Tag: Maurice Jones-Drew

MJD says Lawrence Taylor is just third-best defensive player ever

Maurice Jones-Drew doesn’t believe New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor is the best defensive player ever. Or even the second-best.

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In recent years, the comparisons of current players have been made to former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Most recently, Aaron Donald has been getting the comparisons to Taylor as Donald has consistently been the best defensive player in the league for a few years now.

Following Donald’s new contract with the Los Angeles Rams where they made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, NFL.com asked 10 insiders to rank their top-3 defensive players ever.

To nobody’s surprise, Taylor was the top player on everyone’s list with the sole exception of retired running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Jones-Drew has been with NFL Network for a few years now and somehow thinks that Taylor is only the third-greatest defensive player of all time behind Deion Sanders and the aforementioned Donald.

The most difficult position on defense is cornerback, and no one played it better than Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, whose swag and big-play ability at the position is unrivaled. Having to play on an island and shut down an entire half of the field every Sunday, and doing it successfully, makes him the best defensive player in my opinion. His six first-team All-Pro and eight Pro Bowl nods and one Defensive Player of the Year honor only add to his greatness. Donald falls in line behind him after putting up gaudy numbers in every season of his career while facing double and triple teams. It’s incredible watching that man work firsthand every Sunday. Taylor rounds out my top three as a guy who completely changed how offenses game-planned for pass rushers, introducing a new era in the process.

All of the other members had Taylor as their No. 1 defensive player of all-time.

Recently, Giants Wire asked one of Taylor’s former teammates, Ottis Anderson, if there is anyone who comes close to the talent level of Taylor and the answer was a pretty clear cut “no.”

As the game changes and new players continue to come into the league there will always be talk about who is the greatest defensive player of all-time. Although, some, like MJD, will attempt to go against the grain and pick someone other than Taylor as the best defensive player, L.T. certainly seems as though he is the consensus.

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Maurice Jones-Drew talks what’s next for Titans RB Derrick Henry

“I still believe he’s the best running back in the National Football League because he’s a unicorn,” Jones-Drew said of Henry.

Both were former second-round picks in the NFL Draft, but Maurice Jones-Drew and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry could not be more different in physical statures.

The former stood at 5-foot-7, but he was like a bowling ball running through the offensive line. Henry has established himself as a premier running back in the league, displaying an unworldly combination of size and speed.

Jones-Drew was in Los Angeles for Super Bowl media week in advance of Sunday’s game. He was asked what he thinks is next for Henry after missing a large portion of the season with a foot injury.

“I mean, still the same,” the former Jacksonville Jaguar said of Henry, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “He was on the verge of rushing for like 2,400 yards before he broke his foot. Those things happen. I still believe he’s the best running back in the National Football League because he’s a unicorn.”

The Titans and Jaguars have always had terrific running backs. When Jacksonville had Fred Taylor, Tennessee had Eddie George. When the Jaguars had Jones-Drew, the Titans countered with Chris Johnson.

Throughout his career, Jones-Drew was consistently a thorn in the Titans’ sides, averaging 77.6 yards per game to go along with a combined ten touchdowns in 14 career matchups.

Like Henry, Jones-Drew is no stranger to being among the best. He led the league in rushing with 1,606 yards on 343 carries during the 2011 season.

Henry, of course, led the league in rushing in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020, and he was primed to do so again before the injury at the end of October.

“You don’t see the 6-foot-4, 250-pound guys that can move the way he can move,” Jones-Drew added. “The league got spared because he was out. I just think once he gets back and he gets going again, you’ll see him back to where he was.”

The Titans and Jaguars’ history of producing terrific running backs looks to be repeating itself, as the latter has a young, blossoming tailback in James Robinson. He was underutilized last season but broke the record for most scrimmage yards of any undrafted rookie in 2020.

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Pair of Jaguars legends discuss Byron Leftwich as a head coaching candidate

Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor each had positive things to say about their former teammate’s candidacy for the Jags’ job.

Jacksonville faces one of its biggest decisions in franchise history this offseason. The team essentially wasted a year of development for Trevor Lawrence on a disastrous 13-game tenure from Urban Meyer, and now it heads back to the drawing board to try to finally get things right.

When in this situation, it can be helpful to listen to the advice of the players who were there for some of the best moments in Jaguars’ history, and former star running back Maurice Jones-Drew certainly has some thoughts as far as the direction the Jags need to go with this hire.

“I think it’s important that you kind of go the Rams’ route, and a lot of guys have done it,” Jones-Drew said on the Rich Eisen Show. “When you draft a quarterback first overall and all those things, you have to put as much quarterback knowledge around him. You want your head coach to have knowledge, you want, obviously, your offensive coordinator to have it, you want to have a quarterback that’s knowledgable and an older guy in the room.

“You want a guy that has won coaching quarterbacks or has played coaching quarterbacks, so whoever that guy may be, I’ve been a big advocate for Jim Caldwell, Doug Pederson, Byron Leftwich, those are guys I think Jacksonville should look at because they’ve been there.”

Jones-Drew went on to elaborate on Leftwich as a candidate. The current Buccaneers offensive coordinator was also a first-round pick quarterback for the Jags, who he played for from 2003-06, including Jones-Drew’s rookie year.

“To be honest, Byron Leftwich is a guy that when I was there was a quarterback drafted in the first round, he understands it,” he said. “He understands the pressures that many of us may not know, what it takes to play at a high level in that city, and then also a guy that can relate in that locker room and make everyone feel as if their voice is heard and that they’re needed.

“I think the Jags are doing a great job of doing that net, interviewing everyone and slowly figuring out what they want to do. There’s no rush in this, you want to make sure that you get it right this time.”

Another Jaguars legend who knows Leftwich even better is Fred Taylor. The two played together during the latter’s prime, and the Hall of Fame nominee was there for the entirety of Leftwich’s Jacksonville tenure.

Taylor had only positive things to say about Leftwich, who he thinks is prepared to handle a challenge like this.

Leftwich seems to be gaining a lot of momentum as a candidate, and he could be considered the current leader in the clubhouse to land the job. The Jags are certainly doing their due diligence by interviewing a large number of candidates, but Leftwich’s name can be expected to rise to the top. It could very well be his job to turn down.

Bengals are going to the Super Bowl, according to Maurice Jones-Drew

MJD is a big Bengals fan this postseason.

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It would appear the Cincinnati Bengals have a major fan in former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

MJD popped up on a Tuesday broadcast of “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network and said he’s picking the Bengals to win their playoff game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.

Why? One big reason: Sloppy, cold weather that favors the Bengals.

And two:

“Another thing is this: I just see too much firepower on the Bengals. It’s too much. I mean, you’ve already played each other – so you know how that’s gonna be. And the Bengals went into Vegas and won.”

Pushed a bit further, MJD let this slip about his playoff bracket:

“To be honest, I’m going to say this, I have Cincinnati going to the Super Bowl…That’s how excited I am about this team. They remind me of the Chiefs. When the Chiefs came out of nowhere, a young quarterback, second year, hot receivers…”

There are some interesting parallels there and indeed, Joe Burrow and Co. already proved themselves by besting those Chiefs in that win that secured the AFC North. They’ve also swept Baltimore and Pittsburgh, lost to Green Bay by three points in overtime and are the only AFC playoff team with an undefeated mark against the rest of the AFC playoff field.

So…MJD might just be on to something.

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WATCH: Maurice Jones-Drew reflects on 2009 matchup with Titans’ Chris Johnson

MJD fondly remembers his battle against fellow elite running back Chris Johnson in 2009, even though the Jags lost.

The Tennessee Titans are arguably Jacksonville’s biggest rival in the AFC South, but the series hasn’t been competitive in quite a while. The Jaguars have lost eight of their last nine against the Titans, and they haven’t won in Nashville since 2013. But back when the team was better in the late 2000s, these teams played some actual meaningful matchups.

On Good Morning Football, former Jags star running back Maurice Jones-Drew remembers one of those occasions fondly, even though it didn’t exactly go the Jags’ way. They lost to the previously winless Titans 30-13, but it was a big day for both Jones-Drew and Titans running back Chris Johnson.

“Going into this game, we were both pretty decent, we were in the middle of the pack, so we knew we had to go in there and get a victory,” Jones-Drew said. “What happened was, Chris Johnson went for a long run, and then we knew we had to match, then I went for one, then he went for one, then I went for one, then he took off and kind of was the game after that, but it was fun.

“It’s one of those games where you go in knowing that it’s going to be a battle.”

Johnson had a prolific game, totaling 228 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. But Jones-Drew had arguably an even more stunning outing, rushing for 177 yards and two scores of his own on just eight total carries. If you’re trying to do the math at home, that’s an unbelievable 22 yards per carry.

Jones-Drew went on to be a Second-Team All-Pro that season with his second-best career mark in yards and his best finish in terms of touchdowns with 15. Johnson, meanwhile, broke the 2,000 rushing yard mark in his second season in the league, becoming the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in the process.

The loss sent the 3-3 Jaguars into a bit of a spiral during the second half of the season, as they finished the year 7-9 and ranked last in the AFC South. Still, it was an excellent battle between two of the best backs in the league at the time, and it certainly lived up to the hype in that regard.

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey voted NFL.com’s OPOY favorite

We just gave you the bad news from NFL.com’s panel about the 2021 Panthers. So how about the good news?

We just handed down the cloudy forecast of the Carolina Panthers from NFL.com’s expert panel, as they are projected to miss out on the playoffs based on predictions from 29 analysts. Now, how about a sunny one?

The same group has tabbed Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey as 2021’s favorite to win the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. McCaffrey took in five votes to top the category, barely edging out the likes of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, both of which earned four votes.

Former NFL running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew was one of the five experts to back Carolina’s superstar runner, opining that McCaffrey can become the first player in league history to amass a second season of 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards.

“The last time CMC played a full season in 2019, he eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing and receiving,” Jones-Drew writes. “He may not account for 52.5 percent of offensive touches like he did in that season, but I still expect the dynamic running back to be prominently featured in Joe Brady’s offense. Another 1,000/1,000 campaign could be in play.”

We didn’t get to see too much of McCaffrey in Brady’s system last season, as he missed 13 games with a handful of injuries including a high-ankle sprain. He was quite productive in the three outings he did have, however, totaling 374 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.

McCaffrey popped up on the panel’s slate a second time as well, finishing behind only Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott as the favorite to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors.

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Former Jags running back, current analyst: Etienne an ‘awesome pickup’

While some people were critical of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ selection of former Clemson running back Travis Etienne in the first round (25th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, former Jags running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew …

While some people were critical of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ selection of former Clemson running back Travis Etienne in the first round (25th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, former Jags running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew is not one of those people.

Jones-Drew is a fan of Etienne and approves of Jacksonville’s decision to take him in the first round despite already having a standout running back on the roster in James Robinson, who was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2020.

Jones-Drew sees similarities between the versatile Etienne — one of only 12 players in FBS history with 4,000 career rushing yards and 1,000 career receiving yards – and Carolina Panthers do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey.

“This is the thing. I thought the Jags were in a great position to draft best available,” Jones-Drew said to Jaguars team reporter Ashlyn Sullivan. “Obviously Trevor Lawrence is your first pick, you have an opportunity to get best available once they were at 25, and Travis is sitting there. And you saw his career, you saw how explosive he was, how versatile he was. You see a lot of possibly Christian McCaffrey in there, and so you want to have that because you see what the Panthers look like with Christian and without him. So, if I can get something similar or close to that, I want that.

“So, I thought it was an awesome pickup. Yes, it may take away from James’ touches a little bit, but that’s OK. It’s about winning here, and I think this city is ready for that. I think Urban (Meyer) is bringing a ton of positivity, a ton of excitement, and that draft pick shows that he wants to win. Yeah, we have some other holes. But we want to be more athletic, we want to be faster, more explosive, and that’s what we’re getting here with Travis.”

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Watch: Former Jags RB Maurice Jones-Drew visits Jags during Day 11 practice session

The Jags had a special guest come through to practice on Tuesday and it was a player who once went through the daily grind that they do at TIAA Bank Field.

If there is one thing about Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, it’s that he doesn’t mind guests coming by to speak with his football teams during practice. In the Jags’ case, they’ve already had a few legends drop in like Dabo Swinney, but on Tuesday, a former Jags legend in Maurice Jones-Drew came through and shared a few words of encouragement.

Jones-Drew was dropping through as an analyst with NFL Network, but with him once experiencing life as a Jaguar, Meyer clearly felt he should speak with the team who he’s always supported from afar.

Jags Wire spoke with Jones-Drew back in April about the addition of Meyer and he spoke highly of his success in college. The former Jags running back also spoke on Meyer’s program building abilities (and more), which could help the Jags finally get back on their feet.

“Well, the only thing you can do is go off the history of the coach and what he’s done wherever he’s been, right?” said Jones-Drew. “When you look at Urban Meyer, when he was at the University of Utah they went to the BCS [bowl game vs. Pittsburgh] and won with Alex Smith, then Smith is a first round draft pick.

Then he goes to Florida. We know what he did in Florida. All of those guys come out as top draft picks and they win national championships. He gets Tim Tebow, we know that connection with Jacksonville. I think that [connection] is important as well.

He leaves there, goes to Ohio State — and guess what? He gets Ohio State back on track. So he knows how to build a program and just because we call these [NFL teams] organizations, [they’re] still programs. You’re still building a program.”

Clearly, Jones-Drew is down for the changes the Jags have made, and if they are successful, fans can bet their last dollar he’ll be mentioning them on NFL Network and demanding respect for the team.

Here’s where James Robinson stands in Jones-Drew’s running back rankings

MJD ranks Robinson as the No. 18 running back in the NFL.

James Robinson has a long lineage of talented Jacksonville running backs to live up to. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew set a high standard for the position, and even though the game has changed in favor of the passing game, the rushing attack remains crucial.

After a breakout season in 2020 as an undrafted rookie, there’s a bit of disagreement about Robinson’s future. Some think he’ll remain the team’s feature back, while others think that role will eventually fall to Travis Etienne.

But one of those former star running backs for the Jags, Jones-Drew, thinks that Robinson will be able to earn that job, at least in 2021. The NFL.com analyst has Robinson among the better backs in the league, ranking 18th (just behind Kansas City’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire and ahead of Seattle’s Chris Carson).

An undrafted rookie in 2020, James Robinson has an explosive game and no shortage of creativity in the open field. If he were the clear RB1 in the Jags’ backfield this fall, I’d place him in the top 12, easy. But I have to consider that Jacksonville selected running back Travis Etienne in the first round. Who will end up getting the most touches? I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until September to get our answer.

Robinson finished tied for fifth in the league in rushing yards in 2020, but that can largely be attributed to his NFL-high carrying percentage. Etienne’s presence will likely mean that Robinson’s production will diminish, but he could still easily see No. 1 running back-level carries.

Considering all indications are that the team is eying a third-down running back role for Etienne, the path seems clear for Robinson to be the team’s top option on the ground again. If rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence can find success through the air, it should open up the run game quite a bit for Robinson.

Maurice Jones-Drew ranks Giants’ Saquon Barkley among NFL’s top 10 RBs

Maurice Jones-Drew ranks Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants among his top 10 running backs despite the recent injury history.

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Where does the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley fit in the hierarchy of the NFL’s top running backs after two season marred by injury? Former NFL running back turned television analyst Maurice Jones-Drew still sees Barkley as one of the league’s top backs.

Rank 7. Saquon Barkley

2020 stats: 2 games | 19 att | 34 rush yds | 1.8 ypc | 0 rush TDs | 6 rec | 60 rec yds | 0 rec TDs

Saquon Barkley enters Year 3 with high expectations after a knee injury sidelined him for all but two games in the 2020 season. The Giants need him in a big way as the organization figures out whether this young team is heading in the right direction or if they need to rebuild … again. Saquon can absolutely take this rejuvenated Joe Judge-led team far. We just need to see it.

True, we do need to see it. After his breakthrough rookie season in 2018 where he led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage and was named to the Pro Bowl, Barkley has been bit by the injury bug. In 2019, a high ankle sprain either kept him out of, or rendered him ineffective, for half the season. Last year, the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year missed the final 14 games to a torn ACL.

Barkley’s rehab is said to be on schedule and the Giants expect him to be back with the team for training camp later this month but hinted he may not be a full participant until deemed 100 percent healthy.

Jones-Drew placed Barkley seventh on his list of the NFL’s top 32 running backs behind Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey of Carolina, New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook of Minnesota, Cleveland’s Nick Chubb and Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys.

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