Loose Laurence

Maybe RB Laurence Maroney is a slow learner. After all it took him about three and a half years to figure out how to run the football in the NFL.

Maroney has been a different player after the bye week, for better and worse. He’s running decisively and physically, but Laurence is fumbling the ball more. Since the bye week, Maroney put the ball on the ground four times.

And his timing couldn’t be worse. This past Sunday against Jacksonville, Maroney dropped the ball on the goal line. He did it before against Indianapolis, a game the Pats lost by one point. And his fumble on the opening offensive play of the first half against the New Orleans Sants could had been devastating if Maroney didn’t force a DE Shawn Ellis fumble after the Saint recovered the free ball.

Before this year, Maroney fumbled the ball once, back in his rookie year against Chicago, dropping the ball inside the red zone.

That’s three fumbles when the Patriots were about to score, worth 21 points. The good news is only in the Colts game did Maroney’s butterfingers possibly cost the Patriots the game.

Not that it takes Laurence off the hook for his insecurity. He needs to pay attention to what happens when he doesn’t hold on to the ball. Maroney was able to get away with it earlier in the season when RBs Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris were hurt. But after his fumble against the Jaguars, Maroney did not get another carry.

Head coach Bill Belichick won’t throw Maroney under the bus. Instead Belichick said the Pats gave the ball to the hot hand. It’s hard to argue with 12 carries for 95 yards by Morris, but Maroney was off to a great start with five carries for 22 yards. Morris might get the lion’s share as the hot hand, but Maroney wouldn’t had been shut out if he held on to the ball.

We recently learned that Maroney sits with Belichick every week to break down Laurence’s every carry. This session won’t take long, but understanding this week’s lesson should be quick.