Thank God For Laurence Maroney

[National Sports Advisors]

Maroney's #30 in in yards per game. His supporters love the YPC stat. How bout YPG. #30 is not elite. Its borderline backup.

Faulk is a good situational back. In the situations that favors his skill sets he does well. In others he doesn't (which is why he's not used).

Maroney is also a good situational back. The same thing applies. He has a good YPC because in those situations he does well. But he can't apply to the entire game. Which is why he sometimes spends an entire half on the bench.

Compare that to 2004 Dillon, who was a monster in almost any situation; and especially goal line, which is where a good power RB really helps.

Obviously we dont need a good RB to win; but if we could replace 2 mediocre players (Maroney & Faulk/or/Morris) with one elite player (McFadden?) we should do it.

The Maroney supporters love to say he doesn't get the rock because this is the best passing offense of all time. You know what I say? I say that if a true STUD like LT, LJ, McGahee, Jackson, Barber, or Addai were on this team, than you would see us run the ball more. Does ANYONE truthfully believe ANY of those guys I just mentioned would be sitting out an entire first half of a game like LoMo? Puhleaze, stop kidding yourselves. I mean, for cris sakes, do people think we couldn't still be putting up all these big stats if we had a STUD running back on the offense too? Hell, we might even be better, especially against good defenses like the Ravens and Eagles!

 

[patsox23]

It's a little misleading to post stats on running yards per game for a Patriots offense that has been HISTORICALLY prolific in the passing game. Some of us are trying to be balanced about our view of Maroney, but since others keep citing ridiculous stats, we have to respond to every charge, and it makes it seem as if we are BLINDLY defending Maroney.

Is he as good as we'd hoped last year? Nope. Are there things he can improve on? For sure. But is he the downright awful BUST people are making him out to be? Of course he's not. It's less than two years for the guy and this season the Patriots are passing. A lot and successfully. PLEASE at least attempt to be fair - otherwise it's a useless conversation.

 

[Truck]

I seriously doubt the Patriots will draft a running back in the first two rounds with all the anticipated departures on defense, especially unrestricted free agent Asante Samuel and the pending retirements of Tedy Bruschi and Junior Seau.

How about this --
Draft McFadden
Trade Maroney for a young starter-ready LB (Keep Morris/Faulk as backups)
Resign Samuel to a long term contract or use RG as a starter
Draft another LB in the 2nd round.

DLine is set --
Warren, Wilfork, Seymour, Jarvis Green

LB only needs one starter replacement --
Colvin, Thomas, Guy-We-Trade-Maroney-For, Vrabel ; with Bruschi, 2nd round pick as backups

CB needs either Samuel or a FG starter --
Gay, Hobbs, Samuel or FG CB

Saftey is set --
Merriweather/Harrison, Sanders/Wilson

 

[Truck]

It's a little misleading to post stats on running yards per game for a Patriots offense that has been HISTORICALLY prolific in the passing game. Some of us are trying to be balanced about our view of Maroney, but since others keep citing ridiculous stats, we have to respond to every charge, and it makes it seem as if we are BLINDLY defending Maroney.

Is he as good as we'd hoped last year? Nope. Are there things he can improve on? For sure. But is he the downright awful BUST people are making him out to be? Of course he's not. It's less than two years for the guy and this season the Patriots are passing. A lot and successfully. PLEASE at least attempt to be fair - otherwise it's a useless conversation.

I'm not going to call him a bust. And he could very well improve in the next year or two. But I'm not sure if he's improved from 15 months ago to today; so I'm labelling him as a disappointment thus far.

And having a historic passing game doesn't mean you can't have a very good runnin ggame also. The Colts had James. The Rams had Faulk. Both teams had great Passing & Rushing games concurrently.

But I probably am piling on more than I should be, and part of the reason I am is because I'm seeing ppl act like he the perfect back.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

If not DMac, let's get SOMEBODY in here to show this town what it's like to have a STUD running the ball. It amazes me that after watching Dillon in 2004 that people can actually make excuses for this kid. Dillon in 2004, my friends, was what a STUD looks like! Marion Barber is the kind of runner I love. A MAN amongst boys! I want somebody like Dillon or Barber.

I can take you somewhat more seriously when you talk trade than when you talk draft. After all, a trade is designed to bring proven NFL talent to a team. A draft pick is more of a crap shoot, as we've discussed ad infinitum.

Of course, a trade also implies that your trading partner believes your proposal is credible, and implies that your own draft resources are dispensible enough to make the trade in your own interests.

As you know, I say the jury's still out on Maroney. This seems to have taken on the air of a crusade among a few of us. Well, if you end up being right on the subject, you have the distinct pleasure of being first to identify the Maroney Mistake.

I don't think you'll get that pleasure, given the fact that I see the Maroney pick, as I've put it, as a single rather than a home run, with plenty of upside. But hey, no rush (no pun intended.)

There's a "must-draft" running back every year, remember? And there's always the free agent market... heck, we coulda grabbed Thomas Jones from the Bears last offseason!

Or not.

PFnV

 

[ATippett56]

How about this --
Draft McFadden
Trade Maroney for a young starter-ready LB (Keep Morris/Faulk as backups)
Resign Samuel to a long term contract or use RG as a starter
Draft another LB in the 2nd round.

DLine is set --
Warren, Wilfork, Seymour, Jarvis Green

LB only needs one starter replacement --
Colvin, Thomas, Guy-We-Trade-Maroney-For, Vrabel ; with Bruschi, 2nd round pick as backups

CB needs either Samuel or a FG starter --
Gay, Hobbs, Samuel or FG CB

Saftey is set --
Merriweather/Harrison, Sanders/Wilson

Not the way I see it. Asante Samuel will probably receive Nate Clements money, too rich for the New England Patriots budget. As for the Patriots defense next season:

DL
Warren, Wilfork, Seymour, Green, Wright, Smith, ?

LB
Vrabel, Thomas, Colvin, Woods, Alexander?, Lua?, ?, ?, ?

S
Sanders, Meriweather, Baker, Andrews, ?

CB
Hobbs, Richardson, Jackson, ?, ?

The Patriots top draft priorities in 2008 will be cornerback and inside linebacker.

 

[DaBruinz]

For those people who dislike Maroney, I have a few questions for you regarding the statements that have been made that I feel are erroneous.

1) One statement that's been made that he is injury prone. Maroney has had 2 injuries. His ribs and his shoulder last year and his hammy this year. I know that you can do stretches and stuff to prevent pulled hammies. But what exercises can you do to strengthen your ribs and shoulder to keep them from being dislocated when a 270 lbs lineman plants you into the ground with his helmet against that area?

2) People say that Maroney is lousy in the passing game. Have you all considered that Maroney came out of an offense in Minnesota that was predicated on running the ball over 600 times a year (in an 11 game season none the less). In Maroney's 3 years there. The offense threw a TOTAL of 89 completions to RBs. They only made 879 pass attemps in those 3 years. In contrast, Pats running backs in the 3 years prior to Maroney getting here had, 237 receptions by their receivers on 1586 pass attempts.

3a) Addai is better than Maroney. If you look STRICTLY at the stats, yes. He is. However, I don't see anyone mentioning that Addai played 5 years (4 + a red-shirt)in college in a system that was much more balanced than the one Maroney came out of. I don't see anyone mentioning that Addai is 24 and Maroney is only 22. Doesn't experience mean something?

3b) Along the same lines, Addai went into a zone blocking system where the O-line had been running that system for several years. Maroney came into a system where the O-line had specific players to block previously and the O-line has been in the process of changing to the zone blocking system. Why is that not taken into consideration when you look at Maroney?

4) Maroney is lousy in pass blocking. Is he at the Kevin Faulk level? Nope. He's not. But Kevin Faulk wasn't at Kevin Faulk level 18 months into his career either. Did Maroney block pretty decently last night? Yep. He did. He didn't let a guy get to Brady until after Brady had gotten rid of the ball. One should remember that Maroney came out of a RUN HAPPY system where they ran and average of 56 times a game compared to just 26 throws. And they used 3 different running backs on a regular basis. So, why is Maroney judged so harshly while Addai is looked at in such a great light, though Addai has 2 more years of experience and, in my eyes, SHOULD be doing better than Maroney.

 

[PATRIOT64]

Do I think Maroney will improve in the following seasons? -
I don't think he can be any worse or he would be cut in 2 years if he did not get any better.

Do I think Maroney will ever be capable of being the main back and handling 90% of the workload? - No,I think its a two headed RB team if Maroney is going to be here,I do not see him being able to do it mostly by himself,I don't think he is bred to do it like Addai or Bush,He needs guys like Morris and Dillon to share more than just a little IMO.

 

[DaBruinz]

The Maroney supporters love to say he doesn't get the rock because this is the best passing offense of all time. You know what I say? I say that if a true STUD like LT, LJ, McGahee, Jackson, Barber, or Addai were on this team, than you would see us run the ball more. Does ANYONE truthfully believe ANY of those guys I just mentioned would be sitting out an entire first half of a game like LoMo? Puhleaze, stop kidding yourselves. I mean, for cris sakes, do people think we couldn't still be putting up all these big stats if we had a STUD running back on the offense too? Hell, we might even be better, especially against good defenses like the Ravens and Eagles!

That's not what Maroney supporters have said. But god forbid you don't tell the truth.

Also, Larry Johnson took 3 years to break out. Addai is 2 years OLDER than Maroney. LT doesn't have a passing game around him and is FORCED to carry the load. LT is a hall of famer. Is that what you were expecting out of Maroney? Pretty far fetched expecations.

Why is it that you are perfectly willing to compare Maroney to Robert Smith and the 1998 Vikings, but ignore that Smith was a 6th year back at the time?

Please show me when Maroney sat out the entire 1st half of a game. Oh, and I've seen LT sit out a half before. So stop pretending like it hasn't happened. Same with Larry Johnson.

The Pats are on pace to run MORE offensive plays, both in the passing game and in the running game, than ANY of the offenses you've mentioned.

Which Barber are you referring to? Tiki or Marion. If its TIKI, then you need to do better research because Tiki sucked for 5 years. Oh. And Marion hasn't broken 1000 yards in any of his 3 season.

The KID is 22 years OLD.. Its IGNORANT of you to have these imbecillic and unrealistic expectations.

The problem with you is myopic view. Your limited knowledge prevents you from seeing beyond the end of your nose and looking at reality.

 

[DaBruinz]

Do I think Maroney will improve in the following seasons? -
I don't think he can be any worse or he would be cut in 2 years if he did not get any better.

Do I think Maroney will ever be capable of being the main back and handling 90% of the workload? - No,I think its a two headed RB team if Maroney is going to be here,I do not see him being able to do it mostly by himself,I don't think he is bred to do it like Addai or Bush,He needs guys like Morris and Dillon to share more than just a little IMO.

Currently, the Cowboys (Barber and Jones) , Jaguars (Taylor and Jones-Drew), Vikings (Taylor and Peterson), Saints (Bush and McAllister), Raiders (Jordan and Fargas), Broncos (Henry and Bell), and Pats started off the season as a 1A/1B RB system.

Its not a bad thing. Even when the Pats started the season, Maroney was getting the LION share of the carries...(54 for Maroney to 33 for Morris). One of the things it should help do is keep RBs fresher through the season and get them less wear and tear. Which, in theory, should allow them to stay relatively injury free.

 

[jman924]

Assaults? Oh brother. Another poster making things up. Discussing Maroney is a negative light due to his dissapointing play is not assaulting anyone.

123 yards.
What ******* dissapointment.

 

[jman924]

The Maroney supporters love to say he doesn't get the rock because this is the best passing offense of all time. You know what I say? I say that if a true STUD like LT, LJ, McGahee, Jackson, Barber, or Addai were on this team, than you would see us run the ball more. Does ANYONE truthfully believe ANY of those guys I just mentioned would be sitting out an entire first half of a game like LoMo? Puhleaze, stop kidding yourselves. I mean, for cris sakes, do people think we couldn't still be putting up all these big stats if we had a STUD running back on the offense too? Hell, we might even be better, especially against good defenses like the Ravens and Eagles!

WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE

At least we know what YOU'RE good at. Only you could WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE

about someone that just racked up 123 yards.:bricks:

 

[DaBruinz]

For those people who dislike Maroney, I have a few questions for you regarding the statements that have been made that I feel are erroneous.

1) One statement that's been made that he is injury prone. Maroney has had 2 injuries. His ribs and his shoulder last year and his hammy this year. I know that you can do stretches and stuff to prevent pulled hammies. But what exercises can you do to strengthen your ribs and shoulder to keep them from being dislocated when a 270 lbs lineman plants you into the ground with his helmet against that area?

2) People say that Maroney is lousy in the passing game. Have you all considered that Maroney came out of an offense in Minnesota that was predicated on running the ball over 600 times a year (in an 11 game season none the less). In Maroney's 3 years there. The offense threw a TOTAL of 89 completions to RBs. They only made 879 pass attemps in those 3 years. In contrast, Pats running backs in the 3 years prior to Maroney getting here had, 237 receptions by their receivers on 1586 pass attempts.

3a) Addai is better than Maroney. If you look STRICTLY at the stats, yes. He is. However, I don't see anyone mentioning that Addai played 5 years (4 + a red-shirt)in college in a system that was much more balanced than the one Maroney came out of. I don't see anyone mentioning that Addai is 24 and Maroney is only 22. Doesn't experience mean something?

3b) Along the same lines, Addai went into a zone blocking system where the O-line had been running that system for several years. Maroney came into a system where the O-line had specific players to block previously and the O-line has been in the process of changing to the zone blocking system. Why is that not taken into consideration when you look at Maroney?

4) Maroney is lousy in pass blocking. Is he at the Kevin Faulk level? Nope. He's not. But Kevin Faulk wasn't at Kevin Faulk level 18 months into his career either. Did Maroney block pretty decently last night? Yep. He did. He didn't let a guy get to Brady until after Brady had gotten rid of the ball. One should remember that Maroney came out of a RUN HAPPY system where they ran and average of 56 times a game compared to just 26 throws. And they used 3 different running backs on a regular basis. So, why is Maroney judged so harshly while Addai is looked at in such a great light, though Addai has 2 more years of experience and, in my eyes, SHOULD be doing better than Maroney.

BUMP.... so the Maroney nay-sayers can chime in and explain why they chose to ignore fact...

 

[A.C Vegas]

They never will they have been called out several time and never say anything at all just hot ait.

 

[ATippett56]

This should be called the thread that never died!

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Check 2006 running backs who had 4.3 or more yards per carry, 175+ carries in 2006. Narrow it down even to those who scored 10 or fewer TDs. LoMo is in some pretty good company there.

I said this in one of the other LoMo threads, when these guys decided to point to Kevan Barlow in 2003 to predict the future of Maroney. Okay, but you have probably dozens -- literally -- of competent comparable backs between then and now, who were kept by their respective teams.

This isn't a good-vs.-bad comarison. It's a perfect vs. good comparison.

Too early, children.

PFnV