The Patriots don't know who they are.

What an incredible day to live in the Boston area. After the third straight game in which their offense has appeared less than superhuman, and second straight game in which their defense has been maligned, sports radio in the Northeast is buzzing over what is wrong with the New England Patriots. One would think that the team is 3-5 and in last place instead of 5-3 and in the thick of what will be an exciting AFC playoff race. Still, the Patriots, who often seem invulnerable, have exposed numerous vulnerabilities this season, and Felger and Mazz and Gresh and Zo and the like cannot say enough about what is wrong with the team, what is wrong with the organization, and what needs to be done to fix it all, now and in the future.

Bill Belichick is under fire. His strategy of trading down in the draft to acquire more picks in order to trade down in the draft to acquire more picks, is failing. There's a perceived lack of talent on the roster, and a lack of experience and pedigree among coaches not named William. Schemes on both sides of the ball are being questioned - commonplace for the defense in recent seasons and now alarming for an offense thought to be among the NFL's elite. For a decade the New England Patriots have been considered the smartest organization in football, maybe all of professional sports. As of Monday morning, that is no longer the case.

All these issues boil down to one truth: the Patriots lack an identity. They're no longer the team that can resign players and sign free agents below market value because they want to be part of a successful, team-oriented organization. But they're not the Red Sox or Yankees either - teams that spend above market value on free agents to eliminate the competition. They want to be a team that builds through value in the draft, but they rarely cash in their assets to acquire a blue chip prospect and often give up on their young players too quickly. They've transitioned from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense with the intent of pressuring the QB with their front four and playing man defense, but their lack of talent in the secondary has caused them to rely on a soft, bend-but-don't-break zone scheme. Offensively, they spread the field in order to let Brady pick apart the defense, but they've failed to find a second or third WR to play with Welker*. They have an abundance of young RBs with many different talents, but are reluctant to incorporate the run into their offense consistently.

*The Patriots did succeed in drafting a couple of stud TEs in 2010 who should be the foundation of their passing offense for years to come.

Bill Belichick is considered the best coach in football, and rightly so. But it seems that he is trying to solve all of these problems himself, and he alone cannot get the job done. He needs to pick a direction for this team and franchise, hire assistant coaches and sign and draft players who can take them there, and give his team the identity it lacks, the identity it had when it won three Superbowls in four years. And if he can't or won't, then Mr. Kraft needs to find someone who can**.

**I'm not advocating that the Patriots fire Belichick, but rather that he may need someone to work with when it comes to personnel decisions, both on the roster and the coaching staff.