Back in the saddle

Maroney taking advantage of late-season carries

NFL. The way Patriots running back Laurence Maroney sees it, it was a no-brainer.

“If you have Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and all the other great receivers we have on this team,” Maroney said, “I’d be passing to them, too.”

With this year’s New England passing game setting all kinds of records, critics looking for an Achilles heel of the New England offense targeted the running game — and Maroney in particular. The second-year back out of Minnesota split carries with Sammy Morris until Morris went down with a chest injury in Week 6 against Dallas.

But even with Morris out, there were still limited options for Maroney — after Morris’ injury, there were still four games in which he had 10 carries or less.

Even as Tom Brady, Moss and Wes Welker set new offensive records, some critics decried the lack of offensive balance and wondered aloud about New England’s chances of drafting Arkansas stud Darren McFadden.
But Maroney had a supporter in Head Coach Bill Belichick.

“I think he’s run hard all year. I think he ran hard last year,” Belichick said. “I’m not saying every play is a great play, but I think that his effort and his toughness running the ball, his intensity, I think has been good ever since he’s been here.”

“It wasn’t that we didn’t run the football — it was that we didn’t have to. People were giving us the pass,” Maroney said. “The running game didn’t really need to prove itself yet. It kept us fresh for the season now. It’s better late than never to have a fresh run game.”

Things are definitely looking fresher for the Patriots’ running attack now. New England rushed for 90 yards or better three of the final five games of the regular season, and added 145 rushing yards — 122 of which came from Maroney — in the divisional playoffs last Saturday against the Jaguars.

He knows it’ll take another big effort Sunday against the Chargers if he wants to match those numbers.

“They have a real physical defense, real big guys out there,” Maroney said. “It’s not going to be too many moves you can make out there on the field. It’s going to be a one-cut and downhill kind of game.”