Pinheads or Patriots? Episode Six
(Originally posted January 2, 2009)
Oh, the plethora of topics to discuss after the regular season ends. Play-offs. Teams who deserve to make it, teams who don't. Will Brett Favre retire? Who's going to win the Super Bowl? Will Brett Favre un-retire, even though he's completely overrated? All fantastic topics of conversation this time of year. Which is exactly why you should listen to an active conversation, and not just my opinion. For that, watch the Football Special by Gang Green and myself. Patriots off-season has begun, and the Patriots have their own questions to answer, having nothing to do with play-offs or Brett Favre. A certain you-know-who went down early in the season, and the team managed to do pretty well without him. Who will be lining up behind that offensive line in 2009 for the Patriots?
Yes, I'm talking about Laurence Maroney.
Patriots fans are not known for their extensive attention spans, as some seem to think that trading away Tom Brady (one year removed from one of the greatest seasons of all time) is a good idea. "What have you done for me lately" is an understatement, as many would rather pull out their calendars and count the days until Red Sox spring training starts than stretch their minds back to what players have done before. Problem is, Maroney hasn't done much of anything to endear himself with fans.
Only 3 of the last 10 seasons have had a Patriots rusher over 1000 yards: Corey Dillon in 2004 with 1635, Antowain Smith in 2001 with 1157, and Robert Edwards in 1998 with 1115. Two of those years, the Pats won the Super Bowl, so it doesn't seem to hurt to be able to run the ball. Maroney has had flashes of greatness, especially when he and Corey Dillon split carries in 2006. But injuries have plagued the short career of the 23-year-old, begging the question of how much room in the salary cap he's worth.
This year, 6 of the top 7 rushing offenses in the league made the play-offs. The lone team that didn't make it was the Patriots. But the fact the Patriots rank that highly is a testament to the fact that Maroney is replaceable, especially since an undrafted rookie off the practice squad was starter at one point. We have also learned that drafting running backs in the first round results in little success for the Patriots (Edwards was also a first rounder, but nearly had his leg amputated after a devastating knee injury in a flag football game, never touching the field for the Pats again after his rookie season).
Looking at the top rushing offenses this year shows an interesting way to address the problem. Every season, teams hope to have that one special back that can tear up offenses every week. But this year showed that running back by committee can have real success. Many years, analysts would point out how using two running backs hinders development and doesn't allow a runner to get into rhythm, but many teams succeeded this year. The number one rushing offense in the league, the New York Giants, featured a One-Two-Three punch system, pounding defenses into the ground with Brandon Jacobs, softening them up for Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw.
Carolina had tried the committee system with DeAngelo Williams before, mixing him up with DeShaun Foster. But using Jonathan Stewart instead this year changed the pace, lighting a fire underneath Williams for a 1515 yard season, and the two backs creating the third best rushing offense in the league.
Baltimore showed a truly unique rush offense that ended up having the fullback Le'Ron McClain as the leading rusher with 902 yards. Add a dash of Willis McGahee and Ray Rice at 671 and 454 yards respectively, and the fourth best rushing offense found a recipe that needed no 1,000 yard rushers.
The Titans and Dolphins ran their way to the play-offs with fearsome duos in their backfields as well, while the Patriots hit a strong stride at the end of the season with Sammy Morris and Lamont Jordan. The only truly dominant rushers that didn't much need help were Michael Turner in Atlanta, Adrian Peterson in Minnesota, and Clinton Portis in Washington. But what sort of longevity does a running back face these days without taking some reps off?
Look back at the last few years of stand-out rushers. Shaun Alexander went from 1,880 yards and 27 TD's in 2005 to 896 yards and 7 TD's the next. Let's not even talk bout where he is now, Seattle fans still cry themselves to sleep at night over it. The Bucs drove Cadillac Williams until the tires blew out, rims burnt down, and then continued running until the axel smashed in half. Fred Taylor, Joseph Addai, Larry Johnson, Edgerrin James, and most obviously this season, Ladainian Tomlinson, all have had anemic performances as of late. If you consider running backs as investments, which they truly are, taking care of them just makes sense, and in today's NFL, we are seeing a shift towards successful split-back systems.
Patriots fans would love to go back to the Curtis Martin years, with three straight seasons of more than 1000 yards, but we need to worry more about winning games than having a single threat in the backfield. Maroney was supposed to be that answer. Belichick ran with Sammy Morris and Lamont Jordan extremely well, not because he originally schemed that, but because he had to with his starter going down. It's 2009 now, and it's time to start looking at a new offense. It should be a multi-back offense from the start, it's clearly working around the league. Design plays for different dynamic backs. Get a younger version of Kevin Faulk late in the draft, and consider saving some cap room by hitting the eject button on Maroney.
Times are tough, Laurence. If you want a paycheck signed by Robert Kraft next season, your New Years Resolution should be to stay healthy. And lose a couple pounds while you're at it. We wouldn't want all that time spent on the couch to show, now would we?
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