Only two New England running backs have appeared in every game this season: Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney. Both are inactive today against Houston.
It's not hard to understand why the Patriots might give Faulk a day off. The 33-year-old multi-purpose back is averaging 6.6 touches per week out of the backfield and is of the age where a week off makes sense to preserve him for the playoffs.
Maroney, though, is younger and healthier and doesn't seem to have been playing through any injuries this season. (He was listed as "probable" on the injury report with a knee injury that didn't pop up until Friday.) The only affliction affection Maroney this season, in fact, seems to be the fumble-itis that struck at the goal line once again last week against Jacksonville.
This has been as roller-coaster a year for Maroney as ever. At times, he's looked like the player the Patriots drafted in the first round out of Minnesota. At other times, he's looked like the player the Patriots contemplated releasing during training camp.
He's certainly in the doghouse now.
There's no guarantee -- especially at this time of year -- he's going to get a chance to play his way out.
Showing posts with label maroney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maroney. Show all posts
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Halftime: Patriots 28, Jaguars 0
A handful of halftime observations from Gillette Stadium:
* The hats and T-shirts can come out early. Not only are the Patriots crushing the Jaguars, but the Texans are cruising against the Dolphins. Barring an epic turn of events both here and in Miami, the Patriots have won the AFC East and are bound for the playoffs.
That's great news not just for the banged-up Tom Brady, but also for Vince Wilfork (out), Ty Warren and Stephen Neal (still not playing every snap). All four can either leave the game early next week or sit out entirely.
* Maroney coughs it up. For someone who fumbled so rarely early in his career, Laurence Maroney appears to have caught fumblitis lately. The running back let the ball slip away at the goal line -- sound familiar? -- to end what to that point had been as impressive of a drive as the Patriots have put together all year. An 18-yard run by a slaloming Kevin Faulk and a 14-yard pass to Ben Watson in the red zone set up the play that should have ended in a touchdown -- but instead ended in a turnover.
Maroney did not return to the game for the rest of the half. Faulk and Sammy Morris handled the duties in the backfield from that point on, rushing for 36and 83 first-half yards, respectively.
* Patriots' offensive line dominates. For the first time all season, the Patriots debuted their best offensive line all at once: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Neal and Sebastian Vollmer. Not coincidentally, the Patriots marched right down the field -- Light, Mankins and Koppen opened some huge holes on the left side of the line -- on their first drive.
Dan Connolly replaced Neal on the first play of the second quarter, the touchdown pass from Brady to Chris Baker. It seems as though the Patriots decided to be careful with Neal, who sat out for two drives before returning.
That didn't mean Connolly was done, though: The veteran lined up as a fullback and threw a huge lead block to spring Morris on a 55-yard run through the right side. Connolly then led Morris through the left side for a one-yard touchdown run that pushed the Patriots' lead to 21-0 in the second quarter.
* Patriots rotate along defensive line. Likewise, the Patriots have been careful with the snaps played by defensive end Ty Warren. Mike Wright started the game at defensive end with Ron Brace at nose tackle -- but when Brace appeared to get pushed off the line on the Jaguars' first couple of runs, Wright moved to nose tackle with Warren in at defensive end.
That drive ended with safeties Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders coming up from the secondary on back-to-back plays and making huge stops on short-yardage runs.
On the Jaguars' next two drives, Warren went back to the bench and Myron Pryor played nose tackle between Green and Wright.
* Banta-Cain is able. A week after tallying three sacks in Buffalo, outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain kept building his case for a bid to the Pro Bowl. Banta-Cain, one of the few constants as the Patriots shuffled between their base defense and the mill-around defense they debuted against the Bills, has been the best defensive player on the field.
On back-to-back plays early in the second quarter, Banta-Cain sacked David Garrard and forced a fumble that the Jaguars managed to recover. On the very next play, Maurice Jones-Drew tried to run against that mill-around defense with no down linemen -- and Banta-Cain drilled him after a gain of just two yards. On the first play of the Jaguars' next possession, Banta-Cain and Wright combined to drop Jones-Drew for a one-yard loss.
* Oh, yeah: Moss and Welker. It's not fair to characterize it as Welker doing the dirty work and Moss getting the glory. On the biggest play of the Patriots' fourth scoring drive, Moss cleared out the defensive backs with a deep route down the right sideline, and Welker ran into the vacated team to catch a lob for a 29-yard gain.
(No one gets to gripe about Moss not trying this week.)
Welker has eight catches -- breaking his own single-season record in the process -- for 93 yards, and Moss has caught two passes, both for touchdowns.
* The hats and T-shirts can come out early. Not only are the Patriots crushing the Jaguars, but the Texans are cruising against the Dolphins. Barring an epic turn of events both here and in Miami, the Patriots have won the AFC East and are bound for the playoffs.
That's great news not just for the banged-up Tom Brady, but also for Vince Wilfork (out), Ty Warren and Stephen Neal (still not playing every snap). All four can either leave the game early next week or sit out entirely.
* Maroney coughs it up. For someone who fumbled so rarely early in his career, Laurence Maroney appears to have caught fumblitis lately. The running back let the ball slip away at the goal line -- sound familiar? -- to end what to that point had been as impressive of a drive as the Patriots have put together all year. An 18-yard run by a slaloming Kevin Faulk and a 14-yard pass to Ben Watson in the red zone set up the play that should have ended in a touchdown -- but instead ended in a turnover.
Maroney did not return to the game for the rest of the half. Faulk and Sammy Morris handled the duties in the backfield from that point on, rushing for 36and 83 first-half yards, respectively.
* Patriots' offensive line dominates. For the first time all season, the Patriots debuted their best offensive line all at once: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Neal and Sebastian Vollmer. Not coincidentally, the Patriots marched right down the field -- Light, Mankins and Koppen opened some huge holes on the left side of the line -- on their first drive.
Dan Connolly replaced Neal on the first play of the second quarter, the touchdown pass from Brady to Chris Baker. It seems as though the Patriots decided to be careful with Neal, who sat out for two drives before returning.
That didn't mean Connolly was done, though: The veteran lined up as a fullback and threw a huge lead block to spring Morris on a 55-yard run through the right side. Connolly then led Morris through the left side for a one-yard touchdown run that pushed the Patriots' lead to 21-0 in the second quarter.
* Patriots rotate along defensive line. Likewise, the Patriots have been careful with the snaps played by defensive end Ty Warren. Mike Wright started the game at defensive end with Ron Brace at nose tackle -- but when Brace appeared to get pushed off the line on the Jaguars' first couple of runs, Wright moved to nose tackle with Warren in at defensive end.
That drive ended with safeties Brandon Meriweather and James Sanders coming up from the secondary on back-to-back plays and making huge stops on short-yardage runs.
On the Jaguars' next two drives, Warren went back to the bench and Myron Pryor played nose tackle between Green and Wright.
* Banta-Cain is able. A week after tallying three sacks in Buffalo, outside linebacker Tully Banta-Cain kept building his case for a bid to the Pro Bowl. Banta-Cain, one of the few constants as the Patriots shuffled between their base defense and the mill-around defense they debuted against the Bills, has been the best defensive player on the field.
On back-to-back plays early in the second quarter, Banta-Cain sacked David Garrard and forced a fumble that the Jaguars managed to recover. On the very next play, Maurice Jones-Drew tried to run against that mill-around defense with no down linemen -- and Banta-Cain drilled him after a gain of just two yards. On the first play of the Jaguars' next possession, Banta-Cain and Wright combined to drop Jones-Drew for a one-yard loss.
* Oh, yeah: Moss and Welker. It's not fair to characterize it as Welker doing the dirty work and Moss getting the glory. On the biggest play of the Patriots' fourth scoring drive, Moss cleared out the defensive backs with a deep route down the right sideline, and Welker ran into the vacated team to catch a lob for a 29-yard gain.
(No one gets to gripe about Moss not trying this week.)
Welker has eight catches -- breaking his own single-season record in the process -- for 93 yards, and Moss has caught two passes, both for touchdowns.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Baker's blocking a key to win
Much has been made this week about the production -- or lack thereof -- of the Patriots' tight ends.
But production has to do with a more than catching passes.
The only pass Tom Brady threw toward Chris Baker bounced off his helmet, a play that epitomized the rough first half the Patriots' passing game endured. But Baker had quite a bit to do with the Patriots' success running the ball -- and running the ball might have been the difference for the Patriots against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Patriots finished with 185 rushing yards, their second-highest total of the season. Laurence Maroney rushed 22 times for 94 yards, and Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris rushed for 58 and 35 yards, respectively. Even better, all three running backs had carries for at least 15 yards in the game.
"Good blocking and good running," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "There's no real magic formula to it. We've got to block them, and they've got a lot of guys to block."
Baker in particular seemed to block just about everyone in his way. On the Patriots' first big play of the game, the eighth-year veteran got his hands on defensive end Julius Peppers and shoved him out of the way of Maroney, paving the way for a 17-yard gain. Later in the second quarter, Sammy Morris ran a draw up the middle in which Baker served as the lead blocker, clearing out the linebacker to give Morris room to maneuver.
The Patriots have always loved two styles of run more than any other: Draws up the middle out of the shotgun and sweeps around the edge. Both require strong blocking from tight ends.
Runs around the edge haven't produced yards consistently for the Patriots this season, but they made it work on Sunday. Even on the third-quarter run on which Morris fumbled the ball, he was 10 yards down the sideline behind Baker before safety Charles Godfrey popped the ball loose -- and that was because Baker had buried outside ilnebacker James Anderson.
"Both tight ends were able to get the edge," Baker said. "Me and Ben (Watson) were able to get the edge. We were able to get good movement and good push on the ends and the linebackers."
The hesitation of a draw play only works because it allows a tight end on the edge to get through the hole and hit the middle linebacker -- in this case, the Panthers' Jon Beason -- and prevent him from getting anywhere near the running back with the ball.
Midway through a fourth-quarter drive that led to a field goal, Baker pulled from the right side of the line to the left and plastered the Panthers' prolific middle linebacker en route to a gain of eight yards for Laurence Maroney.
"The line has to get their guys moving, and that's what they did," Baker said. "After they got their guys moving, I was able to come in there and get a good clean look and get in there after Beason."
Said Belichick, "We got the ball outside, and we also ran plays inside, so we had some balance in the running game. That helped us on some play action passes. We got some guys open."
And Watson, the tight end of the other side, made the biggest catch of the game, a third-and-5 touchdown catch that gave the Patriots the lead for the first time. The much-maligned former first-round draft pick -- he was a candidate to be released at the end of training camp -- caught three passes for 37 yards in the game.
"Everyone always asks me, 'Why don't you get the ball to Ben?'" Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "When we do get it to him, he makes those plays."
But production has to do with a more than catching passes.
The only pass Tom Brady threw toward Chris Baker bounced off his helmet, a play that epitomized the rough first half the Patriots' passing game endured. But Baker had quite a bit to do with the Patriots' success running the ball -- and running the ball might have been the difference for the Patriots against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Patriots finished with 185 rushing yards, their second-highest total of the season. Laurence Maroney rushed 22 times for 94 yards, and Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris rushed for 58 and 35 yards, respectively. Even better, all three running backs had carries for at least 15 yards in the game.
"Good blocking and good running," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "There's no real magic formula to it. We've got to block them, and they've got a lot of guys to block."
Baker in particular seemed to block just about everyone in his way. On the Patriots' first big play of the game, the eighth-year veteran got his hands on defensive end Julius Peppers and shoved him out of the way of Maroney, paving the way for a 17-yard gain. Later in the second quarter, Sammy Morris ran a draw up the middle in which Baker served as the lead blocker, clearing out the linebacker to give Morris room to maneuver.
The Patriots have always loved two styles of run more than any other: Draws up the middle out of the shotgun and sweeps around the edge. Both require strong blocking from tight ends.
Runs around the edge haven't produced yards consistently for the Patriots this season, but they made it work on Sunday. Even on the third-quarter run on which Morris fumbled the ball, he was 10 yards down the sideline behind Baker before safety Charles Godfrey popped the ball loose -- and that was because Baker had buried outside ilnebacker James Anderson.
"Both tight ends were able to get the edge," Baker said. "Me and Ben (Watson) were able to get the edge. We were able to get good movement and good push on the ends and the linebackers."
The hesitation of a draw play only works because it allows a tight end on the edge to get through the hole and hit the middle linebacker -- in this case, the Panthers' Jon Beason -- and prevent him from getting anywhere near the running back with the ball.
Midway through a fourth-quarter drive that led to a field goal, Baker pulled from the right side of the line to the left and plastered the Panthers' prolific middle linebacker en route to a gain of eight yards for Laurence Maroney.
"The line has to get their guys moving, and that's what they did," Baker said. "After they got their guys moving, I was able to come in there and get a good clean look and get in there after Beason."
Said Belichick, "We got the ball outside, and we also ran plays inside, so we had some balance in the running game. That helped us on some play action passes. We got some guys open."
And Watson, the tight end of the other side, made the biggest catch of the game, a third-and-5 touchdown catch that gave the Patriots the lead for the first time. The much-maligned former first-round draft pick -- he was a candidate to be released at the end of training camp -- caught three passes for 37 yards in the game.
"Everyone always asks me, 'Why don't you get the ball to Ben?'" Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. "When we do get it to him, he makes those plays."
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Key matchups along the line of scrimmage
Bill Belichick loves to get immobile quarterbacks on the run. Heck, any good defensive coach loves to get immobile quarterbacks on the run. It's the best way to get even the most precise passers to start throwing uncharacteristic interceptions. The Colts, too, will be looking for ways to get to Tom Brady and get him out of the pocket and moving around -- just as Belichick and the Patriots will be trying to do to Peyton Manning.
With that in mind, here's a look -- with the help of ProFootballFocus.com -- at some of the key matchups along the line of scrimmage and the matchups each team hopes to exploit:
Getting to Peyton Manning
* OLB Tully Banta-Cain against LT Charlie Johnson.
Johnson, a fourth-year left tackle, surrendered two sacks and five quarterback pressures in a miserable game against Mario Williams and the Houston Texans a week ago. For the season, Johnson has allowed 17 quarterback pressures in eight games and ranks near the bottom among offensive tackles.
Banta-Cain, meanwhile, has been a revelation as a pass-rushing linebacker. He ranks with the best in the league in hits on the quarterback -- only Anthony Spencer, Aaron Kampman, DeMarcus Ware and Lamarr Woodley have more. Overall, he ranks as the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL this season behind only Harrison and Ware.
* DE Mike Wright against LG Ryan Lilja
Lilja has tended to perform better this season as a run-blocker, but he's had his two best games in pass protection in the last two weeks. He allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback pressures against the Texans.
Wright saw his role diminished by the emergence of Myron Pryor and didn't have a spectacular game against the Dolphins when the injury to Jarvis Green bumped him back into the starting lineup. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, however, Wright was the best pass-rusher the Patriots had, recording two sacks, one hit on the quarterback and two other quarterback pressures.
Getting to Tom Brady
* DE Dwight Freeney against LT Sebastian Vollmer
With Matt Light unlikely to play, duty on the Colts' pass-rushing demon falls to Vollmer, a rookie who has handled himself awfully well so far this season. He actually has the third-best rating among Patriots' offensive linemen and has had three straight impressive games since he took over as the starter.
But he hasn't yet played against Freeney, who has 10 sacks, nine hits on the quarterback and a whopping 26 pressures so far this season. He's been the best 4-3 defensive end in the NFL so far this season -- and he's the toughest test Vollmer has faced yet.
* DE Robert Mathis against right tackle Nick Kaczur and right tackle Steve Neal
Statistically, Kaczur and Neal have been the Patriots' two best pass-blocking offensive linemen, though Kaczur seems to have stumbled of late in that department. Neal has spent the season as the Patriots' most consistent offensive player -- but that means he often finds himself standing around with not much to do as opposing teams opt not to go after him on passing downs.
Mathis almost certainly will go after Kaczur -- and if he can wreak half the havoc on Kaczur that he did on Arizona right tackle Levi Brown in Week 3 (one sack, three quarterback hits, eight quarterback pressures), Brady might be in trouble.
* Colts linebackers against Laurence Maroney
As frustrating as it's been for Patriots fans to watch Maroney run the ball, he's actually been worse this season when he's been trying to block for Brady. If the Colts send a blitzer that's assigned to Maroney, that blitzer might not have much issue getting to Brady.
With that in mind, here's a look -- with the help of ProFootballFocus.com -- at some of the key matchups along the line of scrimmage and the matchups each team hopes to exploit:
Getting to Peyton Manning
* OLB Tully Banta-Cain against LT Charlie Johnson.
Johnson, a fourth-year left tackle, surrendered two sacks and five quarterback pressures in a miserable game against Mario Williams and the Houston Texans a week ago. For the season, Johnson has allowed 17 quarterback pressures in eight games and ranks near the bottom among offensive tackles.
Banta-Cain, meanwhile, has been a revelation as a pass-rushing linebacker. He ranks with the best in the league in hits on the quarterback -- only Anthony Spencer, Aaron Kampman, DeMarcus Ware and Lamarr Woodley have more. Overall, he ranks as the third-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL this season behind only Harrison and Ware.
* DE Mike Wright against LG Ryan Lilja
Lilja has tended to perform better this season as a run-blocker, but he's had his two best games in pass protection in the last two weeks. He allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback pressures against the Texans.
Wright saw his role diminished by the emergence of Myron Pryor and didn't have a spectacular game against the Dolphins when the injury to Jarvis Green bumped him back into the starting lineup. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, however, Wright was the best pass-rusher the Patriots had, recording two sacks, one hit on the quarterback and two other quarterback pressures.
Getting to Tom Brady
* DE Dwight Freeney against LT Sebastian Vollmer
With Matt Light unlikely to play, duty on the Colts' pass-rushing demon falls to Vollmer, a rookie who has handled himself awfully well so far this season. He actually has the third-best rating among Patriots' offensive linemen and has had three straight impressive games since he took over as the starter.
But he hasn't yet played against Freeney, who has 10 sacks, nine hits on the quarterback and a whopping 26 pressures so far this season. He's been the best 4-3 defensive end in the NFL so far this season -- and he's the toughest test Vollmer has faced yet.
* DE Robert Mathis against right tackle Nick Kaczur and right tackle Steve Neal
Statistically, Kaczur and Neal have been the Patriots' two best pass-blocking offensive linemen, though Kaczur seems to have stumbled of late in that department. Neal has spent the season as the Patriots' most consistent offensive player -- but that means he often finds himself standing around with not much to do as opposing teams opt not to go after him on passing downs.
Mathis almost certainly will go after Kaczur -- and if he can wreak half the havoc on Kaczur that he did on Arizona right tackle Levi Brown in Week 3 (one sack, three quarterback hits, eight quarterback pressures), Brady might be in trouble.
* Colts linebackers against Laurence Maroney
As frustrating as it's been for Patriots fans to watch Maroney run the ball, he's actually been worse this season when he's been trying to block for Brady. If the Colts send a blitzer that's assigned to Maroney, that blitzer might not have much issue getting to Brady.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Patriots down to three healthy RBs
Don't expect Kevin Faulk to shy away from contact this week.
"It's a physical game," Faulk said. "It's a brutal sport. You're going to get hit regardless. Sometimes we get hit when we don't even have the ball."
But staying healthy will become more and more important this week as the Patriots' depth chart at running back absorbs more and more casualties. Fred Taylor underwent ankle surgery two weeks ago and appears to be out indefinitely, and Sammy Morris left Sunday's game with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. (Neither player was present at practice on Wednesday.)
"We'll go with what we've got," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "The guys that are healthy, they'll play. The guys that aren't, we know will be back as soon as they can. I know they're working hard. We'll just take those guys day-to-day. When they're ready, we'll plug them back in there. In the meantime, there'll be more opportunities for the guys that are active."
Those opportunities presumably will go to Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and Laurence Maroney, the only three healthy running backs on the roster this week. All three saw significant time against the Titans last Sunday:
* Faulk had one carry and had three receptions, including a screen pass he took 38 yards for a touchdown;
* Green-Ellis rushed seven times for 67 yards in his first appearance of the regular season;
* Maroney quieted some of the critics that had been all over him in the early going, rushing for 123 yards on 16 carries, including a 45-yard touchdown rush behind a key block from Sebastian Vollmer.
Green-Ellis in particular is likely to see an expanded role this week against Tampa Bay. Maroney almost certainly will start the game, and Faulk will play the same multifaceted role he's played throughout his career. Green-Ellis, though, likely will see some third-down carries as well as some first- and second-down carries on drives during which Maroney is taking a breather.
"Law Firm" spent the entire preseason on the bubble, the fifth-best running back on a team that wasn't necessarily going to keep five running backs on its roster. His play in exactly this type of situation a year ago, though, gave him new life -- and every injury means he takes another step up the ladder.
"BenJarvus did a good job for us in the preseason, but he did a good job for us last year, too," Belichick said. "That carried a lot of weight, his performance in the '08 season when he was called on at different points in time. ... He has a lot of versatility. I really think he can play on all three downs -- on all four downs, to be honest with you. He's not limited in any situation where he's just a first-down back or just a third-down back or just a returner or anything like that. He really can operate in all of those situations pretty effectively. He's smart, and he knows what to do in all those things, too."
What makes the Patriots' situation even trickier is the fact that they like to use their running backs in their passing game. They don't just catch the ball out of the backfield, either; most of the Patriots' four- or five-receiver sets this season have featured at least one running back split out wide.
"You've seen all our backs line up pretty much everywhere," Belichick said. "The problem for a defense when a back splits out is, how do you want to match up with it? Probably your best matchup is to put a linebacker -- not that the other guys can't cover him, but you waste a corner or a safety on a running back. Generally speaking, those guys aren't as good of receivers as your receivers, and you end up with a linebacker covering a receiver or a linebacker covering a tight end."
With fewer backs available, the Patriots' options seem to become limited in that regard -- especially if they want to have any of their backs alongside or behind Brady in pass protection.
Then again, the Patriots also are down to three healthy wide receivers, too, barring a last-minute activation of Terrence Nunn or Brandon Tate. If they want to run any four- or five-receiver sets, they're going to have to get their running backs involved.
"It's on everybody," Faulk said. "Those guys are gone, but it is on everyone to step it up. You never know who's going to be in that position, who's going to be in that spot, to be in that role."
"It's a physical game," Faulk said. "It's a brutal sport. You're going to get hit regardless. Sometimes we get hit when we don't even have the ball."
But staying healthy will become more and more important this week as the Patriots' depth chart at running back absorbs more and more casualties. Fred Taylor underwent ankle surgery two weeks ago and appears to be out indefinitely, and Sammy Morris left Sunday's game with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. (Neither player was present at practice on Wednesday.)
"We'll go with what we've got," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "The guys that are healthy, they'll play. The guys that aren't, we know will be back as soon as they can. I know they're working hard. We'll just take those guys day-to-day. When they're ready, we'll plug them back in there. In the meantime, there'll be more opportunities for the guys that are active."
Those opportunities presumably will go to Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and Laurence Maroney, the only three healthy running backs on the roster this week. All three saw significant time against the Titans last Sunday:
* Faulk had one carry and had three receptions, including a screen pass he took 38 yards for a touchdown;
* Green-Ellis rushed seven times for 67 yards in his first appearance of the regular season;
* Maroney quieted some of the critics that had been all over him in the early going, rushing for 123 yards on 16 carries, including a 45-yard touchdown rush behind a key block from Sebastian Vollmer.
Green-Ellis in particular is likely to see an expanded role this week against Tampa Bay. Maroney almost certainly will start the game, and Faulk will play the same multifaceted role he's played throughout his career. Green-Ellis, though, likely will see some third-down carries as well as some first- and second-down carries on drives during which Maroney is taking a breather.
"Law Firm" spent the entire preseason on the bubble, the fifth-best running back on a team that wasn't necessarily going to keep five running backs on its roster. His play in exactly this type of situation a year ago, though, gave him new life -- and every injury means he takes another step up the ladder.
"BenJarvus did a good job for us in the preseason, but he did a good job for us last year, too," Belichick said. "That carried a lot of weight, his performance in the '08 season when he was called on at different points in time. ... He has a lot of versatility. I really think he can play on all three downs -- on all four downs, to be honest with you. He's not limited in any situation where he's just a first-down back or just a third-down back or just a returner or anything like that. He really can operate in all of those situations pretty effectively. He's smart, and he knows what to do in all those things, too."
What makes the Patriots' situation even trickier is the fact that they like to use their running backs in their passing game. They don't just catch the ball out of the backfield, either; most of the Patriots' four- or five-receiver sets this season have featured at least one running back split out wide.
"You've seen all our backs line up pretty much everywhere," Belichick said. "The problem for a defense when a back splits out is, how do you want to match up with it? Probably your best matchup is to put a linebacker -- not that the other guys can't cover him, but you waste a corner or a safety on a running back. Generally speaking, those guys aren't as good of receivers as your receivers, and you end up with a linebacker covering a receiver or a linebacker covering a tight end."
With fewer backs available, the Patriots' options seem to become limited in that regard -- especially if they want to have any of their backs alongside or behind Brady in pass protection.
Then again, the Patriots also are down to three healthy wide receivers, too, barring a last-minute activation of Terrence Nunn or Brandon Tate. If they want to run any four- or five-receiver sets, they're going to have to get their running backs involved.
"It's on everybody," Faulk said. "Those guys are gone, but it is on everyone to step it up. You never know who's going to be in that position, who's going to be in that spot, to be in that role."
Monday, October 19, 2009
Vollmer pulls off impressive debut
It wasn't just the blocking.
Rookie Sebastian Vollmer more than held his own in place of Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light, looking nothing like he was making his first career start in the NFL. Vollmer lined up most of the time against two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch -- and while the Patriots' scheme meant he had some help from running backs and tight ends, he did the job awfully well even when left alone against Vanden Bosch.
Tom Brady dropped back to pass 30 times in the first half; he attempted 28 passes, and he was sacked twice. (We're ignoring the second half because the game was totally out of hand by then.) Here's how Vollmer fared against Vanden Bosch and third-down pass-rusher Jacob Ford on those 30 first-half snaps:
* 10 times, the Patriots offered help in the form of a tight end or a running back -- especially on plays that required Brady to have a little extra time. Tight end Chris Baker did most of the blocking on Vanden Bosch on the 48-yard pass to Wes Welker and the 30-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker, and tight end Ben Watson did most of the blocking on Vanden Bosch on the flea flicker to Randy Moss.
* One time, on the Titans' first drive, he whiffed on his block but got away with it because Brady unloaded quickly.
* One time, on that same drive, he got beat clean by Ford -- and Brady, seeing it, stepped up into the pocket and right into the waiting arms of Jason Jones, who sacked him for a loss of six yards.
* Eighteen times, Vollmer took on Vanden Bosch or Ford one-on-one and kept them away from his quarterback. On one occasion, in fact, Vollmer seamlessly passed Vanden Bosch off to guard Logan Mankins in a zone blocking scheme and got in the way of blitzing cornerback Ryan Mouton, the smoothness of his technique befitting a veteran of the position.
(One thing to remember before we leapfrog Vollmer over Light on the depth chart based on this game: The lousy footing, in this one-on-one matchup, usually benefits the left tackle rather than the defensive end.)
"He’s really worked hard," Brady said. "He’s very well coached. He’s a smart kid. He’s tough. You see how big he is out there, so he’s got a lot of physical tools. His intelligence gets him in the right position, the right calls. He did a great job today."
The most impressive play from Vollmer was on the tone-setting Laurence Maroney run in the first quarter that set the stage for an onslaught of touchdown passes in the second quarter. This wasn't about going one-on-one with a defensive end and keeping him away from Brady. That, while physically demanding, doesn't take as much sophistication as the maneuver pulled off in front of Maroney on the first quarter.
But that's the type of player Vollmer is -- even though he grew up in Germany and didn't start playing the game until he was 14.
"He's a smart kid," center Dan Koppen said. "He's a tough kid. He really came in from Day One and tried to pick up the offense and has done a great job of it. He really works hard every week whether he's in there or not. There's no lack of confidence in there with him. Roll him in, and let's go."
Let's take a look at the play. It was a second-and-3 snap at midfield, and the Patriots had two wide receivers and two tight ends on the field. The Titans had a pretty basic 4-3 formation on the field with designs on stopping the run. Here's how both teams lined up at the snap -- with Maroney in yellow and Vollmer, the left tackle, in gray:
When Brady took the snap, he made a basic drop to give the ball to Maroney. Plenty, though, was happening in front of him.
1. Tight end Chris Baker going after a linebacker.
2. Right tackle Nick Kaczur was blocking a defensive end.
3. Koppen and right guard Stephen Neal were double-teaming defensive tackle Jovan Haye, clearing a gap on one side.
4. Left guard Logan Mankins was mauling defensive tackle Tony Brown, clearing the gap from the other side.
5. Vollmer was pulling around Mankins to get into the gap that had just been created between Haye and Brown and to get to the second level of the defense.
When Maroney got the handoff, he hesitated. Maroney has driven Patriots fans crazy for four seasons with his hesitations in the backfield. This time, though, his hesitation gave Vollmer a chance to get to his spot -- and it created a hint of uncertainty in the defense.
Maroney, after all, is a running back who often runs sweeps to the left or the right. That's been part of his issue this season -- he hasn't gotten to the line of scrimmage on quite a few of his runs because defenders are getting to him before he can turn the corner. On the previous play, even, Maroney had rushed around the right edge for a gain of seven yards.
That tendency -- and his hesitation -- gave the Titans' safety and middle linebacker reason to believe he was about to run once again behind Kaczur and Baker around the right side of the Patriots' offensive line. Here's how everything looked as Maroney paused in the backfield:
That's when Vollmer plowed through the line to meet linebacker Keith Bulluck. He didn't blow him up. He didn't really even hit him that hard. He simply got in his way, and that was enough to prevent Bulluck from getting a hand on Maroney. It was a perfectly executed pull block.
Vollmer got from his spot on the outside of the line and led Maroney right through the gap, blocking one of only two players who would have been in position to make a tackle Koppen shed Haye to get to a waiting linebacker on the other side of the gap, and the hole was wide open.
From there, with defensive backs closing all around him, it was up for Maroney to hit the hole -- and he hit the hole.
Forty-five yards later, the Patriots had their first touchdown of the game -- and their rookie left tackle from Germany deserved quite a bit of the credit.
Rookie Sebastian Vollmer more than held his own in place of Pro Bowl left tackle Matt Light, looking nothing like he was making his first career start in the NFL. Vollmer lined up most of the time against two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch -- and while the Patriots' scheme meant he had some help from running backs and tight ends, he did the job awfully well even when left alone against Vanden Bosch.
Tom Brady dropped back to pass 30 times in the first half; he attempted 28 passes, and he was sacked twice. (We're ignoring the second half because the game was totally out of hand by then.) Here's how Vollmer fared against Vanden Bosch and third-down pass-rusher Jacob Ford on those 30 first-half snaps:
* 10 times, the Patriots offered help in the form of a tight end or a running back -- especially on plays that required Brady to have a little extra time. Tight end Chris Baker did most of the blocking on Vanden Bosch on the 48-yard pass to Wes Welker and the 30-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker, and tight end Ben Watson did most of the blocking on Vanden Bosch on the flea flicker to Randy Moss.
* One time, on the Titans' first drive, he whiffed on his block but got away with it because Brady unloaded quickly.
* One time, on that same drive, he got beat clean by Ford -- and Brady, seeing it, stepped up into the pocket and right into the waiting arms of Jason Jones, who sacked him for a loss of six yards.
* Eighteen times, Vollmer took on Vanden Bosch or Ford one-on-one and kept them away from his quarterback. On one occasion, in fact, Vollmer seamlessly passed Vanden Bosch off to guard Logan Mankins in a zone blocking scheme and got in the way of blitzing cornerback Ryan Mouton, the smoothness of his technique befitting a veteran of the position.
(One thing to remember before we leapfrog Vollmer over Light on the depth chart based on this game: The lousy footing, in this one-on-one matchup, usually benefits the left tackle rather than the defensive end.)
"He’s really worked hard," Brady said. "He’s very well coached. He’s a smart kid. He’s tough. You see how big he is out there, so he’s got a lot of physical tools. His intelligence gets him in the right position, the right calls. He did a great job today."
The most impressive play from Vollmer was on the tone-setting Laurence Maroney run in the first quarter that set the stage for an onslaught of touchdown passes in the second quarter. This wasn't about going one-on-one with a defensive end and keeping him away from Brady. That, while physically demanding, doesn't take as much sophistication as the maneuver pulled off in front of Maroney on the first quarter.
But that's the type of player Vollmer is -- even though he grew up in Germany and didn't start playing the game until he was 14.
"He's a smart kid," center Dan Koppen said. "He's a tough kid. He really came in from Day One and tried to pick up the offense and has done a great job of it. He really works hard every week whether he's in there or not. There's no lack of confidence in there with him. Roll him in, and let's go."
Let's take a look at the play. It was a second-and-3 snap at midfield, and the Patriots had two wide receivers and two tight ends on the field. The Titans had a pretty basic 4-3 formation on the field with designs on stopping the run. Here's how both teams lined up at the snap -- with Maroney in yellow and Vollmer, the left tackle, in gray:
When Brady took the snap, he made a basic drop to give the ball to Maroney. Plenty, though, was happening in front of him.
1. Tight end Chris Baker going after a linebacker.
2. Right tackle Nick Kaczur was blocking a defensive end.
3. Koppen and right guard Stephen Neal were double-teaming defensive tackle Jovan Haye, clearing a gap on one side.
4. Left guard Logan Mankins was mauling defensive tackle Tony Brown, clearing the gap from the other side.
5. Vollmer was pulling around Mankins to get into the gap that had just been created between Haye and Brown and to get to the second level of the defense.
When Maroney got the handoff, he hesitated. Maroney has driven Patriots fans crazy for four seasons with his hesitations in the backfield. This time, though, his hesitation gave Vollmer a chance to get to his spot -- and it created a hint of uncertainty in the defense.
Maroney, after all, is a running back who often runs sweeps to the left or the right. That's been part of his issue this season -- he hasn't gotten to the line of scrimmage on quite a few of his runs because defenders are getting to him before he can turn the corner. On the previous play, even, Maroney had rushed around the right edge for a gain of seven yards.
That tendency -- and his hesitation -- gave the Titans' safety and middle linebacker reason to believe he was about to run once again behind Kaczur and Baker around the right side of the Patriots' offensive line. Here's how everything looked as Maroney paused in the backfield:
That's when Vollmer plowed through the line to meet linebacker Keith Bulluck. He didn't blow him up. He didn't really even hit him that hard. He simply got in his way, and that was enough to prevent Bulluck from getting a hand on Maroney. It was a perfectly executed pull block.
Vollmer got from his spot on the outside of the line and led Maroney right through the gap, blocking one of only two players who would have been in position to make a tackle Koppen shed Haye to get to a waiting linebacker on the other side of the gap, and the hole was wide open.
From there, with defensive backs closing all around him, it was up for Maroney to hit the hole -- and he hit the hole.
Forty-five yards later, the Patriots had their first touchdown of the game -- and their rookie left tackle from Germany deserved quite a bit of the credit.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Maroney not thriving, but not getting help
There's some talk out there that the Patriots might bench Laurence Maroney this week to send a Joey Galloway-style message to him. He has all of 78 yards on 29 carries so far this season, an average of 2.9 yards per carry, and he gained six yards on seven carries on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens -- drawing boos in the process.
But it's not all about the running back. The running game, even more than the passing game, is a function of an entire unit, and it's worth reviewing Maroney's running plays from last Sunday's game to see how the entire unit looked:
First quarter
Second-and-10, 12-yard line going out
Maroney lined up in the "I"-formation behind Sammy Morris, and the Ravens lined up with seven defenders close to the line of scrimmage -- four defensive linemen and three linebackers. Maroney followed Morris through what was supposed to be a gap off the hip of Neal, the right guard.
Morris, though, got blasted by Ray Lewis a yard beyond the line of scrimmage, and the hole closed quickly in front of Maroney.
Result: One-yard gain.
First quarter
First-and-10, 34-yard line going out
Maroney lined up as the lone back behind Brady with one wide receiver (Sam Aiken) to the right side of the formation and Randy Moss and two tight ends to the left. The Ravens again had four down linemen but gave the Patriots just a little more space, dropping their linebackers back off the line just a little bit.
Maroney ran a sweep to the left -- but by the time he got the football in his hands, defensive end Terrell Suggs had already pushed left tackle Matt Light three yards into the backfield. Maroney got around Suggs, but he had to go almost to the sideline to do so. By then, cornerback Dominique Foxworth had shed the block of Moss and was able to shove Maroney out of bounds:
But it's not all about the running back. The running game, even more than the passing game, is a function of an entire unit, and it's worth reviewing Maroney's running plays from last Sunday's game to see how the entire unit looked:
First quarter
Second-and-10, 12-yard line going out
Maroney lined up in the "I"-formation behind Sammy Morris, and the Ravens lined up with seven defenders close to the line of scrimmage -- four defensive linemen and three linebackers. Maroney followed Morris through what was supposed to be a gap off the hip of Neal, the right guard.
Morris, though, got blasted by Ray Lewis a yard beyond the line of scrimmage, and the hole closed quickly in front of Maroney.
Result: One-yard gain.
First quarter
First-and-10, 34-yard line going out
Maroney lined up as the lone back behind Brady with one wide receiver (Sam Aiken) to the right side of the formation and Randy Moss and two tight ends to the left. The Ravens again had four down linemen but gave the Patriots just a little more space, dropping their linebackers back off the line just a little bit.
Maroney ran a sweep to the left -- but by the time he got the football in his hands, defensive end Terrell Suggs had already pushed left tackle Matt Light three yards into the backfield. Maroney got around Suggs, but he had to go almost to the sideline to do so. By then, cornerback Dominique Foxworth had shed the block of Moss and was able to shove Maroney out of bounds:
Result: One-yard loss.
First quarter
First-and-10, 38-yard line going in
Maroney again was the only back lined up behind Brady. Two receivers were split off to the left side, and one tight end was on each end of the formation. The Ravens again had four defensive linemen at the line of scrimmage but were giving some breathing room with their linebackers.
(The play before this one, Maroney had taken a short dump pass for a 17-yard gain, juking linebacker Dannell Ellerbe in the process.)
When Maroney took the handoff, there was a clear hole that opened up. Ray Lewis was waiting to give him a lick when he hit the hole, but there was a hole wide enough to drive Vince Wilfork through. Light had taken Suggs up the field and away from the play, and Dan Koppen and Logan Mankins had double-teamed nose tackle Kelly Gregg. On the other side, defensive tackle Justin Bannan couldn't get around Stephen Neal, and while he was trying to get into the gap, he couldn't quite do it in time.
Maroney, though, aimed for the smaller hole between Light and Mankins -- and it closed quickly as Suggs recovered. Maybe it was poor recognition. Maybe it was a desire not to be decapitated by Lewis. But he certainly seemed to hit the wrong hole:
Result: One-yard gain.
Second quarter
First-and-10, 37-yard line going out
Maroney lined up eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, deeper than his customary five or six, and he had a pair of tight ends on the right side of the formation, one behind the other. The Ravens were in the same 4-3 look they'd been showing on first-and-10 situations throughout the game.
Wide receiver Julian Edelman came in motion from the right side of the formation, but the handoff went to Maroney -- who didn't have a huge hole but somehow did something with it. Right tackle Nick Kaczur eliminator Trevor Pryce from the play, and Koppen and Neal got rid of Gregg. Mankins had a little bit of trouble with 345-pound tackle Haloti Ngata -- nothing to be ashamed of there -- and Ngata got his left hand on Maroney's thigh on his way through the hole, tripping him up just before he could get to the second level.
Result: Five-yard gain.
Second quarter
First-and-10, 42-yard line going in
The Patriots lined up in a mirror image of the previous formation this time with Maroney deep and two tight ends stacked one behind the other on the left side of the line. The idea was for Light to pull from his spot at left tackle and to act as a lead blocker through a hole off the outside hip of Neal, the right guard.
But even as Maroney was taking the handoff from Brady, Suggs was shoving Kaczur, the right tackle, deep into the backfield. Suggs put his helmet into the gut of Maroney and dropped him for a loss. Maroney never had a chance.
Result: One-yard loss.
Third quarter
First-and-10, 25-yard line going out
The Patriots lined up in the shotgun with Maroney to the right of Brady and three receivers split wide -- two to the left and one to the right. Tight end Chris Baker was on the right side of the formation as well.
Maroney took the snap with a head of steam going to his left -- and that looked like the right direction. Matt Light seemed to have things under control with Suggs on the outside, and Mankins was wrestling Gregg, the nose tackle, back toward the middle of the line.
But the other three blocks all were pushing their respective defenders off toward the right, and Maroney decided to go that way. One problem: That was the way Mankins had blocked Gregg, and it was a relatively simple matter for Gregg, even from his knees, to trip Maroney up and get him to the ground.
(If you still have this game on tape, go back and watch this play -- and pay attention to the aftermath. You can hear exactly which naughty word John Harbaugh, still upset about an illegal contact penalty on the previous play, employed to draw his 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.)
Result: Two-yard gain.
Fourth quarter
First-and-10, 49-yard line going in
Brady again was lined up in the shotgun with Maroney to his right. Given the way the blocking scheme went, Maroney actually seemed to make the right choice in this instance -- Bannan, the defensive tackle, got into the gap in the middle of the field, and tight end Ben Watson blocked Pryce, the defensive end, back toward the same spot to create something of a seal on the outside.
But it took Maroney a moment to get around the driving legs of Watson, and by the time he'd done that, outside linebacker Jarret Johnson had shed a relatively unimpressive block thrown by wide receiver Wes Welker in the slot. That left Maroney one-on-one with Johnson -- the type of situation in which you'd think the elite running backs would make a move to make the defender miss. Johnson, though, grabbed Maroney by the ankle and pulled him down to the turf:
Result: One-yard loss.
That would be all for Maroney in terms of carries.
To tally it all up, Maroney had seven carries and was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage in all seven of them.
Twice, upon further examination of the tape, he seemed to have a hole that would have gotten him to the second level but chose the wrong hole. On his other five opportunities, however, he seemed to run where he was supposed to run but would have had to make a spectacular individual effort to succeed.
Maybe an elite running back would have made a couple of those spectacular individual efforts. Maybe Adrian Peterson shakes off Jarret Johnson and fights off would-be tacklers for a six-yard gain in that last example. But maybe not.
“Not every play was blocked correctly, but you should still find ways to get 1 or 2 yards out of them," Maroney told the Globe on Wednesday, comments that probably will draw criticism. "You’re going against one of the best rushing defenses, if not the best rushing defense, in the league.
"We knew coming into the game there wasn’t going to be a lot of big runs. We knew we were going to have to grind out 2 or 3 yards here, 2 or 3 yards there to keep us in short situations.
"I just look at it as I had seven carries, and after looking at the film, I could have done a couple of the carries better, a couple of them probably weren’t blocked correctly, but hey, I still could have made a couple of them better."
Maroney has received quite a bit of grief in his Patriots career. Some of it might be deserved. But he might also not be in a position to succeed all that often, either.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Maroney done for the year?
Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe is reporting that Laurence Maroney has been placed on injured reserve and is finished for the season. Maroney did not play a week ago and has just 23 carries in three games this season; he was not expected to play tonight against the Broncos.
With LaMont Jordan sidelined, that leaves just Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis to fill out the depth chart at running back. It's hard to believe the Patriots would make this move and not add a running back via free agency; here's a look at who might be available:
Mike Anderson -- Rushed 15 times for 62 yards for the Ravens last season; his most significant action came in Week 6, when he had eight carries for 44 yards (including a 16-yard rush) and one reception against Seattle. He as released by the Ravens in February. The former Marine is best known for his years in Denver as part of Mike Shanahan's plug-in-any-runner system; he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2000.
Ron Dayne -- Rushed 194 times for 773 yards for the Texans last season, including 21 times for 122 yards in Week 9 against Oakland and 21 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale against Jacksonville. He's a bruiser who would give Morris a break without giving opposing defenses a break.
Samkon Gado -- Originally an undrafted free agent, Gado has played for the Chiefs, Packers, Texans and Dolphins; he rushed for 100-plus yards three times with the Packers in 2005 and scored three touchdowns with the Dolphins in 2007 but was not tendered a contract for this season. He reportedly has worked out for the Patriots in the past.
Anthony Thomas -- Spent much of last season behind Marshawn Lynch with the Bills and ended the season on injured reserve after tearing a calf muscle in November. His two best games came in Weeks 11 and 12 against New England and Jacksonville, when he had a combined 26 carries for a combined 77 yards on top of 11 receptions for 60 yards.
With LaMont Jordan sidelined, that leaves just Sammy Morris, Kevin Faulk and rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis to fill out the depth chart at running back. It's hard to believe the Patriots would make this move and not add a running back via free agency; here's a look at who might be available:
Mike Anderson -- Rushed 15 times for 62 yards for the Ravens last season; his most significant action came in Week 6, when he had eight carries for 44 yards (including a 16-yard rush) and one reception against Seattle. He as released by the Ravens in February. The former Marine is best known for his years in Denver as part of Mike Shanahan's plug-in-any-runner system; he was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2000.
Ron Dayne -- Rushed 194 times for 773 yards for the Texans last season, including 21 times for 122 yards in Week 9 against Oakland and 21 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale against Jacksonville. He's a bruiser who would give Morris a break without giving opposing defenses a break.
Samkon Gado -- Originally an undrafted free agent, Gado has played for the Chiefs, Packers, Texans and Dolphins; he rushed for 100-plus yards three times with the Packers in 2005 and scored three touchdowns with the Dolphins in 2007 but was not tendered a contract for this season. He reportedly has worked out for the Patriots in the past.
Anthony Thomas -- Spent much of last season behind Marshawn Lynch with the Bills and ended the season on injured reserve after tearing a calf muscle in November. His two best games came in Weeks 11 and 12 against New England and Jacksonville, when he had a combined 26 carries for a combined 77 yards on top of 11 receptions for 60 yards.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Patriots might need to rethink RBs
Kevin Faulk rushed eight times for 48 yards on Sunday. Sammy Morris rushed 10 times for 26 yards. Laurence Maroney stood on the sidelines and watched.
It's been tough sledding this season for the New England Patriots' running game -- particularly since this is the time you really need to run the ball. Matt Cassel is more game-manager than game-breaker; no one expects him to put up the type of numbers Tom Brady has put up in recent years. But the ground game has ground to a halt just when the Patriots need it most.
The Patriots are 17th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (113.0) but 24th in yards per carry (3.7). In the first half against San Diego, when the outcome was still in doubt, the Patriots rushed 11 times for 35 yards -- an average of 3.2 yards per carry. Needing just a yard for a touchdown in the third quarter, again with the game still in reach, the Patriots got nothing.
Teams are stacking the line against the run, of course, and daring Cassel to throw downfield. That never helps. But teams stack the line against the Atlanta Falcons and rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, too, and the Michael Turner-led run game still is averaging 5.5 yards per carry this season.
What's the prescription? Certainly, recent history has shown that an offensive line and a solid system do more for a running attack than a particular running back. The Broncos did it first, but more and more teams have shown an ability to shuttle running backs in and out with similar results.
But it goes both ways -- a great offensive line can elevate a good running back, but a great running back can elevate a good offensive line, too. The Patriots' offensive line was supposed to be great last season. Tackle Matt Light and guard Logan Mankins both started in the Pro Bowl last season; center Dan Koppen made the team as a reserve. The talent appears to be there on the offensive line, but they haven't been able to elevate Morris anywhere beyond serviceable. Maroney, for his part, can't seem to get his shoulder healthy enough to be effective -- and even when he was healthy last season, it took the entire season to get him going.
It might be time, after this season, to pull the plug on Maroney. It might be worth investing a first-round pick in a potential game-breaker like Beanie Wells or Knowshown Moreno. (Look what it did for the Vikings last season and the Titans, Panthers and Bears this season.) Both are projected, at this point, to go in the mid-to-late first round. With the way the Patriots played on Sunday night at San Diego, though, the middle of the first round might be right where they're drafting.
It's been tough sledding this season for the New England Patriots' running game -- particularly since this is the time you really need to run the ball. Matt Cassel is more game-manager than game-breaker; no one expects him to put up the type of numbers Tom Brady has put up in recent years. But the ground game has ground to a halt just when the Patriots need it most.
The Patriots are 17th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (113.0) but 24th in yards per carry (3.7). In the first half against San Diego, when the outcome was still in doubt, the Patriots rushed 11 times for 35 yards -- an average of 3.2 yards per carry. Needing just a yard for a touchdown in the third quarter, again with the game still in reach, the Patriots got nothing.
Teams are stacking the line against the run, of course, and daring Cassel to throw downfield. That never helps. But teams stack the line against the Atlanta Falcons and rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, too, and the Michael Turner-led run game still is averaging 5.5 yards per carry this season.
What's the prescription? Certainly, recent history has shown that an offensive line and a solid system do more for a running attack than a particular running back. The Broncos did it first, but more and more teams have shown an ability to shuttle running backs in and out with similar results.
But it goes both ways -- a great offensive line can elevate a good running back, but a great running back can elevate a good offensive line, too. The Patriots' offensive line was supposed to be great last season. Tackle Matt Light and guard Logan Mankins both started in the Pro Bowl last season; center Dan Koppen made the team as a reserve. The talent appears to be there on the offensive line, but they haven't been able to elevate Morris anywhere beyond serviceable. Maroney, for his part, can't seem to get his shoulder healthy enough to be effective -- and even when he was healthy last season, it took the entire season to get him going.
It might be time, after this season, to pull the plug on Maroney. It might be worth investing a first-round pick in a potential game-breaker like Beanie Wells or Knowshown Moreno. (Look what it did for the Vikings last season and the Titans, Panthers and Bears this season.) Both are projected, at this point, to go in the mid-to-late first round. With the way the Patriots played on Sunday night at San Diego, though, the middle of the first round might be right where they're drafting.
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