Krause: Maroney steps up as Patriots ace latest test

What’s next? Flash floods? A swarm of those tiny little bugs that did in the New York Yankees two months ago?What else can get in the New England Patriots’ way as they barrel through their regular-season schedule?Ever since smothering the Buffalo Bills, 56-10, on Nov. 18 – the last in a devastating series of blowouts – the Patriots have hit a new phase of their schedule, and so far, they’ve taken on all comers.For two straight weeks, the Patriots ran into teams that showed some inclination to stop them – the Philadelphia Eagles three weeks ago and the Baltimore Ravens the following week. Both times they survived ? though just barely.Then, the Pittsburgh Steelers represented the last, best test for the Pats as they try to become only the second NFL team to go through the regular season unbeaten.The Steelers proved unequal to the task, as they fell meekly. And – of course – they lost yesterday, too, making the cumulative record of teams the week after having been defeated the Patriots 4-9.So here’s what we knew after Week 14: With all things being equal, the Patriots were unbeatable. The Cowboys couldn’t do it in Dallas; the Colts couldn’t do it in Indianapolis; the Eagles couldn’t do it after playing the game of their lives; and the Ravens couldn’t do it on a frigid night in Baltimore where the Patriots were admittedly playing on fumes; and the mighty (?) Steelers talked a great game, but couldn’t come close to backing it up.As for the rest of the league? Thank you for shopping. Remember how the talk of the NFL revolved around the Patriots being horrible sports for stomping all over everyone else?The Patriots were simply better than everyone else ? and on the few occasions where that wasn’t the case, they were luckier than anyone else. That’s a tough combination to beat.So the football gods decided to pick the day the Patriots were supposed to annihilate the New York Jets (in retaliation for “spygate”) to throw another obstacle at them: Bad weather.Aha, knowledgeable fans said. Bring it on. They’re 9-0 (10-0 now) in snow at Gillette Stadium, and the Jets are awful, so what’s the problem?Here’s the problem. The Patriots are not like those other teams. The Patriots have Olympic sprinters with sure hands, and a running game that, if not inadequate, has been mothballed to the point of extinction because of all the greyhounds catching the ball.But Sunday wasn’t a day for greyhounds. It wasn’t the cold as it was the wet and windy conditions. It was a day that absolutely begged for a running back who could play ball-control.Bad weather was all right when you were facing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, and when you had a healthy Corey Dillon to pound the ball 30-odd times through the line.But when your whole offense revolves around timing, and speed, and throwing accuracy, bad weather is not your friend ? unless you have a sturdy back who can provide balance.Did somebody say Laurence Maroney?There are plenty of knocks on Maroney, some of them deserved. He can’t stay healthy. He’s a better dancer than Fred Astaire. He doesn’t hit a hole as much as he tip-toes through it.Some of these knocks may have influenced coach Bill Belichick’s decision not to feature him as much – taking into consideration, of course, that when you have Randy Moss and Wes Welker (especially Welker, who almost acts as a running back sometimes), who needs the gridiron equivalent of Gene Kelly back there?The Patriots did yesterday. And boy, did Maroney come through. He ran for 104 yards on 26 carries, and scored a touchdown. That, compared with a defense that held the Jets to three points (their touchdown came on a blocked punt), was enough. The Jets’ overall ineptitude took care of the rest.”Running the ball a lot today, it gave me a chance to know where things were going to be before they happened,” said Maroney, who had his second 100-yard game this season. “It was basically running downhill because you can’t make too many cuts on this bad field in the