T. Brown: "BJGE a future star in the NFL"

[mgteich]

I am not a fan of Green-Ellis; however, he can play many roles. He is a Belichick type #4 running back, who can take reps as needed at RB, FB and special teams. I would rather have Morris in this role, with Maroney being the #2 rb. However, Belichick didn't trust Maroney and wasn't about to use part of this season to teach Maroney to take care of the football. It is too late for that.

It seems likely Green-Ellis will likely be on the team at least though 2011 since he is an RFA next year. He could be extended at least through 2011 at any point this season. In any case, we need new running backs next year and it seem likely that Belichick keeps Green-Ellis as a backup through 2011.

 

[Rob0729]

We're talking about RB. It isn't a position where a player takes years to develop to be good. Can anyone remember the last RB who emerged as a star three or four years in their career after being a JAG for the time before.

I can understand why the Pats like the guy since he works really hard, but the guy hasn't even rushed 500 yards for his career and this is his third year. I think he will never be anything more than a change of pace guy. Brown is way off on this.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Didn't Tedy just say that the Pats defense was "soft" and they would lose to Cincy on Sunday? Wasn't Collinsworth on Boston radio talking about how bad the Brady contract situation was going to be for the team?

You do realize the worst front office executive of all time (Matt Millan) was a borderline Hall of Fame linebacker?

We have many great posters here who take Pats football seriously and many in the "pro Maroney" camp make valid points. Besides when you look at Williams and Jones-Drew, they never played with an all world QB and could excel as the feature in their offense.

Different circumstances different places.

Again, I contend that the ex-Pats are best at 'leaking' to us the internal feelings of their connections on the team, colored of course by their own philosophies as we all do. That was what we heard from Brown when he predicted Maroney as the surprise casualty if 2010. But as to football analysis, they may or may not have the skills. I think Brown is smoking it if he sees bjge becomming even near great. Decent is fine with me.

I listened to Troy yesterday on EEI. Love the guy and enjoyed his commentary, but over a couple hours he repeatedly referred to the young Pats DBs shutting down the good vet receiver Houzmendeh (sp?) Sunday. Not a good indicator.

 

[TheComeback]

I hate to play devil's advocate, but it depends what your definition of bust is (sorry about my Clinton-speak here). It wasn't like he averaged 2.8 yards a carry and is out of the league. He had plenty of moments, over 4 yards a carry average, and should be in the leauge for some time. My guess is he just didn't put in the time or effort required to get to the next level. BB HATES that! Now he's gone. I respectfully don't look at Maroney and think bust. I think, all the talent in the world, but satisfied and unwilling to improve.

Actually, I think Maroney is very hard worker and wants to be a good running back.

IMO his problem is a lack of mental toughness, which presents itself as an unwillingness to hit holes hard, inability to hold on to the ball in key situations, and inability to stay cool when picking up blitzes or getting carries in big pressure games. Maroney is too easily intimidated by big, physical defenses.

I still think he is a solid back, which is why we got a 4th for him.

 

[mgteich]

While I agree with your comments, Green-Ellis is still valuable to the patriots over the next two seasons as a backup, as a role player who can pla a bit of running back, fullback and special teams. There is room on a Belichick team for JAG role players.

We're talking about RB. It isn't a position where a player takes years to develop to be good. Can anyone remember the last RB who emerged as a star three or four years in their career after being a JAG for the time before.

I can understand why the Pats like the guy since he works really hard, but the guy hasn't even rushed 500 yards for his career and this is his third year. I think he will never be anything more than a change of pace guy. Brown is way off on this.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

BJGE averaged over 4.0 YPC against what was a pretty good Bengals run defense from last season. If he can keep that up, he'll be a solid addition.

However, I'm not sure what Brown's talking about when he says, "Ben Jarvis Green Ellis has looked better than Laurence Maroney the last two years, he didn't play a lot last year because of the running back situation, but overall he has looked better than Laurence the last couple years, and thats why the job is his, he ran well during the preseason, he ran well Sunday against Cinncinnati, and he continues to get better". That's just flat out wrong and sounds like Brown is sour that his prediction of Maroney getting cut before the season didn't pan out.

Troy was asked if there would be a potential surprise cut and he mentioned Maroney off the top of his head. The idea that Troy sat around and plotted how he could turn some random statement into the truth after the fact is wrong.

The fact is that Troy, Bruschi, Fred Taylor, and BB are simply tired of Maroney's puff and play routine. Even the OL slammed Maroney a couple years back indirectly by saying how much they appreciated a guy like ancient Taylor in the backfield because he made them look good.

Everybody needs to quit with the Maroney excuse making, he is no longer a Patriot.

And Troy was pretty darn close to the surprise 'cut' truth anyway, much closer than ANYBODY else in the media or this fan base. Surprise trade, surprise cut, what is the big difference?

Troy was correct.

 

[RayClay]

So...Javarris James anyone? He's on the practice squad.

 

[BlueThunder]

Getting positive yardage rather than negative or zero yardage on just about every carry opens up your playbook a bit more. Maroney had decent runs every now and then but BJGE seems to get positive yds on just about every carry.

Rotating Taylor and BJGE will give The Lawfirm more carries and should get him into the flow of the game more. Another player to keep an eye on in this team retooling year.

Also, James is the new RB on the PS and is an unknown commodity.

Who does BB sign or bring up from the PS to fill Maroney's spot?

Mankins anyone?

 

[WhiZa]

I see BGJE as a replacement for Morris not a future star of the NFL. Honestly RBs don't last that long so to reach stardom they need to start early.

 

[5 Rings for Brady!!]

I see BGJE as a replacement for Morris not a future star of the NFL. Honestly RBs don't last that long so to reach stardom they need to start early.

I agree. But then we have a backfield of JAGS and third down specialist types so as long as BGJE plays his role like the others than no worries.

We won two superbowls with Antwain in the backfield.

 

[mgteich]

Troy was right in understanding Belichick's assessment of Maroney, to the point of thinking that he may not have any role at all on the 2010 patriots. Troy obviously didn't consider the possibility that someone would give a 4th for Maroney; certainly not a coach that knows him well.

I think that Troy was WRONG when he suggest that Green-Ellis played better than Maroney for the past two years. Belichick plays the best player in each game. While he had one solid game in 2008, Green-Ellis couldn't even get playing time when two running backs were injured at the same time in 2009. Getting rid of Maroney was all about Maroney, and not about Green-Ellis.

Belichick traded his #4 running back, who he didn't trust and wasn't going to be used much, for a 4th rounder. As folks here have pointed out, Green-Ellis is a better #4 running back because of his use as a fullback and a special teamer. Maroney wan't useful on special teams, except as a returner, and we now have plenty of players for that role.

In the end, the 2011 #4 and the roster spot were judged more useful to the patriots than Maroney. Given that Belichick probably had little intention of using Maroney much, that assessment is certainly correct.

Give me a break...Troy was asked if there would be a potential surprise cut and he mentioned Maroney off the top of his head. The idea that Troy sat around and plotted how he could turn some random statement into the truth is ABSURD.

The fact is that Troy, Bruschi, Fred Taylor, and BB are simply tired of Maroney's puff and play routine. Even the OL slammed Maroney a couple years back indirectly by saying how much they appreciated a guy like ancient Taylor in the backfield because he made them look good.

Everybody needs to quit with the Maroney excuse making, he is no longer a Patriot.

And Troy was pretty darn close to the surprise 'cut' truth anyway, much closer than ANYBODY else in the media or this fan base. Surprise trade, surprise cut, what is the big difference?

Troy was correct.

 

[Sporin]

With all the pass-catching weapons on deck now what the running game needs is heads-down, straight ahead, between the tackles running backs. LoMo wasn't cutting it, the others do.

I wish him well in Denver.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

I agree. But then we have a backfield of JAGS and third down specialist types so as long as BGJE plays his role like the others than no worries.

We won two superbowls with Antwain in the backfield.

I was just thinking about Antowain actually, so I looked up his stats. In his best Pats season, he averaged 4 yards per carry and 72 yards per game. He just plodded along, solid but never amazing.

But I don't recall him getting stuffed for losses as often as Maroney. Can't really find stats from back then to support it, but that's how it felt. And it seemed like a better fit for our offense.

I'm not a huge fan of Lawfirm, but he could be that type of back for us. Maybe I wouldn't want him as a #1 guy, but I'm not opposed to seeing more of him during the course of the game, and not just short yardage situations either. If he can come in on first down and fall forward for 3 or 4 yards at a time, that would open up a lot of things for us.

Of course I'd rather see Fred running people over...

 

[RayClay]

I agree. But then we have a backfield of JAGS and third down specialist types so as long as BGJE plays his role like the others than no worries.

We won two superbowls with Antwain in the backfield.

Antowain was a first round pick who weighed 240 lbs and ran with power. (Seems listed at his rookie weight of 232 on websites)

Taylor's a great running back and Morris has some power, but I would be pleasantly surprised if both, or either stayed healthy.

 

[patchick]

OK, Maroney clearly lost the confidence of his coaches and teammates in behind-the-scenes ways that aren't visible to fans. Fair enough. So let's cash in on some trade value for a guy who was only going to be a part-time player for a single season and move on.

But BJGE a "future star"? The running back position doesn't work that way. Of all of the positions on the field, it's the one with the quickest learning curve -- the one where rookies can step on the field and make an immediate impact. Consider that Arian Foster, a fellow UDFA, has played in only 7 games in the NFL and has gained more yards than LawFirm.

He's just a hard-working, versatile role player. Useful to have, but next year's new RBs will leap ahead of him on the depth chart.

 

[SuperPatsFan]

I was thinking the same thing. BB's definitely given the locker room an enema this year.

I wonder if there are any other players left who might fit the "disfunctional" characterization. I've seen a few references to how the DBs in general seemed off in their own world the last few years; I love the new guys they've brought in and have to wonder how Meriweather fits in. Obviously a good player, but I don't get the Patriot Way vibe from him that I get with Chung, McCourty and Butler. Curious what others think about how he fits in longterm.

Keep an eye on the number of defensive snaps Stomper gets relative to the other safeties.

 

[everlong]

But BJGE a "future star"? The running back position doesn't work that way. Of all of the positions on the field, it's the one with the quickest learning curve -- the one where rookies can step on the field and make an immediate impact. Consider that Arian Foster, a fellow UDFA, has played in only 7 games in the NFL and has gained more yards than LawFirm.

I agree with all of your points and tend to think Troy has fallen in love with the kid's work ethic and love for the game and probably sees a lot of himself in BJGE. However, and I know it's a much different position, who would have predicted Brown to have the career he did after the first couple of seasons? Crazier things have happened so hopefully Brown is right.

 

[BlueThunder]

He's just a hard-working, versatile role player. Useful to have, but next year's new RBs will leap ahead of him on the depth chart.

I hope your right about our "future rb's"

BJGE is one of Fred Taylor's favorites. I think BB considers him a hard worker with more than one role on offense/ST.

With the 4 first day draft picks, one wonders which RB (if any) BB will draft.

 

[PatsGAgirl]

YouTube - Draftguys TV: Profile - B. Green-Ellis - RB

a little draft video on BJGE

 

[Kontradiction]

Troy was asked if there would be a potential surprise cut and he mentioned Maroney off the top of his head. The idea that Troy sat around and plotted how he could turn some random statement into the truth after the fact is wrong.

The fact is that Troy, Bruschi, Fred Taylor, and BB are simply tired of Maroney's puff and play routine. Even the OL slammed Maroney a couple years back indirectly by saying how much they appreciated a guy like ancient Taylor in the backfield because he made them look good.

Everybody needs to quit with the Maroney excuse making, he is no longer a Patriot.

And Troy was pretty darn close to the surprise 'cut' truth anyway, much closer than ANYBODY else in the media or this fan base. Surprise trade, surprise cut, what is the big difference?

Troy was correct.

Troy was not correct in the opinion that I quoted. He was actually very far from it. If you believe that BJGE has looked better than Maroney the last couple of years then I have some beach front real estate in Nebraska to sell you.