I - like a lot of Pats fans - am not a fan of Maroney. He seems to have all the physical tools to be a productive runner in the NFL but then you watch him play and there is something wrong with his game. He will dance in the backfield on too many runs. He will run into the back of offensive lineman and get tackled at the line WAY TOO MANY TIMES. It can be maddening watching him play. While he has come up short in two of the Pats biggest losses this year (Indy - 13 rushes for 31 yards, 1 TD and 1 fumble and Miami -13 for 41, 0 TD) he wasn't helped much by his o-line. The Indy game was painful but the predictable play calling in the second half (run on first into stacked D for 0 gain, throw on 2nd and 3rd downs) didn't help his cause. Still, he has actually been more productive than I thought.
Since he became a starter due to the Taylor and Morris injuries he has total the following:
134 carries, 555 yards (4.14 avg), 8 rushing TDs, 11 rec, 73 yards, 0 rec TDs 3 fumbles (all lost).
Those numbers are in 8 games so double them to 'project' over a full year and you get 1,110 yards and 16 Tds. While the rushing yards aren't great the TDs would be great. If you weren't a Pats fan and only caught his games on ESPN highlights you would have to get the impression he was a good back. It's when you watch him play every down you see the lack of vision. Again - is he great? Has he been worth a 1st round pick? In my opinion, no. Has had shown enough productivity to ge a complete bust. No. Right now the jury is still out.
Since he became a starter due to the Taylor and Morris injuries he has total the following:
134 carries, 555 yards (4.14 avg), 8 rushing TDs, 11 rec, 73 yards, 0 rec TDs 3 fumbles (all lost).
Those numbers are in 8 games so double them to 'project' over a full year and you get 1,110 yards and 16 Tds. While the rushing yards aren't great the TDs would be great. If you weren't a Pats fan and only caught his games on ESPN highlights you would have to get the impression he was a good back. It's when you watch him play every down you see the lack of vision. Again - is he great? Has he been worth a 1st round pick? In my opinion, no. Has had shown enough productivity to ge a complete bust. No. Right now the jury is still out.