Helping hands

FOXBOROUGH -- At this time last year, Laurence Maroney was carrying more than just a football; he also lugged Corey Dillon's shoulder pads to the locker room following training camp practices. It was his rookie duty.

So it was with a humorous touch after the Patriots' opening training camp practice yesterday morning that Maroney pointed out he was no longer responsible for such heavy lifting. He was pleased to have just one set of shoulder pads, his own.

The irony might have escaped him.

Maroney was indeed carrying a lighter load, but he's going to be bearing a heavier burden once the 2007 season starts. After splitting the majority of carries with Dillon last season -- Maroney averaged 12.5 rushes per game, Dillon 12.4 -- the balance in the team's new running back mix figures to be skewed more heavily in Maroney's direction.

Will Maroney be physically ready to handle more?

After undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, he did not take part in the on-field portion of the team's minicamp in June, and continued to work his way back by participating in yesterday's practices wearing a red, non-contact jersey.

Still, he declared himself ready to go, saying he's at last season's playing weight (220 pounds) and is "right on schedule." He believes he could absorb contact but the Patriots are taking a cautious approach.

As for his thoughts on becoming the team's workhorse -- a 25-carries-per-game runner -- Maroney wouldn't go that far.

"Nobody said anything about me being a feature back," he said. "I'm just getting a little more carries than last year, that's all."

The Patriots, who will distribute carries to Sammy Morris and Kevin Faulk, hope that yields improvement from 2006, when the ground attack ranked 18th in rushing average (3.9 yards). Patriots coach Bill Belichick said his staff "looked a lot at last year's running game in the offseason and spent a lot of time analyzing it" -- and while it was productive at the goal line and in short-yardage situations, there were several negative running plays on early downs.

The Patriots ran the ball 220 times on first down during the regular season. Eighteen went for negative yardage, which put them in the middle of the NFL pack.

That created second-and-long situations, locking the Patriots into more passing plays. It's one thing to create a second-and-long situation because of a sack, but a running play should yield some positive ground.

As he showed last season, the 22-year-old Maroney has playmaking ability to gain positive ground in a hurry. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry, with his best day against the Bengals Oct. 1, when he totaled 125 yards on 15 carries (8.3 average) and delivered a few bruising stiff-arms.

It was a performance that featured a little bit of everything Maroney brings to the field -- speed, elusiveness, vision, and power. It's a significantly different package than what Dillon delivered.

"Being a very physical back like Corey is definitely not a part of my game," Maroney said. "That's not what I'm going to do, run into somebody every day. Every time I hit the hole, I'm looking for the best route to get around you."

In theory, Maroney should also be aided by the new receiving weapons imported over the offseason. Opponents felt comfortable bringing an eighth defender into the box to bottle up the run against the Patriots last year, but they will have to think twice about the repercussions of such actions with Randy Moss, Donte' Stallworth, and Co. working the outer edges of the field.

Maroney, who said he remained in Foxborough throughout the offseason as part of his rehabilitation, wasn't interested in talking theory. But he acknowledged he likes the mix of players the Patriots have at running back.

"We have different types of running backs, people that can do different things," he said. "If everybody plays their game and does their thing, we should do all right."

Yet, make no mistake, it starts with Maroney. He might have shed an extra set of shoulder pads, but his load is about to get a lot heavier.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.