Patriots RB's...

[Brady to Brown]

I have been wondering if the Patriots are using the position to its best advantage. Do the Patriots have to many RB's? And is this causing them not to use the position when then should? Hard to get a feel for the game when you only see it 3 or 4 times in a game. Should Bill just pick a back or two and go with it? I think he should. I don't like Maroney but lets give him the ball 20 times in a game and see if he is the man. Is BJGE the man? Lets give him the ball 20 times in a game and see. I don't see what we are learning in the current mode.

 

[Ian]

I have been wondering if the Patriots are using the position to its best advantage. Do the Patriots have to many RB's? And is this causing them not to use the position when then should? Hard to get a feel for the game when you only see it 3 or 4 times in a game. Should Bill just pick a back or two and go with it? I think he should. I don't like Maroney but lets give him the ball 20 times in a game and see if he is the man. Is BJGE the man? Lets give him the ball 20 times in a game and see. I don't see what we are learning in the current mode.

Not a lot, and this isn't a bad question. Someone mentioned in another thread that when he is having a good game Maroney does tend to disappear from the middle of the game on - even if he's been having some success whether it be on the ground, or catching the ball out of the backfield. They've been erratic in that regard and I've certainly scratched my head wondering the reasoning.

I think Taylor's injury could open up more of an opportunity for Maroney or BJGE, and it's going to be up to both of them to step up and try to establish themselves in this offense. We know what Morris and Faulk bring to the table - we've obviously seen it. For Morris he just needs to stay healthy, which is a problem he's had but hopefully this turns out to be the year we've needed him to have.

To answer your other question though...you can never have too many runningbacks. Especially considering the amount of injuries we tend to see here throughout the season

 

[SVN]

sometimes what they do mystifies everyone. as brilliant as they are..sometimes they get little oversmart. no galloway,maroney with 9 touches for a starting back puzzles me. are they going to trade maroney before the deadline ? with the pats you never know....

 

[Brady to Brown]

Not a lot, and this isn't a bad question. Someone mentioned in another thread that Maroney does tend to disappear from the middle of the game on - even if he's been having some success whether it be on the ground, or catching the ball out of the backfield. They've been erratic in that regard.

I think Taylor's injury could open up the opportunity for Maroney or BJGE, and it's going to be up to both of them to step up and try to establish themselves in this offense. We know what Morris and Faulk bring to the table - we've obviously seen it. For Morris he just needs to stay healthy, which is a problem he's had but hopefully this turns out to be the year we've needed him to have.

To answer your other question though...you can never have too many runningbacks. Especially considering the amount of injuries we tend to see here throughout the season

But the RB's don't get to play when you have so many of them.

What can you learn about RB's that don't play?

Can Maroney be a good back? Can BJGE be a good back?

How will we ever know with 3 or 4 touches in a game?

Watching the Dolphins tonight, they have picked two backs who gets the carries. Both are "into" and have a "feel" for the game.

I hope I am expressing what I am trying to say.

 

[SVN]

But the RB's don't get to play when you have so many of them.

What can you learn about RB's that don't play?

Can Maroney be a good back? Can BJGE be a good back?

How will we ever know with 3 or 4 touches in a game?

Watching the Dolphins tonight, they have picked two backs who gets the carries. Both are "into" and have a "feel" for the game.

I hope I am expressing what I am trying to say.

well...our offense of late has been built around brady. from what i have heard of BB speak he always RB is a such a position that if you are not 100% its very hard to play so possibly he wants to build depth in the position .in the past there were games when brady would not throw a lot and we would run a lot.now its more of his offense so...

 

[patsfan-1982]

the pats only call about 20 to 25 runing play's a game

i know every one wants to talk about how maroney just dance's but come on 5 att maybe that's why he dance's he's trying to take it to the house cause he know's he's not going to see the ball any more lol

even Adrian Peterson cant do much with just 5 att

i would like to see them run 30 to 35 time's a game

and maroney get most of the att

Morris on goal line

and Faulk only on 3rd down

 

[jmt57]

A week or two ago I suggested that the Pats primarily rely on one back in each game depending on the game plan and matchup. Then in order to keep all the backs fresh and healthy rely on a different back the next week, again depending on game plan and matchup. Keep Kevin Faulk as the third-down back. Somebody else also brought up a good suggestion, which was to then bring in someone else who was fresh in the fourth quarter.

I still like those ideas even with the loss of Fred Taylor. For example, go primarily with Maroney this week and BJGE next week, bringing Morris in for the 4th quarters in those games. The running backs get the number of carries they like in order to get in to a rhythm and also get somewhat lighter duty after a tough game to help them make it through the season.

 

[jbb9s]

I agree. They need to work out BJGE to see if he can develop into something down the road and if he is, then obviously hold onto him and develop him. With the limited work he has had, he has done well.

The same could be said of Maroney. He is a first round pick 3 yrs in. He probably has a 3 yr window starting now in his prime. Give it to him 20 times a game and see if he can keep that 4 yd/carry avg up. I have a feeling he he going to have psychological problems if he is perpetually in BB's 2nd half doghouse.

With the Taylor's age/injury and everyone agreement that Morris is a solid 2nd tier back, they need to get to the bottom of Maroney and BJGE or else look to draft another guy with a #2 next year. Hate to talk about drafting a RB but its better to have some punch back there. Look at what Miami is doing. Look at what Pittsburgh is doing. Look at what the Giants do with horses in the backfield. It wins games.

 

[Ian]

But the RB's don't get to play when you have so many of them.

What can you learn about RB's that don't play?

Can Maroney be a good back? Can BJGE be a good back?

How will we ever know with 3 or 4 touches in a game?

Watching the Dolphins tonight, they have picked two backs who gets the carries. Both are "into" and have a "feel" for the game.

I hope I am expressing what I am trying to say.

It's a double edged sword to a certain extent because you need depth - yet they can't all play in each game. As I said I agreed with you in the fact you really can't necessarily learn a lot about each player this way. But you need depth if someone goes down - so it's just a catch 22 in that regard.

Look at Brady - if QB's actually split time on the field he likely would have hit the field sooner and become the starter. The only time guys really get an opportunity is generally after an injury, so that's generally the scenario that has to take place before a guy gets a real opportunity to play. Otherwise you really don't quite know what you have until that happens.

 

[Brady to Brown]

A week or two ago I suggested that the Pats primarily rely on one back in each game depending on the game plan and matchup. Then in order to keep all the backs fresh and healthy rely on a different back the next week, again depending on game plan and matchup. Keep Kevin Faulk as the third-down back. Somebody else also brought up a good suggestion, which was to then bring in someone else who was fresh in the fourth quarter.

I still like those ideas even with the loss of Fred Taylor. For example, go primarily with Maroney this week and BJGE next week, bringing Morris in for the 4th quarters in those games. The running backs get the number of carries they like in order to get in to a rhythm and also get somewhat lighter duty after a tough game to help them make it through the season.

This is a great idea. Lets pick a back and give him the ball.

 

[Ian]

I still like those ideas even with the loss of Fred Taylor. For example, go primarily with Maroney this week and BJGE next week, bringing Morris in for the 4th quarters in those games. The running backs get the number of carries they like in order to get in to a rhythm and also get somewhat lighter duty after a tough game to help them make it through the season.

I agree, and I'd be curious to see one of those guys play a full game and see if they can produce. We've seen Maroney perform well in screens and catching the ball out of the backfield, and he's had a few games where he hasn't exactly looked terrible running the football. There are those who strongly dislike him, but any way we look at it we need to set him up to succeed and to try and get something positive out of him regardless of whether or not we think he should stay. For those who want to get rid of him - we need to get something in return and that can't happen unless he performs well. Otherwise they'd have to cut their losses and move on, which is always disappointing if that happens with a guy who was a former 1st round pick.

 

[Brady to Brown]

I agree, and I'd be curious to see one of those guys play a full game and see if they can produce. We've seen Maroney perform well in screens and catching the ball out of the backfield, and he's had a few games where he hasn't exactly looked terrible running the football. There are those who strongly dislike him, but any way we look at it we need to set him up to succeed and to try and get something positive out of him regardless of whether or not we think he should stay. For those who want to get rid of him - we need to get something in return and that can't happen unless he performs well. Otherwise they'd have to cut their losses and move on, which is always disappointing if that happens with a guy who was a former 1st round pick.

So lets pick a back and go with him. Lets give Maroney the ball 25 times next week and see what he's all about.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Well Sammy Morris is our most effective runner right now and quite frankly he will not last if he has to carry it 20-25 times a game. This will keep everyone fresh for later. If Taylor comes back for the playoffs, I would imagine he would get the considerable bulk as he looked like the clear best runner. And at that point he'd have fresh legs so I could see 20 carries unless we end up throwing 50 times.

 

[JFK]

They are keeping Maroney healthy for a trade. I really don't understand either. I am not a fan but he doesn't get enough touches even when he runs o.k.
I noticed the O-Line praising Morris a lot after his runs. Maybe the players O-Line just prefer Morris cos he makes it easier on them.

 

[JFK]

So lets pick a back and go with him. Lets give Maroney the ball 25 times next week and see what he's all about.

The time for that was Preseason. You can't experiment when the game counts. I don't think Maroney passed the preseason exam but BJGE did eventhough it was against "scrubs".

 

[SoonerPatriot]

So lets pick a back and go with him. Lets give Maroney the ball 25 times next week and see what he's all about.

Unfortunately what he's all about is slamming into piles of humanity at full speed when there's a clear running lane to his right. That happened once yesterday and I don't think we saw him again.

Maroney still has a chance to carve out a role in this league as third down back that you get in space with short passes and let him freelance. But the days of him being thought of as an every down back are fading fast.

 

[IcyPatriot]

We are still working basically off the playbook created by Charlie Weiss. Charlie would drive you crazy with pulling the run just when it seemed to be working. I don't see anything different from then to now. Games it seems we should stick to the run and we abandon it. If we gain less than 5 yards on 1st down we almost always throw it on 2nd down. I'd like to see some changes ... still think Chad O'Shea should have gotten the job and not Bill O'Brien but what do I know.

 

[BillBelichickFan79]

always been a big maroney supporter and would like to see him get a chance to do what he did for us late in 07 and in the playoffs against jacksonville and san diego. i don't trust morris to hold up for 15-20 carries per game and faulk is perfect as the 3rd down back.

i'd kick the tires on larry johnson of the chiefs. seen him play a few times this season and he's still running hard, fast, and with power but that o-line in KC is just so bad. i think he could bring the physicality back to our running game like we had with corey dillion. maybe pioli would be looking to deal him to get a pick or two or some players to help build his team for the future. his value can't be that high because he hasn't put up the numbers this year. having johnson would bring much more consistency to the running game in my opinion and would open things up for moss welker etc and help us control the clock.

 

[JFK]

always been a big maroney supporter and would like to see him get a chance to do what he did for us late in 07 and in the playoffs against jacksonville and san diego. i don't trust morris to hold up for 15-20 carries per game and faulk is perfect as the 3rd down back.

i'd kick the tires on larry johnson of the chiefs. seen him play a few times this season and he's still running hard, fast, and with power but that o-line in KC is just so bad. i think he could bring the physicality back to our running game like we had with corey dillion. maybe pioli would be looking to deal him to get a pick or two or some players to help build his team for the future. his value can't be that high because he hasn't put up the numbers this year. having johnson would bring much more consistency to the running game in my opinion and would open things up for moss welker etc and help us control the clock.

i DON'T want Johnson. I actually think he is done.

 

[letekro]

i DON'T want Johnson. I actually think he is done.

Hard to gauge when he's been on such a bad team with a poor OL for so many years.