"Feature back, backup, part of a running back-by-committee, Laurence Maroney doesn't really care. He's just happy to be back in the backfield tonight when the Patriots open the season against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.

Maroney hasn't played in a meaningful NFL game since last October against the San Francisco 49ers. That was the game in which it became apparent Maroney was dealing with "issues'' when he didn't duck his shoulder to pick up a first down.

It turned out Maroney had a broken bone in the shoulder, which he first had injured two games before against the Jets. Two weeks after the 49ers game, Maroney, who played in just three games last season, was placed on season-ending injured reserve."