Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

Does anyone else here feel that Maroney is hurting us sometimes? Its true he can be explosive and take it the distance from most anywhere on the field, but I see too many times when he doesn't take the 4 or 5 yard gain, but instead gets stopped cold cause he waits too long trying to find a better hole to run through. I dont know, although its obvious that Maroney and Antoine Smith are in two different stratospheres talentwise, I almost think that Smith, when he was at his peak with us, gave us a more predictable, reliable back, getting 3-4 yards per carry. I know most of you might think I'm insane for thinking like this, but I see the Colts' Addai as a back who can better sustain a drive right now than Maroney. Maroney is more dynamic, but Addai seems stronger and just about as fast, and gets a more consistent ypc. Thoughts??

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

ever look at the 2 OLs..our OL blows. when Maroney doesnt get yards..hes getting in the back field. our OL is not consistent and they keep trying to get Maroney inside..let him go outside..hes not a true powerback. he can take it outside..let him use his speed.

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

I think it's a combination of his being a rookie, the inconsistent play of the O-Line and sharing the workload with Dillon. Plus, playing on the crappy surface at Gilette doesn't help. Give him more time to develop. He's gonna be great!

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

Thoughts are on your 5th post, you've already earned yourself a questionable reputation for rational thought.

Maroney doesn't get any reps in a game, so how will we ever know if he's any good. I question the substitution packages on this team.

As for Maroney v. Antowain...um...5 year veteran vs. Rookie. Factor that in before you make your final judgement...

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

It's not Maroney, it's the OFFENSIVE LINE not giving him holes. When he gets a little bit of space, he usually does something with it.

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

I'm going to have to disagree here.

Something that's annoyed me that Box has also noticed is how Maroney is dancing waaaay too much in the holes. With the defensive speed of the Broncos, Colts, Bills, etc., he's been caught in the backfield too many times. But when he does hit the hole with some force, like Dillon, that's where you see the big 7+ yard gains in a quick second.

Box, from the Colts breakdown:

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

Maroney is not the power back that Dillon is. What you and Box consider "dancing" is Maroney trying to make guys miss in the little space he's given so he find daylight and make use of his speed. He's much niftier than Dillon, a totally different running style. If he can make one guy miss at the line of scrimmage -- which he often does -- he's usually on his way to a solid gain of 4, 5, 6 yards or more. Maroney "skips" at the line for quick changes of direction unlike Dillon, who is more apt to knock the first tackler out of the way than make him miss altogether.

One thing that pissed me off about Dillon's 55-yard run today was how he kept looking over his shoulder instead of fixing his eyes on the goal line and going full speed ahead. I think that could've been a touchdown, but he slowed himself down looking for someone to tackle him or knock him out of bounds, which eventually happened.

But back to the O-line issue: We have some injuries there that I believe are compromising the running game, and even when healthy, our line is not blowing big holes open. Our line's forte is protecting Brady. Light is not the world's greatest run blocker, and O'Callaghan is a work in progress, but promising. I think the best running attacks have big, mobile road graders at tackle.

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

could it be that teams fear the colts passing attack so they DON'T stick 8 people in the box?

and the coaches call too many plays within the tackles and don't utilize his speed.


the one thing i do wonder is.... the pats ran behind the RIGHT side of the line in the first quarter and were getting big chunks with dillon. clearly they saw a msimatch their. they need to run more off tackle and mroe counters and ABSOLUTELY more screens, but the O-line needs to give time for it to develop. no fancy screens, just a good ole hb or te screen

Re: Is Maroney as good as we think he is?
 

Maroney will be fine. hes a heck of a running back. He is a rookie by the way.