A Few Words About Laurence Maroney

With nearly 1,400 yards in his career and still 2 games to go in year 2, Laurence Maroney has more career rushing yards than the following backs had thru 2 years of their career:

-Brian Westbrook
-Larry Johnson
-Willie Parker
-Rudi Johnson
-Ahman Green
-Marion Barber III
-Reggie Bush
-Tiki Barber
-O.J. Simpson
-Thomas Jones
-Sam "Bam" Cunningham (all-time leading Patriots runner)
-Larry Csonka
-Jim Kiick
-Mercury Morris
-Rocky Bleier
-Greg Pruitt
-Mike Pruitt
-Wilbert Montgomery
-James Brooks
-Chester Taylor
-Sammy Morris
-Jamal Anderson
-Mark van Eeghen
-Jim Taylor
-Robert Smith
-Stephen Davis
-Roger Craig
-DeShaun Foster
-Joe Perry
-Gerald Riggs
-Garrison Hearst
-Leroy Kelly
-Charlie Garner
-John Henry Johnson
-Lydell Mitchell
-Wendell Tyler
-Floyd Little
-Duce Staley
-Joe Morris
-Joe Washington

I could go on and on. Most of these are either Hall of Famers and/or made at least one Pro Bowl.

J D Sal

Is Maroney has as many yards as there have been threads written about him he'd already be in the HOF.

Excellent post--that really puts his performance into perspective.

while i know this thread is about Maroney, i think it is about the Pats running game in general for if we fans perceived that the Pats ran the ball effectively then we would not be on Maroney's case as much.

Many of us fans think we would be much better off and have a more effective running game if we had a back like Marion Barber of Dallas or Adai of Indy.

I too have been concerned about our rushing game yet found when looking at objective facts and not simply what my eyes showed me that the Pats are far from inept at running the ball.

Our two most obvious barriers to the Super Bowl Trophy are Dallas and Indy which also are the two teams many of the Pats fans point to as more effective running the football.

Dallas and Indy are ranked in rushing in the NFL as follows:

Dallas 13th
Indy 17th

The Pats are ranked 12th in rushing so i guess maybe we already have a back capable of being as good as both Adai and Barber.

JDSal45 said:

With nearly 1,400 yards in his career and still 2 games to go in year 2, Laurence Maroney has more career rushing yards than the following backs had thru 2 years of their career:

-Brian Westbrook
-Larry Johnson
-Willie Parker
-Rudi Johnson
-Ahman Green
-Marion Barber III
-Reggie Bush
-Tiki Barber
-O.J. Simpson
-Thomas Jones
-Sam "Bam" Cunningham (all-time leading Patriots runner)
-Larry Csonka
-Jim Kiick
-Mercury Morris
-Rocky Bleier
-Greg Pruitt
-Mike Pruitt
-Wilbert Montgomery
-James Brooks
-Chester Taylor
-Sammy Morris
-Jamal Anderson
-Mark van Eeghen
-Jim Taylor
-Robert Smith
-Stephen Davis
-Roger Craig
-DeShaun Foster
-Joe Perry
-Gerald Riggs
-Garrison Hearst
-Leroy Kelly
-Charlie Garner
-John Henry Johnson
-Lydell Mitchell
-Wendell Tyler
-Floyd Little
-Duce Staley
-Joe Morris
-Joe Washington

I could go on and on. Most of these are either Hall of Famers and/or made at least one Pro Bowl.

J D Sal

Click to expand...

Some of those guys played in the 14 game, or even the 12 game era (Joe Perry and John Henry Johnson). Just giving you some shat.

Rawky77 said:

Many of us fans think we would be much better off and have a more effective running game if we had a back like Marion Barber of Dallas or Adai of Indy.

Click to expand...

Addai has been brilliant of late

FortressX said:

Addai has been brilliant of late

Click to expand...

I think some don't realize that Maroney has a slightly higher YPC than Addai for the year - Maroney has been fine, the only mystery to be is his lack of big plays; the reason it's a mystery is he had them last year so we know he has the breakaway ability.

Good post. I'm not worried about Maroney because the Pats are a throwing team right now. To have the team change their strategy this late in the season is stupid. However, it's good to know that the Pats can run the ball when the weather isn't in their favor.

your subject line cracked me up.

Somehow cherry picking to this unique stat (which doesn't include its inverse) is going to make Laurence Maroney the top back in the AFCE.

Except he isn't. Either that or other backs in the AFCE are also going to Canton.

Corey Dillon is not in that list :bricks:

Great research and thread - thanks. Your data supports what I've said before, let's give the kid a chance.

ok. now that we know that maroney's ruhing stats are up to par, his yards per carry are up to par, and the team as a whole is one of the best new england rushing units, can we stop whining about maroney and the rushing game?

Football Outsiders still have him as a top 10 back in all 4 of their ranking categories so far for this season

http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/rb.php

I judge all NFL players the same way. What is their production over several seasons?

Nothing else matters. Rookies are rookies. Injuries are injuries. A great season is just one season. A bad season is just one season.

Reggie Bush starts strong and fades.

Others start slow and pick it up later on.

Kevin Faulk was seemingly a bust for several years. He has never been a every down running back, yet he makes this team every year for good reason.

Maroney is what he is. He is not the best or the worst we have seen. He is talented, and he doesn't run behind a line known strictly for their run blocking so much as their pass protection.

In a couple years, we will know for sure with no bullsh1t or speculation whether he is going to be a long term player for this team. In the meantime, he will continue to hone his skills and work on his all around game.

Fans that jump to conclusions are fools in this game. One thing that has been great about Bioli is that they really develop their talent.