Running Backs

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

They have one of the worst RB's groups in the NFL. Their soft O-line certainly doesn't help either.

 

[JackBauer]

They have one of the worst RB's groups in the NFL. Their soft O-line certainly doesn't help either.

I'd wager that's not even remotely true, at least how you have it stated.

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

I'd wager that's not even remotely true, at least how you have it stated.

Faulk is the only RB you can count on, Morris has been hurt every year he's been here, Taylor tries to shake off the injury prone tag in 2009 but gets hurt again, Maroney gets put on a timeout if he fumbles or doesn't rush for 100 yards on 2 carries, and BJGE is still here for some reason.

 

[Sicilian]

They have one of the worst RB's groups in the NFL. Their soft O-line certainly doesn't help either.

They were tied for 19th in ypc, middle of the pack in total yards, tied for 6th in rushing TDs, and despite Maroney's bad stretch only had 7 fumbles as a team. Nothing stands out as great, but they were far from the worst running team in the league.

That said, how can we have one of the worst group of backs in the league, plus a soft o-line, and not be at or near the bottom of the league in rushing? One of the things you said has to be untrue.

 

[SanAngeloState]

It's not the RBs who are so bad, it's the play calling, the obviousness of the formations. That's why Ray Lewis was able to so easily call out our plays. He has rocks for brains and it was obvious to him.

There's a certain formation that I'd see last year and say "maroney off tackle"...and it was right about 90% of the time.

 

[RayClay]

Good lord.. It's hard to take Howe seriously.

So true. I'm no mathematician, but zero to zero is not a raise.

 

[jmt57]

Faulk and Fears have come a long way together by WEEI's Chris Price:

“As a coach, he is very, very consistent,” Fauk said of Fears. “As a player coming in, you may not understand that or understand why or understand what he’s doing as a coach, but once you get older you understand it. He’s so consistent at what he does and he wants you to get better even if that means that he’s sacrificing his relationship with you. He wants you to get better as a football player.”

Faulk said he and the notoriously salty Fears have clashed on more than one occasion, but the running back said Wednesday that it’s all a part of the game.

“Of course, that’s life,” Faulk said of their relationship. “That is the nature of the game. Like I said, he is only trying to make you better as a football player.”

 

[Deus Irae]

Chris Gasper, on the 98.5 pre-game show, opined that Maroney will be the #1 back at the start of the season.

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

Chris Gasper, on the 98.5 pre-game show, opined that Maroney will be the #1 back at the start of the season.

Why wouldn't it be Maroney? It's not going to be Faulk, Morris or Taylor. Maybe BJGE? Nah.

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

Watching the game tonight, Fred Taylor looks like he is still the best runner on the team. Him and Faulk seem like the only ones you can count on to make the first guy miss. Morris was too but I'm not sure if he's still the same back this year. Not impressed with his running tonight, though it was very limited action so I will reserve judgement[EDIT: I posted that before Sammy's TD run Well looks like it may be so long BGJE, Morris can still ball and just made some DB's looks silly].

But to me it's crazy if anybody thought/thinks that Fred wouldn't make the team this year. IMO, even if he were to miss 12 weeks again and be back for late season/playoffs, I'd still keep him on the roster because it'd be much worth it to have him around playoff time (granted we do not get in a 24-0 hole again).

 

[jmt57]

Chris Warner from Patriots Daily assesses The Running Back Issue

We can speculate all we want about who’s going to start this year, but we all know that – barring a trade – Maroney will figure prominently in this offense’s plans. RRBC? Great. Maroney looking to contribute without feeling the pressure? Even better.

 

[jmt57]

Belichick: Maroney 'ready to go' for Patriots from Tom Curran of CSNNE:

Asked how the fifth-year back has been in camp, Belichick said, "Every guy has always got something he can work on and do better. I think Laurence has worked hard and has been out there every day and taken his reps and I think he’s ready to go . . . I think he's worked hard, is in good condition. I think he's improved daily because he's been out there and been able to get the work."

Thursday is a pretty big game for Maroney. The Rams - beleaguered though they may be - will be interested in starting well defensively, just like they did last week against Cleveland when they held down the Browns' first offense and running back Jerome Harrison.

Maroney - presuming he starts - is no doubt wise to the speculation about his future. He always runs with an agenda beyond making yards. He's a message-sender. And, in his case, that's half the problem. He runs with a cluttered mind instead of just reading and reacting.

Edit: Also, CSNNE's Buckley, Tanguay and Gresh discuss Maroney's role on the Patriots in this video: http://www.csnne.com/08/24/10/Sport...ding_patriots.html?blockID=297029&feedID=3946

 

[jmt57]

Maroney: I Laugh At My Critics by Mike Petraglia for WEEI:

“I know I’m the stuff,” Maroney quipped. “I know how good I am.”

Asked if he still has a lot to prove to, Maroney admitted he hears the critics who say he needs to prove himself this season, starting by holding onto the ball.

“We’ve got a lot of critics out here, still. We have a lot of naysayers, a lot of doubters, ‘Well, this has to be Maroney’s best year or he’s got to come out here and show it.’ Yeah, I have a lot of critics out here, still, and I laugh at it and I just go out there and just work hard and go out there and prove to everybody why they took me first round.”

Earlier in the day, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said that Maroney has worked hard in the offseason and training camp and is ‘ready to go’ and prepared to put his four-fumble season from 2009 behind him.

Asked if he’s ready to play more on Thursday night against the Rams in preseason game No. 3, Maroney smiled and laughed, “I hope you ask Belichick if you have a request, like a request to see me a lot more. You put that in the papers a lot more, I’m pretty sure he can’t let the fans down.”

 

[jmt57]

Laurence Maroney Will Carry on: Maligned back doesn't doubt his skills by Karen Guregian for the Boston Herald:

In the first two preseason games, Maroney has made but a cameo appearance. He basically came on with the second-teamers during goal-line situations in the preseason opener and produced in close quarters, carrying the ball eight times for 30 yards and two touchdowns. Maroney dressed, but did not play in the second game against the Falcons.

Should Maroney not get a turn as the lead back - as Fred Taylor did last week in Atlanta and BenJarvus Green-Ellis did against the Saints - then we’ll have cause to delve more deeply into Belichick’s “praise” and ponder how much longer the former first-round pick will be around.

There’s no question that Maroney, who is entering his fifth season, has been infuriating to watch at times with his uncertainty and indecisiveness behind the line of scrimmage. Add in last year’s fumbling problem and the running back has left himself little wiggle room to regain trust, not to mention carries, as Taylor appears to be the choice as the lead back.

Maroney has done nothing more than tease with his talent and is well aware of the target on his back. He knows what many fans think of him as a player, but still believes he has what it takes to be the man to carry the rock 20-25 times a game. He even joked yesterday, telling scribes they should solicit Belichick to let him have a turn with the ball (tomorrow).

 

[jmt57]

WEEI's Christopher Price has RB as one of his Positional Battles Getting Clearer For The Patriots:

Running back: The running back shuffle that the Patriots and Bill Belichick have employed through the first two games has shown us that Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor still might have enough in the tank for at least one more season, but it still hasn’t brought us any closer to a decision about the status of one Laurence Maroney. Maroney, who is probably the closest thing to a feature back the franchise has at this point (he had 757 yards and nine touchdowns on 194 carries last season despite being plagued by inconsistency and red-zone fumbling) should get his chance as a starter Thursday against the Rams.

If he has another night like that Thursday against the Falcons when he didn’t touch the ball at all (after getting just eight carries in the preseason opener against the Saints), then it will almost certainly raise eyebrows about his future. But Maroney doesn’t seem fazed.

“I know how good I am,” said Maroney after practice on Tuesday. “I know the type of player I am and how much help I can bring to the team. It’s just going out there and getting the coaches to believe the same thing and proving it to them on an every day basis and being consistent with it.

“For the people who’ve watched my career, I had great times and I had some low times. The talent shows itself and it’s there. It’s just being consistent with it, and that’s my main goal, coming in every day for practice and being consistent and every game being consistent. I know my abilities are going to be there.”

Winner: Undecided, but Maroney — who is heading into a free-agent year — needs to be productive the rest of the preseason if he wants to match the number of regular-season carries he had in 2009.

I think Price is one of the best writers that follows the Patriots, but I think he's off the mark here. I don't believe the fact BJGE got the bulk of the carries in game one, and then Fred Taylor in game two is an indication of anything in regards to who will see the most playing time once the real games are being played.

 

[RoughingthePasser]

Keep them all and lookpout for Maroney busting over 1000

 

[jmt57]

Worry Wart: Preseason Game Three vs. Rams by Chris Warner for Patriots Daily:

Pay Full Price, Get Halfback:
After BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Fred Taylor started at running back against the Saints and Falcons, respectively, Laurence Maroney expects to step onto the dance floor (so to speak). While Maroney has had his chances – what other Patriot gets five years to reach his potential? – let’s give him one more: if he carries the ball 10 times and gains 40 yards over the Rams, we promise to leave him alone. At least until week two of the regular season.

 

[jmt57]

The obituaries are starting to be written after Maroney did not break a sweat last night against the Rams.

Laurence Maroney's Future With Patriots Looks Bleak by Jeff Howe for NESN:

New England's running backs only had 11 total carries against the Rams, partly due to the Patriots' early deficit and also because of their general ineffectiveness on the ground. However, Maroney never stepped onto the field to even play the role of decoy. Then, when the Patriots were attempting to run out the clock with a 35-33 lead in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, they turned to Green-Ellis.

Seriously, if the Patriots truly wanted to get a look at Maroney, Belichick knew that was going to be the one and only shot for the remainder of the game.

Maroney, a first-round pick in 2006, hasn’t missed any time in practice, so there's no reason to believe he was held out due to injury. There's really only one way to read into this: Maroney's stock has absolutely plummeted, and his chances to make the team are as slim as ever.

Laurence Maroney Odd Man Out In Latest Patriots Roster Prediction by NESN's Jeff Howe:

Green-Ellis replaces Laurence Maroney this week. It would still be surprising if Maroney didn’t make the team -- although maybe the Patriots can find a trading partner -- but if he's got no use in the third preseason game, where does he fit in?

 

[jmt57]

Chris Price from WEEI notes Maroney Still MIA

There could be something at play we are not aware of: Maroney may be injured. Perhaps the coaching staff is already sure of what they have in the running back, and believe they only need to see a few preseason snaps to make sure he’s ready for the regular season. And to be fair, Taylor did not receive any carries against the Rams either.


But given the fact that he doesn’t appear to be injured, for last year’s stat leader at the position (194 carries, 757 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) to have so little work at this stage of the preseason — and have zero snaps in what is acknowledged to be the biggest preseason game of the year — is certainly puzzling. It brings into question New England’s plans for Maroney (who is in a contract year) this season and beyond.

 

[jmt57]

Here's a list of the snaps for each running back in each of the three preseason games, and in total for the preseason.

Maroney & the running back rotation - New England Patriots Blog - ESPN Boston

So when adding up the numbers, the running back snaps look like this:

BenJarvus Green-Ellis -- 47
Sammy Morris – 36
Kevin Faulk – 24
Fred Taylor – 20
Chris Taylor -- 17
Thomas Clayton -- 15
Laurence Maroney -- 12

All of Maroney's twelve snaps came in the first game against the Saints.