New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney has “issues.”
He also has an injured shoulder, a spot on the Pats’ injured reserve list and lodging in coach Bill Belichick’s doghouse, respectively.
Maroney was supposed to be “The Man” entering this, his third, season. Now that season is over.
He hurt his shoulder on Sept. 14 against the New York Jets. It continued to hamper his effort and irritate the Patriots’ crusty head coach.
The Normandy High School graduate played against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 5, but didn’t do much.
Here is where the “issues” come into play. Maroney returned to practice Oct. 8-9. But on Oct. 10, he had a quick question-and-answer period with reporters that was out of bizarro world.
When asked if his shoulder was to blame for his lackluster effort against the 49ers, Maroney sidestepped the questions. But he then blurted out, “Hey, I have my issues. There are reasons I’d rather not speak about, but there are reasons.”
This declaration came after he called the shoulder injury a “little, minor setback.”
Maybe there is more to the “issues” statement than we know. Maybe the “issues” are off the field. Most likely, the “issues” are with Belichick, who has been accused of literally forcing injured players back on the field under the threat of losing their jobs.
Maroney missed three games with a groin injury last year, but finished the season with four 100-yard rushing performances in the final six games, including the playoffs.
The SportsEye hopes Maroney’s “issues” are the kind that can be dealt with between a coach and a player.
If not, Maroney could be one of several good running backs on the market during the offseason
Meat the Winslows
Sports columnist and KTRS sports anchor Mike Claiborne shares these thoughts with the Sportseye this week.
“Apparently the Cleveland Browns are not familiar with the Winslow family of East St. Louis,” he writes.
“While Kellen Winslow Jr. is not from East St. Louis, his dad, Kellen Winslow, is.
“Other than a name, they share the ability to speak their mind. The younger Winslow was hospitalized with what was termed by the Browns as an undisclosed injury.
“Leaks to the media said he was ailing from a ‘below the belt issue’ only men could contract.
“Upon his release from the hospital, Winslow Jr. was quick to rectify the rumor. According to Winslow, Jr., he was hospitalized with a staph infection. While staph is always serious, it can be fatal and the NFL has taken steps to remedy the issue. The remedy was not enough for Winslow n and he pointed out that several other Browns players have succumbed to this malady.
“Winslow also said no one from team management bothered to visit the hospital or give him a call. He said he felt like “a piece of meat.”
Coach Romeo Crennell said he could be disciplined for his comments. If you are Winslow, you have to be laughing at the fact they want you to refrain from telling the truth.
As “Dirty” Harry Callahan would say, “Go ahead, make my day.”
Mighty Mike
Following the St. Louis Rams lead, the San Francisco 49ers made a mid-season coaching change this week.
The NFL now has new black head coach. Welcome Mike Singletary to the ranks.
Singletary’s reckless brand of linebacker play landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he is called “the emotional and intellectual force behind the great Chicago Bears’ defenses of the 1980s.
His coaching career began in 2003 as linebackers coach of the Baltimore Ravens under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan n the man he has replaced as head coach in San Francisco. Nolan brought him to the 49ers in 2005.
He coached linebackers with the 49ers and Nolon promoted him to assistant head coach.
A standout at Baylor, Singletary was approached about taking that vacant head coaching post two years ago. He asked for full commitment from the administration to develop a program that could compete with Texas and Oklahoma on an annual basis. He didn’t get the right answer, so he stuck with the 49ers.
“I know when I came into the league, I wanted to be a head coach,” Singletary said.
“Preparation-wise, there are so many things a head coach has to think about. A head coach, in my mind, has to have great peripheral vision. It’s not just you. If you don’t have great people around you, you will fail.”
Singletary’s hiring increases the number of black NFL head coaches to six. But Romeo Crennell of the Browns, Herm Edwards of the hapless Kansas City Chiefs and Marvin Lewis at Cincinnati could easily be out of jobs at the end of the season.
