Deus Irae

In week one, Maroney averaged 3.6 ypc. In week 2, he averaged 5.1 ypc. In week 3, he averaged 5.4 ypc. He got injured and didn't play the next 3 weeks.

For Morris, weeks 1-3 averages were 4.9, 5.1 and 3.8 ypc.

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BPF

Jones is 6-0, 228 and is only 25 yrs old. If fully recovered he brings an excellent combination of power and speed. He is a hard-nosed runner who has great lateral quickness and speed to create big plays. He has good vision and change of direction skills, he is a solid cutback runner which would be a perfect fit for the Pats' scheme. He displayes good leverage on blitz pickups as well which is also very important in the Pats' offense. He runs crisp routes and has good hands and is excellent after the catch.

We brought him in and had the doctors take a look and if satisfied he would be a cheap and solid signing.

bradmahn

I agree with everyone who thinks he could be a better 'Sammy Morris.' I see absolutely no harm in bringing him in to replace Morris (if he proves he is better in training camp). Considering Jones's age and potential, it would be a perfect example of a low risk, high reward signing.

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ctpatsfan77

Right now, I'm chalking it up as due diligence--if a potential upgrade is available, it generally doesn't hurt to kick the tires and take it for a test drive. Doesn't mean you will (or won't) buy the car, though. [In other words: maybe they sign him, maybe they don't; no skin off my nose either way.]

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LoganMankinsPancakeBlocks

I'd definitely be interested. He's young, good receiving back and I think he's better than he showed as a runner behind a poor Lions offensive line.

Morris is on the 2nd year of a 2 year deal, correct? If so, they could really use Jones for the '09 season.

primetime

Even though I liked Jones alot with the Lions, I'm cautious about applying "fully recovered" to any back who has torn his ACL. Yeah, he had great lateral quickness, cutback speed, and change of direction skills before suffering that major injury, but who knows how his reconstructed knee will hold up?

satz

Let me post this again. Under BB we have only carried 4 RB/FB.Kyle eckel is pretty good as he does not fumble the ball and he is still can be moved to pratice squad and back if we need a roster spot. If we add k.J. we need to loose another player from a spot or cut one of faulk,morris or maroney .

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dryheat44

You've hit on the key thing here, IMO: Jones is a versatile, complete back. You need a guy to take the ball between the tackles 20 times a game? He's your guy. You need a guy to be a screen/draw threat on third downs and on those 2nd and 12s? He's your guy. You need a battering ram to hammer the ball in from the two? He's your guy.

Even last year, when he was no better than average while recovering from a lis franc injury, he was able to score 8 touchdowns in limited action. Towards the end of the season, he was looking really good behind an O-line that could charitably be called well below average. The ACL was unfortunate, but without it he would've signed a big-money contract elsewhere. I really hope the Pats sign him and just be patient with him until December.

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ctpatsfan77

Nope. Second of four years, through 2010. That said, they could cut him and free up ~$550K of cap space.

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"Momentum was quickly snatched away by New England, who once again proved that any Patriot, at any moment, can make a play." —Inside the NFL, Packers v. Patriots

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sebman2112

The people who keep saying Morris "put Maroney to shame" during the early going aren't being accurate. Before Maroney sustained injury he was averaging 4.66 ypc, and totaled 252 yards in the first three games. During those first three games Morris averaged 4.57 ypc, and totaled 151 yards rushing. So, they both ran well, while sharing the load.

Morris then had two back to back 100 yard games against the Bengals and Browns, before playing the Cowboys and getting injured. The Cowboys completely shut him down before the injury as well. It will be nice to see what they can do together again this year.

Maroney came back the following week, but didn't receive many carries. Against Washington he put up 112 yards of offense, but wasn't used correctly in other games. Laurence did some damage (both rushing and receiving) when they gave him more playing time, and was a key part of the offense during some of their most important games.

I don't know how many people remember this, but last year I complained that during a number of games the Patriots were only using Maroney on obvious running situations, and the majority of the times he was in the game you knew they were giving him the ball (I would call out the running play before the snap). Now, they were trying to set up play action passing in some of those situations, but it can be pretty tough going for a RB when the other team absolutely knows you're getting the ball almost every time you come into the game.

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