colts took Sanders with the 44th pick in the 2004 draft -- 12 picks after the Patriots took Watson. I would like to petition for a do-over on that one.

5. I've long had high hopes for David Thomas. He's a more trustworthy receiver than fellow tight end Watson, and should he remain healthy this season, I expect he'll become an increasingly useful weapon in the passing game for Cassel. That said, I hope he's still walking home from Indianapolis as you're reading this. That penalty was so ridiculously inexcusable, even Bill Romanowski is wondering what he was thinking.

1. I saw enough down the stretch yesterday to convince me that LaMont Jordan should be this team's starting tailback, and I am completely serious about this. He ran the way the delicate Laurence Maroney should run, if he'd just stop doing the Reggie Dupard Shuffle in the backfield before hitting the hole. I realize Jordan had additional motivation yesterday because he was playing against the team that drafted him, but his performance was no fluke: this is a player who has had significant success in the NFL, he's known as a tough runner, and his style suits the Patriots' needs in this Brady-less season. He can - and should - be exactly what Antowain Smith was to another certain unproven quarterback in 2001. As for Maroney, if he wants to retain his job, he knows what he has to do.

2. By now, you've heard all the usual terms and phrases regarding Matt Cassel's steady debut as a starter yesterday. He managed the game well . . . he limited his mistakes . . . he was poised and efficient . . . in other words, pretty much all of the things they used to say about Tom Brady back when he was labeled a "system quarterback." While Cassel did some things that made you appreciate just how consistently great Brady is - he airmailed a couple of basic throws, was a split-second late in spotting open receivers on occasion, and seemed a little too eager to run - he played the way we hoped he would (it's eerie how close his final numbers were to Brady's in his first career start), and made a lot of skeptics around the country gulp down some words in the process. The Patriots can win with this kid. After what happened a week ago, that's enough for me.

3. Adalius Thomas was positively fearsome yesterday (somewhere, Leon Washington quivers in agreement), and I probably don't need to tell you that an effective Thomas makes the Patriots a much more imposing defensive team, particularly when it comes to rushing the passer. Add in the fact that Richard Seymour looks healthy and rejuvenated and Jerod Mayo is flying around in the middle like he has his heart set on being the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and you have to be giddy about the potential of the Patriots' defense, particularly the front seven.

4. Another thing that makes me feel better about the Patriots' chances than I did at 7:37 of the first quarter a week ago: The other supposedly elite teams in the AFC all appear to have significant flaws. The Colts, with a makeshift offensive line and a moping and immobile Peyton Manning, looked like a team headed for a down season yesterday against the Vikings, while the Chargers simply looked like a team coached by Norv Turner. Trendy picks Jacksonville, Cleveland, and the J-E-T-S are a combined 1-5, and only Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Denver qualify somewhere between intriguing and impressive. I might not have said this a week ago, but I'll say it now: I like the Patriots' chances against this field.

5. Cassel seemed to target tight end Dave Thomas often yesterday, and considering that starter Ben Watson might as well move his locker into the trainer's room, it's probably a good thing for them to develop a rapport. I've always thought Thomas, a Rose Bowl hero at Texas, was a talent, though he's hardly been durable himself. And speaking of Patriots tight ends (or former Patriots) tight ends, how did Daniel Graham ever land a national commercial?