New England running back Laurence Maroney is looking for his chance to blow past defenders such as the Giants’ Aaron Ross in last year’s Super Bowl.

The Providence Journal/ / Bob Breidenbach

FOXBORO — If you ever get five minutes with Laurence Maroney, prepare to laugh at least once a minute.

The running back wouldn’t have it any other way.

In the course of his interview yesterday, he kept the media chuckling but managed to declare himself fit, relaxed and ready to build on his strong finish from last year in between the smiles.

Kicking off his third year with the Patriots, Maroney seems poised for a breakout season: toward the end of last year, it seemed he had figured out a way to marry the coaching staff’s expectations for his running style with his own, and it resulted in him recording 100-yard games in four of New England’s last six contests.

“I found the balance, and how to do things their way and incorporate my own things, and the second half I ended up pretty good,” Maroney said of his early season struggles, which mostly centered about being patient enough to let the holes open up for him rather than darting all over the backfield looking for one.

“The second half I ended up pretty good, so it gives me something to work towards and build off of. When you get new things thrown your way you just have to adjust and once I adjusted to it and got the feel for it and understand what they wanted from me, it made things a lot easier.”

In racking up 586 yards over the Pats’ final seven games, including a subpar 36 yards against the Giants in the Super Bowl, Maroney averaged 4.8 yards per carry; for the season, he averaged 4.5 yards.

As the weather got colder and things started clicking for him, Maroney got the ball more, and was thrilled he got the chance to show that New England didn’t make a mistake in selecting him as their No. 1 pick in 2006.

“And that’s all you need,” he said. “I ain’t asking for the ball 30, 40 times a game, just an opportunity so I can get into the groove and let me warm up and do my thing. I can probably do my thing in 10, 15 (carries), but just give me the opportunity and I’ll show everybody what I can do.”

Though he insisted he never doubted himself, repeating as he did on several occasions last year that when the Patriots called on him he’d be ready, playing well gave Maroney a confidence boost.

“I’m feeling myself right now,” he cracked, drawing more laughs. “I’m really feeling myself. I don’t want to be arrogant and stick my chest out (but) I definitely feel good. It let me know that when I put my mind to it and I focus I can really play this game and I can really be a good running back in the NFL.”

But he hasn’t gotten too far ahead of himself. Maroney still leans on his “big brothers,” Heath Evans, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris for advice on plays and concepts.

Of course, the joker expressed his love for the trio after saying he “really (does) not like those guys.”

“There’s a lot of things that I still don’t know or I have a hard time understanding, so I go to Heath, Kev, Sammy, all of them, just to ask their opinion. There’s certain plays I do, I feel like I did well but I still come and ask them (when watching film) is there anything I could have done differently on this play?” Maroney said.

When Maroney returned from his groin injury, Morris went down with a season-ending clavicle injury, so the pair didn’t work together for long. But with Morris impressing while Maroney was out, the two are looking forward to challenging defenses and now have a third ball carrier in LaMont Jordan, who was signed yesterday.

“We’re excited to get back out there and let the world know what we can do. Like I said, we have high hopes for ourselves, we have big plans,” Maroney said. “We’re just practicing hard and getting ready to go out there and show the world what the Patriots running backs got.”

And what is it they have?

“Talent. A lot of talent,” he said.

And as long as Maroney is around, a lot of smiles too.

smanza@projo.com