Gasper: Maroney Out to Make Up Ground

[shmessy]

I just don't for the life of me understand where all this Maroney hate is coming from.

We are four games into a season and this started before preseason.

He was great in 2006 when behind Dillon.

Corey started 13 games and played all 16 for 812 yds and 4.1 ypc
Maroney started no games but played 14 and had 745 yds at 4.3 ypc
He wasn't called on much in the postseason that year.
Then in 2007 he plays 13 games and starts in 6 to amass 835 yds at 4.5 ypc
And goes on to the postseason to have 280 yds for 4.6 ypc.

2008 was a bust for him due to injury, which brings us to where we are now. I mean wtf has the guy done wrong?

There is no reason to believe he won't be superb again.

He has been wildly inconsistent in the past and has shown on several occasions to not run with authority. He is a great talent who does not seem to hit the holes with authority.

Reports are that his shoulder has been exceptionally injured the past few years, and that would make sense in that he may be psychologically leery of getting hit. His running style is very different from Taylor and Morris (smash mouth) and he isn't a midget like Faulk.

The guy has the tools. From this vantage point (admittedly, far away) it looks like a psychological block that could be fixed with a team doctor.

If he hits the LOS with intent and purpose, he could very well become a consistent 4+ YPC guy again.

 

[LeonPowe]

Well, they need him now

 

[mayoclinic]

I just don't for the life of me understand where all this Maroney hate is coming from.

We are four games into a season and this started before preseason.

He was great in 2006 when behind Dillon.

Corey started 13 games and played all 16 for 812 yds and 4.1 ypc
Maroney started no games but played 14 and had 745 yds at 4.3 ypc
He wasn't called on much in the postseason that year.
Then in 2007 he plays 13 games and starts in 6 to amass 835 yds at 4.5 ypc
And goes on to the postseason to have 280 yds for 4.6 ypc.

2008 was a bust for him due to injury, which brings us to where we are now. I mean wtf has the guy done wrong?

Nice to hear this.

I was never a big Maroney fan, but I don't understand the hate either. I wanted DeAngelo Williams in 2006. I think Maroney ran too high. I think he dances too much at times. I think he may lack the necessary vision to run well in a crowd. But the hate on this board for a guy who's produced some big plays and games for us and has given it his all whether injured or not just boggles my mind.

Maroney was solid in 2006. He dominated against Cincy, and a lot of Pats fans were pushing him for a possing OROY candidate after 3 games. He was up and down a bit but did a good job of sharing the load with Dillon. Our offense that year consisted of TB with no WRs and no deep passing game, an aged and battered Dillon, and Maroney. Maroney was the only gamebreaking threat on the entire offense.

Maroney was solid in 2007. He played through a groin pull, which can be extremely troublesome. He continued to put up big plays.

Through game 1 of 2008 (28 games played out of 33), Maroney had run for over 50 yards 14 times. 10 times he had run for over 70 yards, and the Pats were 10-0 in those games. He had produced a number of big receiving plays as well. It seemed pretty obvious that if we would get the ball into Maroney's hands enough times (especially with a little room to create) that good things would happen.

Since then he was hurt, was put on IR, and hasn't really carried the ball enough to get back into a rhythm. But he seems healthy - when we get the ball to him with some room, he's as devastating a weapon as we've got, and we have a lot of them. He's a bright guy and a quality guy who seems committed to learning. I've seen less dancing form him this year, and more trying to hit the hole hard. But it's hard to hit the hole when there is no hole.

It's not clear to me that Maroney will ever learn to run in a crowd and become an elite NFL runner. But it's also clear to me that he has elite NFL skills, and that we have to learn how to use him more effectively. He's no Chad Jackson - there's no lack of effort or willingness to work or do what it takes - so it's up to the Pats to figure out how to use him.

And it's still totally unclear to me where all the hate comes from.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I HATE the term HATE when it comes to people like myself who don't think Maroney will be anything but a JAG on this team.

While its true that some of us don't have confidence in his abilities and don't hold much hope he can help this team down the stretch does not mean we HATE him.

I think Maroney is probably a nice clean cut guy who could be anyone's best friend and probably is a good locker room guy to have but the difference between fans when it comes to Maroney are those who have faith in his abilities and those who do not...HATE is a very strong word.

I think we ALL wish he could transform himself into a dynamic runner but some of us see that as near impossible..we don't hate the man,we lack confidence in him in getting the job done in the running game .. understand?

You want to verify hate?...Then lets look at the Dolphins and Jets shall we?

 

[IcyPatriot]

YouTube - Maroney Interview: I dont want to blow my wad early​

 

[mayoclinic]

I HATE the term HATE when it comes to people like myself who don't think Maroney will be anything but a JAG on this team.

While its true that some of us don't have confidence in his abilities and don't hold much hope he can help this team down the stretch does not mean we HATE him.

I think Maroney is probably a nice clean cut guy who could be anyone's best friend and probably is a good locker room guy to have but the difference between fans when it comes to Maroney are those who have faith in his abilities and those who do not...HATE is a very strong word.

I think we ALL wish he could transform himself into a dynamic runner but some of us see that as near impossible..we don't hate the man,we lack confidence in him in getting the job done in the running game .. understand?

You want to verify hate?...Then lets look at the Dolphins and Jets shall we?

I'm sorry, but go to the thread on Fred Taylor's injury and read some of the comments. "Hate" is the term that comes to mind. People on this board ridicule (including yourself) and demean Maroney worse than they do opposing players:

Post 5: "Maroney is made of glass. Getting sick of him being injured." It's not Maroney that's injured right now, it's Taylor.

Post 11: "The thought of Maroney having any significant role on this team makes me throw up in my mouth a little."

Post 12: "A little? It makes me throw up ALOT!"

Post 20: "Let Maroney in only when we are up by 20 or keep him in on short out passes where he does not have to touch any defender,thats all he is good for from what I see." That one's from you.

Post 81: "To hell with Maroney. He sucks. He's had **** knows how many years."

Post 89: "I'm trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectfulllllllllllll"

Not to mention "Maroney is the RB version of Chad Jackson on this team" on this thread (also from you).

In his first 2 seasons Maroney rushed for 1580 yards on 360 carries (a 4.4 YPC average, and about 60 YPG average) and 12 TDs in 27 out of 32 games. He caught 26 passes for 310 yards and 1 TD. That's not exactly comparable to Chad Jackson's total lack of production and inability to learn the playbook.

He has played through injuries. He's never complained. He's made a lot of big plays for us. He will probably never be an elite RB, but neither will Reggie Bush. He's much more talented than a JAG, though he lacks instincts and vision, runs too upright, and dances too much. He's brutal in space and a tremendous weapon if used properly. Properly does not equal running him with no FB and one TE to block and no holes to run through, and expecting him to power his way for 3-4 yards like Fred Taylor or Sammie Morris do. That's not his game, and we shouldn't try to make it his game.

So far he hasn't lived up to the #21 pick. He may never. But he hasn't earned scorn and derision, either.

 

[Triumph]

Maroney doesnt "get" anything.

The Pats dont talk about what they intend to do on Sunday. They go out and do it.

Heres Maroneys big chance to show everyone that hes not full of BS.

 

[smg93]

What I don't get are all the Maroney Apologists out there. After some dismal games from him, I believe that the criticism is warranted. While I don't think he's a total bust, there are some in here who continue to push the idea that he's doing quite well. Aside from a number of us here on this board, here are another couple of guys who apparently disagree with that sentiment:

Taken from: Tedy Bruschi's Breakdown: Expect a chess match between New England Patriots and Denver Broncos - ESPN Boston

Reiss: From an individual standpoint, Laurence Maroney is a hot-button issue. That was a disappointing effort Sunday against the Ravens.

Bruschi: Everyone is upset with Laurence Maroney right now. Last week, I saw nothing good from him. He's still sort of dancing in the holes. Right now, he is not the best running back the Patriots have. With Fred Taylor's ankle keeping him out, they still have BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and we know the good things he's done with the ball. As for Maroney, I believe this coaching staff isn't close to giving up on him. He's still young, and youth is valued from a management perspective. I think they still feel they can possibly turn him into the running back they want.

 

[Schmo]

Maroney was drafted in the 1st round and apparently that calls for expectations of him rushing for 1500 yds every year. Obviously he isn't that kind of running back. Just forget what round he was drafted in and ask yourself if he is qualified to be on the roster. Believe it or not, running backs have a short shelf life and injuries shouldn't be a surprise. "Made of glass" accusations can be made for 90% of running backs in the league at some point in their career.

Given his age and ability, he deserves a place on this team. Hopefully he forgets what round he was drafted in when he negotiates a new contract.

 

[Steamer86]

Word!

Maroney will finish his career as one of the top 5 RB's in Patriot's history. bank on it.

And a big GFY to the Maroney haters.

Wow, you don't watch much football do you "GFY Boy"....the guy is a dancer....where he loses a yard, Morris, Tayor, Faulk, BJGE gain 3 yards by hitting the hole. Maroney's future is dancing with the stars - except he is not a star.....

 

[RayClay]

I just don't for the life of me understand where all this Maroney hate is coming from.

We are four games into a season and this started before preseason.

He was great in 2006 when behind Dillon.

Corey started 13 games and played all 16 for 812 yds and 4.1 ypc
Maroney started no games but played 14 and had 745 yds at 4.3 ypc
He wasn't called on much in the postseason that year.
Then in 2007 he plays 13 games and starts in 6 to amass 835 yds at 4.5 ypc
And goes on to the postseason to have 280 yds for 4.6 ypc.

2008 was a bust for him due to injury, which brings us to where we are now. I mean wtf has the guy done wrong?

Taking all carries and making an average is mostly irrelevant when it comes to running the ball. Obviously, more yards is better than less, but the main goal of a running back is making consistent runs to gain 10 yard chunks, and making first downs and touchdowns in short yardage.

Can a guy with a 3.9 average be more productive than one with a 4.5? Absolutely.

 

[JSn]

Taking all carries and making an average is mostly irrelevant when it comes to running the ball. Obviously, more yards is better than less, but the main goal of a running back is making consistent runs to gain 10 yard chunks, and making first downs and touchdowns in short yardage.

Can a guy with a 3.9 average be more productive than one with a 4.5? Absolutely.

Just ask Sammy.

 

[mayoclinic]

What I don't get are all the Maroney Apologists out there. After some dismal games from him, I believe that the criticism is warranted. While I don't think he's a total bust, there are some in here who continue to push the idea that he's doing quite well. Aside from a number of us here on this board, here are another couple of guys who apparently disagree with that sentiment:

Taken from: Tedy Bruschi's Breakdown: Expect a chess match between New England Patriots and Denver Broncos - ESPN Boston

Reiss: From an individual standpoint, Laurence Maroney is a hot-button issue. That was a disappointing effort Sunday against the Ravens.

Bruschi: Everyone is upset with Laurence Maroney right now. Last week, I saw nothing good from him. He's still sort of dancing in the holes. Right now, he is not the best running back the Patriots have. With Fred Taylor's ankle keeping him out, they still have BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and we know the good things he's done with the ball. As for Maroney, I believe this coaching staff isn't close to giving up on him. He's still young, and youth is valued from a management perspective. I think they still feel they can possibly turn him into the running back they want.

I'm certainly not a Maroney apologist. I wasn't in favor of drafting him in the first place, and I think there have been some major flaws in his game - running too upright, dancing too much, lack of vision.

But the bottom line is, there's nothing to apologize for. He did decently his first 2 seasons and certainly contributed. He was on IR his third season. And this season he hasn't had enough carriers to work himself back into form. I thought he ran hard against the Ravens, there just weren't any holes. But even if he's still dancing, he needs to get enough touches to back to at least where he was in 2006-2007.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm sorry, but go to the thread on Fred Taylor's injury and read some of the comments. "Hate" is the term that comes to mind. People on this board ridicule (including yourself) and demean Maroney worse than they do opposing players:

Post 5: "Maroney is made of glass. Getting sick of him being injured." It's not Maroney that's injured right now, it's Taylor.
....
He has played through injuries. He's never complained. ...

So far he hasn't lived up to the #21 pick. He may never. But he hasn't earned scorn and derision, either.

thanks for going to all that effort to make that point. i've never understood the intensity of the feelings against Maroney either and a lot of folks just plain embarrass themselves with their comments about him.

many are very disappointed that Maroney hasn't panned out like we hoped when he was drafted #21 amid a lot of hype (I'm among them, by the way).

but there are people on this board who have personalized their disappointment in Maroney to a degree that is more than a little unsettling at times, to the point where I just avoid most Maroney threads.

it bothers me a little bit that players and media read this stuff and judge the rest of us by that behavior.

 

[RayClay]

Just ask Sammy.

Or multi Pro bowler Eddie George. Yep, Sammy got the damn job done, did he not? !

 

[mayoclinic]

Maroney was drafted in the 1st round and apparently that calls for expectations of him rushing for 1500 yds every year. Obviously he isn't that kind of running back. Just forget what round he was drafted in and ask yourself if he is qualified to be on the roster. Believe it or not, running backs have a short shelf life and injuries shouldn't be a surprise. "Made of glass" accusations can be made for 90% of running backs in the league at some point in their career.

Given his age and ability, he deserves a place on this team. Hopefully he forgets what round he was drafted in when he negotiates a new contract.

Let's look at the other RB's besides Maroney drafted in the first round past 5 years and how many 1500 yard seasons they have produced:

2004:

1(24) Stephen Jackson, Oregon State. Considered a top NFL back. One 1500 yard season out of 5 so far. Currently on pace for 1467 yards this season.

1(30) Kevin Jones, Virginia Tech. Zero 1500 yard seasons so far. One 1000+ yard season. Currently on Injured Reserve.

2005:

1(2) Ronnie Brown, Auburn. Zero 1500 yard seasons. One 1000 yard season. Dinged up a lot. Very effective in the Wildcat.

1(4) Cedric Benson, Texas. Zero 1500 (or 1000) yard seasons. Considered a total bust in Chicago, has rejuvenated his career in Cincinnati. Currently on pace for 1468 yard this season.

1(5) Cadillac Williams, Auburn. Zero 1500 yard seasons. Started hot but has been injured a lot. One 1000 yard season. Currently on pace for 764 yards this season.

2006:

1(2) Reggie Bush, USC. Zero 1500 yard seasons. Considered one of the 3 best backs this decade coming out of college (with Adrian Peterson and Darren McFadden). Has never rushed for over 600 yards. Currently on pace for 592 yards this season. Fine all-purpose weapon.

1(28) DeAngelo Williams, Memphis St. One 1500 yard season (2008). Did very little his first 2 years before breaking out last year. Currently on pace for 720 yards this season.

1(30) Joseph Addai,LSU. Zero 1500 yard seasons. Ran for just ove 1000 yards his first 2 seasons, then got dinged up and hasn't been the same. Currently on pace for 732 yards this season.

2007:

1(7) Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma. One 1500 yard season (2008). Ran for 1341 years as a rookie and 1760 yards last season. Considered the top back in the NFL. Currently on pace for 1648 yards this season.

1(12) Marshawn Lynch, Cal. Zero 1500 yard seasons, but ran for over 1000 yards his first 2 seasons. Suspended for the start of this season.

2008:

1(4) Darren McFadden, Arkansas. Zero 1500 yard seasons. One of the most heralded RB prospects this decade. Ran for 499 yards as a rookie. Currently on pace for 584 yards this season.

1(12) Jonathan Stewart, Oregon. Zero 1500 yard seasons so far. Ran for 836 yards as a rookie. Currently on pace for 396 yards this season.

1(22) Felix Jones, Arkansas. Zero 1500 yard seasons so far. Ran for 266 yards as a rookie while missing 10 games to injury. Injured again this year - must be made of glass. Currently on pace for 848 yards this season.

1(23) Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois. Zero 1500 yard seasons so far. Ran for 58 yards as a rookie before going on IR (must also be made of glass). Currently on pace for 840 yards this season.

1(24) Chris Johnson, Eastern Tennessee. Zero 1500 yard seasons so far. Ran for 1228 yards as a rookie. Currently on pace for 1736 yards this season.

2009:

1(12) Knowshon Moreno, Georgia. Currently on pace for 996 yards in his rookie year.

1(27) Donald Brown, Connecticut. Currently on pace for 528 yards in his rookie year.

1(31) Beanie Wells, Ohio St. Currently on pace for 284 yards in his rookie year.

So including Maroney, 1st round draft picks in the past 5 years have rushed for a total of 3 (1 Stephen Jackson, 1 DeAngelo Williams, 1 Adrian Peterson) 1500 yard seasons out of a total of 43 complete seasons to date, with 2 more (Peterson and Chris Johnson) currently on pace for a 1500 yard season and 2 others (Jackson and Cedric Benson) within reach.

Many of the RBs listed have been dinged up a lot and missed considerable time due to injuries (Ronnie Brown, Cadillac Williams, Felix Jones, Rashard Mendenhall). Clearly these guys must all be made of glass.

So far, only Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson look like perennial 1500 yard franchise RBs.

Clearly Maroney's a bust when compared to the other 1st rounders listed here.

 

[mayoclinic]

I see Darren McFadden is hurt again and out 2-4 weeks with a torn meniscus. Boy, there's a lot of RBs in this league who are made of glass.

 

[fourthandmiles]

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | RUNNING BACKS 2009

Doesn't look good by this measurement.

 

[borg]

2009

Rushing 4 games 27 carries 78 yds 2.9 yds/carry 0 TDs
Receiving 4 games 3 catches 26 yds 8.7 yds/catch 0 TDs

The best I can say about LoMo is that at least he hasn't fumbled!!!.........yet

 

[mayoclinic]

No question he hasn't produced much this season. Then again, he hasn't gotten much of a chance. I grant, he hasn't produced much on the rushing touches he has got.