What's the story with Maroney

[Patslifer]

He is either really good, or really bad.....not a very consistant runnner, imo. At first, I thought it was the run blocking, but after watching Faulk and Jordan tear it up, I don't think that was the case. How long are we going to excuse his "dancing" and poor running? I have yet to see this kid break off a run for a td, and I fear he will never be anything more than an outside runner, who has his flashes, but is never a consistant runner.

How do you guys feel?

Ps: Clearly he is made out of glass

 

[patsox23]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

Laurence Maroney, on the vast majority of his carries, get creamed in the backfield and suffered from horrendous run-blocking. I don't think it's a big deal, but I expect the sky-is-falling crowd will vociferously agree and go nuts on this thread.

 

[BradyToMoss]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

I agree, I think alot of people on this board overrate him. But, I would much rather have him spell Lamont Jordan instead of the other way around. He's unbelievably timid as soon as he gets the handoff almost waiting to get hit instead of surging immeditately into the seam like you see Jordan and Morris do.

For the people who love Maroney, try and prove your case, the consistency just isn't there. I wouldn't blame the OL, because Jordan and Morris run behind that same O-Line.

 

[WhiZa]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

Jordan looked better against a tired Jets D in the 4th quarter. Jordan may be the better back, but you have to take that into consideration.

 

[Captain Cliche]

I think he is mis-used. Obviously BB & CO know more than me, but he never impressed me as an every down "pound it up the middle" type of runner. On the other hand, out in space and when he gets around the end he is like lightning in a bottle.

How are his hands?

Is he a potential replacement for Faulk down the road.?

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

Jordan looked better against a tired Jets D in the 4th quarter. Jordan may be the better back, but you have to take that into consideration.

That's exactly what I thought until I saw Maroney come back in the last drive (caught me by surprise as I thought he was out) and got stuffed for a loss right after Jordan (or Morris?) had a 4/5 yd gain in the previous play.

Casual fans like me who do not know much about football can't help but finally conclude that Maroney lacks the strength to thrust and tear thru the defense. (I was one of the fans who didn't rush to judge Maroney last year and wanted to wait before deciding.)

This Jets game was a pretty clean comparison between the other RBs who were able to gain yards irrespective whether it was the first or second or third down vs. Maroney, who struggled irrespective of which down it was.

Would love to hear others' perspective.

 

[PATRIOT64]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

Laurence Maroney, on the vast majority of his carries, get creamed in the backfield and suffered from horrendous run-blocking. I don't think it's a big deal, but I expect the sky-is-falling crowd will vociferously agree and go nuts on this thread.

I hate to break this to you but a lot of RBs in the league get hit hard behind the line but the guys that are above average bounce off or somehow find a way to get away and create positive yards instead of negative yards

I do not know if Maroney has ever been able to take a hard hit behind the LOS without looking like he was bodyslammed when falling

Maroney will never be an elite back nor will he be a horrible one when all is said and done- An average back is what you got with LoMo and probably always will

If BB was so high on Maroney to carry this team this year on the ground he would have not had 5 RBs on the team - He has 5 RBs and signed Jordan for not only depth because Morris has been injured recently but to provide Maroney with some other help because he is not nor will ever be a 25 -30 touch guy on a regular basis - LoMo needs to be on a team with 4 or 5 RBs to keep fresh and not wear down easily and this year he got it

Maroney will never be an Adrian Peterson or even close,he just needs to be average for the team to succeed,Not great and that is what he is..an average back,nothing special & nothing horrible

 

[D-cleater]

Maroney has his moments but I agree that he is overrated. The frustrating thing about watching him is that he has the speed to hit the hole and get to the second level, or bounce it to the outside if there's nothing inside, but just doesn't do it consistently. Maroney needs a lot of room to be effective. He'll make people miss, maybe even use the stiff arm if he has position on the defender, but he won't break many tackles. He's not decisive as a runner. He seems to have the physical attributes but zero instincts. Kinda like another skill position player the Pats drafted that day.

Not only that, but he runs very high, and that style of running + indecisiveness = injuries .

Maroney's got talent and he'll contribute this season and a few more, but I don't see him as a long term solution that BB/Pioli were hoping for when they drafted him in the first round.

 

[letekro]

Maroney has his moments but I agree that he is overrated. The frustrating thing about watching him is that he has the speed to hit the hole and get to the second level, or bounce it to the outside if there's nothing inside, but just doesn't do it consistently. Maroney needs a lot of room to be effective. He'll make people miss, maybe even use the stiff arm if he has position on the defender, but he won't break many tackles. He's not decisive as a runner. He seems to have the physical attributes but zero instincts. Kinda like another skill position player the Pats drafted that day.

Not only that, but he runs very high, and that style of running + indecisiveness = injuries .

Maroney's got talent and he'll contribute this season and a few more, but I don't see him as a long term solution that BB/Pioli were hoping for when they drafted him in the first round.

This is a fair and balanced analysis. I would add only that he takes an inordinate number of hits 2-3 yards in the backfield, frequently the result of run blitzes by lb's and corners. Not sure why this happens so much to him. Perhaps there is more of a run tendency when he is in the backfield.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

he has the physical tools i just dont think he runs the ball assertive enogh. he's got the speed and the power to just run by or over people but it looks like he plays scared out there. he seems to hesitate in the backfield instead of attacking the line and forcing the issue. it's almost like he is waiting for a huge hole to open up so he can avoid as much contact as possible. i mean the guy is only like 23 years old so there is still plenty of time so i'm not giving up on him yet, but i'd like to see him be more assertive when he runs the ball.

 

[neuronet]

He seems to have the physical attributes but zero instincts.

Well put. Jordan felt right to me. Maybe it was because the D-Line was tired. We'll see, and it will be fun to watch!

 

[Deus Irae]

Maroney was running early in the game, when Jenkins was fresh and the Jets defensive line was stout as a result.

Jordan was chewing up yards against that line after Jenkins was tired.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

At this point, I just don't get it. On one hand, it's not his fault if he gets hit 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, that only seems to happen to him with any level of frequency. I'm just confused. Of course, Kris Jenkins being a fat slob could have something to do with it. Maroney wears him down, the rest get the benefits.

 

[Captain Cliche]

Didn't he run behind lead blockers in college (behind a full back)?

 

[PATRIOT64]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

At this point, I just don't get it. On one hand, it's not his fault if he gets hit 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, that only seems to happen to him with any level of frequency. I'm just confused.

SOme guys just like Lomo than others for some reason so the excuses of bad line play will always come up

I doubt that Elite RBs like Tomlinson and Peterson have made positive yardage only when their line plays well - no,They make plays to avoid negative yardage much of the time thats why they are better than just your average guy
- They don't fall down like a ton of bricks on an initial hard hit everytime either but you won't convince some guys in here that Maroney is not better than the guy drafted ahead of him that year like Addai for instance

Maroney is average - was average and will likeLy be an average career RB no matter who the OL are in front of him

 

[Wildo7]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

At this point, I just don't get it. On one hand, it's not his fault if he gets hit 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage. On the other hand, that only seems to happen to him with any level of frequency. I'm just confused. Of course, Kris Jenkins being a fat slob could have something to do with it. Maroney wears him down, the rest get the benefits.

I thought the playcalling was very predictable at the beginning of the game. You could see them running a mile away. I don't know that Maroney is necessarily better than Jordan or vice versa, but I don't think that people who are saying Maroney is definitely the guy have seen anything to definitively say that or have any reason to rule Jordan out.

 

[blackglass3]

It's funny, last year at the beginning for the year he was running timid and dancing around like. Then, towards the end of the year he was just running at people like an animal and he looked great. Now, he's back to running scared.

Maybe he needs some more diapers in his locker? (half kidding)

 

[Basileus777]

Maroney just has poor vision, dances around too much, and doesn't have the strength to break tackles or the ability to make defenders miss. He can't run effectively when the oline opens holes for him, but he isn't a player who can create yards by himself.

 

[emoney_33]

Maroney just has poor vision, dances around too much, and doesn't have the strength to break tackles or the ability to make defenders miss. He can't run effectively when the oline opens holes for him, but he isn't a player who can create yards by himself.

Smoke some more

 

[sebman2112]

Re: Whats the story with Maroney

I agree, I think alot of people on this board overrate him. But, I would much rather have him spell Lamont Jordan instead of the other way around. He's unbelievably timid as soon as he gets the handoff almost waiting to get hit instead of surging immeditately into the seam like you see Jordan and Morris do.

For the people who love Maroney, try and prove your case, the consistency just isn't there. I wouldn't blame the OL, because Jordan and Morris run behind that same O-Line.

Jordan did have a good day running (mostly in the second half), but go look up the stats for both Maroney and Sammy Morris today...

Also, I've got to say that I'm absolutely sick of people talking about him "dancing", and now your suggesting he might be timid. Last time I checked he injured two buffalo Bills in a single game, gained over 100 yards rushing the ball in a number of games over the second half of the 2007 season, and basically carried NE's offense during a few of their wins last season. He's not an all-pro, but he's got potential, and usually records a good average when given the ball consistently. Just last week he was running quite well (5.1 ypc), but NE's trying to keep their backs fresh, so he's not going to get a great deal of carries. If NE makes the playoffs you'll see him get a lot more carries, as he is their best RB, and the Patriots will not be so worried about keeping their backs fresh.