Take the kid gloves off BB: Use Maroney

[bakes781]

Yea because there's no such thing as a run blitz and if we ran it they would stop blitzing?

Their defensive hog rating is pretty good. You choose to create things, BB has explained it already. Enough with this nonsense

you can also run a screen which they didn't until the 2nd half.

we won & I'm as thrilled as anyone, but can't you see that we ALMOST lost? Now outside of giving the Eagles all the credit because we know they're NOT the Colts is it POSSIBLE we may have not played to our potential???

 

[bakes781]

You're kidding, right? The Patriots had 3 first half possessions total. That's it. They scored two touchdowns and a field goal. Would screen passes have somehow led to them recovering Philly's onside kick or something?

They could have sustained longer drives & therefore would not have put their defense on the field as much. It's not all black & white. Yes Feeley played great, but perhaps he wouldn't have looked so great had the defense not been put back on the field so quickly.

 

[Deus Irae]

you can also run a screen which they didn't until the 2nd half.

we won & I'm as thrilled as anyone, but can't you see that we ALMOST lost? Now outside of giving the Eagles all the credit because we know they're NOT the Colts is it POSSIBLE we may have not played to our potential???

Anyone who thinks that they "almost lost" because of the offense in general or Maroney specifically either didn't watch the game or doesn't understand football, particularly if they try pointing to the first half as evidence. Maroney wasn't giving up touchdown passes to Feeley, the defense was.

 

[bakes781]

Anyone who thinks that they "almost lost" because of the offense in general or Maroney specifically either didn't watch the game or doesn't understand football, particularly if they try pointing to the first half as evidence. Maroney wasn't giving up touchdown passes to Feeley, the defense was.

Then perhaps the defense isn't as good as we all thought.

 

[bakes781]

I do agree Feeley played amazing, but I wouldn't say the defense played poorly. They did as best they could IMO. I just think they're slightly aboive average right now.

 

[Deus Irae]

They could have sustained longer drives & therefore would not have put their defense on the field as much. It's not all black & white. Yes Feeley played great, but perhaps he wouldn't have looked so great had the defense not been put back on the field so quickly.

You do realize that New England won the time of possession battle, 32m-28m, right?

First half, for the record:

New England picked off Feeley and didn't get the ball for the first time until 6:38 left in the first quarter. New England's drive went 10 plays, took 5 minutes, and resulted in a touchdown.

New England got the ball for their second drive of the half with 11:18 left in the second quarter. New England's drive went 11 plays, took 4.5 minutes, and resulted in a field goal.

New England got the ball for the final time in the first half with only 3:01 left on the clock. They drove 9 plays in 2:53 of time and scored with only 8 seconds left on the clock.

So....... exactly how is "longer drives" the issue here?

 

[dhamz]

The offense scored 24 points sunday night - 31 if not for a bogus interference call. Clearly they should have done something different.

 

[DarrylS]

The Pats are 7th in team rushing in the entire NFL.. yea tell Josh and BB what to do..

 

[BadMoFo]

Reading into this quote, maybe Maroney thinks he is in the doghouse also.

Maroney also acknowledged that it was nice to get the call on the running play that scored the team's winning touchdown against the Eagles. "It made me feel they feel they have a little faith in me, I couldn't let them down," he said.

 

[FrontSeven]

This is great entertainment.

 

[onegameatatime]

The Pats are 7th in team rushing in the entire NFL.. yea tell Josh and BB what to do..

According to FootballOutsider, they are #1 in passing and rushing.

 

[emoney_33]

Then perhaps the defense isn't as good as we all thought.

Or they played a bad game? Or the Eagles played a really good game?


These next two games are gonna be tough as well. Third straight night game, on the road, then at home on a short week against the Steelers.



Your first half theory of what you wanted to do is already blown out of the water. 3 posessions, 30 plays, 12 minutes, 17 points.

 

[mdhprime]

Maroney needs to get more INVOLVED in the Offense.
I don't carry if he averages 3.1 ypc again, I think he should run the ball at least 15-20 times against the Ravens. Making the Ravens respect the run will open up the passing game.

Sure it would be helpful if he averaged more than 3.1 ypc, but the point is to make the running game a facet of the offense. We've seen that a one-dimensional offense is teed off against too easily by good defensive teams and in the end just makes life harder for Brady and friends.

I don't think it's any good to baby Maroney. Throw him into the teeth of the lion. He is the only viable RB the Patriots have right now whether we have the greatest confidence in him or not. Don't baby him, he's a professional football player. The running game needs to come back in NE, and right now that means USE Maroney.

It is amazing how quickly people forget history. The Patriots have conserved their running backs in the past and have benefitted greatly from it. The season leading up to Super Bowl 38 everyone was wondering why Antoine Smith wasn't seeing any carries and why the Patriot running game was suffering. It turned out the Patriots were playing just fine with relying on Brady and the passing attack leading up to the playoffs and then Belichick unleashed Smith who ran for a 100 yards in each post season game. There is absolutely no reason to risk Maroney now when no one has stopped Brady and the Patriots receivers. There is no real reason why people should be desperate to see Maroney right now. He his healthy, fresh and come playoff time, will be ready to tire out opposing defenses.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

It is amazing how quickly people forget history. The Patriots have conserved their running backs in the past and have benefitted greatly from it. The season leading up to Super Bowl 38 everyone was wondering why Antoine Smith wasn't seeing any carries and why the Patriot running game was suffering. It turned out the Patriots were playing just fine with relying on Brady and the passing attack leading up to the playoffs and then Belichick unleashed Smith who ran for a 100 yards in each post season game. There is absolutely no reason to risk Maroney now when no one has stopped Brady and the Patriots receivers. There is no real reason why people should be desperate to see Maroney right now. He his healthy, fresh and come playoff time, will be ready to tire out opposing defenses.

Good point. I'd forgotten that about Antowain. Let's hope history repeats.

 

[BradyManny]

Yeah, and if you take away all Tomlinson's, Peterson's, Parker's, and Westbrooks long runs and runs resulting in a TD, then combined they have a poor average and no TDs.

Sheesh, talk about cherry-picking statistics.

How is it cherry picking stats to say what a team's stats were GOING INTO THE GAME in which we played? It's not like I arbitrarily took out Portis or Thomas going over 130 on them. I gave the stats that Belichick and the rest of the coaching staff were looking at when they designed the game plan (truthfully, BB probably pays no attention to stats). If anything, that stat is far more relevant than the number is after we've played them.

 

[bakes781]

You do realize that New England won the time of possession battle, 32m-28m, right?

First half, for the record:

New England picked off Feeley and didn't get the ball for the first time until 6:38 left in the first quarter. New England's drive went 10 plays, took 5 minutes, and resulted in a touchdown.

New England got the ball for their second drive of the half with 11:18 left in the second quarter. New England's drive went 11 plays, took 4.5 minutes, and resulted in a field goal.

New England got the ball for the final time in the first half with only 3:01 left on the clock. They drove 9 plays in 2:53 of time and scored with only 8 seconds left on the clock.

So....... exactly how is "longer drives" the issue here?

They could've been longer? lol You can't tell me you didn't worry that Brady was getting knocked on his ass all game?

 

[VJCPatriot]

This theory of "resting" Maroney is ridiculous!! Do you even know WHY Antowain Smith needed rest near the end of the year in 2001? It's because he carried the ball 287 times for 1,157 yards and 12 TDs. He also did this at age 29. Smith had real wear and tear on his tires. The rest was warranted.

On the other hand Maroney is 23, in the prime of his youth, and how many carries has he had thus far? A Whopping 105 carries!! That's 1/3 the carries A. Smith had. If you "rest" Maroney any more than this, he's liable to grow RUST in his joints!

You don't "rest" your starting running back with 5 games left to go in the season. That doesn't make any sense. You do it maybe game 16, game 15 if he's limping. Football used to be considred a MAN'S game, why isn't Maroney expected to show a little Toughness?

Stop treating Maroney like a baby! Let him grow up, let him face a challenge for once. Let's find out what he's made of. What's wrong with that, unless you really think he's gonna flop when he's given the chance??

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/SmitAn00.htm
http://www.nfl.com/players/laurencemaroney/profile?id=MAR273311

It is amazing how quickly people forget history. The Patriots have conserved their running backs in the past and have benefitted greatly from it. The season leading up to Super Bowl 38 everyone was wondering why Antoine Smith wasn't seeing any carries and why the Patriot running game was suffering. It turned out the Patriots were playing just fine with relying on Brady and the passing attack leading up to the playoffs and then Belichick unleashed Smith who ran for a 100 yards in each post season game. There is absolutely no reason to risk Maroney now when no one has stopped Brady and the Patriots receivers. There is no real reason why people should be desperate to see Maroney right now. He his healthy, fresh and come playoff time, will be ready to tire out opposing defenses.

 

[mdhprime]

You don't "rest" your starting running back with 5 games left to go in the season.

You do if there is no reason to run him. The passing game is going better than ever so you do not need to risk the health of your featured running back who has had some health issues in the past year or so. You do not make a good arguement for giving him more carries at present.

 

[emoney_33]

This theory of "resting" Maroney is ridiculous!! Do you even know WHY Antowain Smith needed rest near the end of the year in 2001? It's because he carried the ball 287 times for 1,157 yards and 12 TDs. He also did this at age 29. Smith had real wear and tear on his tires. The rest was warranted.

On the other hand Maroney is 23, in the prime of his youth, and how many carries has he had thus far? A Whopping 105 carries!! That's 1/3 the carries A. Smith had. If you "rest" Maroney any more than this, he's liable to grow RUST in his joints!

You don't "rest" your starting running back with 5 games left to go in the season. That doesn't make any sense. You do it maybe game 16, game 15 if he's limping. Football used to be considred a MAN'S game, why isn't Maroney expected to show a little Toughness?

Stop treating Maroney like a baby! Let him grow up, let him face a challenge for once. Let's find out what he's made of. What's wrong with that, unless you really think he's gonna flop when he's given the chance??

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/SmitAn00.htm
http://www.nfl.com/players/laurencemaroney/profile?id=MAR273311

What is the average career of NFL rb's?

What position is most likely to sustain a serious injury?

Who do we have to replace Maroney if he got hurt?

Has Maroney been injured this year?

Has our passing game shown the NEEEED for a running back to gain a lot of yards to be successful?

In what weather is running most needed?

What month / weather are we likely to see the playoffs?

Would you trade 500 yards in the next 3 games for 0 yards in the playoffs or vice versa?

Do you know everything there is to know about the situation?

If Maroney ran alot from the start of the year, would our offense be ranked better than it is now and/or have scored more points? Would Maroney be then in better positition to be healthy for the playoffs than he is now?

 

[VJCPatriot]

What is the average career of NFL rb's?

Why don't you tell me?

What position is most likely to sustain a serious injury?

Why don't you tell me? This time, back it up with some empirical evidence or studies of NFL injury trends in say the last 10 years.

Who do we have to replace Maroney if he got hurt?

Why are we babying him? He has carried the ball a grand total of 105 times this season. What next? Will it be ok for him not to get out of bed because he has a hangnail? The babying needs to stop.

Has Maroney been injured this year?

Let's see he's had all preseason plus 12 weeks of the regular season to get over any injury. How can Maroney binkies refuse to admit that he is injury prone and then try to play the INJURY card this late in the season?

Has our passing game shown the NEEEED for a running back to gain a lot of yards to be successful?

Did you even watch the Eagles game? Tom Brady nearly got killed out there runnign that empty backfield shotgun all game long. I've more than explained my reasoning for the need of a BALANCED offensive attack. Perhaps you'd care to read them over?

In what weather is running most needed?

Good question. Go ahead and tell us with some scientific backup, or will it be more stuff you just pull randomly from a hat?

What month / weather are we likely to see the playoffs?

How about the fact that there's 5 games left in the season. Who the hell gets 5/16 off a season for vacation?? Does Tom Brady, does Randy Moss? Are you telling me that Maroney needs SPECIAL treatment unlike those guys? That's ridiculous.

Would you trade 500 yards in the next 3 games for 0 yards in the playoffs or vice versa?

How about the fact that you're talking out your arse on those 500 yards. Maroney has never gained 500 yards in a 3 game span. Hell I'd settle for 70 yards against the Ravens. Is that SO much to ask?

Do you know everything there is to know about the situation?

I'm sure that you think you do. But your arguments thus far have largely consisted of no more than bluster and flights of fancy.

If Maroney ran alot from the start of the year, would our offense be ranked better than it is now and/or have scored more points? Would Maroney be then in better positition to be healthy for the playoffs than he is now?

As I have previously noted, Maroney's production has been in decline since week 7. He has only had 105 carries for the ENTIRE season. The notion that he needs RESTING is what I find ridiculous. Nobody shuts down their starting RB with 5 games to go in the season.

Do you think Tomlin is thinking he should "shut down" Parker with 5 games to go or Phillips is considerng "resting" Barber for the rest of the season with 5 games to go? Hell no! Note that both of these backs have carried the ball TWICE as often as Maroney has and these guys are coaches of Playoff Bound teams. The we need to "rest" Maroney argument is the most nonsensical excuse I've heard to date. And that's saying something.