Could more outstanding play of BJGE possibly be Maroney's ticket out of town?

[JSn]

Probably it means Jordan or Morris goes for a wander into the great beyond next year. If they start playing again and stay healthy, maybe not, but I wouldn't be shocked to see one of them go.

Based on this draft, we oughta trade away most of our picks for FA's and just sign UDFA's and spend the dough on proven guys. That's me being facetious, of course, but really, free agency is a little safer bet than the Draft.

Also, if we go to the playoffs again this year, or even do something in the playoff's, FA's will be tripping over themselves to get here. A big year this year simply HAS to make BB coach of the year. I'm already very impressed.

Cobbled together backfields on both sides of the ball.
UDFA's showing signs of future stud-dom.
A QB who hasn't started a game since... last week.
6-3 and no excuses.

That team makes a SB run or something close and I think we're looking at first choice for every FA looking to win a ring.

 

[Patslifer]

You're absolutely right, as he proved at the end of last season, when he was running all over the Jets, Dolphins, Jaguars and Chargers.

I give you credit, you just won't quite. Sadly, your stance on Maroney will end up like your stance on Chad Jackson, wrong.

 

[mgteich]

Ben has been a fine rookie pickup and will make next year's team. I agree that he will battle Maroney for reps. That gives us BJGE, Maroney, Faulk and Morris signed for the 2009 season. We have roster spots for five players. Jordan isn't signed for 2009 and is likely the odd man out. Evans will extend or we will pick up another fullback. I see no reason to trade or cut Maroney. This year certainly proved that we can use four running backs plus a fullback on the roster, plus one more on the Practice Squad.

 

[JSn]

Jordan isn't signed for 2009 and is likely the odd man out. Evans will extend or we will pick up another fullback.

Pretty sure Evans will stick around. He's playing pretty well. Honestly, not sure what's happened, but the whole offense has really gotten a lot better.

Gaff and Moss have played some pretty pedestrian Football, for a variety of reasons, but overall, this offense is really looking good.

 

[ALP]

i believe the staff will first see what maroney's reaction (and production) will be now that he sees a UDFA do better then himself in the NFL....

if the same continues, then keep maroney, and groom him to become the next faulk...cuz he is obviously not a good runner, but can catch, is quick, and may learn how to pass protect...

otherwise, maroney is not the type of back we need, we need a power back that can make something out of nothing, not the go the distance back that can break it for 50 yds every so often (which IMO maroney never did, but was supposed to do)

btw, im still for maroney...but maybe we should find another role for him, i would NOT be dissapointed if BJ were our future at RB

 

[WhiZa]

It looks like a lot of us think the same thing.

Maroney has better speed, but BJGE hits the holes better. Maroney only counts 1mil against the cap, so it's worth while keeping them both into camp and even on the team next year

 

[muzz]

From the little I have seen, BGE has alot more balls that SloMo has

ever had.
He hammers the holes instead of ****ing around.

I liked that when we had AS, and CD..it works well, I'll take the mad/constant hammering instead of hoping for the big hit once in a great while.

 

[DaBruinz]

As I have been saying since the start of time, Maroney is made out of glass, he is a poor runner, and it was a mistake to draft him. As proved today, it was not the blocking, it was not the coaching, it was Maroneys lack of skill.

BJGE is a better runner than Maroney and he is an UDFA. Maroney will be forced to earn a spot on this team next year, the pats will keep him until he is up for a contract, then they cut him because he is a JAG!

SloMo Mcglass is finished in NE.

How was it NOT the blocking? The blocking today was FANTASTIC compared to the 1st 3 games. Nothing like NOT knowing WTF you are talking about.

I am amazed at how people are making MORE out of BJGE's play than it really is. Yes, for a UDFA its been beyond expectations. But its not been anything awe-inspiring. He's running the way ANY decent RB would run when the line is actually BLOCKING consistently.

 

[DaBruinz]

I doubt we can get much for Maroney, he hasn't proven to be the least bit durable and when he has been in he's been far from consistent. We're probably best off just holding on to him and get what we can on the field out of him till his contract runs out. He's still a home run threat and remember how big he was for us down the stretch last season.

Really? Hmm.. I look at the last 7 games (including the playoffs) last year and Maroney was down-right fantastic.

You look at the 1st few games THIS year, and its clear that the O-line was playing horribly. ANYONE who is unbiased in their evaluations should admit that.

 

[mgteich]

I also expect that Evans will stay around. The choice will be his, since he is a free agent at the end of the year.

Pretty sure Evans will stick around. He's playing pretty well. Honestly, not sure what's happened, but the whole offense has really gotten a lot better.

Gaff and Moss have played some pretty pedestrian Football, for a variety of reasons, but overall, this offense is really looking good.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Ben has been a fine rookie pickup and will make next year's team. I agree that he will battle Maroney for reps. That gives us BJGE, Maroney, Faulk and Morris signed for the 2009 season. We have roster spots for five players. Jordan isn't signed for 2009 and is likely the odd man out. Evans will extend or we will pick up another fullback. I see no reason to trade or cut Maroney. This year certainly proved that we can use four running backs plus a fullback on the roster, plus one more on the Practice Squad.

Your post makes sense.
Before we annoint my man Law Firm, remember the BIG games in the playoffs that Maroney had for us. Obviously both RBs have talent. The mystery is that it can come and go.

What bothered me today was reading between the lines in BB's post game comments about Law Firm. BB enthused that BJGE ran the plays as designed and didn't run up the back of the blockers and take himeself down. Instead he always falls forward and never gives negative yardage. Most interestingly, BB went on to say at length that some RBs try to get 80 yds on every play and as a result never get those 80 yds and end up LOSING yardage on too many plays. I think he was thinking about the fall 2008 release of LoMo. I believe there is a serious conflict in running style between LoMo and this teams coaches.

 

[ALP]

How was it NOT the blocking? The blocking today was FANTASTIC compared to the 1st 3 games. Nothing like NOT knowing WTF you are talking about.

I am amazed at how people are making MORE out of BJGE's play than it really is. Yes, for a UDFA its been beyond expectations. But its not been anything awe-inspiring. He's running the way ANY decent RB would run when the line is actually BLOCKING consistently.

the line was pass blocking consistently, but not run blocking better then a "good" level...

often BJ had to make moves which may not have been the difficult, but which I have seldom see maroney make

 

[JSn]

I also expect that Evans will stay around. The choice will be his, since he is a free agent at the end of the year.

His post-game comments about the coaching staff make it pretty clear how he feels.

Loving hearing all the glowing reviews from the team on Cassel. And their finally admitting they knew the criticisms.

I hope Maroney comes back ready to fight next year and proves his worth again. He and Law Firm with another year of Faulk a the 3RDB an hopefully Morris as the bruiser/short yardage guy. That will take pressure of of Tom as he gets his groove back.

 

[DaBruinz]

How long did it take for Maroney to have a 100 yard game?

BJGE has more talent IMO - It has just taken an injury from Lawrence for him to show his stuff on the field and in a REAL game,not practice and yes,The OL is playing much better but good RBs find ways to get free and make thier own holes when there aren't any- Hopefully this will be the case for BJGE in future games.

I am not putting Ellis in the HOF but I like what I see so far and could not say that or feel that when LoMo was in there - -Just my two cents .....

Never ask a question you don't already know the answer to. It took Maroney 4 games to get his 1st 100 yard game of his career. And that was when he was splitting carries with Dillon. BJGE got his in 5 games and without having to split carries with someone else.

How you can say that BJGE has more talent after watching him for 5 games? Especially since, in the minds of BB/Pioli, BJGE wasn't good enough to make this team out of TC, let alone be the top RB on this team.

I point you all to EXHIBIT A: Samkon Gado. He had a rise very similar to BJGE when Gado was a rookie for the Packers in 2005.
Samkon Gado: Game Logs

Since then, Gado was cut by the Packers in 2006 and went to Houston. He wasn't brought back in Houston and went to Miami in 2007 when they were having RB issues. And he wasn't brought back their either. Gado is now with his 4th team in 4 years. The Rams.

And Gado showed a LOT more in the games he played than BJGE has here. So, before people go annointing BJGE as the next coming and the one who is going to boot Maroney from the Pats, you might want to look at all the facts. Such as how horribly inconsistent the O-line was to start the year.

 

[mgteich]

For the first time in memory, we do not have a RB need for 2009.

His post-game comments about the coaching staff make it pretty clear how he feels.

Loving hearing all the glowing reviews from the team on Cassel. And their finally admitting they knew the criticisms.

I hope Maroney comes back ready to fight next year and proves his worth again. He and Law Firm with another year of Faulk a the 3RDB an hopefully Morris as the bruiser/short yardage guy. That will take pressure of of Tom as he gets his groove back.

 

[DaBruinz]

Why does it matter who is playing on the O-Line or how well they are playing.

Maroney will just run into the back of whom ever is playing on the O-Line and fall down.

Maroney was running to where his holes were supposed to be. Is it really his fault that the guys on the o-line were being pushed back 2-3 yards and cluttering the lanes, making it nearly impossilbe to get anything positive.

Also, I still maintain that the Patriots have moved away from the Zone blocking style that they were using and have reverted more to the in-line style they were using when Dillon has his great seasons.

 

[tombonneau]

Typical Pats fans ... a player can only be praised at the denigration of another.

Will never understand the blood lust for the failure(s) of Maroney and other popular whipping boys. Can't we just be happy that the team has an UDFA RB who is doing a great job in emergency duty?

 

[DaBruinz]

From the little I have seen, BGE has alot more balls that SloMo hasever had.
He hammers the holes instead of ****ing around.

I liked that when we had AS, and CD..it works well, I'll take the mad/constant hammering instead of hoping for the big hit once in a great while.

BJGE is a North/South runner in the mold of an Antwoin Smith or Corey Dillon. Maroney is a cut-back runner who can run with power.

And its not a matter of "****ing around." It was a matter of the holes not being open when they were supposed to have been.

 

[DaBruinz]

the line was pass blocking consistently, but not run blocking better then a "good" level...

often BJ had to make moves which may not have been the difficult, but which I have seldom see maroney make

The O-line was not blocking consistently in any facet of the game up through week 6. It was one of the reasons Cassel was getting sacked so much. Since week 6, its been significantly better. I mentioned back then that I felt that the Pats changed their blocking scheme and moved away from using the Zone Blocking on most running plays. I still believe that. And I also believe that Maroney would be better in the current scheme and not in the zone blocking.

BJGE is a power runner. Maroney is a runner who can run with power. There is a difference and people just don't seem to comprehend that (i'm not saying you, just other people).

 

[MassPats38]

I would be a little hesitant to anoint Green-Ellis the next coming of Barry Sanders at this point. He has done very well in the role he has been asked to play, but to suddenly say he is the man and Maroney is out would be to suffer from the very same failing most people fell victim to in the "dump Cassel" advocacy exhibited after Brady went down, disregarding that Belichick and Pioli keep the best players for a particular position. If Green-Ellis looked like a better option than Maroney presented, Maroney would be gone. Maroney stayed. If Maroney doesn't look substantially healthier next season, he may well be gone as he otherwise presents the continuity issues arising from mid-season roster shuffles. Will Green-Ellis stay? Ask Kyle Eckel.

Cassel has improved at getting rid of the ball, but he also has not seen jailbreak rushes that deny him the time to get rid of the ball. That alone shows the O-line is vastly improved over the past two weeks, and Green-Ellis presumably benefits from that improved blocking. No running back escapes getting hit by three defenders in the backfield, and Maroney was seeing that before he started to look hurt. While I am very happy with Green-Ellis, I don't see him shaking off defenders in the backfield as his strength seems to be momentum and power, which does not bode well for him if he is hit before he takes a step.

I join the camp that believes you do not need to bash one player when you praise another. It is great to see Green-Ellis do well, and I hope he keeps it up. I would argue the better measuring stick for his ability, rather than the yardage of a game or two, will be if he still gets the carries when (and if) Morris and Jordan return. If he disappears at that point, that would seem to imply Belichick views him as a 4th, not a 1st, running back option, and next season will see the return of Maroney or another back fitting the requirements for a number 1 running back, which would have no impact on whether Green-Ellis remains on the team with Maroney.