Are the Pats ready to deal Laurence Maroney?

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Games missed, 2007 and 2008 (including playoffs):

Maroney: 16
Morris: 16

Putting Maroney behind Morris on the depth chart because Maroney "can't stay on the field" makes absolutely no sense (at best).

As much as I would like Maroney to be the starter, he really needs to work on his ball carrier vision. There are too many times where he gets the hand off and runs straight into a pile when there are sometimes gaping holes to the left or right of him. On the other hand, Morris's straight ahead bruising style seems to fit the Pats blocking scheme a lot better. In fact, the Pats O-line isn't exactly known for being "road graders".

Taylor was terrible last year. Absolutely terrible.

So were the entire Jaguars team. Their O-line was awful, their QB is pedestrian and their WR's are pathetic. Taylor and Jones-Drew were their only threats on offense. Put 8-10 defenders in the box and you stop their offense.

According to what? Maroney has a higher YPC, DVOA, Success rate, etc, than any of the other backs on the team. The only one who has a legitimate argument is Faulk, who is a better receiver and blocker, but nowhere near the runner.

I based my opinion on the fact that Fred Taylor's entire career and believe he will rejuvenate himself in New England. Maroney will be lucky if he even comes close to the career that Fred Taylor has had. Don't get me wrong, I love Maroney and was one of the guys making the case in '06 of why the Pats should draft him. Maroney has all the tools to be a star back in this league. However, he can even have a higher YPC average if he develops better ball carrier vision as I stated in the above response.

 

[DW Toys]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

As much as I would like Maroney to be the starter, he really needs to work on his ball carrier vision. There are too many times where he gets the hand off and runs straight into a pile when there are sometimes gaping holes to the left or right of him. On the other hand, Morris's straight ahead bruising style seems to fit the Pats blocking scheme a lot better. In fact, the Pats O-line isn't exactly known for being "road graders".



So were the entire Jaguars team. Their O-line was awful, their QB is pedestrian and their WR's are pathetic. Taylor and Jones-Drew were their only threats on offense. Put 8-10 defenders in the box and you stop their offense.



I based my opinion on the fact that Fred Taylor's entire career and believe he will rejuvenate himself in New England. Maroney will be lucky if he even comes close to the career that Fred Taylor has had. Don't get me wrong, I love Maroney and was one of the guys making the case in '06 of why the Pats should draft him. Maroney has all the tools to be a star back in this league. However, he can even have a higher YPC average if he develops better ball carrier vision as I stated in the above response.

Good post.
DW Toys

 

[DW Toys]

Thats not how logic works.


he has proven it to not be true. Above average YPC. Great DVOA. Fantastic success rate. Everything points to Maroney being good, except your opionion.


Oppinions are like a**holes; Everyone has them, and most of them stink. Yours does.

That wasn't very kind. I never questioned your anal pore Cousin. "Most" of them stink I am sure does not involve yours. You win too Cousin . You have roughed me up. Do you feel any better?

Stats are for the logistical system to adhere to losers. They can be manipulated Cousin. If a back has nineteen two and a half yard gains one 25 yard winner because the LB took the wrong gap and there is your 4.4 average....bogus sir.

No I want to see proof. That is how logic works. So far.....nada. Why do I have to proof his theory. Don't just say something and shout the other poster down because of the "I said so rule" which is prevalent in this case.

If someone wants my proof, I went to my eye doctor last week. My check up was good. I will give you his number. I watch the games not listen. Anybody here see a great kid (I agree) who has been mediocre with some great flashes, but does not block, does not like to be hit and goes down on the first pop? He needs to reinvent himself. Taylor is here for a reason.They could have drafted a RB instead and still might. I think they will. Now who do you move? Who gets carries?....Logic...Not bad heh?

Face facts. He is not Jim Brown. I hope he has a good year but I doubt it and can see at the least a consideration of a better value on the roster spot he owns. Is that so terrible? Upgrading the team is bad in your eyes? As I said on another thread whether he plays or not will not make one difference at the end of the year in the 2009 Patriots season. If he stays he will be o.k. with 10 or so carries a game. Nothing earthshaking.

That leads us to this. What is so hard about understanding this thread? The question remains should the Pats "CONSIDER" an option to trade or no trade Maroney. I didn't see any addendum saying "is he good or bad". Did I miss that?

Have a great Easter.
DW Toys

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

As much as I would like Maroney to be the starter, he really needs to work on his ball carrier vision. There are too many times where he gets the hand off and runs straight into a pile when there are sometimes gaping holes to the left or right of him. On the other hand, Morris's straight ahead bruising style seems to fit the Pats blocking scheme a lot better. In fact, the Pats O-line isn't exactly known for being "road graders".

So I guess the durability argument is settled, then. Moving on, the "no vision argument doesn't hold up to any scrutiny either. Do you honestly think that it's possible for a RB with poor vision to post the second best success rate in the NFL?

So were the entire Jaguars team. Their O-line was awful, their QB is pedestrian and their WR's are pathetic. Taylor and Jones-Drew were their only threats on offense. Put 8-10 defenders in the box and you stop their offense.

Didn't stop MJD from having 12 TDs rushing, 4.2 YPC (versus 1 TD and 3.9 for Taylor). The general point stands to some extent- Jax was awful last year. That doesn't account for all of it though, clearly. Taylor isn't what he used to be. I still think he'll be a productive back in some role, but you're going to be disappointed if you expect him to get 15+ touches per game.

I based my opinion on the fact that Fred Taylor's entire career and believe he will rejuvenate himself in New England. Maroney will be lucky if he even comes close to the career that Fred Taylor has had.

I agree, except that's completely irrelevant to the point at hand. If you want to build a team of guys who have had really good careers, I hear that Barry Sanders might be available. Emmitt Smith too.

Out of curiosity, what makes you think that Taylor will rejuvenate himself this year? I hope that he does, so I'd really like some good input on this one. Personally, I think it's asking a bit much to expect a 33 year old RB with 2500 career carries to get better, rather than worse. I think that he'll provide valuable contributions this year, but it'll be situational stuff, and he definitely won't be a workhorse. A lot of people here are expecting too much, IMO.

Don't get me wrong, I love Maroney and was one of the guys making the case in '06 of why the Pats should draft him. Maroney has all the tools to be a star back in this league. However, he can even have a higher YPC average if he develops better ball carrier vision as I stated in the above response.

I definitely agree that he could be better. Personally, I wonder how much the bum shoulder has affected him, and wonder if Belichick shut him down so early last season so that he'd have proper time to finally heal it up. I really just don't get this vision thing, though. You and DW Toys seem pretty adamant about it, but it just isn't corroborated by much of anything.

Every metric out there says that he's a productive RB who gets the yards that the team needs him to get. Success rate is maybe my favorite stat for RBs, since it measures by situation, and measures the back against what the team would want from him on a given down, it's exceptionally useful, and Maroney's is awesome. Was #2 in the entire NFL in 2008. That's a good RB who's getting the yards that he needs to get, and as far as I'm concerned that absolutely contradicts any claims against his vision.

 

[bucky]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Yes, he is. Every single objective statistic points to Maroney being the best RB on the roster. He's not fighting for a spot, hes THE STARTER.

I don't really understand how anybody can argue with this logic. Over the last 2 years, whenever Maroney has been able to play, he's been the starter. That even includes the few games last year when he was hurt but still tried to play through it. Now that he's coming back healthy, he's clearly and obviously the #1 RB on this team.

The fact of the matter is that in 2007 Maroney had more carries than either Faulk's or Morris's career highs. So how can anybody say that Morris and Faulk are ahead of him on the depth chart? Hell, Faulk isn't even competing for the starting RB job. He didn't even start over BJGE when everyone else was hurt.

I can understand some other arguments, such as "everybody has to earn their spot in TC". I could buy that one. Or "Maroney has been disappointing because of his inability to stay healthy and break the big run" - I'll buy that one too. Or "The Pats will rotate backs because they have a lot of quality, but all the backs have some injury concerns.". That's fine too.

But anybody who claims that Maroney is anything but #1 on the RB depth chart right now is simply in in denial.

 

[JackBauer]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Good post.
DW Toys

Figures that you'd think so since it's almost entirely opinion.

 

[DW Toys]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Figures that you'd think so since it's almost entirely opinion.

Thank you. You love me and you know it.
Happy Easter.
DW Toys

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Figures that you'd think so since it's almost entirely opinion.

Good post, JackBauer. Good post. I thought that that was a really good post that you posted just now.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

I don't really understand how anybody can argue with this logic. Over the last 2 years, whenever Maroney has been able to play, he's been the starter. That even includes the few games last year when he was hurt but still tried to play through it. Now that he's coming back healthy, he's clearly and obviously the #1 RB on this team.

The fact of the matter is that in 2007 Maroney had more carries than either Faulk's or Morris's career highs. So how can anybody say that Morris and Faulk are ahead of him on the depth chart? Hell, Faulk isn't even competing for the starting RB job. He didn't even start over BJGE when everyone else was hurt.

I can understand some other arguments, such as "everybody has to earn their spot in TC". I could buy that one. Or "Maroney has been disappointing because of his inability to stay healthy and break the big run" - I'll buy that one too. Or "The Pats will rotate backs because they have a lot of quality, but all the backs have some injury concerns.". That's fine too.

But anybody who claims that Maroney is anything but #1 on the RB depth chart right now is simply in in denial.

What I'm quickly finding out is that our problem is simple: we expect people to actually think about stuff, and use common sense and logic to form their opinions. When the other side of a debate is unable (unwilling) to do that, you end up with... well, this.

 

[DW Toys]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

So I guess the durability argument is settled, then. Moving on, the "no vision argument doesn't hold up to any scrutiny either. Do you honestly think that it's possible for a RB with poor vision to post the second best success rate in the NFL?



Didn't stop MJD from having 12 TDs rushing, 4.2 YPC (versus 1 TD and 3.9 for Taylor). The general point stands to some extent- Jax was awful last year. That doesn't account for all of it though, clearly. Taylor isn't what he used to be. I still think he'll be a productive back in some role, but you're going to be disappointed if you expect him to get 15+ touches per game.



I agree, except that's completely irrelevant to the point at hand. If you want to build a team of guys who have had really good careers, I hear that Barry Sanders might be available. Emmitt Smith too.

Out of curiosity, what makes you think that Taylor will rejuvenate himself this year? I hope that he does, so I'd really like some good input on this one. Personally, I think it's asking a bit much to expect a 33 year old RB with 2500 career carries to get better, rather than worse. I think that he'll provide valuable contributions this year, but it'll be situational stuff, and he definitely won't be a workhorse. A lot of people here are expecting too much, IMO.



I definitely agree that he could be better. Personally, I wonder how much the bum shoulder has affected him, and wonder if Belichick shut him down so early last season so that he'd have proper time to finally heal it up. I really just don't get this vision thing, though. You and DW Toys seem pretty adamant about it, but it just isn't corroborated by much of anything.

Every metric out there says that he's a productive RB who gets the yards that the team needs him to get. Success rate is maybe my favorite stat for RBs, since it measures by situation, and measures the back against what the team would want from him on a given down, it's exceptionally useful, and Maroney's is awesome. Was #2 in the entire NFL in 2008. That's a good RB who's getting the yards that he needs to get, and as far as I'm concerned that absolutely contradicts any claims against his vision.

Cousin, I like Maroney. I think he is a good kid. But....no one has convinced me. So far I have gotten a lot of "because I said sos". All of these stats are what you want them to be. If he has a 2.5 average on 19 carries and gets a 25 yard pop because the LB trips, his YPC is over 4 . What did he do when it is third an one or two? Give me that stat. Did his carries control the game? Where is that stat? Did he go down on the first hit? I can give you that one...always. Did his biggest run come late in the game when we were leading by 20? Were we playing the Lions? You think I buy that he has great vision and is the greatest back on our roster. Why? who says so. Prove it to me. Show me where it says BB says he has great vision? Give me anyone in the whole NFL that says that Maroney has good vision and breaks the first tackle...anyone? BB doesn't play someone because he has good stats. I do not care what anyone says, he did not bring Fred Taylor in to sit.

O.K. Now all you Maroney=Jim Brown. Nobody has taken me up on this. Will Maroney makes a difference in the 2009 season if he plays or does not?

I like Maroney. Someone prove it to me with something more that stats that as you can see are bogus, that this kid will not play scared, not go down on the first hit, pick up yardage when it's third and one, block somebody and at the end of the day, use his Gods' given talent and "get it". There has been many RB and players to come out of college and get hurt and lose their opportunity to establish a career in the NFL. You are all right about that. If he has been hurt, he cannot play. This might not be a fair comparison but look at Katzenmoyer. He showed some spark here but at the end of the day, he was hurt and out of the NFL. Most thought he might just work out alright.

If Maroney was here but one year, you all would have a point. This is four years now. It is time for agonizing reappraisal. The whole point of this thread was not to discuss who loves him and who hates him but......Are the Pats ready to trade him? What am I missing here. The question is not about his ability as much as can we get a player in the draft or in trade, that will make the team better than it is when Maroney is on it.........That's all folks. Would a Donald Brown, a Brian Robitske, a Paul Kruger, a T.J. Lang, a William Moore, a Rashard Jennings, a Jarron Gilbert, a Clint Sintim, a Pat White, Connor Barwin, a Chad Johnson et, al make the Pats a better team in 2009? If your answer is yes, than perhaps a draft pick can be obtained for him or a trade of some sort. If it is no, then your loyalty to the player is exemplary and I bow to your opinion Cousins. That is the only question on this thread.

DW Toys

 

[Deus Irae]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Cousin, I like Maroney. I think he is a good kid. But....no one has convinced me. So far I have gotten a lot of "because I said sos". All of these stats are what you want them to be. If he has a 2.5 average on 19 carries and gets a 25 yard pop because the LB trips, his YPC is over 4 . What did he do when it is third an one or two? Give me that stat. Did his carries control the game? Where is that stat? Did he go down on the first hit? I can give you that one...always. Did his biggest run come late in the game when we were leading by 20? Were we playing the Lions? You think I buy that he has great vision and is the greatest back on our roster. Why? who says so. Prove it to me. Show me where it says BB says he has great vision? Give me anyone in the whole NFL that says that Maroney has good vision and breaks the first tackle...anyone? BB doesn't play someone because he has good stats. I do not care what anyone says, he did not bring Fred Taylor in to sit.

O.K. Now all you Maroney=Jim Brown. Nobody has taken me up on this. Will Maroney makes a difference in the 2009 season if he plays or does not?

I like Maroney. Someone prove it to me with something more that stats that as you can see are bogus, that this kid will not play scared, not go down on the first hit, pick up yardage when it's third and one, block somebody and at the end of the day, use his Gods' given talent and "get it". There has been many RB and players to come out of college and get hurt and lose their opportunity to establish a career in the NFL. You are all right about that. If he has been hurt, he cannot play. This might not be a fair comparison but look at Katzenmoyer. He showed some spark here but at the end of the day, he was hurt and out of the NFL. Most thought he might just work out alright.

If Maroney was here but one year, you all would have a point. This is four years now. It is time for agonizing reappraisal. The whole point of this thread was not to discuss who loves him and who hates him but......Are the Pats ready to trade him? What am I missing here. The question is not about his ability as much as can we get a player in the draft or in trade, that will make the team better than it is when Maroney is on it.........That's all folks. Would a Donald Brown, a Brian Robitske, a Paul Kruger, a T.J. Lang, a William Moore, a Rashard Jennings, a Jarron Gilbert, a Clint Sintim, a Pat White, Connor Barwin, a Chad Johnson et, al make the Pats a better team in 2009? If your answer is yes, than perhaps a draft pick can be obtained for him or a trade of some sort. If it is no, then your loyalty to the player is exemplary and I bow to your opinion Cousins. That is the only question on this thread.

DW Toys

Ok, that's enough of this nonsense. It's time for the ignore feature. If "the whole point of this thread" was about whether or not the Patriots were ready to trade Maroney, all that would have been needed was one post:

We don't know.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Makin you feel the rhythm is my occupation
so feel the vibration

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

So I guess the durability argument is settled, then. Moving on, the "no vision argument doesn't hold up to any scrutiny either. Do you honestly think that it's possible for a RB with poor vision to post the second best success rate in the NFL?

I'm guessing your talking about 2007? How many carries did he get? 185. That's really not a lot considering the top backs are carrying anywhere from 230-300 carries a season.

Didn't stop MJD from having 12 TDs rushing, 4.2 YPC (versus 1 TD and 3.9 for Taylor). The general point stands to some extent- Jax was awful last year. That doesn't account for all of it though, clearly. Taylor isn't what he used to be. I still think he'll be a productive back in some role, but you're going to be disappointed if you expect him to get 15+ touches per game.

Somebody's got to score right? MJD had 12 TD's but he wasn't as effective as 2007.

I agree, except that's completely irrelevant to the point at hand. If you want to build a team of guys who have had really good careers, I hear that Barry Sanders might be available. Emmitt Smith too.

Here's the thing. Taylor can still play. In fact, he's one season removed from a 1,200 yard season. Also, he's only gone over 300 carries in one out of his ten seasons in the league. I believe he's still got some tread on those tires.

Out of curiosity, what makes you think that Taylor will rejuvenate himself this year? I hope that he does, so I'd really like some good input on this one. Personally, I think it's asking a bit much to expect a 33 year old RB with 2500 career carries to get better, rather than worse. I think that he'll provide valuable contributions this year, but it'll be situational stuff, and he definitely won't be a workhorse. A lot of people here are expecting too much, IMO.

Before getting traded to the Pats, If I were to tell you that Randy Moss could still play after his poor season in Oakland, would you believe me? Same could be said about Corey Dillon's last season in Cincy. The point is, I don't know whether or not Taylor will do well, but coming into a winning atmosphere does some crazy things to people. If Taylor really wants to win, you will see an entirely different player this season.

I definitely agree that he could be better. Personally, I wonder how much the bum shoulder has affected him, and wonder if Belichick shut him down so early last season so that he'd have proper time to finally heal it up. I really just don't get this vision thing, though. You and DW Toys seem pretty adamant about it, but it just isn't corroborated by much of anything.

If you have tapes of Maroney, take a look at them again. He leaves a lot of plays on the field. Like I have said before, there are many times he runs straight into piles when there are gaping holes available. The only time I have seen Maroney make a decisive cut was against Miami when he broke a long one for a touchdown.

Every metric out there says that he's a productive RB who gets the yards that the team needs him to get. Success rate is maybe my favorite stat for RBs, since it measures by situation, and measures the back against what the team would want from him on a given down, it's exceptionally useful, and Maroney's is awesome. Was #2 in the entire NFL in 2008. That's a good RB who's getting the yards that he needs to get, and as far as I'm concerned that absolutely contradicts any claims against his vision.

Again, this is coming from a back that only carried the ball 185 times in 2007. If he carried the ball anywhere from 230+ (which most top RB's do), I would agree with your argument. So if you want to go that route, Felix Jones had an 8.9 ypc average in 2008. That means he must be one of the RB's in the NFL.

 

[DW Toys]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Ok, that's enough of this nonsense. It's time for the ignore feature. If "the whole point of this thread" was about whether or not the Patriots were ready to trade Maroney, all that would have been needed was one post:

We don't know.

And... right your are DI!
DW Toys

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

Ok, that's enough of this nonsense. It's time for the ignore feature. If "the whole point of this thread" was about whether or not the Patriots were ready to trade Maroney, all that would have been needed was one post:

We don't know.

I put up with NEM. I put up with the cretins wanting Cassel cut, even AFTER he started winning games. Never, ever put anyone on ignore. But now I don't think I can read any more of this wanking. I'm gonna waste my time and go figure out how to do that IGNORE thingy.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

If he has a 2.5 average on 19 carries and gets a 25 yard pop because the LB trips, his YPC is over 4 . What did he do when it is third an one or two?

That's exactly what success rating measures, and in 2007 Maroney's was the second best in the NFL.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

That's exactly what success rating measures, and in 2007 Maroney's was the second best in the NFL.

In 2007 Maroney benefitted off of the fact that most NFL defenses were so readily preparing against Brady,Moss and Co. through the air that few defenses were worried about the Pats rushing attack and had seldom blitzed nor pressured up vs. the run thus for obvious reasons the running game showed better numbers than it would have been if Brady was not airing it out every week to the tune of 40+ points a game especially in 3/4 of that whole season.

I think most running games would do pretty decent if the passing game was breaking all sorts of records all year and scoring mega points - Thus Maroney had looked better in 2007 than he usually is under normal offensive situations.

Not to mention that the majority of the offensive line players went to the pro bowl that season and played better as a unit than ever in the BB era thus it made it easier for Maroney and the running game to find holes open - Maroney is not capable of finding those little gaps that MUCH more talented RBs in this league find often,so the OL was a big part of it as well - Maroney needs a top notch OL for him to succeed in this league.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

I'm guessing your talking about 2007? How many carries did he get? 185. That's really not a lot considering the top backs are carrying anywhere from 230-300 carries a season.


Somebody's got to score right? MJD had 12 TD's but he wasn't as effective as 2007.

He also wasn't nearly as bad as Taylor.

Here's the thing. Taylor can still play. In fact, he's one season removed from a 1,200 yard season. Also, he's only gone over 300 carries in one out of his ten seasons in the league. I believe he's still got some tread on those tires.

I agree, he can definitely still play. On the flip side, though, he's had over 200 carries in 5 of the past 7 seasons (and 194 in one of the seasons that he didn't), and he's 33 years old. I agree that he'll still be a good running back, but he's not a starter anymore. He's a rotational guy.

Before getting traded to the Pats, If I were to tell you that Randy Moss could still play after his poor season in Oakland, would you believe me?

Absolutely. I was completely on board with the Moss trade from the very beginning. It's not very often that you can get the most talented WR in the NFL in the prime of his career.

Same could be said about Corey Dillon's last season in Cincy. The point is, I don't know whether or not Taylor will do well, but coming into a winning atmosphere does some crazy things to people. If Taylor really wants to win, you will see an entirely different player this season.

Dillon was 3 years younger when he came to the Pats than Taylor is now, and by the time he was 33 he was out of the league. Plus, I don't think it's quite fair to compare Jacksonville to Cincinnati (Dillon) and Oakland (Moss). Those are the two worst organizations in the NFL, period. Completely dysfunctional, and it was made even worse by the fact that Moss and Dillon were both the types of guys who respond very badly to bad situations.

With Taylor, you have a high-character guy, so it's very unlikely that you'll see that kind of a swing, especially since Jacksonville is by no means a losing organization (beat the Steelers in the playoffs in 2007...). Once again, I like the Taylor signing, and I do think that he'll be an effective player for the Pats. He's not going to displace Maroney as the starter, though.

If you have tapes of Maroney, take a look at them again. He leaves a lot of plays on the field. Like I have said before, there are many times he runs straight into piles when there are gaping holes available. The only time I have seen Maroney make a decisive cut was against Miami when he broke a long one for a touchdown.

I agree that he hasn't tapped his full potential, by a long shot. I also agree that he could stand to be a little more decisive. That said, the numbers don't lie, and a 58% success rating is extremely good. He could be better, but he's starter-caliber now.

Again, this is coming from a back that only carried the ball 185 times in 2007. If he carried the ball anywhere from 230+ (which most top RB's do), I would agree with your argument. So if you want to go that route, Felix Jones had an 8.9 ypc average in 2008. That means he must be one of the RB's in the NFL.

18 RBs had 230+ carries in 2008, so it's not exactly true that most top guys have that many. As for Jones 8.9 YPC, that came on 30 rushes. He wasn't even a part-time player. He played a small role in a couple of games before going on IR. Are you saying that Maroney's 2007 was comparable to that? Because Maroney's 185 carries in 2007 were 26th in the NFL. He's not a workhorse, sure, but he doesn't need to be. 26th in the NFL is solidly in starter territory, in a 32 team league.

 

[THE SLAMMER]

I will give you Roscoe Parrish, 3 cases of beer, 2 hotdogs and a $2 off coupon at Duncan donuts

That it, that's my final offer

 

[BradyFTW!]

Re: Are the New England Patriots Ready To Deal Laurence Maroney?

In 2007 Maroney benefitted off of the fact that most NFL defenses were so readily preparing against Brady,Moss and Co. through the air that few defenses were worried about the Pats rushing attack and had seldom blitzed nor pressured up vs. the run thus for obvious reasons the running game showed better numbers than it would have been if Brady was not airing it out every week to the tune of 40+ points a game especially in 3/4 of that whole season.

I think most running games would do pretty decent if the passing game was breaking all sorts of records all year and scoring mega points - Thus Maroney had looked better in 2007 than he usually is under normal offensive situations.

Not to mention that the majority of the offensive line players went to the pro bowl that season and played better as a unit than ever in the BB era thus it made it easier for Maroney and the running game to find holes open - Maroney is not capable of finding those little gaps that MUCH more talented RBs in this league find often,so the OL was a big part of it as well - Maroney needs a top notch OL for him to succeed in this league.

That's a fair point, and I'll readily agree that Maroney's stats skewed upwards because of it. That's one of many reasons why I'm not triyng to argue that Maroney is the second best RB out there (he obviously isn't). All that I'm saying is that he's the starting running back on the Patriots.