weswelker#83

Bill Belichick was just on WEEI Radio, doing his weekly appearance with the dudes on The Big Show. And the Patriots coach was on for a really long time and said a bunch of stuff
Late in this interview, they asked Belichick, basically, don’t you get frustrated with Maroney?
His answer? Not really.

“Well, every player can improve, but Laurence has done a pretty good job running the ball for us,” Belichick said. “I really don’t have a lot of problems with Laurence. What I’d like to see is for us to open bigger holes to create some space for these guys and allow them to run. … He can do a better job, but we can block better, and hopefully design more plays to get some space and get some yards.”


Highlights from Bill Belichick on The Big Show, 10/27 (Transcript )
It Is What It Is Highlights from Bill Belichick on The Big Show, 10/27


AUDIO WEEI: http://audio.weei.com/hosting/media/...k-bs-10-27.mp3

KontradictioN

Thank you, BB! "What I'd like to see is for us to open bigger holes". Me too. Running backs, especially ones built like Maroney, are not meant to power through 300 pound defensive linemen. Maroney is a thoroughbred. He isn't Jerome Bettis. This line's strength obviously is not run blocking, but it can always improve with extra work. Unfortunately, we are a pass first, run second team so pass blocking will always be what they work on the most.

Of course, we have plenty of "experts" here who know better than Bill Belichick does and will offer up the awesome defense that Maroney is a first round draft pick and that Bill says good things about everyone.

It's going to be funny watching this thread develop into yet another full-on Maroney debate DESPITE the fact that a three time Super Bowl winning head coach just said glowing things about him (or, as glowing as BB gets anyway).

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maverick4

I don't think Belichick just gave "glowing" praise about Maroney. He has certainly been effusive with praise with other players, on his own team and on other teams.

Belichick said what many here agree with: Maroney is best when there is a huge hole created for him, which plays to his strength (speed). Unfortunately, people here can argue about the need for a home run back on this team, when in our offense a routine medium pass can get just as many yards.

KontradictioN

For BB, that is glowing praise (no matter if it comes to Maroney or Moss). He basically said that Maroney can improve, but his hard time is hardly due to him "dancing" all the time.

And Maroney doesn't need a HUGE hole. If you've watched the games this year (which I'm sure you have), you can see that he just needs ANY hole to open up. However, Maroney is not God. He cannot bull through multiple defensive linemen who weight twice as much as he does in the backfield and go for positive gains.

On top of that, I just figured that I'd reaffirm my stance on another way to use him: throw the ball to him out of the backfield more.

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Fencer

Well, BB says they played a lot of 8 in the box. That would slow down the running game right there.

Anyhow, it's pretty clear that Maroney's strength lies in making a good play great, not in making a bad or blah play good.

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maverick4

That's a myth in your mind that BB is generally stingy with praise. Belichick gives amazing praise to his own players, and those on other teams. What he just said about Maroney, isn't that type of praise, and also isn't saying much. It certainly isn't "glowing".

I'm encouraged by Maroney's running against winless teams the past two weeks, but I'm still not sure if anyone would feel comfortable resigning him after this season to a starter's salary figure.

weswelker#83

You mean like this guy :
NFL Videos: Peterson runs over William Gay

apple strudel

Please let this be the end of the silly debate about Maroney.

Edit - too late.

KontradictioN

You're grasping at straws here by trying to debate over the definition of "glowing". This is certainly praise from BB's point of view and the fact that he blames the blocking for the running games woes moreso than the back itself is evidence of what most of us knew all along. When given even smaller holes to run through, he has done a good job this season. When given no holes to run through, he has gotten stopped, as the vast majority of running backs do. The only person that I can think of that could run behind an O-Line that doesn't open up holes is Barry Sanders and, though I like Maroney, he is no Sanders. Hell, look at what Adrian Peterson was (or wasn't) able to do in the game this past weekend when his own O-Line could not open up holes against the Steelers.

So yes, again, this is praise from BB (about as glowing as you can get from him). He acknowledges that Maroney needs to improve in some aspects of his game, but he also has eyes and can see that the big problem is that the O-Line has not been run blocking well.

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KontradictioN

Heh. William Gay is hardly a 300 pound defensive lineman.

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