FOXBORO — The Patriots have yet to field an offense or defense that comes even remotely close to the offense that set a new NFL single-season record for points scored (589) and averaged nearly 37 points per game, and defense that limited teams to 17.1 points per game (4th best in NFL). But no matter whom you ask — on offense, defense, or special teams — they will tell you that having several backups on the field is no excuse for underperforming during the preseason.

“Regardless of who’s out there, it’s up to us to execute and do our own job,” Patriots running back Sammy Morris said. “Regardless of who’s in there, we’re not executing. That’s the bottom line for us.”

New England defensive back Ellis Hobbs said: “There are no excuses for us.”

Even Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t believe that having backups on the field is an excuse for not playing well in all three phases of the game.

“We teach all the plays the same regardless of who is in there,” Belichick said. “When you are in training camp, you have a lot of different people alternating through and alternating positions so it is not always the same group of guys running every play. That is in all three phases of the game. Everyone learns how to run it.

“They change and interchange during practice, so I think we all should know what to do. The timing with the same guys all the time gives you a chance to refine it and perfect it a little bit more, but I think we should still be able to run those. Everyone has had a chance to run them and we went through them enough times.”

Belichick said players get hurt throughout the season, so it is good to have everyone learn the plays with as many people as they can because they don’t know which lineup they will have in Week One versus Week Eight.

“For one reason or another, there are not always the same exact players running the same plays, and actually we like to see them with different players because it makes the play look a little bit different,” Belichick said.

“You get a different perspective on how it is going to work when different people are doing it. So everyone has to be ready to go and run the offense or defense, whatever the play is.

“You certainly don’t want to be changing plays when one person comes in the lineup and somebody else goes out so everyone has to learn how to do it. That is what our system is. It is a good opportunity for everyone to get that chance in practice and do it in live competition in the preseason.”