Originally Posted by DefenseRules

Mayo, I saw a replay of it. HE indeed fumbled. That ball was coming out before he hit the ground...drove me crazy.

Originally Posted by Garbanza

What was Maroney's stat line? 13 carries for 31 yards? What was Faulks? ...behind the same line!!! Enough with the Maroney apologists! Fumbling at the goal line is inexcusable. If it were anyone else, he'd be getting crucified right now. C'mon people.

That said, that is not why we lost. Would have been nice to have those points as a damned cushion.....but that's not why the Pats lost. The Pats lost because the team let up in the fourth quarter. The defense was not looking good in the fourth after looking very, very good the first three. Momentum was clearly in Indy's favor and Belichick tried to put a dagger in it. Risky, risky business and he lost.

Originally Posted by VJCPatriot

Steven Jackson was drafted #24 overall. Maroney #21 overall. Matt Forte was drafted in the seond round. Michael Turner was drafted in the 5th round. Curtis Martin was drafted in the 3rd round. The runningbacks are out there and good ones come out every year. We might not get AP but if we get even 85-90% of that, I'm cool with that. Maroney will never be in the league of those guys I just mentioned however.

The Pats also have something like 4-5 picks in the 1st 3 rounds of next year's draft as well as 2 1st rounders in 2011. I think they can move up to get a pretty good RB if their scouts find someone special.

Maroney has athleticism and speed sure, but he just doesn't have the vision and decisiveness to be anything more than a mediocre RB. He's probably suffering from severe confidence issues as well. Not sure what can be done about that either except maybe a sports shrink.

Originally Posted by Rob0729

You do realize Matt Forte has 482 yards on 143 carries, 3TDs, and 3.4 YPC and has been the Bears primary back all year. Maroney has 378 yards on 94 carries, 4 TDs, and 4.0 YPC. Right now, the Bears fans would be happy to trade for Maroney straight up for Forte. The Bears have a horrible run game.

Originally Posted by VJCPatriot

Taylor has been good for us ... when healthy. But face it he's getting older and prone to injuries. Note that both Morris and Taylor were out for this game. I really like the way those guys run but they miss too many games. Could have used em in this game. When down to Maroney/Faulk/BJGE, there's really not a true feature back left in the stable.

Time to scour the draft prospects! And yes the draft is a risk, but that's usually how you get your best players. If there was a Corey Dillon type available, you go and get him, but those opportunities are rare and you usually have to take your chances in the draft.



And of course you completely ignore the main point. Is Maroney a feature back in the NFL? Short answer no. He's nowhere in the league of guys like Michael Turner, AP, Steven Jackson, etc. He's a rotation back at best. The Pats have a need for a feature back that they can give the rock to in the 4th and grind out those 3 minutes left to go games for the win. Maroney is NOT that guy. The Pats haven't had that kind of guy since Dillon in his prime and yes even Antowain Smith was able to play that role in 2001. Teams that go deep in the playoffs can RUN the football when the game is on the line. The Pats simply can't do that with a stable of Maroney/Faulk/BJGE.

Originally Posted by Rob0729

You do realize Matt Forte has 482 yards on 143 carries, 3TDs, and 3.4 YPC and has been the Bears primary back all year. Maroney has 378 yards on 94 carries, 4 TDs, and 4.0 YPC. Right now, the Bears fans would be happy to trade for Maroney straight up for Forte. The Bears have a horrible run game.

Originally Posted by BlitzFritz

I need to vent.

Is there someone out there on waivers that we should pick up?

I used to view Maroney as inexpensive, taking up snaps so that others could rest. He is a ballerina, with some explosion. But goes down on first contact. (unless there is a pile that gets pushed). A near total bust of a 1st rounder.

But that fumble cost us the game. Come on.

Originally Posted by DaBruinz

That fumble didn't cost the Pats the game... This has been gone over numerous times.. Why can't people remember that Manning and the Colts went about 16 yards on 7 plays before having to punt? And that punt led to Welker's 69 yard return that led to a TD by Moss?