FOXBOROUGH - Don’t let the six carries and 14 yards fool you - Laurence Maroney feels he got a lot accomplished in his first preseason game last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. And he feels even more awaits when the Patriots host the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason home opener this Thursday at Gillette Stadium.

The running back  that has had the most to prove to coaches, himself and fans feels good about getting another chance this season.

“I felt good,” said Maroney on Tuesday, speaking at length for the first time since debuting last Thursday in Philly. “Being out for a while, I felt a little rusty on some of my reads, some of my plays but I figured that was going to be. It’s been a while since I had a game-type situation. It was just good to get out there and get a feel for the game.”

Maroney said earlier this year that he had a broken bone in his shoulder and it never healed to the point where he could go out and be productive last season. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Oct. 20.

So, when he started Thursday’s game, he was motivated to show that he still has it as a lead back in the NFL.

“I did get a feel for the game,” Maroney said. “Just when I was starting to get a feel for the game, you know who the preseason goes, they pull you. But it was fun to just be back out there and be around the team.”

“I think Laurence has had a real good offseason,” Belichick said. “Unfortunately, he got an early start to it and rehabbed during the latter part of the season last year and was an early participant in the offseason program. I think he got a lot done, both physically and from a technique standpoint.

“He’s worked very hard in the passing game, route-running, catching the ball, working at the top of his routes to lose defenders, and make two or three routes look the same so the defenders can’t key in on them or anticipate them. He’s done a real good job of that. I think his work in the passing game has shown up on the field, as well as pass protection. Of course, we know he can run the ball and also be involved in the return game. I think he’s had a productive camp. I think he’s ready to go.”

The one area where the Patriots want to see Maroney return to form is rushing after the initial hit or yards after contact. As a rookie, he was, at times, a devastating rusher, bowling over tacklers and showing glimpses of the power/finesse blend back the Pats thought they were getting in 2006 when he was their first-round pick.

“Different people look at it different ways,” Maroney said. “For me, I look at ‘YAC’ yards, yards after contact. If a line opens a hole and makes good blocks, I feel like you could put any back back there. If they open the hole wide enough, you could probably run in there and score. But it’s what do I do after first contact?”

Maroney reiterated on Tuesday that he still hears the whispers and doubters about whether, at age 24, he may not be the same back as he was in college.

“You hear about it,” Maroney said. “Everybody has different perspective. For real? I didn’t know that. Everybody wants to say, ‘hurt this and hurt that and fragile this.’ Unfortunately, I’ve dealt with injuries, my first two injuries in my career. People are going to say what they want to say. All I can do is go out there and play.”

And Maroney said he’s not hearing the footsteps of all the fellow running backs in camp, like Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor, Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Chris Taylor.

“Only thing competition does is make me better,” Maroney said. “At the same time, it’s going to make everyone around us better because you’re always competing against the next guy and I know whoever starts or whoever comes in, we’re always going to have a good back in the game.”

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