This year's best NFL matchup may very well be the against the New England Patriots this Sunday night. In fact, you could say it's got the feel of a midseason Super Bowl game, only without five hours of pregame hype and an overly ambitious halftime show. What's more, it pits two of the most successful rookie running backs of 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
2006 against each other for the first time as pros.On draft day last April, the Patriots took Laurence Maroney with the 21st overall pick. Some say the Colts were high on the University of Minnesota standout and would have grabbed him nine selections later if he was still on the draft board. Instead, Indianapolis "settled" for LSU's Joseph Addai. Understand that Maroney and Addai were two of the top four running backs drafted.So which of the two is making a bigger impact in the league this year as their teams meet in an AFC showdown?Addai impressed the Indianapolis staff enough during training camp to earn a share of the No. 1 job with veteran Dominic Rhodes. And the rookie from Houston, Texas has proven to be a complete back this season. He catches the ball well out of the backfield, finishes his runs hard and has been praised for picking up the blitz.From the first game of the season, Addai and Rhodes have alternated possessions when the offense has the ball. Their workload was virtually the same through six games, though Addai averaged 5.05 yards per carry against Rhodes' 3.25.Then came the game against the Denver Broncos. The Colts gave Addai 17 carries to Rhodes' three. He also caught five passes to Rhodes' three. What this seemed to indicate was the coaching staff's shift toward using Addai as the main back. Though coach Tony Dungy said after the game that the team will continue using a committee approach in the backfield, it's hard to imagine him not calling Addai's number more often in key situations going forward.Maroney, on the other hand, has proven to be a great complementary player for his team so far this season. He splits time in New England's backfield with Corey Dillon and contributes on special teams as a kick returner. His strengths are quickness and agility - which complement Dillon's size and power. And if you saw his 74-yard kick return in the game Monday night against the Vikings, it's obvious Maroney has game-breaking ability as a runner.Unlike Addai, however, he doesn't seem to be on the verge of becoming the lead back on his team any time soon -- at least not this season (barring an injury to his running mate). Coach Bill Belichick appears content using Maroney part time to keep opposing defenses off balance. In fact, his carries have decreased the past few weeks, averaging only eight rushing attempts the past two games after racking up 15.6 in the previous five contests.Maroney probably gets the edge as the 6 Super Bowl Champions jersey White jersey
more explosive running back of the two, possessing more game-breaking athleticism than Addai. But the Colts' rookie is making a bigger impact in the league this season because he has been a more consistent part of his team's offense.This Sunday night in Foxboro we'll get the chance to see them both as their teams go head-to-head in a super matchup featuring two of the AFC's best. analysis,
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