mesoslo

In the previous years, the guys on PFW in progress mentioned that Maroneys doesnt hit the hole. Now that we know Maroney has been playin with a shoulder injury those earlier years, does that make you feel confident knowing that a future shoulder healthy Maroney will be able to hit the hole consistently and use his agility to bounce of tackle and make cuts across the field for big gains?

If other teams know that with Maroney's healthy shoulder and his speed he should be able to hit the hole really hard so they will converge more strength to the hole, but with a health shoulder and his agility and cuts Maroney should be able to bounce off tackles for big gains.

If other teams decide to play a passive run attack which is great against a RB with more agility than strength, Maroney's speed and size should be able to plow through the passive the run attack and pick up first downs.

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RoughingthePasser

Ivan Fears has been working on his running style for a couple of years.
Maroney runs upright and has some difficulties hitting the hole- as opposed to being a north/south pounder.

Shoulder injuries are bad for this position-I hope he got rehabbed pretty well because he's going to need to hit harder-a lot harder!

No worries on the rushing department at all though-we are pretty tough as it stands.

I like Maroney and believe the potential is there. He needs to play more physically, more often and hit holes, low and compact ready for contact.

easier said than done

Feep50

If I had a broken bone in my shoulder I imagine I would be somewhat reluctant to lower my head and slam into 275 pound defensive linemen with abandon. I like Maroney a lot. I really hope his injuries are behind him.

iapatsfan

I have have been just as critical of Maroney as anyone, and I believe the sideline play from last year was inexcusable. However, I feel part of the blame has to go on Dan Koppen. I am not going to list specific plays or games, but it sure seems he gets overwhelmed a lot and pushed into the backfield on running plays. This makes the Pats' RBs have to "dance" just to get back to the line of scrimmage. I remember when Maroney first got to New England, he was a pretty hard runner. In his first preseason game (I believe it was Atlanta) he looked like a stud. In the first regular season game against Buffalo he looked the same way. I don't remember ever thinking he was a dancer. Over the last couple years this has developed, and I think the injury explanation could explain part of it, but I think Koppen's poor run blocking is another component. If he is continually getting bull rushed into the backfield, what choice do RB's have but to dance to get back to the line of scrimmage. I think the dancing then becomes a percieved need on the part of the RB. They expect to have to do it, and that delay is what you see from Maroney.

PatsFanSince74

What we know is that he was playing with a broken bone in the area of his shoulder last year, not in "those earlier years," so I don't expect his running style to change that much. I expect him to be a productive RB as part of a tandem, as he was in the past, with occasional "great" games; I don't expect him to morph into a 1,600 yard producer, no matter how much I might hope or prefer that to occur.

As for the rest of your comments, you seem to know a lot about being an RB in the NFL with your comments on his ability to "plow through" the defense and "bounce of[f]" tackles, "hit the hole consistently" and "make cuts across the field" (whatever that is...i've heard of making cuts at the line to pick a hole, but that's a new one on me). I suspect that's all a little easier to say than it is to do, unless of course you too have experience as a Running Back in the NFL.

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RoughingthePasser

We're you ever a running back?

BionicPatriot

The potential I don't doubt. But the health I do. 3 seasons, 3 big injuries. Can you say injury prone?

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mesoslo

No I didnt play in the NFL. Play football with the neighbourhood kids, so Neighbourhood football league then yes.

Well usually with a really strong runningback when they collide with other players they dont go down easily. Remember the bills vs jets game last season? the bills running back just plowed through so many jet tackles, he like moved the entire pile. Now if that bills running back had quick acceleration and agility like maroney, he probally could have bounced of those tackles and make cuts across the field going from one sideline to another for big gains. And if the jets decide to play passive run defense and just cover as much of the backfield to prevent a agile runningback to make those cuts, then the strong and fast running back will just plow through the passive run defense and get first downs.

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VJCPatriot

Good runningbacks run through arm tackles and are able to make the first tackler miss on occasion. Maroney has not shown that ability and he has the noted vision issues, dancing in the hole rather than through it, avoiding contact instead of plowing for the first down, etc. The excuses for him that pile up are starting to sound like a broken record. Bottom line - he needs to produce if he wants to keep his job in the NFL. Otherwise he'll be bagging groceries or whatever it is that retired RBs do.

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klinefan

Yeah, Koppen is not strong at all at the POA. They need to have a different kind of offense for their OL, especially when Koppen is going against a big NT who will eat him alive.

I always wondered why they didn't try to pass more to Maroney.