Scouts Inc: Patriots need Maroney - New England Patriots Forums

***HEY BRO! WHAT UP?*** · 06-11-2010, 05:09 PM

They just give a rundown on the Pats RB situation but one point caught my attention that I've noticed for awhile:

Quote:

And it should be noted that his overall explosiveness has waned since he entered the league and his fumbling was a problem down the stretch last season.

Since 2007, it's seems as though Maroney has lost some speed, yet he hasn't suffered any leg injuries (knock on wood). Other than the game against Tennessee, he had a hard time getting to the second level. But when he did, he got caught pretty easily.

Has anybody else noticed this?

patriotscpfc · 06-11-2010, 05:16 PM

He's running harder which caused the fumbling issue.

There's less dancing which means he's less likely to hit the home run.

He has the package, but he just doesn't seem to find a way to put it all together in one (apart from the Titans game).

If he can be given carries from the start of the season, it'll help him and the offense and maybe set up some play action.

***AndyJohnson*** · 06-11-2010, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEY BRO! WHAT UP?

They just give a rundown on the Pats RB situation but one point caught my attention that I've noticed for awhile:

Since 2007, it's seems as though Maroney has lost some speed, yet he hasn't suffered any leg injuries (knock on wood). Other than the game against Tennessee, he had a hard time getting to the second level. But when he did, he got caught pretty easily.

Has anybody else noticed this?

I do not believe that long runs are as much a function of the runner as of the blocking. E.g. BB has always said the first 10 yards are on the front 7 and everything beyond that is on the secondary.
Outside of a few RBs who excel at the long run and a few who are too slow, and Maroney is neither, the blocking is more critical.
We consistently hear people say that Maroney has an advantage because we are a passing team, but the converse is true here: if the defense is in nickel/dime, playing off because of Moss as a deep threat, won't bring a safety into the box, etc, then they are BETTER equipped to make the play after those initial 10 or so yards. I can recall a ton of times Maroney broke through to that area and had an unblocked DB there.
I don't see any difference in speed, explosiveness or mobility in Maroney now than as a rookie.

***sbpatfan*** · 06-11-2010, 07:16 PM

The thing about Maroney is he's a pretty young guy for how much time he's spent in the NFL already. With how little carries he has in four years he should be entering his prime. I doubt he does anything amazing this year but hopefully he becomes consistently reliable. I'll be happy with that, because that's all we need from the running backs.

woolster22 · 06-11-2010, 07:48 PM

The pats need Maroney like I need an annurism...

Patspsycho · 06-11-2010, 07:51 PM

I would like to wager that this thread exceeds 20 pages by next week.

kurtinelson · 06-11-2010, 07:53 PM

He's an enigma or a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

eagle eye · 06-11-2010, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patspsycho

I would like to wager that this thread exceeds 20 pages by next week.

And it could seriously affect my newly found psychedelic mood too!

***KontradictioN*** · 06-11-2010, 08:37 PM

There's actually an excellent breakdown of Maroney's fumbling issues on PatriotsPlanet by a poster named AllWorldTE...

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I agree w/some of this. Stephen Neal obviously screwed up the execution on that goal line play in Indy allowing the free hit on Maroney (he should have blocked Wheeler and left Brackett for Taylor). Baker was pretty pitiful vs Jax as well.

Beyond that however, I see some problems in Maroney's ball security here in both the Colt's and Jax clips. Ball security is a function of technique and some of those technique's are universal fundamentals and others come down to coaching preference.

One of Maroney's techniques here which may come down to coaching preference is his carrying the ball in his inside arm on both plays. Most coaches would prefer that their RBs carry the ball in their outside arm on a play like this to prevent inside out hits on the ball like what we saw in Indy.

Some coaches want their guys to always carry the ball in their outside arm and will require that the RB switch hands based on defensive leverage. Some do not allow their backs to ever switch hands and will start with the ball in the outside arm and will keep it there regardless of leverage. Others will mix and match a bit (only allowing switching in the open field w/no immediate defensive pressure for instance). Some will allow a RB to simply carry the ball in the arm they are most comfortable with, such as their dominant arm. Maybe Maroney is a lefty? I don't know why Ivan Fears has him carrying the ball in his inside arm in these clips (maybe he doesn't and Maroney violated his rule) but if Maroney is going to do that he has to be iron clad in his universal fundamentals and he isn't.

Beyond the grip of the ball with the fingers in which there are several different ways, the RB should have some space in his palm area and he must, must, must keep his wrist above his elbow at all time. Maroney is not doing this in either of these clips. He holding the ball down around his mid-section which eliminates several points of contact making it far easier to lose the ball on contact.

The universal points of contact are fingers, forearm, bicep, rib cage, and when in traffic, the breast plate. Holding the wrist above the elbow maintains contact with the first four. Not doing so means that the contact is only maintained with the fingers and forearms. Even a two handed carry there exposes the ball because the mid-section is soft and no real point of contact exists there.

When in heavy traffic and taking contact, the RB needs to shift the ball to the breast plate and bring his off hand over the ball to squeeze it tight to the breast plate, either horizontally or vertically.

Maroney does none of this on these goal line plays. He should add an addition layer of security by rolling his shoulder as he shifts the ball to his breast plate which we don't see here either. I'd also like to see him running lower in these situations for better ball security and more power.

Maroney has been a very good ball security guy over the full length of his career but he showed very poor technique on these plays IMO. Once the hand-off is made, it's the RBs responsibility to hang onto the ball no matter what. The hand-offs were made here so, at least in my philosophy, the fault lies with him.

farn · 06-11-2010, 08:43 PM

Maroney, though usually ineffective, is not in my top three concerns.