Excellent article on Maroney and RBs by Gaspar.

[RayClay]

"Body lean is the difference between guys getting a glancing blow and a direct shot," said Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher. "If Laurence is working on body lean, that's the right way to go."

Very well done and well sourced article. Maybe there is hope for real sportswriting beyond Reiss.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/09/21/maroney_forward_progress/

 

[cavtroop]

have a link?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

have a link?

Click heyah.

 

[cstjohn17]

They have done a nice job breaking Maroney in this year. He is an explosive runner but is not a complete back. Morris & Faulk are far superior in pass protection and receivers. Being off the field in 3rd downs will hurt his number of touches but may keep him healthier as the season wears on.

In the end I don't think he will ever be an elite back but will solidly produce 1000 -1300 yards a season. This is perfectly acceptable.

Ps. Very good article, not often you get two HOF players to comment on a single newspaper piece,

 

[RayClay]

have a link?

oops my bad:
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/09/21/maroney_forward_progress/

 

[cavtroop]

Ah, thanks for the link. Good article. this is right on:

"Maroney's ball-carrying compass points east-west too often, which may be one reason the Patriots have used Sammy Morris in short-yardage situations."​

the times you see him hit the hole like he should (like Morris does, and Dillon did), I get excited - its just a matter of time before he hits the hole like that, and comes squirting out the other side for a big gain. The defenders in the NFL are too fast - going side to side (excepting on sweeps, etc) will just get you back to the LOS if you are lucky.

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Well written.

Explains that even Maroney himself is trying to improve his game technique and do whatever he can to make sure he becomes a better runner.