Maroney a Patriot No More

Great news for Sam “Bam” Cunningham. Not only was he inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame this past summer, but now the Patriots can retire his number!

The opportunity for the “39” made famous by Cunningham to never be worn again comes from Tuesday’s trade of RB Laurence Maroney. The former 2006 first round pick was sent to Denver, packed with a sixth round pick, in exchange for a fourth round pick.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise as there were no signs of this trade happening. Then again, no team operates as clandestinely as the Patriots.

What it boils down to is Maroney never lived up to the expectations of a first round pick. Selected to follow Corey Dillion’s footsteps to be the next franchise back, Maroney rarely ran with the aggression required to be productive.

The other problem with Laurence was his inability to stay on the field. In four years with New England, Maroney missed 19 of 64 games. To the fans, it seemed the injuries weren’t severe, raising questions about Maroney’s toughness.

Fans couldn’t see how Maroney got hurt because he shied away from contact. Laurence almost never hit the hole without his patented “Hammertime” stuttering in the backfield. Even when the play was blocked perfectly, Maroney didn’t explode through the gap with conviction like a runningback should.

Without absorbing the typical hits or delivering blows most ball carriers sustained, Maroney’s nicks and bumps were attributed to being soft and he never earned the fans’ respect. Maroney won’t be missed in New England.

The good news for Laurence is he will play for Josh McDaniels, the Patriots former offensive coordinator. Maybe the Broncos’ head coach will know how to get the most out of the talented Golden Gopher. This trade could be the wake-up call that gets Maroney to understand how to play the position the right way. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has a renaissance similar to the one Cedric Benson had after going from Chicago to Cincinnati in 2008.

This trade leaves New England’s backfield thinner. BenJarvus Green-Ellis likely will be the beneficiary of the carries designated for Maroney. But ahead of the player nicknamed Law Firm are Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris. The pair missed 14 games last year.

Discarding the flotsam known as Maroney made sense. Hopefully the trio of Taylor, Morris, and Green-Ellis lasts through the season.