He was at his best directly after Holmes left- second best RB in the league after Tomlinson. The problem is that when you have a guy log 750 between-the-tackles carries in 2 years, he tends to wear down quickly.
This is exactly why no RB on the Patriots roster will be recording even 300 carries in a season anytime soon. It's an awesome way to take a top-tier talent and turn him into a JAG by the time he's 28. For all of you guys waiting for Maroney, BJGE, or anyone else to have a 1300+ yard season, Larry Johnson is a prime exhibit in why it won't happen. Tomlinson's another. When Adrian Peterson is a JAG 3-4 years from now, this will be why.
At this point, what LJ did in 2006 is irrelevant, not just because he would be lucky to get a quarter as many carries with us as he did then, but because he's an entirely different player now. Belichick extends RBs' careers- there's a reason why Faulk is still playing at a high level into his mid-30s, and it has a whole hell of a lot to do with the fact that he's not asked to carry the ball for long consecutive periods of time. It's why I particularly love the fact that the Pats tend to alternate RBs from drive to drive. Even now that BJGE is their top backup, they're still spelling Maroney with him for extended periods of time, and simply running the ball less. A fatigued RB is much, much more likely to get injured because he's a lot less aware of his surroundings, which can lead to getting absolutely crushed. Say what you want about Maroney, but if he stays in systems like this one, he'll have a good shot to play well into his 30s. I wouldn't be at all surprised if his productive career outspans Peterson's, Stephen Jackson's, Marion Barber's, etc. by a solid 5 years.
