Morris/Maroney (1 Viewer)

[BBRULE]

I have disagreed with DY for a while over who would be the most productive RB in NE. All the while knowing that the real upside to whomever it did end up being was limited by a huge RBBC, thus relegated to a spot starter for bye weeks/injuries/ flex plays. It seemed like it was Taylor until he was injured. After last weeks game Morris looked like the player to have. So with Morris going down, Maroney got to handle the ball quite a bit and had a nice game. I think that most are aware of the fact that NE does indeed have a very good running game year to year and if one player is left to handle most of the touches that player could be very productive. I know faulk will still get 3rd down work, but BJGE did not get involved in this game until after Brady was pulled for Hoyer, so I don't think he is a real big threat to Maroney.

So Mr.Yudkin, any news on the severity of the Morris injury, and what do all of you think if he is out for any kind of significant time.

 

[David Yudkin]

No news yet on Morris. BJGE and Morris are similar players, so it's unlikely both of them would be actively involved in the running game on the same day.

As for the NE running game, clearly the last man standing would benefit the most in the running game. I haven't tried to suggest anything but that. If Morris can't go, Maroney will get most of the work but Faulk and BJGE will likely be involved as well.

No matter who gets the ball the most, I still would caution people that last night's game was a bit misleading given the weather, the fact that TEN pretty much already has nothing to play for, and the video game numbers the Pats put up.

I think the workload for Maroney will be around 15 carries if Morris is out. We'll have to see first what the prognosis is on Morris.

 

[DoGdr]

Any other thoughts on who's the guy to have at rb from NE this week?

 

[grateful zed]

Any other thoughts on who's the guy to have at rb from NE this week?

faulk

 

[dansav]

Any other thoughts on who's the guy to have at rb from NE this week?

It would clearly be Maroney.... Morris won't play this week if you saw the way he left the field. Faulk always has and is best used as a passing/3rd down back. I would guess16carries for Maroney5 carries for Law Firm2 carries for Faulk

 

[JMJ]

Any other thoughts on who's the guy to have at rb from NE this week?

It would clearly be Maroney.... Morris won't play this week if you saw the way he left the field. Faulk always has and is best used as a passing/3rd down back. I would guess

16carries for Maroney

5 carries for Law Firm

2 carries for Faulk

Really? You are that confident the split would be that major?

 

[David Yudkin]

My opinion really hasn't changed since yesterday. Maroney will get first shot at a bigger workload. If he does well, he will get the ball a lot more than he has been.

BJGE and Morris are similar style backs, so BJGE should start seeing some more time as well. In his case, more time = some time as he hasn't been utilized much.

Faulk may also see more plays if the team opts to pass more if they feel they aren't doing good enough running the ball. Faulk is the best blocker, so he would be in for the huge majority of passing downs.

Net result . . .

Maroney now should see the amount of work that he and Taylor had been getting.

BJGE should see the workload that Morris would have seen (if all the backs were healhty)

Faulk stays the same

The only quirk might be more dink and dunk passes and fewer rushing attempts.

I still think they will game plan differently depending upon the opponent. So some games the carry breakdown may be closer to even.

If Maroney can get 100 yards every game they will be hard pressed to not give him the ball a lot. However, other than a stretch in 2007 Maroney (for any number of reasons including health issues) has not been able to deliver that same level of production.

Things would get really interesting if Maroney got hurt. IMO, BJGE is a decent option and extremely hard worker that is not as gifted as many NFL RBs but would make for a great story if he became a go to RB. He's done well when given the opportunity.

 

[rascal]

So should owners of Morris/Taylor jump ship to Maroney or stay pat (no pun intended)?

 

[David Yudkin]

So should owners of Morris/Taylor jump ship to Maroney or stay pat (no pun intended)?

Taylor will be useless fantasy wise the rest of the way. I heard he would be out 10 weeks and would try to make a go of it in the end of the regular season to play in the playoffs. Once he comes back, I doubt they will give him a full workload.Can't speak too much about Morris yet as not enough info is available yet. He will likely miss this week and has a bye the week after, so we should know better the week after where he's at (if nothing comes out before then).I've had Morris rostered on all my teams all along. Maroney is not available in any of my leagues, but I might be inclined to pick up BJGE. (There are a couple other RB options in my leagues as well.)

 

[zamboni]

Any other thoughts on who's the guy to have at rb from NE this week?

It would clearly be Maroney.... Morris won't play this week if you saw the way he left the field. Faulk always has and is best used as a passing/3rd down back. I would guess

16carries for Maroney

5 carries for Law Firm

2 carries for Faulk

Really? You are that confident the split would be that major?

I'm wondering the same. It would be just like Belicheck to give more than a minor role to Law Firm since that just about everyone (including Tampa) is probably thinking that Maroney will be the bellcow.Law Firm may not have been active most of this year, but it seems like Belicheck does trust him. And he did prove himself last year.

 

[NatronIsMean]

From CBS:

Not very much but....

Morris' injury not season-endingPatriots RB Sammy Morris didn't return to practice Tuesday after hurting his left knee on the team's third offensive play against the Titans in Week 6. Is coach Bill Belichick confident he'll play again this season? "Sure," he said. "If the player wasn't going to be back during the season, then we'd place him on injured reserve."Well, at least that gives us something to go on, though the Patriots are keeping all information on Morris close to the vest, as usual. You'll want to keep an eye on his status throughout the week, because if he's practicing and looks like he'll play, he has some sleeper appeal against a Buccaneers defense that allowed 250 rushing yards to the Panthers in Week 6.

Anything new, DY? Thanks for your insight as always--

 

[steviey]

 

[myhousekey]

Lately this seems to be about the time of year Sammy Morris disappears from the field due to injury....

2009 - Week 6 Injury

2008 - Week 7 Injury

2007 - Week 6 Injury

 

[KGB]

If maroney is still out there. Pick him up.

The shark move is bjge. I drafted him and held him all year thinking he may get a shot. He looked great in preseason.

Pats fan here

 

[MOAT]

If maroney is still out there. Pick him up. The shark move is bjge. I drafted him and held him all year thinking he may get a shot. He looked great in preseason. Pats fan here

Shhhhhhhhhhh :(

 

[Cleat Spike]

I don't think BJGE is being taken too serious for some reason. Amazing he's RB88 on my 200 Forward? Behind quite a lot of RBs that won't even see the field most likely. One more injury infront of him (if Morris' is indeed somewhat serious) and you can write your ticket with BJGE. May even be able to without the injuries. In that O, it's well worth the gamble it seems.

 

[David Yudkin]

The Pats aren't saying a peep (not that we expected them to) and from the sound of it Morris has been kept out of sight. Even spies don't have an update on him.

I believe this stems from Fred Taylor, who being the new guy in town, spilled his guts about his injury to a Florida paper right after having surgery. That clearly went against the Patriots mantra of everyone keeping their mouths shut. As a result, I think Morris has been sent to Area 51.

 

[jobarules]

I plan on dropping Morris for BJGE (Maroney already taken). Not that anyone cares about my roster, I just think Morris will be out a few weeks minimum.

 

[ryoly]

The Pats aren't saying a peep (not that we expected them to) and from the sound of it Morris has been kept out of sight. Even spies don't have an update on him.I believe this stems from Fred Taylor, who being the new guy in town, spilled his guts about his injury to a Florida paper right after having surgery. That clearly went against the Patriots mantra of everyone keeping their mouths shut. As a result, I think Morris has been sent to Area 51.

Hi DY, are your PIs and "papparazzis" in place to see if they can get a glimpse of who boards that plane to London, or more important, to see if Morris is not on it...lol...keep up the good work.....

 

[David Yudkin]

The Pats aren't saying a peep (not that we expected them to) and from the sound of it Morris has been kept out of sight. Even spies don't have an update on him.I believe this stems from Fred Taylor, who being the new guy in town, spilled his guts about his injury to a Florida paper right after having surgery. That clearly went against the Patriots mantra of everyone keeping their mouths shut. As a result, I think Morris has been sent to Area 51.

Hi DY, are your PIs and "papparazzis" in place to see if they can get a glimpse of who boards that plane to London, or more important, to see if Morris is not on it...lol...keep up the good work.....

I'm assuming that there will be reports of who gets on and off that plane . . . unless of course they travel by balloon and someone doesn't get off that was reported being on it.

 

[jobarules]

The Pats aren't saying a peep (not that we expected them to) and from the sound of it Morris has been kept out of sight. Even spies don't have an update on him.

I believe this stems from Fred Taylor, who being the new guy in town, spilled his guts about his injury to a Florida paper right after having surgery. That clearly went against the Patriots mantra of everyone keeping their mouths shut. As a result, I think Morris has been sent to Area 51.

Hi DY, are your PIs and "papparazzis" in place to see if they can get a glimpse of who boards that plane to London, or more important, to see if Morris is not on it...lol...keep up the good work.....

I'm assuming that there will be reports of who gets on and off that plane . . . unless of course they travel by balloon and someone doesn't get off that was reported being on it.

LMAO

 

[ryoly]

Rotoworld is reporting that according to The Boston Globe, Sammy Morris was not present for the media portion of today's practice....

 

[BBRULE]

Checked out the game play by play after the Morris injury and it pretty much went 2 series for Maroney 1 for BJGE with Morris getting most or all of the 3rd down passing situation work with a few runs mixed in to keep the d honest. Although I doubt the Pats feel Maroney is a "workhorse" or "bellcow" RB since in only 15 of his 44 GP has he received 15 or more carries he has done well in those games. 15 games with 15 or more carries 280R 1293 YD 4.6 AV 9 TD.IF he gets 15 or more vs a rotten TB rush d I think he is a solid start this week. Since the Pats will usually game plan well to attack the other teams weakness, 15 carries for Maroney seems well within reach.

 

[bshell27]

Well, I missed the boat on Mendenhall and Moore. Debated too long and Mendenhall was snatched up. Now which is the best NE RB to go with? This reminds me of DEN and the days of Shanahan. Should we even bother guessing?

 

[Knobs]

Hey, yet another NE rb thread! Awesome!!

:confetti:

 

[bshell27]

Hey, yet another NE rb thread! Awesome!!:confetti:

Well, I think this is justified. The information is all over the place in the other threads. And frankly, the "Start ________ over _________" threads are a complete joke. This thread is directly on point to an obviously important issue for the FBG's. Therefore, making the information easier to find.

 

[davearm]

My personal opinion is that BJGE is the guy to hitch your wagon to, since Maroney is a guy that's failed in his previous opportunities, and BJGE is a guy that's succeeded in his previous (limited) opportunities.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if, having a week to prepare for both Taylor and Morris being out, the Pats lean on BJGE more than LM over in London (and beyond).

 

[Tanner9919]

the Law Firm

 

[ryoly]

Boston Herald reporting Morris as a DNP in today's practice.....

 

[strong]

My personal opinion is that BJGE is the guy to hitch your wagon to, since Maroney is a guy that's failed in his previous opportunities, and BJGE is a guy that's succeeded in his previous (limited) opportunities.I wouldn't be at all surprised if, having a week to prepare for both Taylor and Morris being out, the Pats lean on BJGE more than LM over in London (and beyond).

agreei'm going with the LLP

 

[MOAT]

I am interested in where people (perhaps even DY) would slot BJGE in comparison to other RBs. I always struggle with value given the differences between league structures. It helps if you can identify others that you expect to have similar value.

If there is a difference between short-term and long-term (fantasy playoffs) that would be useful. I have a feeling that if he has value it will be during the next month and then NE RBs will get healthier and start to mess with us.

 

[JetMaxx]

David,

If you had your choice between Maroney and BJGE, who would you take right now? Something telling me that this is Maroney's shot and he runs with it. I understand the board's skepticism but if he puts up another big week it will be tough for the Pats to take him out. Things are lined up nicely for him, big game off the bench last week, easy matchup as the starter this week, possible long term injury to Morris, etc.

 

[steelwind]

David,If you had your choice between Maroney and BJGE, who would you take right now? Something telling me that this is Maroney's shot and he runs with it. I understand the board's skepticism but if he puts up another big week it will be tough for the Pats to take him out. Things are lined up nicely for him, big game off the bench last week, easy matchup as the starter this week, possible long term injury to Morris, etc.

Real quick I know this question is for DY. But here's my take. None of the NE RBs can "run with it" because their system is a RBBC. However, their offensive line is in top season form and I think all of the RBs are good depth or bye week fill ins.

 

[Carver]

if EVER there were a week to roll Maroney out there.... this is it. His confidence is riding high and the Bucs are teh SUX vs. the run (31 out of 32). Start him with confidence and thank me later.

For anyone wondering if morris is traveling... he is not.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'd roll with Maroney if I could get him and have BJGE warming up in the bullpen. Maroney has disappointed in the past, but with fewer running backs to compete with and some weak defenses he should be a fantasy RB2 in those situations. BJGE will likely be a fantasy RB3 but could earn more looks if they need more of a power back. In those games they might split the carries closer to even.

I still think Maroney will throw up some clunkers if Morris is out for awhile. But the Pats are on a bye next week, and that should help Morris' recovery timetable.

 

[werdnoynek]

if EVER there were a week to roll Maroney out there.... this is it. His confidence is riding high and the Bucs are teh SUX vs. the run (31 out of 32). Start him with confidence and thank me later.

For anyone wondering if morris is traveling... he is not.

link??

 

[Bayhawks]

I'd roll with Maroney if I could get him and have BJGE warming up in the bullpen.

What do you mean by the bullpen? Would you start BJGE over a disappointing back with a bad matchup like Portis? Or does the bullpen mean you'd start him only over RBs that are the 2nd backs in RBBCs?

 

[David Yudkin]

if EVER there were a week to roll Maroney out there.... this is it. His confidence is riding high and the Bucs are teh SUX vs. the run (31 out of 32). Start him with confidence and thank me later.

For anyone wondering if morris is traveling... he is not.

link??

Per Mike Reiss . . .While the media wasn't present for the entire bus-loading procedure, the only player who missed practice the past two days to be spotted boarding a bus was cornerback Darius Butler.

Per the Globe . . .

Running backs Fred Taylor (ankle) and Sammy Morris (knee) , rookie wide receiver Julian Edelman (forearm) and tackle Matt Light (knee) were not spotted among the travel party as they departed the stadium.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'd roll with Maroney if I could get him and have BJGE warming up in the bullpen.

What do you mean by the bullpen? Would you start BJGE over a disappointing back with a bad matchup like Portis? Or does the bullpen mean you'd start him only over RBs that are the 2nd backs in RBBCs?

If you have safer bets than BJGE then start them. If I had to guess, it would be Maroney 80-100 yards and a TD with BJGE with 40-50 with a 50% chance of a TD.

 

[NatronIsMean]

I'd roll with Maroney if I could get him and have BJGE warming up in the bullpen.

What do you mean by the bullpen? Would you start BJGE over a disappointing back with a bad matchup like Portis? Or does the bullpen mean you'd start him only over RBs that are the 2nd backs in RBBCs?

Not DY, but you have to ask yourself - the non-starter vs. the undisputed #1 RB? I go with the latter. I think by "bullpen" he means "keep him on your radar, roster him if you have the free bench space". My bench can't afford BJGE as much as I like him. But I will be watching closely to see how he does.

 

[OldMilwaukee]

If you have safer bets than BJGE then start them. If I had to guess, it would be Maroney 80-100 yards and a TD with BJGE with 40-50 with a 50% chance of a TD.

I think BJGE is a safe bet! If the floor is 40-50 1...then the ceiling might be 80-100 with 2.

I have grabbed him off the wire, and I am immediately inserting him into the flex spot!

 

[David Yudkin]

If you have safer bets than BJGE then start them. If I had to guess, it would be Maroney 80-100 yards and a TD with BJGE with 40-50 with a 50% chance of a TD.

I think BJGE is a safe bet! If the floor is 40-50 1...then the ceiling might be 80-100 with 2.

I have grabbed him off the wire, and I am immediately inserting him into the flex spot!

Anyone care to guess the last time the Pats had a RB with 100 rushing yards and 2 rushing TD (let alone a fifth stringer)?Maroney did it once in 2006 as a rookie. In his time in NE, Dillon did it twice.

I like the optimism, but I just don't see it.

 

[BBRULE]

Hey, yet another NE rb thread! Awesome!!:confetti:

After the Morris injury this was the first one, I checked before I started it. Since his injury changed the landscape of the NE backfield, I also feel it was needed/warranted.

 

[gdub]

I'm curious if David or someone else could answer these...

What are the chances Maroney plays the first two series and gets stuffed and does his dancing around to the tune of 5 carries for like 13 yards. BJGE comes in for the third series and rips off a couple of 7-8 yard runs. Could we see a flip flop in workload for this upcoming week with BJGE getting about 18 touches and Maroney only 8. Is Belichick likely to react to a couple of series and change his gameplan around? Has he done something similar to this in the past?

Also, would BJGE serve as the goalline back this week similar to Morris' role?

Trying to figure out this NE RB situation is giving me a headache.

 

[BBRULE]

I'm curious if David or someone else could answer these...What are the chances Maroney plays the first two series and gets stuffed and does his dancing around to the tune of 5 carries for like 13 yards. BJGE comes in for the third series and rips off a couple of 7-8 yard runs. Could we see a flip flop in workload for this upcoming week with BJGE getting about 18 touches and Maroney only 8. Is Belichick likely to react to a couple of series and change his gameplan around? Has he done something similar to this in the past? Also, would BJGE serve as the goalline back this week similar to Morris' role?Trying to figure out this NE RB situation is giving me a headache.

Well, it's one game which could mean nothing but Maroney did get 5 out of 5 RZ carries last week.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'm curious if David or someone else could answer these...What are the chances Maroney plays the first two series and gets stuffed and does his dancing around to the tune of 5 carries for like 13 yards. BJGE comes in for the third series and rips off a couple of 7-8 yard runs. Could we see a flip flop in workload for this upcoming week with BJGE getting about 18 touches and Maroney only 8. Is Belichick likely to react to a couple of series and change his gameplan around? Has he done something similar to this in the past? Also, would BJGE serve as the goalline back this week similar to Morris' role?Trying to figure out this NE RB situation is giving me a headache.

Att his point I think Maroney will get first shot at a lot of things, including goal line looks. But he has frequently been average, inconsistent, or both. I doubt that changes just because he had a good game last week.Anything is possible with NE, but I still see Faulk in on passing downs and BJGE giving Maroney a blow, with BJGE perhaps in on some short yardage plays, and probably in for mop up duty at the end of the game if the Pats have a healthy lead.

 

[BoomBoom]

Not to make it a WDIS, but if you had to choose between Faulk and BJGE in a ppr league, which way do you go?

I think Faulk is the safer bet for 6-8 points, but BJGE probably has a higher ceiling if he sees a bulk of the work later in the game (and I'd figure he has a better chance at punching in a TD compared to Faulk).

 

[creeps1313]

I'd roll with Maroney if I could get him and have BJGE warming up in the bullpen.

What do you mean by the bullpen? Would you start BJGE over a disappointing back with a bad matchup like Portis? Or does the bullpen mean you'd start him only over RBs that are the 2nd backs in RBBCs?

If you have safer bets than BJGE then start them. If I had to guess, it would be Maroney 80-100 yards and a TD with BJGE with 40-50 with a 50% chance of a TD.

The tough question is who is a safer bet. In looking at the FBG projections this week...what about guys like Jamal Lewis or Micheal Bush....2 RBs that FBGs project better than BJGE? Or a guy like Felix Jones who is projected less than BJGE but has tons of upside...This NE RB situation is bananas!

 

[dallas428]

I have disagreed with DY for a while over who would be the most productive RB in NE. All the while knowing that the real upside to whomever it did end up being was limited by a huge RBBC, thus relegated to a spot starter for bye weeks/injuries/ flex plays. It seemed like it was Taylor until he was injured. After last weeks game Morris looked like the player to have. So with Morris going down, Maroney got to handle the ball quite a bit and had a nice game. I think that most are aware of the fact that NE does indeed have a very good running game year to year and if one player is left to handle most of the touches that player could be very productive. I know faulk will still get 3rd down work, but BJGE did not get involved in this game until after Brady was pulled for Hoyer, so I don't think he is a real big threat to Maroney. So Mr.Yudkin, any news on the severity of the Morris injury, and what do all of you think if he is out for any kind of significant time.

DY has been saying stay away for the last year or two because he NEW it would be RBBC...what info are you bringing to the table besides a cluster paragragh...if you get ur NE rb news from anyone other then DY...good luck...

 

[JetMaxx]

DY isn't saying that now. Unless I'm misreading it, it's not a full blown RBBC as long as Morris is out. Majority to Maroney and cleanup to BJGE.