FOXBORO -- Head coach Bill Belichick didn't have a lot of answers yesterday as to what went wrong with the Patriots against Denver on Sunday night, but he got defensive when asked if he thinks quarterback Tom Brady is playing poorly.

"I never said that," Belichick said quickly.

The reporter replied that he wasn't accusing Belichick of making such a statement, but he was asking the coach if he believed Brady isn't playing well.

"I think everyone in that meeting room can do a better job. The coaches, the players, everybody. All of us. I don't think anybody's playing perfectly (or) as well as they can play or coach. That goes for everybody. I think there's room for improvement," Belichick said.

But what about Brady's demeanor?

"I don't really characterize anybody's (demeanor). I just try to look at the way we play and get us to play better."

Do you read anything into his body language?

"Not me. I just try to coach the team, try to get us to play better, try to do a better job of coaching. That's what my focus is."

And what about the radio shows, the pundits saying the Patriots are struggling because their quarterback is struggling?

"I missed all those shows today. Give 'em a call and talk to them about it. Do I think we can improve in every area? Yes.

"There were things in the game that were good. There were things in the game that were fairly well executed. But it wasn't consistent. We gave up big plays on defense, we weren't able to convert many third downs on offense, we didn't take advantage of our scoring opportunities, we gave up a couple plays in the kicking game. There were some things that could have been better, there were other things that were pretty competitive, against a good football team."

Brady tied his career high with 55 pass attempts on Sunday, completing 31 for 320 yards and one touchdown, an eight-yarder at the back of the end zone to Doug Gabriel .

Mum on Jackson

Rookie receiver Chad Jackson was a surprise inactive on Sunday night, especially after his showing in week two against the Jets, when he had two catches for 42 yards, including a touchdown.

Jackson was listed as questionable (50-50 chance of playing) for both the Jets game and the Denver game because of the hamstring injury that has nagged him since the preseason.

Asked if Jackson had tweaked the hammy before the game, leading to his not dressing, Belichick would not confirm.

"He was inactive because we felt like we had other players that were . . . that we felt we put our best 45 out there," he said. "That's the 45 that were active, that's who we felt like those were for this particular game."

Out of sync

If you were looking for a way to describe New England's fourth-and-one play early in the second quarter when Brady handed off to Laurence Maroney and the Pats turned the ball over after losing a yard, the term is "out of sync."

"It was. Yeah, it was. That's a good way to put it," Belichick told his questioner. "I couldn't put it any better myself. Just poorly executed. That was poorly done, that's all."

Focused on present

The man who signs his checks may be honored and excited to play the NFL's first game in China, but Belichick isn't Bob Kraft . Asked for his reaction to the China Bowl, Belichick had no interest in looking nearly 10 months into the future.

"Right now, I really could care less about China or any place else. Cincinnati, that's the only destination I'm really concerned with right now," he said. "That stuff is so far in the future that I don't even know if China will be there a year from now. I don't know if I'll be there a year from now."

smanza@projo.com / (401) 277-7340