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http://www.startribune.com/510/story/774598.html
Seems like a nice addition to the team.With each unselfish act of sharing at the University of Minnesota, Laurence Maroney was exhibiting a key characteristic in the exact profile that the NFL's preeminent franchise craves.
"We're not just collecting talent here," said Scott Pioli, vice president of player personnel for the New England Patriots. "We're building a team. Everyone has a role within the team, and it's important to have people who understand that. Laurence is a confident guy, but also has a degree of humility. We think that's a good balance that he has."
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Pioli said it was obvious that Maroney's tangibles made him worthy of the 21st pick.
"He has quickness, he has speed, he has strength and he has deception," Pioli said. "He's got very good vision, too."
But that's not good enough on its own to satisfy the Patriots, whose team-oriented approach has resulted in an NFL-leading 73 victories and three Super Bowl titles since 2001.
The Patriots wanted more from Maroney, and were satisfied. Pioli describes him as a "very smart person" who is "mature enough" to understand and accept the Patriots' team-first mentality.
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Brady said Maroney has been easy to accept because "he really works hard."He is very selfless," Brady said. "Whatever you ask him to do, he does and he does it with a big smile on his face. That big goofy smile he's got.
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A big night in his old dome would help Maroney's case for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Of course, the fact Maroney doesn't seem to care about the award is one reason he's now a Patriot.
"I know when some people saw that New England picked me, they might have said, 'Oh, they got Corey Dillon,'" Maroney said. "But this has been working good. My first thought wasn't that I'd be behind Corey. My first thought was I could learn from a great running back who played this game for a long time."
His second thought?
"I came to the conclusion that, 'Wow, the New England Patriots. They know how to win, they want to win, they like to win.' I couldn't find myself a better situation."