I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

***** The meal I would enjoy most can only be provided by the Patriots "feature RB". I desperately want him to make me eat the words I'm about to write!

***** Here's a note from Reiss' Blog, with an "open letter" from me to Mr. "Macaroney" to follow:

Maroney on running style
FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots running back Laurence Maroney drew a crowd in the locker room today at Gillette Stadium. Once again, his running style was a topic of conversation.
The question of whether Maroney dances too much behind the line of scrimmage – and doesn’t enter the hole with authority – seems to have struck a nerve with him. When told that some critics believe Maroney hesitates too much, he asked: “How many of those people have actually played running back?”
“It’s like me trying to critique you all about how to ask questions or how to do an interview,” Maroney continued. “You aren’t really going to listen to it, because I’ve never did it before. Just like I’m not really going to pay attention to what someone says about running north-south because you never know what I see out there or what is happening – like if a guy is coming free in the hole, what do you want me to do? I’m trying to make plays, trying to make it happen, so it might look like I’m dancing, but I’m really trying to make something happen.
“So I’m not going to get into that, go back and forth, that I’m running north-south, that I’m running laterally. I’m just out there to make plays and that’s what I try to do.”

***** Well, I'll tell ya what, Mr. Macaroney, MAKE A FEW PLAYS running the ball from behind the LOS, and maybe you won't have to "get into that"!

***** Let's review, shall we? You have carried the ball 118 times for 511 yards (4.3 YPC). Your LONGEST run in those 118 carries was for 19 yards! You have scored a total of 2 TDs in those 118 carries! Just how many of those carries would you classify as "making a play"?!

***** Just how would you define those 118 carries in comparison to the performances of "journeyman backup", Sammy Morris; who, before his injury, had 85 carries for 354 yards (4.5 YPC), with a long of 49 yards, and 3 TDs?! He actually HAS played running back! His "style" is go where the play is designed to go, and, if there's no hole immediately apparent, to MAKE ONE, by putting his shoulder down, driving forward with his legs, and HITTING SOMEBODY!

***** Hell, Kevin Faulk has a better YPC (4.4) than you do. He's 9 years older, 3" shorter, and 18 pounds lighter than you, Mr. Macaroney; and who do the Patriots turn to for a critical 3rd down run, as they did in last week's game against the Ravens? It's Kevin Faulk. And how does he run that play? He makes one quick cut, drops his shoulder, and drives straight ahead for, guess what, a FIRST DOWN!

***** That, Mr. Macaroney, is how to play RB in the NFL, particularly on this team. Oh, do you wonder about that name I've chosen for you? Well, I consider it a name which accurately describes YOUR running style - that of a wet noodle! I, for one, am tired of it. And I'm tired of you stubbornly, and ignorantly, refusing to accept the coaching, yes, and even the external criticism, that has repeatedly pointed out to you that "what you see out there" isn't what should determine your next move. The design of the play is what should determine that next move.

***** I've never played RB, Mr. Macaroney. But I've been watching people play it in the NFL for over 50 years. In all that time, in all those hundreds, perhaps even thousands of games, I've seen only ONE successful RB who consistently ran with "dancing" and "lateral movement", rarely going "north-south" from behind the LOS. That was Barry Sanders. And, if you'll read a bit, or watch a few old NFL films, I will bet that you'll discover that he never went for 118 consecutive carries with a "long run" of 19 yards. And, while I don't have such stats at my disposal, I suspect that he never went for 118 consecutive carries with less than 3 TDs!

***** So DROP your arrogant retorts to the press, Mr. Macaroney. You are not even close to having the production in your record to justify such an attitude. You are, to this point in your career, a TOTAL BUST as a Round 1 pick. If it were up to me, I would have signed Corey Dillon weeks ago, and given him time to work himself into shape for Playoffs. Then I'd bench your sorry ass for the playoffs, and put in a pro, who knows how to drive for a few extra yards when needed to make a 1st Down, or a TD!

***** OK, Mr. Macaroney. I'm still hungry. Come on, make me eat my words! I am, above all else, a Patriots fan. As long as you wear that uniform, I want nothing but the utmost success for you. I am convinced that you will not achieve any significant level of success on this team by "trying to make something happen" your way. By now, it should be as evident to you as it is to me, and thousands of other observers, some of whom probably HAVE "actually played RB", that either what you think you see is wrong, or you simply don't have the moves required at this level to get to the places you think you need to get to in order to "make a play".

SMARTEN UP!
GROW UP!
DROP THE ATTITUDE!
STOP PLAYING "MARONEY" FOOTBALL, AND START PLAYING PATRIOTS FOOTBALL!

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

I only have a few things to say to you.

I'm very glad you don't run the team. Dillon? Really?

and

4.3 yards per carry with no 'huge' plays is much more impressive to me than 4.3 would be with a 'huge' play.

Having a 70 yard run on one drive will hugely inflate your stats, but it only helps with that one drive. Having no breakaway plays and still averaging over 4 ypc helps EVERY drive.

I'm not a Maroney ballwasher as I think he could be playing better, but you have gone off the deep end the other way.

Maroney could be playing better, but he could be a heck of a lot worse.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

Well?

And 4.3 YPC?

Calm down.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

I, too, would like to have seen Dillon return, but more for nostalgic reasons. If you are riding the Maroney hate train, you may want to do some research and realize that Dillon had a 4.3 yard average over his career and a 4.7 yard average his best year with the Pats three years ago. And remember too, he was pretty gassed last year when he ran a long screen, so I would not expect the Bengals-era Dillon to return from retirement. Dillon is the man, but don't expect the world from an older athlete.

4.3 yards/carry is repectable in the NFL, and consistently putting 4 yards a carry out (not ripping off a 70 yard play and following that up with a series of no gains or 1-yard gains) means third and short instead of third and long for the offense.

The running game works for the Pats. They are 12-0. If you picked Maroney for some fantasy team you have my sympathy, but I would expect an offense bringing in this many high-powered receivers in the offseason would not be looking to run more than pass.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

What's it got to do with hate? He's frustrated. He senses, and rightfully so, whether it's correct or not, that Laurence is not taking the coaching. He's not running where the play is designed to go. That doesn't frustrate you? Nobody hates Laurence. It's OK to express frustration with him without getting into this "hate" thing. Go pass a hate bill in congress.

I think it was the Buffalo game: Laurence gets the ball, does not hit the area designed for the play, goes left, gets buried by four Bills, and our *entire* OL is standing around looking at each other (did you ever see the OL all standing straight up looking at each other on a running play?) and looking around for Laurence. They clearly did not know where he went. They clearly were blocking in one area while he chose to go to another and get buried.

If 4.3 ypc is all you want to see, then that's what you'll see. It's pretty obvious that Sammy Morris stole the job from him though. Laurence is a backup RB who inherited the starter position due to injury.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

It's pretty obvious to see Maroney was getting more carries and yards than him before the groin injury.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

This is just my impression from watching the games... I don't have video analysis to back this up or anything... but it seems to me that they've been trying to run Maroney up the middle a lot more lately, and he's been running into stiff resistance there. The O-line hasn't been doing a great job at creating holes for him, at least up the middle. This play calling sort of surprises me because it doesn't seem to play to Maroney's strengths.

Again, this is just my impression, and if someone has stats that say something different, I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

Let's face it: Before the injury, Sammy Morris was the feature back and Laurence was the backup. That is reality.

Let's face it again: Out the group of Marshawn Lynch, Thomas Jones and Ronnie Brown, and Laurence, I don't know anybody that would put Laurence ahead of any of them. Each one of those guys runs hard and punishes tacklers. Laurence does not punish anybody. Laurence gets punished. Sammy belonged in that group of punishing backs.

Let's face this too: He's very good in the open field. Perhaps they will just throw him the ball more often now and get some production out of him. He seems to love space, and he knows how to deal with it, and has special skills there. Maybe he should be a third down back.

Maybe he fancies himself as a cutback runner but I don't see such lanes opening up on any regular basis. Doesn't this tell us that the blocking schemes are not designed to open such lanes?

Who scored the TD the other night? Heath Evans. Why? Probably because they wanted to make sure the RB would follow the blocks and run hard and maybe use his power to get into the end zone? I'm all for it. Give the ball to Heath and Kyle and punish some tacklers, and use Laurence out of the backfield in space on passing downs.

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

How can this be when before Maroney's injury, Laurence was getting more carries and yards? Hmm?

Re: I'm Hungry, Mr. Macaroney!
 

I am certainly frustrated with Maroney as I still think he dances too much before hitting the hole and leaves positive yards on the field in doing so. That to me is reflective off habits from a slower college game in which you can dance and wait for something to open up in contrast to the NFL speed in which you dance and get splatted like a bug.

The bottom line to me is he produces acceptable numbers. Could they be better? I think so. I just wouldn't jump to conclusions on what Kevin Faulk does or Morris did compared to Maroney as Faulk tends to spell pass with lower run probability (the defenses are more inclined to be surprised when he runs) and Morris at times profitted from game situations (in one game, I believe Cincy, the team was out of LBs and was using DBs - I suspect Craig James could have put on pads today and run for 100 yards behind a line that was running over a defense half its size). As for media reactions, I never trust them. If Maroney is playing, I suspect he is responding to coaching. I believe Belichick would rather put a lineman at running back than put a player who isn't following his direction. If they play well in practice that week, they play.

I have no Maroney jerseys and still have not decided whether he will be a Tom Brady or a Bethel Johnson when we look back at this Pats career. I just think it is a tough year to judge a second-year back with the receiving numbers and scoring being recorded.