Maroney Proves Critics Wrong: NY Post

[JoePats]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01312008/sports/giants/maroney_proves_critics_wrong_979492.htm

He really plays with a chip on his shoulder...Here are some of his quotes from the article:

"I want to laugh at the reporters but I just hold it in," said the Patriots' running back, who didn't hold it in yesterday, fairly crowing after rushing for 122 yards in consecutive postseason games.

"You know who the reporters are. It ain't like you can't read the names in the papers. They want to come back and jump on the you're-doing-so-good bandwagon.

"You just look at them like 'oh, you didn't want to come ask me questions when (they said) I was out there tap dancing and cha-cha sliding.' I really want to say something, but I keep it to myself."

 

[oldskool138]

"You just look at them like 'oh, you didn't want to come ask me questions when (they said) I was out there tap dancing and cha-cha sliding.' I really want to say something, but I keep it to myself."

Well, wasn't he? He's hitting the holes with a lot more decisiveness now than earlier in the season. (This is not a "glass" observation...I don't want to start that whole argument again. Just something I, and others, noticed)

 

[PatsfanGlo]

While I do think Maroney runs more decisively lately, I don't think his approach changed all that much from time when people were on his case everyday. Biggest thing as far as I can see is that Pats are now willing to run passing plays more when Maroney is in the game. Before, it was 'if Maroney is in the game, its a run, Faulk in the game, its a pass' and defense will make appropriate adjustments. Maroney definately pass blocks a lot better than earlier in the season now and he has shown he can do big time damage when he catches swing passes/dump passes coming out of backfield. Being more unpredictable really helped Pats running game more than anything imo.

 

[jscout]

I'm just glad that the only thing he's concerned about these days is blowing his wad too soon.

 

[Watson's IQ]

While I do think Maroney runs more decisively lately, I don't think his approach changed all that much from time when people were on his case everyday. Biggest thing as far as I can see is that Pats are now willing to run passing plays more when Maroney is in the game. Before, it was 'if Maroney is in the game, its a run, Faulk in the game, its a pass' and defense will make appropriate adjustments. Maroney definately pass blocks a lot better than earlier in the season now and he has shown he can do big time damage when he catches swing passes/dump passes coming out of backfield. Being more unpredictable really helped Pats running game more than anything imo.

That's the key for me as well. I also think that getting more carries has allowed him to get into more of a rhythm. He's a very streaky runner at times, and often to me it takes him a little while to get on track, but when he does he's unstoppable.

Sounds to me like Lo-Mo needs to stop reading the papers. That comes when you spend a few more years in the league, I imagine.

 

[patchick]

While I do think Maroney runs more decisively lately, I don't think his approach changed all that much from time when people were on his case everyday. Biggest thing as far as I can see is that Pats are now willing to run passing plays more when Maroney is in the game. Before, it was 'if Maroney is in the game, its a run, Faulk in the game, its a pass' and defense will make appropriate adjustments. Maroney definately pass blocks a lot better than earlier in the season now and he has shown he can do big time damage when he catches swing passes/dump passes coming out of backfield. Being more unpredictable really helped Pats running game more than anything imo.

Great post. I really think his pass blocking is the key -- he looks mighty dangerous as a receiver.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Great post. I really think his pass blocking is the key -- he looks mighty dangerous as a receiver.

Not according to Dr Z.....

But I agree with you Chick, Maroney has improved his pass blocking and IMO, he is really dangerous getting the ball out in space....

 

[RayClay]

Well, wasn't he? He's hitting the holes with a lot more decisiveness now than earlier in the season. (This is not a "glass" observation...I don't want to start that whole argument again. Just something I, and others, noticed)

I'll go with that, although he's consistently stayed over 4.0, which isn't bad for an "indecisive" runner.

Having a runner who hates the press and wants to ram the ball down the defenses throat as a consequence ain't bad at all (miss you Corey!).

No doubt, Maroney is running lower and more decisively.

The nice thing is, his potential as an open field runner has hardly been tapped. The sky is the limit for this guy.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Ivan Fears did an interview with Felger yesterday where he pretty much said it was a team decision to protect Maroney early. His shoulder was still an issue early on, and they had Morris for what they needed. Then as the passing game exploded there was no need to expose their young feature RB to the hits or their options to coaches film until the weather changed and they needed to.

It was never about their assessment of him or anything he was not doing. It was game plans and long range strategy.

 

[PonyExpress]

In the Herald, Barry Sanders says he is a big fan of Maroney's game and predicts superstardom for the pats rb. He says he has watched him since he played at Minnesota and in a less pass heavy system he would be a 1400 to 1600 yard back easy.

 

[cartmen]

While I do think Maroney runs more decisively lately, I don't think his approach changed all that much from time when people were on his case everyday. Biggest thing as far as I can see is that Pats are now willing to run passing plays more when Maroney is in the game. Before, it was 'if Maroney is in the game, its a run, Faulk in the game, its a pass' and defense will make appropriate adjustments. Maroney definately pass blocks a lot better than earlier in the season now and he has shown he can do big time damage when he catches swing passes/dump passes coming out of backfield. Being more unpredictable really helped Pats running game more than anything imo.

QFT great point

 

[sieglo]

In the Herald, Barry Sanders says he is a big fan of Maroney's game and predicts superstardom for the pats rb. He says he has watched him since he played at Minnesota and in a less pass heavy system he would be a 1400 to 1600 yard back easy.

Yeah, but National Sports Advisors says he dances too much and he's made of glass.

 

[Maroney TD]

Yeah, but National Sports Advisors says he dances too much and he's made of glass.

This is true, and we all know that he knows more than Barry Sanders about running backs. Quick question though, since its National Sports Advisors is there more than 1 person putting input into each post and if so are they from across the nation in order to be National?

 

[Oswlek]

While I do think Maroney runs more decisively lately, I don't think his approach changed all that much from time when people were on his case everyday. Biggest thing as far as I can see is that Pats are now willing to run passing plays more when Maroney is in the game. Before, it was 'if Maroney is in the game, its a run, Faulk in the game, its a pass' and defense will make appropriate adjustments. Maroney definately pass blocks a lot better than earlier in the season now and he has shown he can do big time damage when he catches swing passes/dump passes coming out of backfield. Being more unpredictable really helped Pats running game more than anything imo.

Hmmmm....

Where did I see this before? Where oh where was it?

Oh yeah! Here!

I understand the questioning of Maroney, but it is largely misguided IMHO. Maroney leads the league in first down yardage. He is amongst the top 10 in ypc for RBs with 50+ rushes. He is 2nd according to footballoutsiders' success rate and 10th in their per-play measure (essentially tied with Morris and Addai for #8 in the league). Success rate is defined as:

In general, a play counts as a "hit" if it gains 40% of yards on first down, 60% of yards on second down, and 100% of yards on third down.

If the team is behind by more than a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the benchmarks switch to 50%/65%/100%.

If the team is ahead by any amount in the fourth quarter, the benchmarks switch to 30%/50%/100%.

The excellent ypc despite any long runs further illustrates just how consistent Laurence has been.

Obviously he isn't perfect. He needs to work on pass protection so he can be a threat out of the backfield. He needs to be able to counted on in short-yardage situations more. Maroney was one of the top backs in the league for yardage after contact despite missing a good amount of time. He clearly *can* be a bruising RB if he wanted to.

I personally think that the team has taken advantage of the historic passing game to allow Maroney to work himself back into shape and to improve parts of his game. They have been asking him to a) run with more body lean and b) not accept negative plays. Both of these are impacting his running because he has to think more than he used to. Once the new style become instinctive he will be able to leverage his natural ability more. This thinking is one of the main reasons he is accused of being "tentative" or "dancing".

I also think that Maroney is a victim of last year. He absolutely stutter-stepped too much and I think that some are viewing him with preconceived notions. He ran fabulously against Indy. Other than a few times when an unblocked blitzer had a clean shot at him, he made yardage every time (except one play - the 3rd and 1 stop) and it always took multiple tacklers to bring him down. His toughness just wasn't noticed because the 2nd and 3rd guys got there so quickly. And that is no fluke. Frankly, Maroney has been excellent since midway through the SD game.

Maroney is also hampered in the court of public opinion because he looked so damn explosive last year. His talent just oozed off of him and he really hasn't looked as natural this year. I firmly believe that this is entirely due to the factors I outline above.

Lastly, it is important to realize that Laurence is very young. The kid is just 22 years old - nearly two full years younger than Addai. It is my contention that NE views him as a long term weapon and are treating him accordingly. I will be very surprised if NE acquires any top-end RB talent in this offseason and I believe that Laurence will be one of the top RBs in the league by 2009 at the latest. I also would be willing to make a wager that Maroney signs his next contract with the New England Patriots.

Feel free to bookmark this thread for later use, but I don't expect you to be able to. :eat3:

Edit: Obviously I should add "if he could stay healthy" to the bruising RB part above. That is frankly the biggest question with Laurence and it is the primary reason that NE is working on adapting his running style. As you can tell from my optimism about him, I fully expect Maroney to flourish in time and for his injury issues to subside.

Further Edit: With regard to 3rd and shot

I agree that NE needs to be able to have the rush be a threat on 3rd and short. Some of that is blocking, but much of that is Maroney.

I would also add that Maroney runs on something like 60-70 of the plays that he is on the field for. Obviously Faulk is a better receiver and blocker, so you would want him to be in on passing situations, but that predictibility is a big reason why ther seems to be a guy in the backfield right away whenever Maroney is running on third down.

The issue needs to be addressed, but it isn't all on Laurence, IMHO.

 

[Maroney TD]

Maroney had a good YPC the entire season. Only morons were bashing him because they thought he should have more yards with less carries than other RBs. Once they started running him more then the total yards went up, I know its crazy like that.

 

[Rawky77]

Ivan Fears did an interview with Felger yesterday where he pretty much said it was a team decision to protect Maroney early. His shoulder was still an issue early on, and they had Morris for what they needed. Then as the passing game exploded there was no need to expose their young feature RB to the hits or their options to coaches film until the weather changed and they needed to.

It was never about their assessment of him or anything he was not doing. It was game plans and long range strategy.

Thanks for confirming what many of us Maroney supporters have been saying all yr. LoMo is going to be a real threat the rest of his career as he learns more and more of the Pro game and begins to expand into his talent potential.

 

[patsfan47]

I am a huge fan of Kool-aid's watching him run in the playoffs has been a real treat, this guy has come to play in the big games and I expect him to show up in the big dance. In the playoffs he has done everything I could ask of our running back. He makes people miss, breaks tackles, catches passes and makes moves in space, pass blocks and the most exciting part.....when he runs people over at the end of plays guy is sending a message and I like the fact that he is playing with a massive chip on his shoulder. I really hope he runs for 160 yrds 2 touchdowns and wins the MVP!!!!!!

 

[Richter]

The thing that makes the whole situation ridiculous is that he's still just a second year back, and this was his first year as "the guy". Rookies should always get at least 3 years before you go slapping them with labels, because that's the time where they start improving and establish their mean level of performance for the remainder of their career. Maroney will be just fine, the Pats don't blow first round picks.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

I love this: "You just look at them like 'oh, you didn't want to come ask me questions when (they said) I was out there tap dancing and cha-cha sliding.' I really want to say something, but I keep it to myself."

 

[sebman2112]

In the Herald, Barry Sanders says he is a big fan of Maroney's game and predicts superstardom for the pats rb. He says he has watched him since he played at Minnesota and in a less pass heavy system he would be a 1400 to 1600 yard back easy.

I completely agree with Barry, and I'm glad to know one of my favorite RB's feels the same way about Maroney.