The Facts: Following up on this week's Fantasy Notebook. ... Maroney revealed that the shoulder injury that limited him to three games last season was a broken bone. He injured the shoulder against the Jets during the second game of the season, sat out a week, then came back against San Francisco Oct. 5, but looked tentative, refusing to lower his right shoulder for a first down. After the game, Maroney said he had "issues." The Patriots placed him on injured reserve Oct. 20.

Diehards Line:"I had a broken bone and I was trying to play with it," Maroney, appearing at Kevin Faulk's charity softball game on Saturday, said. "It's kind of hard to sit here and play and not tell people what is going on. ..." Maroney acknowledged that it bothered him that some questioned his toughness. Maroney also said he was looking forward to the 2009 season, and proving his critics wrong. After watching him go in the 16th round of a 17-round mock draft this week, it's clear Maroney's work is cut out for him.