Hours Before Kickoff: Week 2

After the second preseason game where RB Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris ran through the Atlanta defense, I lamented that I didn’t like that the team’s best running backs were injury-prone. Now every week is filled with nervousness following the trade of RB Laurence Maroney.

As a player, I won’t miss Maroney. He never became the hard-nosed runner that could carry the load and grind out yards when asked to. He’s infamous in these parts for his Maroney Dance, stuttering his feet in the backfield instead of quickly hitting the hole like a running back is supposed to.

But with 30-year olds Taylor and Morris, who missed a combined 14 games last year, Maroney was a running back. I wasn’t enamored with his style, but there were days where he got the job done.

Hate Maroney all you want, but it was obvious that he was more talented than BenJarvus Green-Ellis. While Law Firm would gut out five yards, Maroney could skip by for a dozen yards with the exact same carry. The problem with Maroney is he didn’t get everything out of every carry. He wasn’t the first person you’d want to turn to, but in a pinch, it was comforting to have him on the depth chart.

Without Maroney, do the Patriots have the needed depth to get through a season? Taylor was great in the season opener as he ran for 71 yards on 14 carries. But he already made the injury report, which isn’t a good sign for a player that missed 10 games last year. And Morris missed 17 of 48 games in his three years with the Pats.

Green-Ellis was promoted to back-up but he was unimpressive in the preseason. For depth, Javaris James was added to the active roster after a short stint on the practice squad. But the rookie with marginal talent isn’t proven after an injury-marred college career with the University of Miami.

Patriot fans already are thinking New England is positioning themselves to draft University of Alabama RB Mark Ingram in the 2011 Draft. Maybe they are. But the Patriots need a ball carrier they can count on for depth now. We’ll see if Green-Ellis and James can provide that.

A few things I’m looking for:

Slouching on Revis Island: The under card for this game is WR Randy Moss versus CB Darrell Revis. But winning the one-on-one isn’t as important as winning the game. Occupying the best defender for the afternoon could get other receivers open.

Uh-oh Line: This is a huge challenge for the offensive line as they play without G Logan Mankins. How well they hold off the blitz-happy attack will say how much they miss the two-time Pro Bowler.

CB Check-up: You can guarantee that Jets QB Mark Sanchez will be instructed to go after Darius Butler and rookie Devin McCourty instead of constantly throwing to check down receivers.

No matter who wins the division, I always felt the teams would split the season series. The Jets are more vulnerable now as the offense is struggling to find a rhythm. The Patriots will take advantage and beat the Jets in their own home.