Simple Question- What happened to the running game?

[carolinatony]

We did not have much of a running game the last 2 games and also some games this year it disappeared as well.. Denver
So, my question is
Does BB have no fate in it and just goes with Brady?
Is it the play calling?
Lack of a dead threat?
Poor OL blocking?
And... HOW DO WE ADDRESS THIS NEXT YEAR..
thanks

Being in Carolina I don't see many games except for the National Tv ones.

 

[BlitzFritz]

Simple answer - injuries.

Kevin Faulk - injured early in the third quarter, never saw another snap.
Corey Dillon - injured

Lawrence Maroney - not injured, just ineffective. He was not a real weapon. Faulk was THE weapon yesterday, with his draw runs

 

[DarrylS]

Simple answer - injuries.

Kevin Faulk - injured early in the third quarter, never saw another snap.
Corey Dillon - injured

Lawrence Maroney - not injured, just ineffective. He was not a real weapon. Faulk was THE weapon yesterday, with his draw runs

Think Maroney also had not fully recovered from his previous injury.

 

[carolinatony]

Do you believe Maroney can be a GOOD RB for us?

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

seemed like the colts were always at the line of scrimmage in the box, the pats never really seemed to try to throw deep.

 

[Fixit]

All I know is we had like 83 yards rushing in the first quarter and a half, and we ended up with 93 on five or six more carries.

That's some losing strategery.

 

[LloydBraun]

39 will be the man going forward, we just need beter schemes and planning.

 

[Ghost of Ben Dreith]

We need to draft another RB in the 2nd - 4th round depending on value. This is regardless of Dillon coming back.

Maroney has skills and will get better (I hope) but has a maddening tendency to "dance" if there is not a big hole instead of just hitting the hole and busting through. That is what I have seen most of the year. This could be fixable....not sure.

Regardless of Maroney, Dillon is not getting any younger. I would like to have him back next year as our "Bus" for short yardage. That still leaves a true everydown backup or someone to consistently share carries with Maroney. I don't want to go for a long period of time with Dillon/Faulk as primary backs because Maroney got injured.

So yes....spend a decent draft pick and maybe we hit gold......Jones-Drew anyone?

 

[Oswlek]

Do you believe Maroney can be a GOOD RB for us?

I feel that Maroney is going to be either a top 5 back or a near flop, leaning towards top 5, of course

He just seems so refined out in space and his blocking is excellent for a rookie. He has good hands. He just does not read the blocking well and that is what is holding him back.

The reason I say that he will be great or a bust is because the back end of his game is very good, but NE will stop putting him on the field if he keeps losing yardage on a play that should have gained 3 yards.

Fix that and he could be an amazing player.

 

[PATSNUTme]

I do think that Maroney is giving a 'tell". I mentioned this back in the Jets game. It just like the DB's know exactly what hole his going to before he even gets started.

I hope the coaching staff will get his corrected in the off season. I have every confidence that they will.

 

[rtunstal]

They definitely gave up on the run; way to early they didn’t seem to mix it up like they did in the first half. They need to use their strengths not their weakness, they should of kept moving the ball like they were with a mix of pass and run, if they did are D would not have gotten so tired. Maroney is good but someone needs to talk to him about hitting the hole better, he could be one of the best if giving time. Maybe another LDT hummm!!!
But we need to get better on the O-line with run blocking and stop being so dam predictable. Stop this grab of bunching up the line and telling them ok this is a run. And do a little bit more finesse style play calling, because this offence seems to be a little to difficult for most of the team and the patriots seem to be getting younger but also more stupid, a lot of them seem to think that because they are patriots that they only have to play a sub par game and they will win like the pats of 03-04, they need to be taught to play to the end and show up every game not some games.

 

[Patriot Missile]

This is a small portion of San Diego fans were asking themselves last week. I never thought we'd be asking the same question.

We all know what the outcome of this game would have been different for both teams if they had been coached differently in the 2nd half. Firstly, we wouldn't be here talking about this game. Our vacation would of started last week. And everyone knows they wouldn't of had time to score 32 points if we ran 40 seconds off the clock with many more runs. Just depressing.

 

[stcjones]

We need to draft another RB in the 2nd - 4th round depending on value. This is regardless of Dillon coming back.

Maroney has skills and will get better (I hope) but has a maddening tendency to "dance" if there is not a big hole instead of just hitting the hole and busting through. That is what I have seen most of the year. This could be fixable....not sure.

Regardless of Maroney, Dillon is not getting any younger. I would like to have him back next year as our "Bus" for short yardage. That still leaves a true everydown backup or someone to consistently share carries with Maroney. I don't want to go for a long period of time with Dillon/Faulk as primary backs because Maroney got injured.

So yes....spend a decent draft pick and maybe we hit gold......Jones-Drew anyone?

You are right....Maroney has happy feet and is slow to hit the hole......Also, if he gets hit in the backfield or the line of scrimmage seems like he goes down too easily without trying to drive at all......The primary problem with our running game has to fall on the poor overall run blocking by our offensive line.......But....I hope Maroney will be the answer for years to come.....just not so sure yet.....We'll know better next year I guess......but yes....I think we need to either go after another RB in the 4th round or so....and maybe make a FA move....

 

[stcjones]

In 2 games with the Colts this season...

Game 1: First half, only down 3 points, we rushed for 100 yards.

Second half, McDaniels abandoned the running game, even though it was working, and we know the result.

Game 2, yesterday.

First half 20 rushes, 85 yards.

Second half, McDaniels calls 4 running plays....1 by Faulk, 2 by Maroney, 1 by Evans. UN FRICKIN BELIEVABLE



TOTAL, ASININE, IGNORANCE.

Agreed agreed agreed......Look how well our running game OVERALL was working in the first half ...to TOTALLY ABANDON it in the second half is absolutely LUDICROUS....now I am starting to get pissed again....time to drink some more kool aid....and take my medication

 

[FilPats]

Can KoolAid be utilize more like Bush, as a WR/RB, returner. He is very good in the open field. Can he run good routes?:rocker:

 

[frankiesfly]

Maroney disappeared after the cincy game. Was that like week 5 or something?

 

[ATippett56]

who is the biggest deterrent to our running game, McDaniels.

The pass happy mindset of the 2005 New England Patriots reared its ugly head in the second half of the 2006 AFC Championship Game as well as throughout the entire 2006 AFC Divisional Playoff Game.

 

[shakadave]

Think Maroney also had not fully recovered from his previous injury.

Seems likely, because the Pats sort of stopped using him in the playoffs.

 

[shakadave]

They definitely gave up on the run; way too early they didn’t seem to mix it up like they did in the first half.

This is an important thread.

One curiosity: did anyone else notice that we, like, never handed off the ball on a basic running play? It seemed like all our runs were on draw plays. I sort of wanted to see what would happen on a typical-type handoff. Coaches must have seen some reason not to try it much.

Also, how many games this year were we able to run at will? About 2?

 

[adamprez]

Its not poor run blocking by the o line if the play caller is playing into the hands of a stacked defense.

You need to use deception to shake the defense, to thin them out, to open the gaps. Five linemen can NOT block 7 defensive players...pure and simple.

McDaniels is incapable of adjusting.

One good way to counter a stacked defense is to call no huddle offensive plays for a series or two...and run some screens, a couple of play actions, and some slashig runs just outside the tackles.

McDaniels does none of it. Thats who is the biggest deterrent toour running game, McDaniels.

Thought he got outcoached too but he's young. I wouldnt give up on him yet. He puts together good gameplans but has an inability to adjust on the fly. That should come with more experience