That was the minute young Tom Brady fumbled a snap at his 14-yard line with only seconds left in the third quarter that was kicked backward 13 yards before the Dolphins' Jason Taylor picked it up and returned it a yard for a touchdown that made the score MIAMI 27 NEW ENGLAND 10.

At that moment, Brady was 5 for 12 for 39 yards, had been sacked three times, and was otherwise having a very difficult day against a very good defense. That mess was not Brady's fault. It was to be expected if you possessed even a pea for a brain, which it became obvious by midweek that more than a few Drew Bledsoe bashers do not.

What Brady did a week ago against the Indianapolis Colts was laudable. He gave his team the maximum for the minimum, which maybe means he should get an ad deal from T.J. Maxx. What it did not mean, not ever, was that there should be any doubt who the starting quarterback of the Patriots is and which guy gives them the best chance to win.

Frankly, Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana together wouldn't give them a great chance to win against most teams at the moment, but of the available options Bledsoe is the answer to that question. He was before he got hurt and he will be when he's heatlhy again in about five or six weeks.

Brady was the first to admit this, and not far behind him was Steve Young, the 49ers quarterback who happened to be in Boston last week for a United Way appearance. Young pointed out that no one in the world had more expertise on the question of quarterback controversies and backup quarterbacks ''both ways,'' as he put it, than he did since he sat behind Montana, took over for him when he was hurt and played well, sat a second time, and finally was backed up by him during his years in San Francisco.

Young couldn't believe what he was hearing on local radio and reading in one of the local papers last week. He couldn't believe anyone would even hint that a former sixth-round draft choice with exactly one game of starting NFL experience should even be in the discussion on the subject of who should be quarterbacking the Patriots when Bledsoe is healthy.

Yesterday the proof of that was clear. Brady went down nobly. He did all he could against a very tough defense that shut down the Patriots running game and closely covered his receivers. But what he could do wasn't much.

He finished a tough day 12 of 24 for 86 yards. He was sacked four times and lost two fumbles. Bledsoe has had some bad games in his career but never one like that.

Sure he once threw five interceptions against the Steelers his rookie season and passed for 85 yards that same year against Phoenix but in a game in which he was knocked out before halftime with a strained left knee that kept him on the sideline for the next three weeks. Never was he as overwhelmed as Brady was yesterday, though, and with good reason. His arm prevented that.

''We wanted to blitz him a lot,'' said cocky Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain. ''We knew he wouldn't be taking any shots up the field. He'd settle for crossing routes [underneath Miami's defense, which stayed in cover 2 with its safeties back and its corners in man coverage most of the game].''

In two games against the same defense a year ago, Bledsoe played without a running game, same as Brady was stuck with yesterday. He threw for 312 yards in one game and 161 in the other and lost one by a field goal and the other 10-3. Yesterday, the game wasn't close even when it was tied, 10-10.

With tight coverage on his receivers all afternoon and lousy field position for much of it, Brady struggled mightily. The majority of his passes sailed high and/or wide and the pressure Miami put him under took away the fluid way he seemed to move against the defenseless Colts.

Suddenly the field was smaller and there was nowhere to go with the ball and his reactions were to be expected. Pinned in tight quarters with no running game to loosen up the Dolphins (80 yards, 3.5 a carry), Brady hopefully put to rest the nonsense of a week ago when people who should know better were anointing him Bledsoe's immediate successor.

''That's the situation we didn't want to put him in,'' said center Damien Woody. ''We didn't want him to have to win the game throwing.''

Anybody ever say that about Bledsoe?

After the game, Brady sat for a long time with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and backup Damon Huard and went over what had gone on. Then he spoke at length with safety Lawyer Milloy, the team's leader, about what Brady saw last Wednesday, when he felt his team was not sharp in practice.

''He pulled me aside and told me, `This started on Wednesday,''' Milloy said. ''I told him he's a leader, too. He's an honorary captain because he's our quarterback. He can speak up [if he sees a problem].

''We're going to rally behind him. He's still a leader in my eyes but he can pull me aside and I'll stop the drills [at practice] and bring the team up right then.''

That Brady noticed his team was not as crisp in practice as he might like is a good sign. That he knew he wasn't yet in a position to do much about it showed wisdom beyond his years because he, unlike some of Bledsoe's public critics, realized the difference between a battlefield promotion and a real one.

The fact of the matter is Brady is a young player who does not have the arm or the reputation of Bledsoe, a reputation earned off performances against tight defenses like Miami's over the years. He did a good job against the Colts and as good as he could against the Dolphins. What he did not do - and won't do any time soon - is replace Drew Bledsoe.

''I never thought we'd come down here after a win like last week and play like this,'' said Brady, whose offense gained a miserable 149 yards, averaging just 2.9 yards per play and going 4 for 11 on third down.

''I think we've got to take a different approach every day. You can't practice OK on Wednesday and OK on Thursday and average on Friday and expect to come out on Sunday and play great.

''You shouldn't just get through practice on Wednesday. Just get through practice on Thursday. You've got to execute then so you can go out and play great. That's what I'm used to.

''I missed some throws today. Some throws I'd think I'd make. You miss them in practice, you shouldn't wonder why you miss them in a game.''

Those were brave and fiery words from a brave and fiery kid. They were the things a leader should say after a brutal beating in which your opponent takes you and your team apart piece by piece. But they were words, not deeds, and the Patriots have been a team more of words than deeds for several years.

So we move on to the third game of Brady's education next Sunday. How he performs against a tough Chargers defense will be partially up to him, but it also will be up to the men around him, and the fact of the matter is the people around Tom Brady didn't get any better with the disappearance of Drew Bledsoe.

The worry is, though, that they may have gotten worse.