FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made the point Wednesday that the team's offense takes on a different identity every year. Asked how he'd describe the identity this year, his answer was telling.

"I think that's probably something we're still working at, we're still trying to find the right combination of things," he said. "We're a pretty balanced team, I think. We try to run it, we try to throw it. Last week, we ran it more than we threw it. Other weeks, we've thrown it.

"I think we're trying to figure out these other teams, where their weak spots are, and trying to attack those. We've had a lot of guys in and out too. A guy like Fred [Taylor]. Sammy [Morris] has been out. Julian [Edelman] has been out. [Sam] Aiken has been out. Wes [Welker] has been out a few times.

"We're trying to find the right mix and the right plays for the groups that are on the field, so we can execute the best. Sometimes it looks good. Other times, it doesn't look so good. We're still working at it."

Asked if he could recall going so late into the season and not knowing the identity of the offense, Brady turned to the record-setting 2007 season as an example.

"It always changes over the course of the season," he said. "Sometimes things are working good and then they're not working so good for a couple of weeks and you have to find other ways. Sometimes you are a certain way and you lose a player to injury, then you have to be another way. I remember in '07, we were a very balanced team for half the season. Then we had some injuries at tight end and we became a three wide receiver/four wide receiver offense that could have limited us in some ways. That's just part of what happens over the course of the season."