"He wasn't supposed to be a factor in this game. He wasn't the lead back. He might not have even been the backup. As it is, who knows where Laurence Maroney fits on the depth chart, these days?

The guess here is that Maroney was probably going to be the primary relief for Sammy Morris yesterday, but when Morris went down after his first touch of the day with a knee injury, opportunity knocked.

And at long last, Maroney answered.

On a snowy, sleety afternoon at Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady went to the ground attack early and Maroney gave them something they haven't had since Fred Taylor's performance against Atlanta in Week 3: an effective running game.

Maroney finished with 16 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown. It marked the fifth 100-yard game of his career. Maroney hit paydirt with the type of run most thought they'd be seeing plenty of when the Pats first drafted him 21st overall in 2006.

Maroney stuttered at the line, waiting a half-second for his blockers to open up a hole, then he burst through, dashing 45 yards to the end zone. It was the team's longest run since LaMont Jordan's 49-yard scamper at Oakland last year."