Kool-Aid's Back! (Patriots Update - August 25)
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My boy, Laurence "Kool-Aid" Maroney is back!!! Maroney had been wearing the no contact Red Jersey for most of training camp, after having off season shoulder surgery. Maroney earned 58 yards in last night's game vs the Panthers. I'm glad he's back because the only concern with the offense so far has been the running game. Without Maroney, the running game has been practically non-existant, and it forced Heath Evans and Kevin Faulk to take over for him. I like both of those guys, but neither of their place is as a starting running back in the NFL.
Evans is a good FB. He's a jack of all trades, master of none. He can catch. He can pass and run block. He works good as a change of pace option in the running game, and is a good power runner. He's not a legitimate option for every down, especially with his lack of speed. Imagine trying to run a dive every single play you wanted to run the ball. How do you think that'd work?
Faulk is one of the best 3rd Down Backs in the business. He's got good speed, and has great hands. He's a great option for 3rd down plays, or plays that rely on vertical speed. He also works good on 3rd and short, where you have to respect him as both a receiving option, and as a RB. His problem is that he's not that great of an RB every play. His strengths are no longer quite as good as soon as he needs to carry the ball every play.
Maroney, on the other hand, has the buildings of a great RB. The Pats even switched to a zone blocking scheme in order to help him out. Maroney is a balanced RB. He has the speed to beat you around the corner, and the power that is necessary for the dive and draw plays that require the back to just keep his feet moving and keep pushing. He's got amazing vision and is a viable target for Tom Brady.
His only weakness is his running style. There is some fear amongst people who follow the Pats that his power running style that involves running right at the blocker and pushing for 2 extra yards after getting the first down, instead of realizing that taking a hit would be pointless when he all ready got the first down.
I've watched Maroney for 5 years now. In years past, I would go to a couple Gophers football games to see what to expect for the season, and made sure to watch him whenever the gophers were playing when I could watch. He Marion Barber back in the day formed what was known as "Barberoney", one of the best two headed giants in a while. They were the first team mates to both rush for 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons, and that's what tipped me off that he had it made for the pros.
Then, came his junior year. This time, no Barber. It was his time to shine. What does he do? He goes and rushes for another thousand yards. This was also the year of my favorite Maroney memory. Minnesota vs. Michigan, 2005 @ Ann Arbor. The gophers beat the Wolverines, and regained the Little Brown Jug for the first time in a while. That was the year when all the Big 10 teams went planting their school flag on the field when they won on the road. So what does Kool-Aid do? He takes out a Maroon and Gold flag, and tries to plant in on their brand new turf field. It took several Michigan players and staff to stop him, and voila, the rule banning planting flags.
So, you're probably wondering why the heck I keep referring to him as Kool-Aid? Well, to be honest, I kind of forgot the story behind it, so I had to google it. I found this from the Providence Journal:
As for that Kool-Aid nickname? When Maroney was a child, there was a small fire in his yard and he ran into the house and grabbed the first liquid he could find, a pitcher of the sweet beverage. But the sugar in the Kool-Aid only made the blaze bigger, and a nickname was born.
Jottings
- Donte Stallworth returned to action last night after missing the first two pre-season games. He caught 3 passes for 45 yards
- Still no news about Randy Moss, other than he still hasn't practiced since injuring his hamstring
- Neither the patriots, nor their website have announced anything about Asante Samuel, so chances are that the story MegECass110 broke earlier in the week is probably true
- One thing from the last article, about Matt Cassel:
- I know Cassel isn't a rookie, when I referred to the rookie QB on the roster, I was not refering to Cassel, but to another QB that threw up during rookie mini-camp (I'd look it up, but that'd require more work). And while Cassel hasn't started a meaningful game (or any game) since High School, think of it this way: Two of the smartest coaches in football (Pete Carroll and Bellichick) have both trusted him to back their star QB(s). Look at who they trusted: Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Tom Brady. To me, that says that Cassel is a good enough QB to take the reins if necessary.
