Laurence Maroney (1 Viewer)

[David Yudkin]

2. NE likes interchangeable parts. They've mastered it to the point where no injury or FA loss (except for Brady) seems to affect them.And this mentality applies to their RBs as well. They don't want one guy to do all the jobs at RB. They want a host of guys with varied strengths that will constantly provide confusion and matchup problems for defenses. Maroney may be the most talented all around RB on NE, but he isn't the best individual pass catcher, blocker, or power runner on NE and they don't plan on force-fitting him into those roles; they have other guys who they'll happily use.

NE also liked to "spread the ball around" in the passing game until Moss arrived. NE will alter it's game plan to whatever gives them the best chance to win. Simple. If they feel giving 5 different RBs touches will accomplish that, thats what they will do. If they feel giving Maroney 90% of the RB touches will do that, thats what they will do.

IMO, you are on the right track, but NE will do what it takes TO WIN IN THE POST SEASON and that is a big difference. I'm pretty sure that the Pats heading into the season essentially assume they will make the playoffs, so everything they do will be to go as far as they can in the post season. If that means LIMITING Maroney's regular season workload to have him fresh in January, that's what they will do. As I said in several threads, they can easily beat most teams without using Maroney much if at all. there is no benefit to giving him the ball 35 times in most games. They can win in the regular season without him. They probably will not get very far without him inthe playoffs.To this end, NE is has already said they need to cut back Moss' number of plays because he ran out og gas down the stretch. I am still trying to figure out what that actually translates to . . .

 

[switz]

I can see why their aren't many people willing to hitch themselves to the maroney bandwagon. The RBBC and injury issues are alarming and somewhat unpredictable, but that stretch run at the end of the season was an indicator of what the kid is capable of when healthy and given a shot (granted this occured w/out sammy morris playing). I just think his talent will eventually payoff for those who are patient with him.One other question: How would you rank maroney in comparison to J. Stewart and Mendenhall? Do you see more upside with Maroney or the two rooks? I'm trying to establish his value in comparison to the incoming class.

I'd rather have Maroney than any of the rookies(including McFadden.) The only one who isn't on a cruddy team has to contend with a guy who has run for 1000 yards each of the last 3 years.

Totally off topic, but I can think of at least one rookie on a GREAT team who only has to contend with a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 years in his career.

 

[jurb26]

I can see why their aren't many people willing to hitch themselves to the maroney bandwagon. The RBBC and injury issues are alarming and somewhat unpredictable, but that stretch run at the end of the season was an indicator of what the kid is capable of when healthy and given a shot (granted this occured w/out sammy morris playing). I just think his talent will eventually payoff for those who are patient with him.One other question: How would you rank maroney in comparison to J. Stewart and Mendenhall? Do you see more upside with Maroney or the two rooks? I'm trying to establish his value in comparison to the incoming class.

I'd rather have Maroney than any of the rookies(including McFadden.) The only one who isn't on a cruddy team has to contend with a guy who has run for 1000 yards each of the last 3 years.

Totally off topic, but I can think of at least one rookie on a GREAT team who only has to contend with a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 years in his career.

I know who you are talking about and it's rather funny to consider that a "GREAT" team. They are probably no better than 3rd in their own division.

 

[twitch]

IMO, just leading the league in scoring is underselling the magnitude of the NE offense from last year. Here are the numbers for the only teams that scored 500 points and what they did the year after. I included SD as they were on pace for scoring 500 points before the strike hit in 1982 (so technically they never scored 500 points).

04 IND 522 439

01 STL 503 316

00 STL 540 503

99 STL 526 540

98 DEN 501 314

98 MIN 556 399

94 SFO 505 457

84 MIA 513 428

83 WAS 541 426

82 SDC 512 358

Good stuff there, DY. Thank you. I see some pretty strong dropoffs. '02 Rams. '99 Broncos. Even the '99 Vikings, though 25pts a game isnt bad. Id guess '02 was a year Faulk was injured, and in '99, TD tore his ACL.

I dont want to undersell the Pats' O, but was just trying to simplify that point using scoring as the primary measurement. But, I can certainly see them falling well off that pace they had last year. But they should still score in the 28pt/game range. And Brady could very well throw for as many yds as last year, but I wouldnt expect anywhere near the # of TDs. Anything over 30 imo would be a tremendous year. If Moss goes down, that passing game is entirely human. And Moss does get hurt from time to time. If NE's O is going to suffer a similar dropoff to some of those other great Os, a Moss injury would be the most likely reason, imo. I just see Maroney having a stellar year whether Moss is healthy or not.

 

[joffer]

good thread. the potential projections for Maroney cover a pretty wide range. I wouldn't have a problem taking a chance on him as my RB2 if I was stacked at WR, maybe in the late 3rd, early 4th. who knows, Belichek could come out running this year like he came out passing last year. i doubt it would happen, but it wouldn't totally shock me.

 

[David Yudkin]

There are probably reasons why the top scoring teams fell off. As you mentioned, TD got hurt for DEN, but they also had Elway retire.

 

[twitch]

good thread. the potential projections for Maroney cover a pretty wide range. I wouldn't have a problem taking a chance on him as my RB2 if I was stacked at WR, maybe in the late 3rd, early 4th. who knows, Belichek could come out running this year like he came out passing last year. i doubt it would happen, but it wouldn't totally shock me.

Ill say one thing. You get Maroney in the 4th, and your other 3 picks dont suck, youre winning a league. Depends on the size of the league. 12 teams in the 4th? Dont see it. 10 team leagues? A possibility. Not likely because more than likely, Maroney is going to look decent in the preseason, and NE may throttle a couple of teams, and atleast one owner out of 10 will be willing to reach. But Id say if you got him in the 3rd, as a #2 behind Barber, LT, Jackson or someone of that level, and secured Owens or Fitz or Edwards, youd be in pretty darned good shape. He's just not going in the 4th barring serious injury. And I really think when it gets right down to it, he wont last til the 3rd in many either. Just a guess.

 

[David Yudkin]

Not to burst twitch's bubble, but in the few leagues I've already drafted in Maroney has been a 2nd round pick in all of them.

 

[travdogg]

I can see why their aren't many people willing to hitch themselves to the maroney bandwagon. The RBBC and injury issues are alarming and somewhat unpredictable, but that stretch run at the end of the season was an indicator of what the kid is capable of when healthy and given a shot (granted this occured w/out sammy morris playing). I just think his talent will eventually payoff for those who are patient with him.One other question: How would you rank maroney in comparison to J. Stewart and Mendenhall? Do you see more upside with Maroney or the two rooks? I'm trying to establish his value in comparison to the incoming class.

I'd rather have Maroney than any of the rookies(including McFadden.) The only one who isn't on a cruddy team has to contend with a guy who has run for 1000 yards each of the last 3 years.

Totally off topic, but I can think of at least one rookie on a GREAT team who only has to contend with a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 years in his career.

:X I know who you are talking about and it's rather funny to consider that a "GREAT" team. They are probably no better than 3rd in their own division.

Since this is Switz, I think he's talking about Felix Jones.

 

[joffer]

good thread. the potential projections for Maroney cover a pretty wide range. I wouldn't have a problem taking a chance on him as my RB2 if I was stacked at WR, maybe in the late 3rd, early 4th. who knows, Belichek could come out running this year like he came out passing last year. i doubt it would happen, but it wouldn't totally shock me.

Ill say one thing. You get Maroney in the 4th, and your other 3 picks dont suck, youre winning a league. Depends on the size of the league. 12 teams in the 4th? Dont see it. 10 team leagues? A possibility. Not likely because more than likely, Maroney is going to look decent in the preseason, and NE may throttle a couple of teams, and atleast one owner out of 10 will be willing to reach. But Id say if you got him in the 3rd, as a #2 behind Barber, LT, Jackson or someone of that level, and secured Owens or Fitz or Edwards, youd be in pretty darned good shape. He's just not going in the 4th barring serious injury. And I really think when it gets right down to it, he wont last til the 3rd in many either. Just a guess.

i do mocks occassionally over at this site, his current ADP is 3.09

 

[twitch]

Not to burst twitch's bubble, but in the few leagues I've already drafted in Maroney has been a 2nd round pick in all of them.

Maroney's been looking undervalued all offseason. Smart owners know how to work the boards. But when it gets down to it, he really should be drafted about where youre seeing him go.

 

[jurb26]

I can see why their aren't many people willing to hitch themselves to the maroney bandwagon. The RBBC and injury issues are alarming and somewhat unpredictable, but that stretch run at the end of the season was an indicator of what the kid is capable of when healthy and given a shot (granted this occured w/out sammy morris playing). I just think his talent will eventually payoff for those who are patient with him.One other question: How would you rank maroney in comparison to J. Stewart and Mendenhall? Do you see more upside with Maroney or the two rooks? I'm trying to establish his value in comparison to the incoming class.

I'd rather have Maroney than any of the rookies(including McFadden.) The only one who isn't on a cruddy team has to contend with a guy who has run for 1000 yards each of the last 3 years.

Totally off topic, but I can think of at least one rookie on a GREAT team who only has to contend with a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 years in his career.

I know who you are talking about and it's rather funny to consider that a "GREAT" team. They are probably no better than 3rd in their own division.

Since this is Switz, I think he's talking about Felix Jones.

Even worse....

 

[David Yudkin]

Not to burst twitch's bubble, but in the few leagues I've already drafted in Maroney has been a 2nd round pick in all of them.

Maroney's been looking undervalued all offseason. Smart owners know how to work the boards. But when it gets down to it, he really should be drafted about where youre seeing him go.

I have been seeing him go to LT/ADP/Westbrook owners on the way back in the 2nd which I guess makes sense. At that point, Brady and Manning have been gone along with Moss, Owens and a couple other receivers. By that point, taking Maroney could be a coup de grace if he pans out.If you figure 2 QB, 5 WR, and 15 or so RBs off the board, he does start to look more attractive . . .

 

[switz]

I can see why their aren't many people willing to hitch themselves to the maroney bandwagon. The RBBC and injury issues are alarming and somewhat unpredictable, but that stretch run at the end of the season was an indicator of what the kid is capable of when healthy and given a shot (granted this occured w/out sammy morris playing). I just think his talent will eventually payoff for those who are patient with him.

One other question: How would you rank maroney in comparison to J. Stewart and Mendenhall? Do you see more upside with Maroney or the two rooks? I'm trying to establish his value in comparison to the incoming class.

I'd rather have Maroney than any of the rookies(including McFadden.) The only one who isn't on a cruddy team has to contend with a guy who has run for 1000 yards each of the last 3 years.

Totally off topic, but I can think of at least one rookie on a GREAT team who only has to contend with a guy who has never rushed for 1,000 years in his career.

I know who you are talking about and it's rather funny to consider that a "GREAT" team. They are probably no better than 3rd in their own division.

Since this is Switz, I think he's talking about Felix Jones.

Even worse....

Dallas is worse than third in their division??? And for the record, there are other rookies that fit that bill

 

[cstu]

Give me the starting RB on the highest scoring team in the league every single year.

This is indeed a very sound strategy, as I looked up just how this worked out. The caveat, of course, is that it's easy to say this AFTER the season, but it's not always so easy BEFORE the season to pick the top scoring team in the preseason.In 39 years since the merger, the top scoring team's #1 RB has ranked:#1 7 times (18%)Top 5 18 times (46%)Top 10 33 times (85%)Those that were not Top 10 . . .2007 Maroney NE 25 (Pats #1 in passing yds)1998 Smith MIN 12 (Vikes #1 in passing yds)1996 Bennett GB 25 (Pack #5 in passing yds)1985 Spencer SD 35 (Bolts #1 in passing yds)1984 Bennett MIA 30 (Phins #1 in passing yds)1974 Hubbard OAK 18 (Raiders #6 in passing yds)Not surprising that the times the leading rusher was not a big player, he was on heavy passing teams

How many of those RB's catch as few passes as Maroney?

 

[joffer]

looking at FBG's ADP for Maroney, his ADP is all over the place

Expert - 36

MFL - 38

MDC - 18

FFC - 35

ESPN - 19

CBS - 31

weird

 

[Rounders]

Had my draft last night and Maroney turned into an value pick. I scooped him up in round 5, 44th overall (ADP 34th overall), but I was not excited about it. I'm having a hard time figuring out the NE running game. I was able to land Jordan late (16th round), but not sure if he's the backup (is it Morris)?

Any homers have an insight?

 

[David Yudkin]

Had my draft last night and Maroney turned into an value pick. I scooped him up in round 5, 44th overall (ADP 34th overall), but I was not excited about it. I'm having a hard time figuring out the NE running game. I was able to land Jordan late (16th round), but not sure if he's the backup (is it Morris)?Any homers have an insight?

Read the thread again. Nothing really has changed, only they added Jordan (which could take away a few touches from Maroney).

 

[Preds]

Not to burst twitch's bubble, but in the few leagues I've already drafted in Maroney has been a 2nd round pick in all of them.

Maroney's been looking undervalued all offseason. Smart owners know how to work the boards. But when it gets down to it, he really should be drafted about where youre seeing him go.

I have been seeing him go to LT/ADP/Westbrook owners on the way back in the 2nd which I guess makes sense. At that point, Brady and Manning have been gone along with Moss, Owens and a couple other receivers. By that point, taking Maroney could be a coup de grace if he pans out.If you figure 2 QB, 5 WR, and 15 or so RBs off the board, he does start to look more attractive . . .

I took ADP at 1.01 in my 12 team redraft and Maroney slid and slid and slid all the way to me at 7.01. Ernest Graham also slid quite a bit, down to me at 6.12.With the RB value sitting on the board I stocked up on WR's in rounds 2-4 and took my QB1 in rd 5.

What's crazy is even at 7.01 I don't feel Maroney was a huge value. I'm just not sold that he's a significant part of the Pats offense (at least not enough to consider him as a safe RB2). Please convince me otherwise!

 

[bucsbaby]

I have a chance to trade for Maroney in a 10 team IDP dynasty league, but would only do so if I could convince myself he could be a top 20 RB this year in the following scoring sytem:

10 yds rush/receive: 1

Rush/receive TD: 6

ppr: .5

The lack of ppr for Maroney I think hurts him in this case and I also feel like he won't get a lot of touches compared to other RBs. I have him currently in my mind as a low-end #3 RB.

The owner sold the farm for him in our auction draft (as in overpaid by 100%+ at least based on my conservative projections) but ended up hamstrung with the rest of his team since we were drafting 40 roster spots.

Does anyone feel like Maroney could sneak his way into the top 25 even this year? I don't.

 

[ceo3west]

Not to burst twitch's bubble, but in the few leagues I've already drafted in Maroney has been a 2nd round pick in all of them.

Maroney's been looking undervalued all offseason. Smart owners know how to work the boards. But when it gets down to it, he really should be drafted about where youre seeing him go.

I have been seeing him go to LT/ADP/Westbrook owners on the way back in the 2nd which I guess makes sense. At that point, Brady and Manning have been gone along with Moss, Owens and a couple other receivers. By that point, taking Maroney could be a coup de grace if he pans out.If you figure 2 QB, 5 WR, and 15 or so RBs off the board, he does start to look more attractive . . .

Personally I'd rather pick an RB with much more upside here. Owners refuse to see the writing on the wall for Maroney - the signing of Jordan. What that told me was the Maroney will not see any more than his standard 17-19 carries a game, with very few receptions to go along with that. I don't care what kind of offense he's in - his production will be limited and last year's numbers are probably his ceiling. Not to mention Jordan is an ideal goalline back. Give me McFadden over this guy in a heartbeat. At the very least he matches Maroney's fantasy output last year IMO, with a much higher ceiling. In fact I'd probably prefer Thomas Jones over Maroney. I know he'll be touching the ball 20-25 times a game, and get the goalline.