"The usually vibrant and enthusiastic Laurence Maroney took on a far different tone last night. Even the ever-smiling running back couldn't shake off his new reality.

Maroney's tenure in New England had come to a premature end.

The 2006 first-round draft pick was traded along with a 2011 sixth-round selection to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-rounder, a league source said. The team confirmed the trade, not the compensation.

A once-promising stint ended with promise unfulfilled. The team felt it was time to move on. Reached by phone at the airport before his flight to Denver, Maroney described himself as disappointed - "because I didn't see this coming," he said - with the trade.

"It is what it is," Maroney told the Herald. "It was just one of those situations. I had some great opportunities there. I felt like I had some good times running the ball, and some not so good times. I got hurt. I could never really get going.

"But I loved playing there. Now I have to move on to Denver."

A player who could be considered a first-round bust, Maroney, who sat out Sunday's season opener with a thigh injury, finishes his Patriots career with 582 carries for 2,430 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. But whether it was due to injuries, fumble-itis or poor circumstances, he never hit his stride and suffered in the public view."