Maroney is not the back many thought he would be

[National Sports Advisors]

Maroney has run for 66 1st downs with a long of 41 yards. Among lead backs this season, he is behind only Ronnie Brown and Brandon Jacobs in 1st down %, which for a dimwit like you, means "percentage of his carries that gain a 1st down". So looking at your "facts", as you call them, one must conclude you are either a liar or misinformed. Or both.

Maybe I was misinformed. Still, he is still far from the best my friend.

 

[National Sports Advisors]

Still screaming from the tallest mountain for the guy with the chicken legs I see. Keep screaming. Hopefully the Cowboys will hear ya.

Ya, keep talking. Just like you said McFadden hasn't done squat against the SEC's top defenses, right? I guess last year doesn't count when he ran wild on Georgia, Auburn, and LSU? Don't believe me? Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcssslTgHBQ

 

[RussFrancis]

Ya, keep talking. Just like you said McFadden hasn't done squat against the SEC's top defenses, right? I guess last year doesn't count when he ran wild on Georgia, Auburn, and LSU? Don't believe me? Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcssslTgHBQ

Look man. Ive seen all this. Its exactly why Ive reached the conclusion I have. I look at these films and I see a tall WR with blazing speed running wild through inferior, college-level talent with VERY LITTLE CONTACT. He's got the legs of a chicken. This production will NOT translate to a top 5 worthy NFL RB pick. Not the production. Not the durability. And not the cost. He's a tremendous athlete who, much like Ron Dayne, Archie Griffin, Peter Warrick, JJ Stokes, is dominating college level talent. But he's not built to handle the beating that he will experience in the pros. His legs are just too long and thin. I know Ive referred to them as chicken legs several times, but I really should stop with that because McFadden deserves better. But it doesnt change the fact that he's just got some long, thin legs. If NE is going to supplement their running game with an additional back, Id expect they'll atleast add a back similar to Dillon who carrys some weight and has a little power. Because I can tell you right now, that kid's not going to have any power at the professional level.

 

[mcbee]

Look man. Ive seen all this. Its exactly why Ive reached the conclusion I have. I look at these films and I see a tall WR with blazing speed running wild through inferior, college-level talent with VERY LITTLE CONTACT. He's got the legs of a chicken. This production will NOT translate to a top 5 worthy NFL RB pick. Not the production. Not the durability. And not the cost. He's a tremendous athlete who, much like Ron Dayne, Archie Griffin, Peter Warrick, JJ Stokes, is dominating college level talent. But he's not built to handle the beating that he will experience in the pros. His legs are just too long and thin. I know Ive referred to them as chicken legs several times, but I really should stop with that because McFadden deserves better. But it doesnt change the fact that he's just got some long, thin legs. If NE is going to supplement their running game with an additional back, Id expect they'll atleast add a back similar to Dillon who carrys some weight and has a little power. Because I can tell you right now, that kid's not going to have any power at the professional level.

I agree with you. He's similar to Maroney in that he runs too upright. He's too tall...

Pats need a guy like Addai, who can run low, slide throught narrow creases, take a pounding, catch the ball (why doesn't Maroney catch the ball, I guess he's not good at it)? Maroney might be traded to a team like Denver...he would work for them, I think.

Rashard Mendenhall, he might be good. Or they can take any one of numerous guys...I don't think it's that hard to find a decent RB. Great ones are rare, but the difference between good and great or even decent and great isn't enough to warrant the money great ones get. IMO.

 

[patriotsdynasty12189]

you're wrong, and im glad bb has shown a short tolerance for underperformers (i.e. bledsoe, milloy, dillon, etc.) question now, who do we get in draft or fa?

Calling Dillon and Milloy underacheivers just prooves you are just trying to get under our skins.

 

[Oswlek]

I agree with you. He's similar to Maroney in that he runs too upright. He's too tall...

Pats need a guy like Addai, who can run low, slide throught narrow creases, take a pounding, catch the ball (why doesn't Maroney catch the ball, I guess he's not good at it)? Maroney might be traded to a team like Denver...he would work for them, I think.

Rashard Mendenhall, he might be good. Or they can take any one of numerous guys...I don't think it's that hard to find a decent RB. Great ones are rare, but the difference between good and great or even decent and great isn't enough to warrant the money great ones get. IMO.

Since I haven't seen much of anything from McFadden other than those videos, I didn't feel that my voice is all that educated on him. However, when I watched those videos the Maroney comparison jumped out at me right away. Unless there is more that I haven't seen (very possible) I don't get why anyone would expend a top 5 pick and all of the money that goes into it for that type of runner. I'll pass even without my opinion that RBs should almost never be picked that high.

With regard to Maroney catching the ball, this is a combo of factors:

1) Faulk is on the field during obvious passing situations because he is a better receiver and blocker than Maroney. Again, there is no shame in this. Faulk is probably a better receiver and blocker than all but 2-3 RBs in the entire league.

2) NE's OL has done a fabulous job of giving Brady the time to find an open receiver. Very rarely has Brady been forced out of all his reads into the final checkdown. This is further illustrated by the fact that Maroney's two receptions were designed plays.

 

[Remix 6]

I agree with you. He's similar to Maroney in that he runs too upright. He's too tall...

Pats need a guy like Addai, who can run low, slide throught narrow creases, take a pounding, catch the ball (why doesn't Maroney catch the ball, I guess he's not good at it)? Maroney might be traded to a team like Denver...he would work for them, I think.

Rashard Mendenhall, he might be good. Or they can take any one of numerous guys...I don't think it's that hard to find a decent RB. Great ones are rare, but the difference between good and great or even decent and great isn't enough to warrant the money great ones get. IMO.

so did a few great backs. Currently..Peterson runs high. dont use his upright style as an excuse. Like teaching a baseball player to throw the ball differently. Its not something uc an just change.. Maroney can slide through narrow creases..he can take a pounding but not the 1 where u run dives all game and expect him to be a powerback. Catch ball? he hasnt dropped passes..hes not as good as Faulk but not many guys are. If Maroney were to take the passing and protecting part..where does Faulk fit in? Hes arguably 1 of the most underrated players on our team and 1 of the most important.

Why would we trade him? BB is happy with Laurence. Maroney is averaging 4.7 ypc..hes been hurt. thats his knock but so has Steven Jackson..Adrian Peterson..Frank Gore..Portis..so many backs get hurt. Maroney has what it takes..and if our offense ran the ball more..he would put up even bigger #s than a 4.7 which is better than 2/3rds of the league.

Why doesnt our offense run more? WHY? Were 9-0..why fix what aint broke? Use some common sense.

 

[gomezcat]

This is clearly a favourite topic of newton's:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?p=350591#post350591

It's a shame that he doesn't acknowledge the improvement that Maroney has made from last year and, yes, I do know that the passing offense has improved and that the O Line has improved.

I can't comment on Mc Fadden, based on a you tube clip.

 

[jman924]

With Dillon gone and a full year under his belt, this was supposed to be Maroney's break out season. That's not happening. Average backs don't magically transform themselves into good ones based on years of experience. Think about it: it's usually obvious in a back's rookie season if they have potential or not. And in their 2nd year it's clear one way or the other. So this whole notion of "give the kid a chance he's only a sophomore" is a bunch of nonsense. He's an "RB" not "QB", only the latter of which an "experience" argument can be made at this point.

Larry Johnson says, "Hi!"

 

[VJCPatriot]

Why would we trade him? BB is happy with Laurence. Maroney is averaging 4.7 ypc..hes been hurt. thats his knock but so has Steven Jackson..Adrian Peterson..Frank Gore..Portis..so many backs get hurt. Maroney has what it takes..and if our offense ran the ball more..he would put up even bigger #s than a 4.7 which is better than 2/3rds of the league.

Why doesnt our offense run more? WHY? Were 9-0..why fix what aint broke? Use some common sense.

Funny you mention that 4.7 yard average. Ever heard of a guy named Kevan Barlow?

He had averages of 4.1, 4.7, and 5.1 in his first three years in San Francisco including a 1,000 yard season his 3rd year. He has gone downhill ever since. I think the reason he went downhill was that he was asked to carry the load and he simply couldn't handle it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=2628

Am I saying that Maroney is the next Barlow? It's too early to say that. But it's also too early to conclude that all you need is a 4.7 avg to be counted on to be the feature back for the next 5 years or so.

I say that a smart man buys insurance. Maroney may turn out to be alright, or it may turn out that he just can't handle the feature back role alone. When you have the opportunity to draft a franchise back like McFadden, why not? Especially when it improves the position and likely extends the life of both runningbacks in a dual back system. Recall that Maroney was always in a platoon system in Minnesota and McFadden has also been in a platoon system at Arkansas. If you platoon these guys and get 1,500 yards and 1,000 yards respectively while EXTENDING the careers of both backs, I would say that is a win win situation. Why not go for the best when the opportunities to draft that kind of talent are so rare?

 

[spacecrime]

you idiot, the question is whether or not he's a real #1 back and the future RB of this team for years to come.

Play nice, troll, or stick to the troll forum.

Maroney is by definition our #1 back. Whether he is hurt or being brought along slowly doesn't matter. He is our #1 back and is doing just fine. He is better than most #1 backs in the league. He is not as good as some, though the second year is really to early to judge a player's entire career, lacking a time machine. Players develop at different paces.

BB stated a couple weeks ago that he is satisfied with our RBs. So like it or not, Maroney IS our #1 back. We are happy with him. I don't know what team you are a fan of, but I can see why you don't like Maroney. I wouldn't want to face him if I were you, either.

 

[PonyExpress]

Funny you mention that 4.7 yard average. Ever heard of a guy named Kevan Barlow?

He had averages of 4.1, 4.7, and 5.1 in his first three years in San Francisco including a 1,000 yard season his 3rd year. He has gone downhill ever since. I think the reason he went downhill was that he was asked to carry the load and he simply couldn't handle it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=2628

Am I saying that Maroney is the next Barlow? It's too early to say that. But it's also to early too conclude that all you need is a 4.7 avg to be counted on to be the feature back for the next 5 years or so.

I say that a smart man buys insurance. Maroney may turn out to be alright, or it may turn out that he just can't handle the feature back role alone. When you have the opportunity to draft a franchise back like McFadden, why not? Especially when it improves the position and likely extends the life of both runningbacks in a dual back system. Recall that Maroney was always in a platoon system in Minnesota and McFadden has also been in a platoon system at Arkansas. If you platoon these guys and get 1,500 yards and 1,000 yards respectively while EXTENDING the careers of both backs, I would say that is a win win situation. Why not go for the best when the opportunities to draft that kind of talent are so rare?

Kevin "I set the" Barlow was a selfish player who resented splitting carries with Hearst, a locker room problem and indifferent worker who got a contract and stopped trying. He has zero similarity to Maroney in size, speed, personality, or dedication. Why not wait at least until the year's over before deciding Maroney can't cut it? This is getting silly.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Kevin "I set the" Barlow was a selfish player who resented splitting carries with Hearst, a locker room problem and indifferent worker who got a contract and stopped trying. He has zero similarity to Maroney in size, speed, personality, or dedication. Why not wait at least until the year's over before deciding Maroney can't cut it? This is getting silly.

I didn't say Barlow had the same personality as Maroney. I am saying that the numbers are very similar, particularly the highly touted 4.7 yard average number. The reason I CAN advocate for adding McFadden to the tandem is that I know that Maroney is unselfish, is used to sharing the football, and could make an excellent RB duo with McFadden. Don't take citing the facts as a knock against Maroney, take it as thinking smartly about protecting the Patriots investment and their future.

Am I saying that Maroney is the next Barlow? It's too early to say that. But it's also too early to conclude that all you need is a 4.7 avg to be counted on to be the feature back for the next 5 years or so.

 

[Remix 6]

I didn't say Barlow had the same personality as Maroney. I am saying that the numbers are very similar, particularly the highly touted 4.7 yard average number. The reason I CAN advocate for adding McFadden to the tandem is that I know that Maroney is unselfish, is used to sharing the football, and could make an excellent RB duo with McFadden. Don't take citing the facts as a knock against Maroney, take it as thinking smartly about protecting the Patriots investment and their future.

Am I saying that Maroney is the next Barlow? It's too early to say that. But it's also too early to conclude that all you need is a 4.7 avg to be counted on to be the feature back for the next 5 years or so.

cool.
Steven Jackson had a 5 ypc then a 4.1
Tomlinson had a 3.6 then a 4.5

 

[PonyExpress]

I didn't say Barlow had the same personality as Maroney. I am saying that the numbers are very similar, particularly the highly touted 4.7 yard average number. The reason I CAN advocate for adding McFadden to the tandem is that I know that Maroney is unselfish, is used to sharing the football, and could make an excellent RB duo with McFadden. Don't take citing the facts as a knock against Maroney, take it as thinking smartly about protecting the Patriots investment and their future.

Am I saying that Maroney is the next Barlow? It's too early to say that. But it's also too early to conclude that all you need is a 4.7 avg to be counted on to be the feature back for the next 5 years or so.

Barlow is an awful example, but I'll forgive you for using it in the heat of argument. Maroney will be given the load, by and large, the rest of the season and let's see how he handles it before making sweeping judgments.

As for McFadden... I watch alot of SEC football, and McFadden has impressed me sometimes... and not so much at other times, when he plays hurt- and he seems to get dinged up quite a bit. I have no doubt that he is an elite talent, but I don't see the need to spend a top 5, once every ten years pick on a rb with an average NFL career of 4 years. Parcells made this point several days ago about the folly of using a top 5 pick on a position as fragile as rb. Parcells has his faults, but as a talent evaluator and master of the draft IMO he has few if any peers.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Barlow is an awful example, but I'll forgive you for using it in the heat of argument. Maroney will be given the load, by and large, the rest of the season and let's see how he handles it before making sweeping judgments.

As for McFadden... I watch alot of SEC football, and McFadden has impressed me sometimes... and not so much at other times, when he plays hurt- and he seems to get dinged up quite a bit. I have no doubt that he is an elite talent, but I don't see the need to spend a top 5, once every ten years pick on a rb with an average NFL career of 4 years. Parcells made this point several days ago about the folly of using a top 5 pick on a position as fragile as rb. Parcells has his faults, but as a talent evaluator and master of the draft IMO he has few if any peers.

But that's why adding another RB makes sense. A platoon system would EXTEND the life of both runningbacks because they wouldn't be forced to shoulder the whole load. Injuries seem to occur more often when a tired player overexerts himself. When you have two horses, you can afford to rest one and run the other and vice versa.

I'm pretty sure that Parcell's evaluation of 5 years shelf life referred to the traditional feature back that had to carry the offense by himself on a yearly basis. What if implementing the platoon system increased the shelf life of EACH back to say 8 years or more each? I think that makes it an even more compelling argument for the platoon.

 

[Deus Irae]

But that's why adding another RB makes sense. A platoon system would EXTEND the life of both runningbacks because they wouldn't be forced to shoulder the whole load. Injuries seem to occur more often when a tired player overexerts himself. When you have two horses, you can afford to rest one and run the other and vice versa.

I'm pretty sure that Parcell's evaluation of 5 years shelf life referred to the traditional feature back that had to carry the offense by himself on a yearly basis. What if implementing the platoon system increased the shelf life of EACH back to say 8 years or more each? I think that makes it an even more compelling argument for the platoon.

Maroney
Morris
Faulk



Seems like a platoon system to me.....

 

[Oswlek]

But that's why adding another RB makes sense. A platoon system would EXTEND the life of both runningbacks because they wouldn't be forced to shoulder the whole load. Injuries seem to occur more often when a tired player overexerts himself. When you have two horses, you can afford to rest one and run the other and vice versa.

I'm pretty sure that Parcell's evaluation of 5 years shelf life referred to the traditional feature back that had to carry the offense by himself on a yearly basis. What if implementing the platoon system increased the shelf life of EACH back to say 8 years or more each? I think that makes it an even more compelling argument for the platoon.

But why wouldn't you just draft a guy who can give you those same 8 years playing full time?

You advocate taking a guy that you admit will split carries with a top 5 pick?

And just like a few have said, Maroney, Morris and Faulk have combined to be quite excellent this year. Sure, it would be great to have one guy who has all the strengths of each in one package, but that isn't reasonable. You certainly aren't likely to get good receiving or blocking skills out of a rookie.

I'll pass on McFadden or any other RB in the top 10. It just isn't worth the investment nor is it an area of need.

The team loves Maroney. Doesn't it make sense that they might know something about the kid that a few internet fools don't?

 

[newton_tom_cat]

This is clearly a favourite topic of newton's:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?p=350591#post350591

QUOTE]

you're right, like i said, at end of last year i was only one raising serious doubts about the guy. now there's a growing chorus. and in the offseason when BB makes move to get a real #1 maroney supporters will chirp up with "great to see BB doing something to get a real #1 back. i too have thought all along laurence wasn't the guy." typical ...

 

[bradmahn]

This is clearly a favourite topic of newton's:
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?p=350591#post350591

QUOTE]

you're right, like i said, at end of last year i was only one raising serious doubts about the guy. now there's a growing chorus. and in the offseason when BB makes move to get a real #1 maroney supporters will chirp up with "great to see BB doing something to get a real #1 back. i too have thought all along laurence wasn't the guy." typical ...

Let's all doubt the abilities of a player, so that if that player fails we can say "I told you so." And if he doesn't we can all say "well, he finally got his act together."

You're a nincompoop.