Maroney's Push

There's been a lot of talk about LoMo's running. I don't want to get into that. However, a look back at the film when Maroney gets into a pile and gets the first down is interesting. Many have dismissed that run since he was being pushed by the offensive line. Let's see what the film tells us:
Okay, so Laurence hits two Steelers at the 26. You can see in this snap he has driven them forward, with nobody pushing him.
Here you can see his running style is actually quite good, despite the haters. As he came through the hole, he lowered his body and drove the first tackler with his shoulder. It was a big hit.

LoMo gets to about the 24, and the pile starts. LoMo's forward momentum was stopped by the third steeler running full force into the tackle (you can see him approaching in the earlier frames).
The Pile forms, and drives for a few more yards and the first down.



Side Note of interest: I'm sure we all saw Randy Moss totally destroy one of the steelers right at the end of the pile drive. Of course, it was during the play and completely legal, but he gave him quite the shove! I didn't think much of it, but if you go back to the first snapshot, you can see him dueling with his blocker. He hits Moss in the face pretty hard and gets the release. If you watch the film and keep track of Moss, you can see Moss trot towards the pile, shadowing the man he blocked(he thinks the play is over, it's not like he's going to be pushing the O-Line from behind or something). After a second or so, it's clear the play is not over, and Moss goes right for the guy who hit him in the face.
Don't mess with Randy Moss!