Maroney's blunder with under three minutes to go in the third didn't lead to any Colts points, but it did take away at least three from the Pats. Even if Maroney held onto the pigskin and was tackled at the spot of the fumble, it would have left the Pats' offense at third-and-goal from just a few feet away from paydirt.
While Maroney has become an easy target for skeptical Patriots fans due to his lack of durability, the Minnesota alum has been reliable throughout his brief career when it comes to ball protection. That fumble, as costly as it was, was just his second in his 39-game NFL career — a career in which he has had 558 combined touches (482 rushing attempts, 34 receptions, 37 returns).
Based on that big slip on Sunday night, the Patriots aren't about to write him off.
“We have a lot of faith in Laurence and his ability with the ball in his hands," director of player personnel Nick Caserio said Tuesday. "That situation came up — and there were a number of plays when you look at the game — as the game wore on, we ended up playing in a lot of spread formations and multiple receiver formations."
In his last four games, Maroney has notched 279 yards on 62 carries and has scored four rushing touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder took over for Sammy Morris in the backfield after Morris was injured in the Pats' win over Tennessee in Week 6. He also has shouldered an additional load because Fred Taylor went down in Week 4 against Baltimore.
"Offensively and from a coaching standpoint, we have a lot of confidence in Laurence and his ability and I’m sure he’s anxious to bounce back this week," Caserio added. "The next opportunity that arises, he’ll look to step up to the challenge.”
It's not just Maroney's fumble that frustrates Belichick; the skipper believes the red zone offense needs to improve as a whole.
“That’s something we’ve spent a good [amount of] time working on in the last few weeks, and I’d include over the bye week," the coach said. " We’ll keep working on it. We’re not executing in that area of the field as well as we’d like to do — as [well as] we feel like we can do — and we need to do a better job at it. There’s no other way to put it."
