Maroney: Forward progress

FOXBOROUGH - There is a mental checklist Laurence Maroney goes through before each carry: He reminds himself to hit the hole hard, run downhill, and run with his shoulders low.

The first prerequisite is not a problem for the gregarious second-year running back, but the other two are constant battles of instinct vs. technique. At 5 feet 11 inches and 220 pounds, Maroney has an angular build for an NFL running back and an upright running style. That can be a disadvantage in a game of leverage, where the low man wins - and avoids injury.

That's why Maroney, who spent most of training camp in a noncontact jersey and played in just one exhibition game after offseason shoulder surgery, has made sure he's running low and with the proper body lean.

"It was something I used to do and then got away from," said Maroney, who has 35 carries for 149 yards (4.3 yards per carry) in two games.

"[Body lean] is a major part of being a running back, so I'm trying to do it. Sometimes I feel like I can't run as hard leaning forward as I can standing upright, so I'm trying to learn to run just as hard leaning as I am upright."

How important is body lean to a running back?

"Body lean is the difference between guys getting a glancing blow and a direct shot," said Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher. "If Laurence is working on body lean, that's the right way to go."

Smith is an expert. The Dallas Cowboys great-turned-ESPN analyst did it for 15 years, and when he was done he had more yards (18,355) and rushing touchdowns (164) than anybody else in the history of the league. When he watches Maroney, he sees a runner with an upright style that makes him more susceptible to big blows.

Last year as a rookie splitting time with Corey Dillon, Maroney ran for 745 yards on 175 carries and scored six touchdowns in 14 games, but he slowed down after suffering torn rib cartilage against the Lions in the 12th game of the season. In the playoffs, he had just 87 yards on 31 carries.

Maroney said during practice he'll run through the line and after every play he will ask players and coaches if he was running low, if his body lean was good.

"It's just one of those things where you constantly tell yourself to do it, and you're just trying to get to the point where you don't tell yourself anymore," said Maroney. "It just naturally happens."

Altering a running back's style isn't easy, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick used the example of Tiger Woods, who has overhauled his swing despite his success on the PGA Tour.

"Just because somebody is successful at something doesn't mean they can't improve and I think [Woods is] a great example to all of us that you're always working for perfection and no matter how good you are you're probably never there," said Belichick.

"On the other hand, I don't think Eddie George is ever going to run like Barry Sanders and I don't think Barry Sanders would ever run like Eddie George. Everybody has their own individual style to a degree, but I think definitely as a coach you can help players be better within their style and you can improve certain fundamentals."

However, former NFL MVP and seven-time Pro Bowl running back Marshall Faulk took a page out of Belichick's book, saying Maroney's running style is what it is.

"The way you run is the way you run," said Faulk, an analyst for the NFL Network. "Playing running back is an instinct and feel thing as to when to get down. Every once in a while we all take hits. To change your running style, you change the back that you are and that might not be the back the Patriots drafted. For him, I'd say leave it alone and become more efficient in short yardage and goal line.

"Upright is not a bad thing if you know when to lower your pads."

Faulk, who is 5-10, said Maroney should focus on learning situational running - when to get down to avoid a hit, when to try to hit the home run, when to just burrow into the hole.

"Situational running, I think that is without a doubt by far the toughest thing for young backs to learn," said Faulk, who also said he didn't grasp the nuances until his third season in the NFL. "It was something that made me a much better runner when I bought in and understood when to go for the home run and when to just pick up yards."

Maroney acknowledged that after being a big-play back at the University of Minnesota - he averaged 6 yards per carry for his career and set a school record with 16 consecutive games with at least one run of 20 yards or longer - he thought he could do the same in the NFL.

"I had to learn that every play isn't like college. I'm not going to break it for a long run," said Maroney. "It's not going to be a 60- or 70-yard gain. I felt like I could get one of those once a game. But you're going to go for 5, go for 4, go for 6, go for 10, go for 3, and eventually, sooner or later, you're going to pop a big one, but you've got to realize that every play isn't going to be that home run you're looking for."

Smith, his appearance on "Dancing With The Stars" notwithstanding, was never one to tap-dance around.

"North-south is your friend as a running back," said Smith. "One thing that all running backs should consider, especially young backs, is to put your ego to the side and know when the play is over. You see first- and second-year guys still trying to make chicken salad out of chicken [excrement]."

Maroney's ball-carrying compass points east-west too often, which may be one reason the Patriots have used Sammy Morris in short-yardage situations.

In the Patriots' 38-14 win over the Chargers last Sunday, Maroney was dominant on the game-sealing, fourth-quarter drive, rushing eight times for 45 yards, but after he failed to pick up a first down on third and 3 from the San Diego 5, the Patriots turned to Morris to punch it in on fourth down.

Those are situations that great backs get the ball in and Maroney said his goal is to be among the best. To raise the bar, he has to go lower.

"Once I get real comfortable at doing it, then it's going to be more natural, so there isn't going to be any, 'How did I look? Did I run low?' I'm going to know I ran low," he said.

Faulk said it won't matter if Maroney runs like he's standing on stilts as long as he learns to get down when it counts.

"If he gets the third and 1 and lowers his pads, then no one will ever question him," Faulk said.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.