Maroney vs. Morris (Maroney Injury) (1 Viewer)

[FFLaddiction]

Any news on Maroney's groin injury? I wonder if the fact that this had kept him out of the line-up for 2 weeks might indicate that this is going to be a season long issue?

Should Morris owners even be concerned with a Maroney return? I personally have great doubts about Maroney getting any goal line carries in the near future.

Your thoughts?

 

[Routilla]

Any news on Maroney's groin injury? I wonder if the fact that this had kept him out of the line-up for 2 weeks might indicate that this is going to be a season long issue?Should Morris owners even be concerned with a Maroney return? I personally have great doubts about Maroney getting any goal line carries in the near future. Your thoughts?

Week 6 @DAL is not a great match-up for either guy. Brady will be throwing all day as the DAL pass defense is certainly weaker than the run defense.

 

[NoCheese]

I think we've learned with the Pats that they are as stealth as it gets regarding injuries. Maroney's leg could be on the verge of falling off or he could be completely healthy. We'd never know!

 

[KellysHeroes]

if he doesn't play this week... then theres something seriously wrong with him....

 

[Texican]

Any news on Maroney's groin injury? I wonder if the fact that this had kept him out of the line-up for 2 weeks might indicate that this is going to be a season long issue?

Should Morris owners even be concerned with a Maroney return? I personally have great doubts about Maroney getting any goal line carries in the near future.

Your thoughts?

Of course. I don't think Morris will be benched or anything. But right now he is the main guy. When Maroney gets back, his carries will definitely be cut. I do think he will still get the majority of goalline work.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'll keep on this again this week. Likely no news yet as there has not been any practices yet this week.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

I'll keep on this again this week. Likely no news yet as there has not been any practices yet this week.

Thanks David and I will be sure to check in. Keep up the great inside scoop on this situation as it is very vital to many of us.

 

[Texican]

I'll keep on this again this week. Likely no news yet as there has not been any practices yet this week.

David - Do you know if Maroney had an MRI done?

 

[Ariakis]

My theory is they've been holding Maroney back to make sure he was healthy for THIS game. As mentioned above, if Maroney doesn't get the majority of touches then it's definately time to rethink his future value.

 

[ImTheScientist]

My theory is they've been holding Maroney back to make sure he was healthy for THIS game. As mentioned above, if Maroney doesn't get the majority of touches then it's definately time to rethink his future value.

As a Maroney owner I hope you are right.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'll keep on this again this week. Likely no news yet as there has not been any practices yet this week.

David - Do you know if Maroney had an MRI done?

I haven't heard one way or the other and I doubt I have a way of finding out if he did.

 

[tommyGunZ]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter).

Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

 

[packersfan]

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

I think that's a good move to make as well. I am concerned about the injury situation because he doesn't seem to be the sturdiest of RBs but in this offense he has no worse than solid RB2 potential if healthy. And that type of production has great value this season given all the bizarre things going on every week. If you can get a steady RB2 plugged into your lineup that's not a bad thing to have right now. If you don't have to part with much, trading for Maroney isn't a bad move in my opinion. I'm putting together an offer for him in my league and I'll see if he'll bite.

 

[Garts]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter). Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

I agree with most of this post...but Morris has been a steady chain mover this year and almost always converts 3rd and even 4th and shorts. He is a quicker version of Rudi Johnson who is a BB type of player.They are not really missing a beat with Sammy in there...except for the big play explsiveness LM gives them.Morris is the new Dillon.

 

[delusional]

So far Morris > Maroney as in terms of production really.

Like it was said, they aren't missing a beat with Maroney on the sideline & Morris def has done nothing wrong to get benched or a reductiion in carries.

 

[ImTheScientist]

So far Morris > Maroney as in terms of production really. Like it was said, they aren't missing a beat with Maroney on the sideline & Morris def has done nothing wrong to get benched or a reductiion in carries.

The wouldn't miss a beat with Troy Hambrick in the game.

 

[acme]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter).

Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

The way I see it Morris was a GREAT value! I'll bet he has put up more points YTD than Maroney in most scoring systems.For sure Maroney was a 1st round pick in all 3 of my leagues.

I got Morris in the 10th round in one, the 11th round in another, and he went undrafted in the (much smaller) 3rd.

My wife plays in a $200 auction league. Maroney went for over $50. She got Morris for a BUCK!

IMO it is your statement on Morris' value that is "way, way overblown"

 

[tommyGunZ]

So far Morris > Maroney as in terms of production really. Like it was said, they aren't missing a beat with Maroney on the sideline & Morris def has done nothing wrong to get benched or a reductiion in carries.

Maroney has missed two games, so saying that Morris has outproduced Maroney in terms of production means little. When Maroney and Morris were both healthy, Maroney was getting twice the carries, and was extremely productive (4.7 ypc). A couple of fluke TDs by Morris made the situation seem far more RBBC than it really is.I'm not arguing that Morris hasn't been productive. The Pats targeted him in the offseason, and he's been a great fit in the offense. I'm just not ready to pronounce the situation RBBC, as I think we'll go back to the first 2-3 weeks when Maroney's healthy, which could be as early as this week. TDs are extremely tough to predict, so I think now is the time to target Maroney before he settles back into the lead back role in the offense.

 

[ImTheScientist]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter).

Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

The way I see it Morris was a GREAT value! I'll bet he has put up more points YTD than Maroney in most scoring systems.For sure Maroney was a 1st round pick in all 3 of my leagues.

I got Morris in the 10th round in one, the 11th round in another, and he went undrafted in the (much smaller) 3rd.

My wife plays in a $200 auction league. Maroney went for over $50. She got Morris for a BUCK!

IMO it is your statement on Morris' value that is "way, way overblown"

He means Value going forward and not Value to this point.

 

[tommyGunZ]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter).

Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

The way I see it Morris was a GREAT value! I'll bet he has put up more points YTD than Maroney in most scoring systems.For sure Maroney was a 1st round pick in all 3 of my leagues.

I got Morris in the 10th round in one, the 11th round in another, and he went undrafted in the (much smaller) 3rd.

My wife plays in a $200 auction league. Maroney went for over $50. She got Morris for a BUCK!

IMO it is your statement on Morris' value that is "way, way overblown"

I'm talking about value from here on out. There is absolutely zero argument with regard to Morris' production compared to his pre-draft projections - thus far he's been a phenomenal value. That is indisputable. Kudos to Mrs. Acme.

 

[David Yudkin]

Just heard back from my man on the street . . .

His opinion is that if this were the playoffs Maroney would have been playing the last two weeks and that the team is still treating him with kid gloves.

So he and I agree that there is no point in risking further injury in what is not a life or death, do or die game. The Pats lost last year in the post season because they ran out of healthy, capable running backs and IMO they don't want to risk having Maroney out for an extended stretch and want to keep him fresh for January. I've been saying that for months and I don't see evidence to refute that at this point.

I have no other solid info for this week yet, but I think that we can take away from this that Maroney is probably not seriously injured and they have been holding him out as more as a precaution.

Heading forward, I think BOTH Maroney and Morris will have a fair amount of value but neither one will put up RB1 numbers. They may both be RB2s (like Dillon and Maroney last year). We'll have to revisit this once both guys are healthy.

In MY opinion for this week, I would guess that Maroney will play this week because the Cowboys are not in the same talent spectrum as the Browns.

 

[Cenobite]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing .

The way I see it Morris was a GREAT value! I'll bet he has put up more points YTD than Maroney in most scoring systems.For sure Maroney was a 1st round pick in all 3 of my leagues.

I got Morris in the 10th round in one, the 11th round in another, and he went undrafted in the (much smaller) 3rd.

My wife plays in a $200 auction league. Maroney went for over $50. She got Morris for a BUCK!

IMO it is your statement on Morris' value that is "way, way overblown"

Does she have a sister? There can be no disagreement that Morris has been, and will be, better value than the Maroney pick. Indeed, Morris is in the Dillon role and he has better receiving skills. This is a true RBBC with Morris getting more G/L looks and Maroney getting the occasional long TDs.

 

[ImTheScientist]

Just heard back from my man on the street . . .His opinion is that if this were the playoffs Maroney would have been playing the last two weeks and that the team is still treating him with kid gloves.So he and I agree that there is no point in risking further injury in what is not a life or death, do or die game. The Pats lost last year in the post season because they ran out of healthy, capable running backs and IMO they don't want to risk having Maroney out for an extended stretch and want to keep him fresh for January. I've been saying that for months and I don't see evidence to refute that at this point.I have no other solid info for this week yet, but I think that we can take away from this that Maroney is probably not seriously injured and they have been holding him out as more as a precaution.Heading forward, I think BOTH Maroney and Morris will have a fair amount of value but neither one will put up RB1 numbers. They may both be RB2s (like Dillon and Maroney last year). We'll have to revisit this once both guys are healthy.In MY opinion for this week, I would guess that Maroney will play this week because the Cowboys are not in the same talent spectrum as the Browns.

Thank you! Keep us updated.

 

[tommyGunZ]

This is a true RBBC with Morris getting more G/L looks and Maroney getting the occasional long TDs.

Why do you say this? What makes you think Morris is the "GL" back?

 

[tommyGunZ]

another for Yudkin for keeping his ear on the Foxboro ground.

 

[djcolts]

My theory is they've been holding Maroney back to make sure he was healthy for THIS game. As mentioned above, if Maroney doesn't get the majority of touches then it's definately time to rethink his future value.

This is not nearly as big of a game in reality than it will be in terms of hype. This is a non-conference road game - if the Pats lose only one game this year, this is the ideal one to lose because if they won all the rest of them they will get the #1 seed no matter what the Colts or Steelers do (because they play both of those teams later). This means saving Maroney for this game really doesn't make sense in the long run.

 

[acme]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter).

Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

The way I see it Morris was a GREAT value! I'll bet he has put up more points YTD than Maroney in most scoring systems.For sure Maroney was a 1st round pick in all 3 of my leagues.

I got Morris in the 10th round in one, the 11th round in another, and he went undrafted in the (much smaller) 3rd.

My wife plays in a $200 auction league. Maroney went for over $50. She got Morris for a BUCK!

IMO it is your statement on Morris' value that is "way, way overblown"

I'm talking about value from here on out. There is absolutely zero argument with regard to Morris' production compared to his pre-draft projections - thus far he's been a phenomenal value. That is indisputable. Kudos to Mrs. Acme.

Now that I think about it, Pasquino has a team in her league... (She's dominating him!) (what a woman!) As I re-read the posts it appears that I misunderstood your statement and I may have been a little over-zealous (gasp) in defending Sammy... I hear where you're coming from now, and agree going forward Maroney probably has a better value, although anyone on the Patriots is good to have right now. My apologies if I was a little harsh, it was not intentional

EDITED: to take out the link to Pasquino's auction league where my wife is in first place... it is a password protected link and no-one would have been able to access it. FYI: FF Today, Fox Sports, Sports Grumblings, CoachBox, and IPL Sports also all have entrants in that league and she's beating them too!

 

[ImTheScientist]

Now that I think about it, Pasquino has a team in her league: SG Auction League II She's dominating him (what a woman!)

As I re-read the posts it appears that I misunderstood your statement and I may have been a little over-zealous (gasp) in defending Sammy... I hear where you're coming from now, and agree going forward Maroney probably has a better value, although anyone on the Patriots is good to have right now. My apologies if I was a little harsh, it was not intentional

 

[tommyGunZ]

My apologies if I was a little harsh, it was not intentional

Not at all bro - it's all good.

 

[Gopher State]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter). Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

I respectfully disagree with this post. The Shark move is to get Morris, everyone thinks Maroney will get all the carries etc., but bottom line is Morris is healthly (at this point) and Maroney has groin injury which could bother him all season. Morris is the guy who has showen the burst of speed, hard running etc, not Maroney. In NE the player that performs plays the most. I see the running game when Maroney returns being 55 Maroney 45 Morris with Morris getting the goalline carries making him the one who gets the most FF points. Finally look at the numbers:Maroney 4.7 ypc longest run 19 yardsMorris 4.9 ypc longest run 49 yards If you were the coach based on the above numbers who would be your RB?

 

[David Yudkin]

And for those hungry for Pats news . . .

As I mentioned yesterday, Seymour apparently is making huge strides and looks on track to return strong after his 6 game hiatus. Apparently he's been a workout warrior and has shown no signs of further health issues and has been getting stronger each day without any further setbacks. He can't practice per league rules yet, but I would guess he'll be back and as good as ever in Game 7 (or Game 8 if they want to bring him up to speed first). But the rumors that he could miss the entire season or has been struggling seem to be overblown.

On the Randy Moss front, Moss appears happier than ever and raves at how much he likes being in New England. League rules do not allow him to sign a new deal during the season (remember, he renegotiated to come to the Pats and only one contract renegotiation is allowed per NFL season). But it sounds like he's already talking about wanting to return to the Pats. I have no idea what sort of $$$ he will want or what the Pats will offer, but at least he's happy and gushing as opposed to grumpy and whining.

Good news all around for Pats fans.

Geting back to Maroney, a huge indictation of what they plan to do with huim will be reflected in how hard they work him in practice the next few days. I'll keep tabs on what goes on this week . . .

 

[packersfan]

So in other words if you own Maroney or are trying to trade for him he's a high risk/decent reward player. He's clearly still hurt and Yudkin's info - much appreciated for that by the way - indicates there's no way to know when he'll be 100% again or if he will be the rest of the season. And if Maroney continues to be treated with kid gloves that likely means Morris will continue to be heavily involved even if Maroney plays (which should be expected given how well Morris has played). Add in the fact the Patriots don't appear to need Maroney at all at the present time and it's tough to get overly excited about him. I still think he's worth pursuing in a trade if you need RB help or aren't giving up a lot. A solid RB2 - if Maroney can get there - will definitely have value.

 

[jdoggydogg]

My theory is they've been holding Maroney back to make sure he was healthy for THIS game. As mentioned above, if Maroney doesn't get the majority of touches then it's definately time to rethink his future value.

This is not nearly as big of a game in reality than it will be in terms of hype. This is a non-conference road game - if the Pats lose only one game this year, this is the ideal one to lose because if they won all the rest of them they will get the #1 seed no matter what the Colts or Steelers do (because they play both of those teams later). This means saving Maroney for this game really doesn't make sense in the long run.

I would agree with this if the Colts weren't 5-0. If the Colts were 4-1, it'd be easier to lose the Dallas game. Furthermore, some critics are saying that the Colts have played a tougher schedule, and that NE has beat up mediocre teams. The Patriots will be very fired up to make a statement in this matchup.

 

[ImTheScientist]

So in other words if you own Maroney or are trying to trade for him he's a high risk/decent reward player. He's clearly still hurt and Yudkin's info - much appreciated for that by the way - indicates there's no way to know when he'll be 100% again or if he will be the rest of the season. And if Maroney continues to be treated with kid gloves that likely means Morris will continue to be heavily involved even if Maroney plays (which should be expected given how well Morris has played). Add in the fact the Patriots don't appear to need Maroney at all at the present time and it's tough to get overly excited about him. I still think he's worth pursuing in a trade if you need RB help or aren't giving up a lot. A solid RB2 - if Maroney can get there - will definitely have value.

Where does he say that

 

[tommyGunZ]

On the Randy Moss front, Moss appears happier than ever and raves at how much he likes being in New England. League rules do not allow him to sign a new deal during the season (remember, he renegotiated to come to the Pats and only one contract renegotiation is allowed per NFL season). But it sounds like he's already talking about wanting to return to the Pats. I have no idea what sort of $$$ he will want or what the Pats will offer, but at least he's happy and gushing as opposed to grumpy and whining.

Funny how winning and trading Andrew Walter for Tom Brady can change things.

 

[packersfan]

So in other words if you own Maroney or are trying to trade for him he's a high risk/decent reward player. He's clearly still hurt and Yudkin's info - much appreciated for that by the way - indicates there's no way to know when he'll be 100% again or if he will be the rest of the season. And if Maroney continues to be treated with kid gloves that likely means Morris will continue to be heavily involved even if Maroney plays (which should be expected given how well Morris has played). Add in the fact the Patriots don't appear to need Maroney at all at the present time and it's tough to get overly excited about him. I still think he's worth pursuing in a trade if you need RB help or aren't giving up a lot. A solid RB2 - if Maroney can get there - will definitely have value.

Where does he say that

There's no need to baby a player along if he's healthy. If he was 100% he'd be playing. There'd be no need to baby him along and hold him out for lesser games. That the Patriots have now done that twice indicates Maroney isn't at 100%. And if he isn't at 100% now, there's no way of knowing if he ever will be at any point this season.

 

[Koya]

So far Morris > Maroney as in terms of production really. Like it was said, they aren't missing a beat with Maroney on the sideline & Morris def has done nothing wrong to get benched or a reductiion in carries.

Maroney has missed two games, so saying that Morris has outproduced Maroney in terms of production means little. When Maroney and Morris were both healthy, Maroney was getting twice the carries, and was extremely productive (4.7 ypc). A couple of fluke TDs by Morris made the situation seem far more RBBC than it really is.I'm not arguing that Morris hasn't been productive. The Pats targeted him in the offseason, and he's been a great fit in the offense. I'm just not ready to pronounce the situation RBBC, as I think we'll go back to the first 2-3 weeks when Maroney's healthy, which could be as early as this week. TDs are extremely tough to predict, so I think now is the time to target Maroney before he settles back into the lead back role in the offense.

TG, have you watched the games? Really... because much of what you say has not been the case at all. Morris outscored Maroney WHEN THEY BOTH PLAYED in the first 3 games this season. Morris DID get the goaline looks, not just when Maroney was tired.Maroney may have more talent, but he does not have much (if any) of a better opportunity considering he will get 40% of the carries and many/most of the goaline looks.

 

[Texican]

IMO, Morris' value is way, way overblown at this point. He isn't replacing Maroney at the goal line except in situations where Maroney needs a blow. If you look at the game logs for the first few weeks when both were healthy, it was Maroney's job, with Morris spelling him and taking over in garbage time. Unfortunately for Maroney owners, Morris scored a garbage time TD in game 2, and another TD midway through the 3rd in week 3 (after Maroney got the carries on the first two possessions of the 3rd quarter).

Morris' TDs seem somewhat flukey when you view them in context. While he's proven to be more than an adequate backup, and has ran well the past two weeks while Maroney has been inactive, this isn't RBBC, and won't be when Maroney returns, IMO. Morris is a 30 yr old career 3rd stringer, with 1500 total yards before 2007. Maroney is the first round pick with speed, wiggle, and big play explosiveness. And while Maroney has been disappointing for fantasy owners, he's averaging 4.7 ypc. I think Belichick is more than happy with Maroney's performance on the field, although he has to be frustrated with his nagging groin.

The FFA move is to target Maroney right now.

I respectfully disagree with this post. The Shark move is to get Morris, everyone thinks Maroney will get all the carries etc., but bottom line is Morris is healthly (at this point) and Maroney has groin injury which could bother him all season. Morris is the guy who has showen the burst of speed, hard running etc, not Maroney. In NE the player that performs plays the most. I see the running game when Maroney returns being 55 Maroney 45 Morris with Morris getting the goalline carries making him the one who gets the most FF points. Finally look at the numbers:Maroney 4.7 ypc longest run 19 yards

Morris 4.9 ypc longest run 49 yards

If you were the coach based on the above numbers who would be your RB?

What the Faulk?

 

[David Yudkin]

So in other words if you own Maroney or are trying to trade for him he's a high risk/decent reward player. He's clearly still hurt and Yudkin's info - much appreciated for that by the way - indicates there's no way to know when he'll be 100% again or if he will be the rest of the season. And if Maroney continues to be treated with kid gloves that likely means Morris will continue to be heavily involved even if Maroney plays (which should be expected given how well Morris has played). Add in the fact the Patriots don't appear to need Maroney at all at the present time and it's tough to get overly excited about him. I still think he's worth pursuing in a trade if you need RB help or aren't giving up a lot. A solid RB2 - if Maroney can get there - will definitely have value.

Where does he say that

There's no need to baby a player along if he's healthy. If he was 100% he'd be playing. There'd be no need to baby him along and hold him out for lesser games. That the Patriots have now done that twice indicates Maroney isn't at 100%. And if he isn't at 100% now, there's no way of knowing if he ever will be at any point this season.

I think you came to a different conclusion than I did, and I guess no one really knows the answer.My point was that the Pats don't need Maroney now. They need him in January. Even if Maroney were consistently 100% healthy, I STILL think that they would limit him to 15-18 carries a game with a high of 20. There is no point in tiring him out or risking further injury by overusing him. They can win games without him in October. It will be much harder to win in the playoffs without him.

Using baseball as an example, why burn out your closer in a 14-1 rout?

Even before the past two weeks, Maroney was not on the field all that much (he was only playing 40-50% of the snaps IIRC). IMO, it's clear that he will not be used like Larry Johnson any time soon.

 

[ImTheScientist]

So in other words if you own Maroney or are trying to trade for him he's a high risk/decent reward player. He's clearly still hurt and Yudkin's info - much appreciated for that by the way - indicates there's no way to know when he'll be 100% again or if he will be the rest of the season. And if Maroney continues to be treated with kid gloves that likely means Morris will continue to be heavily involved even if Maroney plays (which should be expected given how well Morris has played). Add in the fact the Patriots don't appear to need Maroney at all at the present time and it's tough to get overly excited about him. I still think he's worth pursuing in a trade if you need RB help or aren't giving up a lot. A solid RB2 - if Maroney can get there - will definitely have value.

Where does he say that

There's no need to baby a player along if he's healthy. If he was 100% he'd be playing. There'd be no need to baby him along and hold him out for lesser games. That the Patriots have now done that twice indicates Maroney isn't at 100%. And if he isn't at 100% now, there's no way of knowing if he ever will be at any point this season.

I think you came to a different conclusion than I did, and I guess no one really knows the answer.My point was that the Pats don't need Maroney now. They need him in January. Even if Maroney were consistently 100% healthy, I STILL think that they would limit him to 15-18 carries a game with a high of 20. There is no point in tiring him out or risking further injury by overusing him. They can win games without him in October. It will be much harder to win in the playoffs without him.

Using baseball as an example, why burn out your closer in a 14-1 rout?

Even before the past two weeks, Maroney was not on the field all that much (he was only playing 40-50% of the snaps IIRC). IMO, it's clear that he will not be used like Larry Johnson any time soon.

my thoughts exactly

 

[Todem]

My theory is they've been holding Maroney back to make sure he was healthy for THIS game. As mentioned above, if Maroney doesn't get the majority of touches then it's definately time to rethink his future value.

Spot on.

 

[Fantaholic]

As a Pats fan, I get a certain feeling when I see Maroney. I got that same feeling about Terry Glenn when he was here. I think a public announcement by Parcells that implies he's a woman may be in order.

 

[David Yudkin]

As a Pats fan, I get a certain feeling when I see Maroney. I got that same feeling about Terry Glenn when he was here. I think a public announcement by Parcells that implies he's a woman may be in order.

I disagree. Glenn was the one asking not to play. I think Maroney wants to play and the Pats won't let him. Big difference.

 

[Koya]

As a Pats fan, I get a certain feeling when I see Maroney. I got that same feeling about Terry Glenn when he was here. I think a public announcement by Parcells that implies he's a woman may be in order.

I disagree. Glenn was the one asking not to play. I think Maroney wants to play and the Pats won't let him. Big difference.

That said, you have to wonder if his body is that of a feature NFL back. All along this was a question, and he has only added fuel to that fire by being consistently dinged.

 

[tommyGunZ]

So far Morris > Maroney as in terms of production really. Like it was said, they aren't missing a beat with Maroney on the sideline & Morris def has done nothing wrong to get benched or a reductiion in carries.

Maroney has missed two games, so saying that Morris has outproduced Maroney in terms of production means little. When Maroney and Morris were both healthy, Maroney was getting twice the carries, and was extremely productive (4.7 ypc). A couple of fluke TDs by Morris made the situation seem far more RBBC than it really is.I'm not arguing that Morris hasn't been productive. The Pats targeted him in the offseason, and he's been a great fit in the offense. I'm just not ready to pronounce the situation RBBC, as I think we'll go back to the first 2-3 weeks when Maroney's healthy, which could be as early as this week. TDs are extremely tough to predict, so I think now is the time to target Maroney before he settles back into the lead back role in the offense.

TG, have you watched the games? Really... because much of what you say has not been the case at all. Morris outscored Maroney WHEN THEY BOTH PLAYED in the first 3 games this season. Morris DID get the goaline looks, not just when Maroney was tired.Maroney may have more talent, but he does not have much (if any) of a better opportunity considering he will get 40% of the carries and many/most of the goaline looks.

The facts do not support your conclusions Koya. Re-read the play-by-play from the Jets game. Maroney got 2x the carries, including most of the carries inside the 20.In the Chargers game, Morris got the carry on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter at the Chargers 3 yrd line, after Maroney had carried 8 times on that drive, including the carries on 2nd and goal, and 3rd and goal proceeding Morris' TD.In week 3, Maroney got the multiple carries inside the 10. There isn't a single drive where Maroney was pulled inside the 10 for Morris.So apparently the only support for "Morris gets the goal line carries" is 1 play in Week 2, with the Patriots ahead 31-7 with 3:30 left in the game, when Morris got the call on 4th down at the 3, after Maroney had gotten the carries on 2nd and goal and 3rd and goal.

 

[ImTheScientist]

The facts do not support your conclusions Koya. Re-read the play-by-play from the Jets game. Maroney got 2x the carries, including most of the carries inside the 20.In the Chargers game, Morris got the carry on 4th and 1 in the 3rd quarter at the Chargers 3 yrd line, after Maroney had carried 8 times on that drive, including the carries on 2nd and goal, and 3rd and goal proceeding Morris' TD.In week 3, Maroney got the multiple carries inside the 10. There isn't a single drive where Maroney was pulled inside the 10 for Morris.So apparently the only support for "Morris gets the goal line carries" is 1 play in Week 2, with the Patriots ahead 31-7 with 3:30 seconds left in the game, when Morris got the call on 4th down at the 3, after Maroney had gotten the carries on 2nd and goal and 3rd and goal.

There are just a lot of crazy Morris owners around

 

[twitch]

My theory is they've been holding Maroney back to make sure he was healthy for THIS game. As mentioned above, if Maroney doesn't get the majority of touches then it's definately time to rethink his future value.

This is not nearly as big of a game in reality than it will be in terms of hype. This is a non-conference road game - if the Pats lose only one game this year, this is the ideal one to lose because if they won all the rest of them they will get the #1 seed no matter what the Colts or Steelers do (because they play both of those teams later). This means saving Maroney for this game really doesn't make sense in the long run.

huh?? Im glad my favorite team's coaches dont think like this because it makes absolutely no sense. there's no way losing to anyone enters their mind for a second. They set their lineup every week with the intention of winning. Cleveland and the Bengals are a couple of defensive dogs. Dallas is not. Maroney may not have been saved specifically for this game (Boyz), but he's been smartly rested. He'll be a nessecary asset against Dallas playing on short rest, tired legs.

 

[David Yudkin]

As a Pats fan, I get a certain feeling when I see Maroney. I got that same feeling about Terry Glenn when he was here. I think a public announcement by Parcells that implies he's a woman may be in order.

I disagree. Glenn was the one asking not to play. I think Maroney wants to play and the Pats won't let him. Big difference.

That said, you have to wonder if his body is that of a feature NFL back. All along this was a question, and he has only added fuel to that fire by being consistently dinged.

I don't know how to respond to this, as the definition of "constistenly dinged" comes into play.He had one injury last year (shoulder) that was essentially under reported all season and required offseason surgery that had lingering effects into this year. If the Pats didn't make the playoffs, he could have had the surgery way sooner and likely would not have been a ??? in training camp.This year, he has the groin thing going on and as outlined above it may not be all that serious. Last time I checked, this was not polo. And in football, guys get hurt on occasion. I'm not prepared to lump him into the DeShaun Foster category yet. He's been hurt twice in two years and has not missed a ton of time.Again, I think he wants to play and the team won't let him (or is content to not play him and let him recover). I don't have anything to hang my hat in that regard, but I don't think he has a poor attitude or work ethic and IMO I myself would not say he is an injury waiting to happen just yet.I do think that people had Maroney way overvalued heading into the season and those ar ethe ones ready to jump off the ledge at this point.I think the Pats (and therir fans) would be plenty happy to have Maroney do minimal things in the regular season and average 125 yards a game in the post season (as opposed to the opposite). It won't hope your fantasy team any, but it will help the Pats a lot.

 

[tommyGunZ]

The facts do not support your conclusions Koya. Re-read the play-by-play from the Jets game. Maroney got 2x the carries, including most of the carries inside the 20.In the Chargers game, Morris got the carry on 4th and 1 in the 3rd quarter at the Chargers 3 yrd line, after Maroney had carried 8 times on that drive, including the carries on 2nd and goal, and 3rd and goal proceeding Morris' TD.In week 3, Maroney got the multiple carries inside the 10. There isn't a single drive where Maroney was pulled inside the 10 for Morris.So apparently the only support for "Morris gets the goal line carries" is 1 play in Week 2, with the Patriots ahead 31-7 with 3:30 seconds left in the game, when Morris got the call on 4th down at the 3, after Maroney had gotten the carries on 2nd and goal and 3rd and goal.

There are just a lot of crazy Morris owners around

If you go back an analyze how the carries are distributed, and get the context of Morris' touches and TDs, you understand that the perception of Morris' value is far greater than his actual value. Morris plays every 3rd series, and spells Maroney on long drives if Maroney has had a bunch of touches. Morris is not stealing goal line carries from Maroney, despite the perception amongst most football fans out there.That's actually a good thing. Exploit that misperception - move for Maroney now before he starts punching in TDs and Morris goes back to being the change of pace, 8-10 carry backup.

 

[Fantaholic]

As a Pats fan, I get a certain feeling when I see Maroney. I got that same feeling about Terry Glenn when he was here. I think a public announcement by Parcells that implies he's a woman may be in order.

I disagree. Glenn was the one asking not to play. I think Maroney wants to play and the Pats won't let him. Big difference.

That said, you have to wonder if his body is that of a feature NFL back. All along this was a question, and he has only added fuel to that fire by being consistently dinged.

So far he has done nothing to prove he is durable enough to be the man. While my comparison to Glenn may be pre-mature, all I am saying is that Glenn was also a guy with all the talent in the world but couldn't stay on the field. Will Maroney turn out the same? Too early to tell. What I can tell you is that I was perfectly comfortable watching Morris carry the load last game and have the utmost confidence in him to get the job done. Will he win fantasy games, probably not. However, Morris fits into the Pats scheme perfectly and will indeed help the Pats win games.