Laurence Maroney Intends to Dig Up College Greatness This Year, as ‘Best Is Yet to Come’

FOXBORO, Mass. — Laurence Maroney has never been shy about the laser show he displayed at the University of Minnesota, where he became the first player in school history to surpass 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.

That Maroney hasn’t surfaced in New England. The running back has had a career's worth of ups and downs since the Patriots selected him in the first round of the 2006 draft.

Maroney was asked Tuesday if the football world has seen the best of him yet.

"Yeah, in college, you saw some greatness," Maroney said. "Not in the League. You haven’t seen the best yet. The best is still yet to come."

So, the natural follow-up to that: Why haven’t we seen his best in the NFL?

"I had some good times when I felt like I was playing at some great levels of intensity, and I felt like there were some times when I could have played better," Maroney said.

"When you're dealing with injuries on and off," he continued, "that definitely takes away from your running ability, when you've got knick-knack injuries that bother you to where you really can't give it your all like you really want to because you've got an ankle or a groin or whatever the injury may be that’s bothering you. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling fresh and feeling healthy this year. Hopefully the best comes out this year."