Maroney's season ends

Well if they make the playoffs now, I'll call this season a success.

Think about it: how many teams can make it to the playoffs when their top QB AND RB go down? It could be arguable that LM is our top RB, but you get my drift....

This team will be lucky to finish at .500 now. No passing game with a second rate QB; now the main running game piece is off the table. Good luck next year gang.

This decision might fall under the "wait until the next year" approach.

What's the point of letting him risk further injury when the Patriots are done?

Yes, I know the players will never quit, but the organization knows it cannot win this year.

Rick... Dude. They ain't making the playoffs. Not with Cassell they aren't...

he was prob playing hurt the whole season. tough break. the whole nfl is riddled with injuries. it's anyone's year still! tonight, cassel needs to step up.

This hurts ... they are kinda of in trouble now, just kinda.

Wow ... They should have signed Shawn Alexander last week.

Anyone to sign ?

Well, this ought to put an end to fat, beer-soaked couch potatoes commenting on Maroney's "toughness." Nah, it probably won't.

I'm not so sure this is a big loss. Maroney has been pretty much a bust.

I hope the Pats lose every friggin game from here on out. With Cassel at QB, that's not asking too much. Seriously, to make up for the last few drafts, we need to pick at the top of the draft to reload the dynasty cannon.

If Cassell can't find Randy Moss or Wes Welker open he has no business being in the NFL.

The NFL is up in the air. No clear champion caliber team that is really making headlines out of any league. Maroney is a bum. Always has been. How many times has he been a disappointment? More times than hes shown promise. He will burst for 20+ yards and show glimpse of being a former 1st rounder but his injuries and lack of consistency is proving to be a burden for the team. Season isnt over just because Maroney went down. What did he do for us when he was on the team. Very little other than fill a roster spot and get slammed at the line of scrimmage because he keeps his shoulders up and tip toes along the line.

Damm, why didn't they pinch hit for Vaitek last night...........and Drew DID check his swing. LOL

how long does it take to recover from a heart transplant ?......

seriously, if they could trade him for the draft pick they spent on him that would be great.

Cassell and Maroney are the least of their problems. They have no pass rush whatsoever.

Agreed. No way they will win division or get the wild card. Enjoy the games and look forward to next year....

With all the complaints about Maroney I see in the boards I would think people would be interested in seeing how Morris, Faulk and company do. No offense to Maroney, but this could be a good thing.

Going to the game tonight, Broncos will lose 28-24.

Bad break but I bet when Jordan gets healthy he will start to tear things up. I like the tough was Jordan runs the ball, people forget he was a 1,000 yd rusher not to long ago and he was leading the league in rushing last year through 5 games before he went down w/a season ending injury. There was an obvious problem w/Maroney this year and I could tell he wasn't right healthwise. In the long run this is a good move.

Everyone just relax, they are fine at the RB situation even without Maroney. This season is up to the defense and whatever QB surfaces as the starter.

..This whole scenario sounds foreboding for the future of Lawrence Maroney. I could be wrong, but this smells of a decision by the Patriots that this guy just does not have the desire or the heart to be an NFL running back. At least by putting him on IR he has a year to get better mentally and physically and decide what course he wants to take, this also gives the Patriots a chance to get another Lamont Jordan type running back if there are any still available

MAN..... You guys are forgetting ALL history of Organization sinse 2001. One man goes down his replacement is to do his job.The Patriots have years when they've started 45 different players in a year. I say 10 -6 year and DEEP into playoffs.

What a mess

Wait a minute, Maroney wasn't a featured back, and he didn't do anything for the Pats. Losing him isn't anything but a formality (cuz' he wasn't playing anyhow). If Belichick makes something out of this debacle (we call our Pats) I'll give him just as much credit as that 2001 upset over the rams. But, if anyone can do it, I put my money on BB. Can you say good draft pick?

When the question of Belichek of Brady? was asked, I laughed. How could anyone think that Brady was THE reason the Pats won? Now, that question is not so funny. The Master-planner has been shuked of his Defensive Coordinator, Offensive Coordinator and now top quarterback over the last 4 years, and there is an obvious drop off. The defense is long in the tooth, and now the top rated RB is gone. Like it or not, this is now a second-rate team. How long before Moss begins to whine?

I think they're displeased with Maroney's effort considering they're expectation. He's hasnt hit a pile hard since he got hurt his rookie year.

Is Maroney the softest player in the NFL?? I can't really imagine a situation in which he plays a full season. Is he really hurt or does Belichick just hate the guy?

I think last week, the 4 downs from the 1 yard line was the saddest display since the Bledsoe era. The worst part about this team is the secondary. Their defense is awful.

Mike Reiss, anyone?? do we really know what Maroney's injury really is??? earlier in week there was an interview with Maroney and a California Journalist where Maroney swears its not his shoulder that is keeping him out. then what is it??

in that San Francisco game where he wouldnt put his head down into the 49ers tackle to get a first down, instead he jumped out of bounds! that was devastating to watch as a fan!! .................................. so if anyone knows let us know

I will always believe that the Patriots meant to draft Marion Barber the other "M" running back from Minnesota and accidently picked the more frail and timid Maroney.

Mark My Words: The key to this secondary is Brandon Meriweather - 2 INT, a good play (would-be interception during SD game) - hes emerging.....u ppl watch

Tom Brady out, Lawrence Maroney out, it doesn't look like a 10+ victory season

Lets Go Sox?

Maroney clearly lacks toughness and doesn't have the drive to find yards. It is so clear in his running that he is not an NFL RB, he is a college RB. I hope the Patriots realized they failed in the draft and release him so we never have to watch this failure again.

What is the nature of the injury besides shoulder? Doesn't sound like his shoulder will ever hold up in the NFL so they better look at free agents for this year and draft a good RB next year.

Before people get all over Cassel, you need to consider the defense. Not much of a pass rush, can't stop the run and can't stop the long ball. Teams with worse QB's have made it to the Super Bowl (Trent Dilfer, Rex Grossman, etc.).

It would seem the Pats are in the beginning of a rebuilding phase.

You are all a bunch of spoiled little bit#$'s. Don't watch the game tonight, you can catch Obama on CNN, and jump on that band wagon! Losers

Wow could anything else happen to us? This season has been awful, we lose Brady, the Sox lose to the Rays, and now our running back is gone. I guess it's wait till next year. Again.

No worries, he won't be missed. Now we can hit the hole with some power. See ya'!

People on here who are critical about Maroney are lacking in toughness and chararcter and intellect. Have any of you ever played a sport before? Have any of you ever been injured? Try typing your silly little comments with hands that are bruised, broken and beat-up and then I'll listen to you. Morons.

I hope they get rid of this guy anyway. Yeah, every so often he explodes for 50 yards downfield...but that's not enough to make up for all the short gains he turned on negative yards because he thinks he's Barry Sanders.

Sammy Morris should've been our starting RB anyways. Maroney hasn't proved himself much (aside from the occasional game) as a franchise back. Being out this season is really going to give the coaching staff some time to evaluate the other backs and decide if he was really worth it.

I wonder if Maroney even comes back next year. The Pats might just cut bait and run on this one.

I love how some of you people think this is a big blow to the Patriots. Maroney hasnt made an impact on this team since the first couple games of his rookie season. Big deal. If they said that Kelley Washington was going to I.R. I'd probably just as concerned.

Hey patriots fans.......SUCK ON IT, YOUR REIGN OF LUCK IS OVER....BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS

Hey patriots fans.......SUCK ON IT, YOUR REIGN OF LUCK IS OVER....BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS BILLS

Well a couple of you guys are on the wait till next year theme,but first of all who cares about Maroney.He is/was not the difference.We all know now that they are not head and shoulders above almost everyone anymore but they still have some quality guys on the team and anything short of the playoffs will shock me.A lot of you guys are bandwagon people anyway so this dosen't surprise me.They are just going to have to fight harder this year than previous years.Thats all.

Maroney has been a bust since he came here occasionly shows you ability but never puts it all together . The Pats need to jetison him after this year and get a real running back (Hello Beanie Wells ) and go back to a Power running game which will help thier passing game no the other way around when Brady comes back next year . the Titans are the perfect example

how long b4 Gillette is full of empty seats?

Call me crazy, but the Patriots front office did not all of a sudden get stupid.

I am sure that Maroney has a real and serious injury that was not going to heal enough this year to take the pounding required of an NFL starting running back, and I am sure that this injury appears on medical tests and is not just made up by some "soft" player.

If he was just dogging it, they would suspend him and go after a prorated part of his signing bonus. Use your head before spouting off stupid rumors.

OFFICALLY LABELED BUST.

2006 WAS A DISASTER DRAFT FOR US. :(

Except for Gostowski :)

When Brady went down I figured we might still make the playoffs.....now I say let's play as hard as we cqn for a high draft pick come back year and crush everyine.
Unfortunately we hgave a very easy schedule this year playing the rest of the AFC East and the NFC West...with an exception going to the Buffalo Bills.

Put a fork in em. the pats are done!

See above. Even if they loose the rest of their games, bellichick won't be picking at the top of the draft. He'll trade down to mass his draft pics and they'll be back picking at the bottom of the round where he likes it. They don''t have to pay massive signing bonus' when they do that.

Hope is alive!!! The Patriots can win their division... and John McCain can win the White House. Did I mention that I have some swamp land for sale in Florida?

Everyone here seems to forget that the head coach of this team is Mr. Belichek and
yes we do have a problem without Tom Brady......we might struggle a bit, but Mr. Belichek wil take the team thru this season and possibly into the playoff.

This is shaping up to be the worst year in a long time!

Cassel at QB - we have no chance - Maroney or not! Just start losing games so we can get a good draft pick next year!

Look guys, Maroney is injured and can't play. Why jeopardize his future. The Pats have to suck it up and find what they're really made of. The season is up for grabs and they have great players. Not really time to throw in the towel yet.

Relax. Seems like so many Patriots "Fans" are ready to jump off the bandwaggon. Of course the Patriots were long shots to win their division when their QB and best player went down in Q1 of GM1. This injury further hurts their odds of winning the division, although not as much as people might expect. The tandem of Faulk, Morris and Jordan should be able to carry the load at RB without much dropoff in production compared to with Maroney in the lineup. The biggest question marks are can the Pats get the passing game going with Matt Cassell and can the Defense come together.The season is still young, and the AFC is still wide open.

You folks are spoiled. Stop the whining. This is still a good team, and Maroney was just a PART. Brady was obviously a bigger loss, and in the NFL there is a big dropoff from frontline starter to backup, unless your starter is already a bum (see Kitna, Jon) or a rookie. Look what happened when Carson Palmer went down, or when Romo went down. The rest of the team has to suck it up and play a bigger role. Pats have the ability to make the playoffs, although I would be on the bandwagon of seeing what we have in O'Connell, because it is clear that unless they plan to resign Cassel (no way), they need to know what they have. 9-7 ought to be playoff-worthy. Let's see what they have tonight.

I know back in the day football players would take ballet (Lynn Swann), to help with thier game (strength, endurance, flexibility). Maroney seems to have taken tap dancing lessons and applied them directly to his running game.
He reminds me of Marion Butts the way he dances around back there

so.....how bout them Celts?

Three problems with this team:
1) Their offensive line is old
2) They lost their top QB because their offensive line is old
3) They lost their to top RB because their offensive line is old

It will take 6 years to straighten this out. Brady's conditioning program should be modified to include practicing running around the field with an LB on his back.

Maroney just doesn't have the physique nor the size to succede in the NFL. No biceps. At least we know he's not on drugs, and that's a credit to him in this day and age.

Hey Bills fan yes you have a good team. Whats your deal? Just relax. The Pats have had a few bumps no worrie here. Lets play the games and see what happens.

WOW- the first poster named Maroney as the Pat's best RB. Are you kidding me? In 2006, Maroney played in 14 games. He had 175 carries for 745 yards (4.3 avg). In 2007, he played 13 games. He managed 185 attempts for 835 yards (4.5avg.). Of course, he's diminished to 3 games; 28 attempts; and 93 yards.

If this is the best the Patriots can do, they don't have much of a running game. We all know they don't have much of a passing game right now, either.

If this team finishes the season, I will consider it a success.

What a waste of a 1st round pick. What a friggin waste...

They've played the season without him anyway, and they're 4-2. Let's face it. This isn't their year. At least maybe they'll get a decent draft pick in the middle of the 1st round.

Time to build a hulking offensive line and find some big DB's who can run and cover in man to man coverage. San Diego exposed the DB's. The Giants and others exposed the offensive line.

Time to rebuild...and find a good veteran QB to back up Brady next year.
The same goes for the Xox.

Same

Playoffs!!!!!!!!! I think we are lucky to win another game or 2. Sorry Pats fans, I'm a season ticket holder, but let's be honest, our D is old and slow, our offense is inept at best w/out Brady. There might be enough latent talent to squeak out a 500 record, but that might not be enough. Let's hope for the best, but let's also be honest w/ ourselves and expect the worst. Sad but True :(

Regardless, healthy or not, he's nothing close to his ex-college team mate, Marion Barber (now with Dallas), who is a much tougher customer in general.

Combines don't measure ca-hones.

There was a reason why Brady used a 3 step drop so often and threw underneath (until Moss). HIs offensive line was over-rated. When Moss showed up, the offensive line eventually was "shown up".

IT REALLY DOES"NT MATTER PEOPLE
Maroney was and never will be our premier back. We either need to trade or sign a good RB. And about Matt Cassel. STOP THE HATIN'. He's given us a 3-2 start. Remeber, when Tom took over the team went 9-7. But, that's not sayin that Matt is a Tom. Not even close. If the Patriots get shut out tonight by a over thehill Broncos defense, THEN I will say that Matt Cassel should go. And bring in Guiterrez, the guy deserves it..

boston_kyle:Post #11; Excellent assessment of Baloney Maroney. Although I think their season is "toast" at this point, I think the team is better off without him.

I can't believe all the losers who are writing the Patriots off already. Do you actually watch the game on TV? This season is wide open. I mean, I'm not predicting another Super Bowl run, but this team could still make the playoffs, and once that happens, who knows? They have their problems, but this season ain't anywhere near over. Go back to crying in your Red Sox beer.

I would argue that Laurence Maroney wasn't even our best running back last year. Sammy Morris was amazing until he was injured midway through the season. I actually think the Pats will be better off without a less than 100% Maroney playing this year -- and an extra roster spot to boot.

Now if only we could find a decent cornerback...

Can they finally admit this guy is a complete bust? Pro football is not for him and we know have a huge hole there since we wasted a few years with him

The season's over becuase Maroney's gone? Are people kidding? The guy's been a non-factor his entire career. Sure he's had a couple of good games here and there but in general, he's been a non-factor - and dare I say - a bust. His loss means nothing except one fewer running backs and the least productive one at that. I wouldn't be shocked if he gets cut next year ala Chad Jackson.

We're Raymond Berry's Pats. We're Raymond Berry's Pats
We're Raymond Berry's Pats. So what-a-ya think of that?

There's Lippett and Tippet and ... aww skip it!

Maroney has turned out to be worthless.

As for the huge Patriot Place development, I wonder how crowded the stores and restaurants will be once the Patriots sink back into mediocrity. It happens to all elite teams -- looks at the 49ers, Raiders, Dolphins, Cowboys, all once premier teams in the league.

Blame President Bush for the injuries of Brady and Maroney!!!!!

I think Maroney has been an extremely unlucky young man. His brief career so far has been riven with injuries. He cannot seem to catch a break. Often, players will go through stretches of these bad luck streaks. Some get it early in their careers, and if they survive it often they bust loose into the open for many years of injury-free play. Others get slammed like this late in their careers. Very few go unscathed for their entire careers. And that makes me worry about Brady. He was very lucky since he came into the league. Let's hope no pattern sets in there.

And it really is bad luck. How would you guys like to trade places with the Bruins' winger Chuck Kobasew? Broken tibia end of last season. Now a broken foot after one game game back this season. Very bad luck.

1. Right now the entire season will come down to the games with the bills. We beat the bills twice, we win the division.
2. Two things happend tonight. The broncos were exposed, and injured. AND the patriots showed some of their former grit. I don't think it's one or the other. Both were a factor.
3. I'd like to think Maroney has had bad luck. My problem is that Benjarvis Green Ellis, an undrafted free agent (or maybe 7th round ?) came in and played like a champ. The king is dead. Long live the king.
4. Injuries to Morris, Harrison and Hobbs are troubling, those guys are important to the offense and defense. I was really hoping the pats would rest more of their starters in the 4th quarter.
5. Half the posts about the Pats season being over are just plain foolish. Why are you people posting on a football blog when clearly you know nothing about the game?

Type your comment here...I hope all you nay sayers were watching the Pats kill Denver 41-7 tonight.

Season over indeed!

All you that want to jump off the bandwagon with your "the Pats are finished' belly-aching and whining... you should be ashamed of yourselves - YOU ARE NOT TRUE FANS - this team is bigger than that. Of course, you also probably turned off Game 5 in the 5th or 6th inning as well. This team will still, at a minimum, have a chance at the AFC East with only Buffalo being a challenge. So, take your panties off and come on in for the big win. GO PATS!!! STANDING BY MY TEAM WITH PRIDE!!!

A 4-2 record after six games.....an accomplishment that would have been very acceptable even if Brady were still playing.

There is a lot of work to do but the Patriots put a great effort forth tonight which will set a positive direction for the remainder of the season.

Not many running backs left out there are there. But Pats still have several options on the roster.

BTW, Sam Gado never signed anywhere for this year did he?

I called it a couple of weeks ago on this board - said Maroney would end up on IR when Belicheck FINALLY had enough of his less-than-warrior, non-Patriot attitude. Belichick wants guys that have to HELD OUT by the medical staff, not guys that take themselves out or step out of bounds to avoid contact. Not guys that are constantly 'not at 100%' b/c of various 'dings'. And NOT guys that send cryptic messages to the media in interviews instead of sucking it up and saying "I wasn't that good. I need to do better.. There's no excuses. Everyone in this room is dinged up." The bottom line is that the Patriots will barely notice his absence, b/c it has become the norm - even when he's in the line-up. Yes, he has an occasional strong game that gives everyone hope, but nothing really changes. The other backs we have are all very good NFL quality backs. Last year, Morris was BADLY outrunning Maroney early until he suffered a REAL injury that ended his season, giving the job back to Maroney by default. This year Morris is doing the same, and Jordan is chomping on the bit in the wings if Morris goes down. The success or failure of the Pats this year comes down to Cassel and the 'D' improving - not the running game.

The more I read some of the comments above, the more ridiculous some of them seem... what is Coach Belichick's greatest strenghths? Taking talent, sometimes unseen by others, and developing it. Putting a true TEAM together. Getting more out of players that were passed over by others or cast off. We forget Tom Brady was a 6th round pick and really only got his start when Drew Bledsoe was taken out in the Jet's game. Randy Moss - what was his reputation before coming to the Patriots? I could name many others - but you get the point if you really think about it. This year look at the other teams in the AFC - its still wide open. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll keep the faith in a proven winner. I agree with Shawn above - There IS a lot of work to do - but our team has the talent and the coach to get the job done.

'Frank S": when Tom took over, the Pats did NOT go 9-7! They went 11-5 that season which is why they HOSTED the Snow Bowl against the Raiders in their run to the SB Championship. And Tom took over when they were 1-1, so he went 10-4 that season, before going 3-0 in the postseason. The Pats (not Tom) went 9-7 the following year when they were defending champs, and had some major problems on 'D'.

Season over? Was anyone watching the same game I was tonight? On the schedule the Pats still play the Rams, Colts, Miami, Seattle, Oakland - all not necessarily easy, but all winable. A split with Buffalo and a loss to the Jets will get you a 10-6 ending, not only respectable, but definitely in the hunt for the post season. The way the Jets played Sunday, the Pats can take them down as well, and that would be 11-5 - so don't get down just yet. They need to keep building on what they have started, but its not a lost cause yet. They play (and get coached) like tonight - IT CAN BE DONE. If we see the same team we saw in San Diego, well... that's a different story. For all you doom and gloom-ers writing it off - study the game a bit before getting all depressed!

MARONEY IS THE BIGGEST 1ST ROUND BUST EVER. HE TRULY STINKS. ONCE AGAIN SAMMY MORRIS COMES IN BEHIND THE SAME LINE PUTS UP 138 YARDS AND EVEN THE ROOKIE JARVIS-GREEN RAN THRU THE HOLES WITH AUTHORITY.
I ACTUALLY THINK WE HAVE A BETTER CHANCE WITHOUT HIM. THAT'S ASSUMING CASSEL CAN GET HIS HEAD OUT OF HIS ASS.

I think it's a little early to count them out. 10 weeks left and Buffalo only has a game on them. So far they are up and down, but there's a long way to go. Relax.

I love how ignorant Chorbus is... remember Mr. Leaf? And with Maroney out, what does it matter. We still have three starter quality running backs in Jordan, Faulk, and Morris. I believe tonight was a strong outing, but I am not over confident. I think the Patriots will make it out of the AFC East and berth, but flutter. Consider Miami is exposed, Bills have Losman again, and Brett Favre just should've not wasted the Jets time. Patriots record prediction 11-5. Quote me.

Phony Maroney !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes inetadv i agree (post #85) I did make a mistake
but with the way the PAts humiliated the Broncos yesterday with only 185 yds passing, im quit ready to say that the Patriots will make the playoffs and lose in the playoffs to the Titans

Maroney has been a bust from the start. New England has always had tough north-south running backs. I felt the running game this year of Morris,Jordon,Ellis and Evans was very good. Don't look for Maroney next season....at least not in a New England uniform. Big question is now how to fix the secondary.

Laurence Maroney is the man remember he lead the league in rushing yrds in the 07-08 playoffs as for the secondary, why the hell would you let Asantiea Sammuels go. Maroney will do better next with Brady or Cassel cause they both are the superiour QB's in league history.

Evidently none of you saw Maroney in the first 8 games of his rookie season. Every time he got the ball (especially on kick returns) it looked like he would score. He ran through the hole with authority, and when there wasn't one he bounced to the outside with speed and didn't go down without a fight (similar to Barber). However since that first injury he hasn't been the same. I do believe he is done in New England because he hasn't shown true determination (on the field) since the first injury.