Despite the Eagle Ford being the hottest shale play in North America, Marathon Oil Corp.’s Dave Roberts thinks that his company and the industry in general are currently mired “in the middle of the intersection.”

In other words, Roberts, the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Houston-based Marathon, is thrilled by the production numbers that have come out of the Eagle Ford so far. Yet, he emphasizes that the play’s future will be dictated by how the industry “builds trust and earns the respect of its neighbors.

“We ...