What's up with Maroney?

[eternal]

First off, I am not questioning Mr. Maroneys heart, dedication, work ethic, etc...but it appears to me more like he is dancing with the O and D lines while in the backfield until someone decides to tackle him rather than trying to get through an initial crease to get to the second level of the D, then do his dancing more in the open field to gain the big yardage.
I remember one play in particular where he voluntarily went out of bounds just short of a first down instead of putting his shoulder into the LBs chest to try an gain the extra yard to get the first. Is he still hurt? Shoulder? groin? What am I missing here?

 

[Brady to Brown]

First off, I am not questioning Mr. Maroneys heart, dedication, work ethic, etc...but it appears to me more like he is dancing with the O and D lines while in the backfield until someone decides to tackle him rather than trying to get through an initial crease to get to the second level of the D, then do his dancing more in the open field to gain the big yardage.
I remember one play in particular where he voluntarily went out of bounds just short of a first down instead of putting his shoulder into the LBs chest to try an gain the extra yard to get the first. Is he still hurt? Shoulder? groin? What am I missing here?

I have decided today in the game thread that from here on out Maroney is the "boy in the bubble". He would be better suited to go join dancing with the stars.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

He's still a weapon IMO. I'd like to see us get him the ball in open field where he can break a big play. Shades of the Baltimore game last year where he had a big RAC that arguably changed that game around. Leave the grinding to Morris/Jordan.

 

[emoney_33]

First off, I am not questioning Mr. Maroneys heart, dedication, work ethic, etc...but it appears to me more like he is dancing with the O and D lines while in the backfield until someone decides to tackle him rather than trying to get through an initial crease to get to the second level of the D, then do his dancing more in the open field to gain the big yardage.
I remember one play in particular where he voluntarily went out of bounds just short of a first down instead of putting his shoulder into the LBs chest to try an gain the extra yard to get the first. Is he still hurt? Shoulder? groin? What am I missing here?

He has been nursing a shoulder injury and based on that play where he went out of bounds, I'd guess that he's hesitant to lower that shoulder and expose it to the NFL pounding. Hopefully this isn't a lingering issue for him all year, but he did seem hesitant today seemingly because of that shoulder.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

His runing out of bounds reminded me of the infamous Ben Dreith Oakland game where Sam Cunningham ran outa bounds a yard shy to avoid a hit and we turned the ball over on downs as a result.

Something IS apparently off with Maroney this season. As he reaches the LOS, he often slows down to make a move. Doing this consistently is deadly as he loses momentum. He needs to hit the hole as designed at full throttle. I don't believe he's 'injured' in a meaningful football sense.

Contrast his style hiting the line vs Jordan, Morris, etc.

 

[Sicilian]

I get the feeling he's just got the wrong attitude for an NFL running back. When he ran out of bounds instead of trying to bull forward for the first, I just had to shake my head.

He also seems to hesitate behind the line. Some call it dancing, I think it's closer to limited vision. If the other running backs were having the same problem, I'd blame the line, but Morris seems to find a hole and hit it, same with Jordan before he got hurt.

I want to like Maroney, and maybe he'll get better as the year goes on like he did last year. But there's just something about him that doesn't sit well with me. I never feel confident when he's back there.

Why isn't he used on screens more is my question. He's deadly in open space.

 

[Brady to Brown]

He has been nursing a shoulder injury and based on that play where he went out of bounds, I'd guess that he's hesitant to lower that shoulder and expose it to the NFL pounding. Hopefully this isn't a lingering issue for him all year, but he did seem hesitant today seemingly because of that shoulder.

If he has a boo boo he needs to sit and let A REAL MAN like Faulk get the job done.

 

[D-cleater]

I was wondering when a Maroney thread was going to appear . Hopefully this can be the "one" for this week. Here comes the bashers vs ballwashers routine.

I didn't watch and only listened to the Pats broadcast, and I'm going to be totally objective here. This is how Gil and Gino would describe Morris, Faulk, and Jordan:

"...drives for the first down..."
"...lowers the pads for ... "
"... breaks a couple of tackles for a gain of ..."
"...picks up an extra ..."

Here is how they would describe Maroney's carries:

"Maroney shuffles for gain of two" - Gil most often used the verb "shuffle" to describe maroney's carries
"Maroney skirts out of bounds " - I'm not kidding!

Is that how it looked as well?

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I get the feeling he's just got the wrong attitude for an NFL running back. When he ran out of bounds instead of trying to bull forward for the first, I just had to shake my head.

PWP: THat REALLY pissed me off

He also seems to hesitate behind the line. Some call it dancing, I think it's closer to limited vision. If the other running backs were having the same problem, I'd blame the line, but Morris seems to find a hole and hit it, same with Jordan before he got hurt.

I want to like Maroney, and maybe he'll get better as the year goes on like he did last year. But there's just something about him that doesn't sit well with me. I never feel confident when he's back there.

PWP: Last year he really peaked late in the season. Don't have a theory for slow start RB seasons. But I confess that I too lack confidence in him now.

Why isn't he used on screens more is my question. He's deadly in open space.

He is but someone here I respect once explained that he has trouble turning and catching on screens, passes in the flat etc. and keeping momentum. I didn't see it myself but I haven't looked closely.

 

[SoCal Pmen]

I definitely think he's guarding against further injury. That play out of bounds just didn't seem right.

 

[D-cleater]

He has been nursing a shoulder injury and based on that play where he went out of bounds, I'd guess that he's hesitant to lower that shoulder and expose it to the NFL pounding. Hopefully this isn't a lingering issue for him all year, but he did seem hesitant today seemingly because of that shoulder.

Are we sure about this? I know he got dinged against the Jets back in week 2, but I'd be surprised if Belichick would play an injured back given the depth we came into the game with.

 

[RayClay]

I definitely think he's guarding against further injury. That play out of bounds just didn't seem right.

I'm not a "made o glass" guy, but either play hard or don't play.

If he can't play now, or with a game or two off, IR his ass.

 

[Brady to Brown]

I'm not a "made o glass" guy, but either play hard or don't play.

If he can't play now, or with a game or two off, IR his ass.

Yeppers, I don't think this is the case though.

He was benched today for poor play.

 

[demerit]

A Denver Broncos fan at my work compared him to Tatum Bell. Good for a big play only when the stars and sun are perfectly aligned. I really don't think he'll be a running back in the NFL much longer. Much like Tatum Bell, some one better will definitely come along.

 

[emoney_33]

Are we sure about this? I know he got dinged against the Jets back in week 2, but I'd be surprised if Belichick would play an injured back given the depth we came into the game with.

I can't be certain obviously, but it makes more sense to me than the alternative. We know that he had a shoulder injury 2 or 3 weeks ago, but we don't know what kind of injury or how bad it was etc..

It seems to me that he is shying away from contact with the shoulder, especially in the out of bounds play. Normally he will lower his shoulder and try for that first down. So I believe, and it's all speculation, that it is something with the shoulder. Maybe he tweaked it today, maybe it's one of those annoying recurring pains, or maybe it just hasn't been healed long enough for him to feel comfortable lowering the boom.

Regardless of why, it's not good to have a running back who is not willing to make contact when a first down is on the line. So hopefully it will get fixed, whether he needs healing time or a nice yelling from the coach.

 

[Phoenix111]

It`s amazing how much of a waste the early part of the 2006 draft was. Great work braintrust.

 

[Brady to Brown]

It`s amazing how much of a waste the early part of the 2006 draft was. Great work braintrust.

Belichick should stick with the D on draft day. :disagreement:

 

[blackglass3]

BUT, there was one play today towards the end of the game when he got a nice 6 yard carry, and it was just a lower your shoulder and run it up the gut type of play. Anyone else remember that?

Also, he had this kind of hesitation last year, too. But then when the weather got cold he turned it up and was running like a mad man. Check the AFCCG...he could have ran all day long.

It's like he forgets he is a big man that can run people over, or he wants to make the nifty cut that will end up on Sportscenter "Top 10 Plays" instead of just getting the 5 yards and laying into an LB or two.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

BUT, there was one play today towards the end of the game when he got a nice 6 yard carry, and it was just a lower your shoulder and run it up the gut type of play. Anyone else remember that?

Also, he had this kind of hesitation last year, too. But then when the weather got cold he turned it up and was running like a mad man. Check the AFCCG...he could have ran all day long.

It's like he forgets he is a big man that can run people over, or he wants to make the nifty cut that will end up on Sportscenter "Top 10 Plays" instead of just getting the 5 yards and laying into an LB or two.

Exactly. That's why he's such an enigma. It's a psychological issue.

 

[emoney_33]

Exactly. That's why he's such an enigma. It's a psychological issue.

hmmm enigmaroney...