Maroney - A Team Leader

[IcyPatriot]

Maroney was very animated all day today. During pre-game warmups ... on the sideline ... on the field. He is running powerfully and with confidence. He has stepped up in all areas of the game and he deserves some credit for it.

He may never be a 100 yard a game guy ... but today he was a major reason they won and it was not just what he did when carrying the ball. Maroney, Welker and Faulk were showing their leadership today. Even in the rough first half they were trying to get their team pumped. I for one was wrong about him - he's learned to run differently and he's learned to help lead his team. Today he was a great team leader.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I'll give him props... some will discount this because they played the panthers, but he showed up and provided a good running attack and I can recall at least one good screen.

 

[JMarr]

Lead by example, and Maroney's been doing it as much lately as anyone on the team. Major props to him for taking in all the hate, getting pissed, and raising his game up to another level.

 

[mcmurtry86]

Maroney has had a great year running the ball except for the fumbles. On some of his runs he looks like a carbon copy of his former team mate Marion Barber, shaking tacklers and running through people.

Most people are probably still convinced he sucks though. If he was used more (20 carries a game consistently), people would be surprised at how much better he is running compared to last year

 

[supafly]

He's certainly stepped it up, that's for sure.

I'm impressed with how hard he's been running, also been hitting the hole with more force. I like him as a KR again too.

There's no doubt he was 'off' last yr due to being seriously hurt.

 

[363839]

Kudo's to the Lo Mo.
And a tip of the hat to Burghess, too.
You gotta love it when guys like these fight through the negativity of
the media and the fans.
Keep it up guys.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Maroney and Welker have been the lone bright spots since the bye. If not for these 2 we would probably be on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned.

 

[edelmansarmy]

Lawrence has been running hard. Save Freddy's return for Jacksonville.

 

[PatsfanGlo]

He cut down on dancing part and he is just running like he is p-oed. I mean I'm watching him and wondering 'jee is this the same guy that looked like he was running on top of very hot rock bare feet?'. Kudos to him. I was one of his hater and he is making a believer out of me more and more.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Is it just me or does it look like he's lost speed? The guy isn't a game breaker but I'm glad to see the Pats actually giving more touches. You never know what you have if you don't give him the ball.

 

[The Dynasty]

His carries will probably decrease the next couple of weeks with the return of Taylor and Morris. I would like to see Maroney get the majority of the carries and have him be the feature back in our offense. He would be able to get more in a rhythm and be more effective.

 

[oldrover]

Maroney carried the team in the 2007 playoffs, and the run-up. No reason he can't do it again.

 

[SmokeShowin]

At one point in the 2nd half, they were having a TV timeout, so I was looking everywhere but the field. All of a sudden I hear the crowd in the south endzone erupt. I quickly looked that way. LoMo was down there setting up for a kickoff return and was getting the crowd pumped. It was LOUD!!!

 

[DaBruinz]

He cut down on dancing part and he is just running like he is p-oed. I mean I'm watching him and wondering 'jee is this the same guy that looked like he was running on top of very hot rock bare feet?'. Kudos to him. I was one of his hater and he is making a believer out of me more and more.

There wasn't ever that much dancing to begin with. It was a label that naysayers and and the media slapped on him because they couldn't understand why he wasn't more successful.

As some people have said, it was the inconsistency of the O-line more than Maroney. And it was reinforced when BB called the O-line to task earlier in the year.

 

[DaBruinz]

His carries will probably decrease the next couple of weeks with the return of Taylor and Morris. I would like to see Maroney get the majority of the carries and have him be the feature back in our offense. He would be able to get more in a rhythm and be more effective.

Morris proved, again, that he's not as good a runner as Maroney. The fumble today. Again, not getting the 1 yard on the 4th down conversion.

Taking carries away from Maroney to give them to Morris is a mistake.

 

[The Dynasty]

There wasn't ever that much dancing to begin with. It was a label that naysayers and and the media slapped on him because they couldn't understand why he wasn't more successful.

As some people have said, it was the inconsistency of the O-line more than Maroney. And it was reinforced when BB called the O-line to task earlier in the year.

His running style has definitely changed this season. He most certainly was dancing and not hitting the hole hard before week 4 or 5 in this season. Now he is running much harder and hitting the holes much quicker and having much more success.

 

[The Dynasty]

Morris proved, again, that he's not as good a runner as Maroney. The fumble today. Again, not getting the 1 yard on the 4th down conversion.

Taking carries away from Maroney to give them to Morris is a mistake.

Taylor will be back next week and take carries away from Maroney. Taylor was the Pats best RB before he got hurt

 

[DaBruinz]

His running style has definitely changed this season. He most certainly was dancing and not hitting the hole hard before week 4 or 5 in this season. Now he is running much harder and hitting the holes much quicker and having much more success.

His style hasn't changed. It's the exact same as it ever was. I watched him numerous times his senior year in college and this is exactly how he ran. It's the same as he ran in 2006, 2007 and the start of 2008 before his shoulder injury.

What people called "dancing" wasn't dancing at all. It was Maroney looking for the holes the O-line was supposed to have opened. BB even mentioned this when he called out the O-line this year.

I'm not the only one who has said this. MANY others have said it. The haters just don't want to accept it because it would mean that they'd have to admit they were wrong.

 

[Kontradiction]

His running style has definitely changed this season. He most certainly was dancing and not hitting the hole hard before week 4 or 5 in this season. Now he is running much harder and hitting the holes much quicker and having much more success.

It's extremely difficult to run through men twice your size who are suddenly in the backfield a couple of seconds after the ball was snapped. Despite the injuries on the O-Line this season, which has hurt the pass blocking, the run blocking HAS improved since Belichick called the line out. That combined with Maroney's increase in touches due to a mixture of injury in the RB corps and the passing game not being as potent as it should has Maroney breaking off more successful runs. Now just imagine what he'd do with a fullback clearing space in front of him.

 

[RayClay]

There wasn't ever that much dancing to begin with. It was a label that naysayers and and the media slapped on him because they couldn't understand why he wasn't more successful.

As some people have said, it was the inconsistency of the O-line more than Maroney. And it was reinforced when BB called the O-line to task earlier in the year.

They got a new offensive line?

Looks to me he's hitting the hole quicker and harder. He's still adjusting and waiting for the play to develop, but he's doing it after he crosses the line of scrimmage, not before.

I had my eyes checked recently, they work. I know what i see.