Weird to say this about a 34 y/o back, but Faulk is a big loss for the Pats. He was a safety net and another layer of protection (great @ picking up blitzes) for Brady. They may actually regret trading Maroney, as mediocre as he is.
Faulk being out for the year is a massive loss ... Brady trusted him on third down and teams always seemed to have match up issues with him. It's hard to replace a solid receiving back. The Jets had no answer when Leon was lost last year. Don't be surprised to see the Bills play a divisional opponent tough. I think Fitzy might remember that Lee Evans can play football and throw to him.
They will miss Faulk blocking on passing downs, not Maroney. (They'll miss Faulk for alot more than that also) Woodhead will be a much better back than Maroney in those situations, because he actually knows who to pick up on a blitz.
This. Sammy Morris was blocking on the play that Pollard blew out Brady's knee, 'cause Faulk was out serving a one-game suspension. When Faulk stays back and doesn't run any kind of a route, Brady usually doesn't get touched. This is a painful loss, and one that will be hard to overcome.
Kevin Faulk is, in my opinion, the most underrated played on that team. He's not an amazing runner or receiver, but he's damn good at both of those, is an excellent pass-protector, can return kicks and punts in a pinch, and always seemed to make a play to move the sticks or get them to a more manageable 3rd down. I'm not saying that the guy is a hall of famer, but he's quite possibly the best #2 back in the league. I don't think he's dynamic enough to be a starter (and never was, really) but he was damn near perfect coming off the bench. I think the Pats will miss this one a LOT.
Huh, I only meant that Maroney will be missed for depth purposes, I was not comparing him to Faulk. He is better than Woodhead......... I pretty much echoed what you said except, I think Woodhead isn't very good at all.
