Tag: Maurice Jones-Drew

Eagles’ Miles Sanders among second-year running backs set for breakout season in 2020

Miles Sanders among running backs set for a breakout season in 2020

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Josh Jacobs was the big name rookie running back in the NFL last season and he didn’t disappoint, as the Las Vegas Raiders star finished his rookie season with 1,150 rushing yards and was second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Jacobs did most of his damage early on, while a star was born in Philadelphia, as Miles Sanders came on after Jordan Howard’s injury and paired with Carson Wentz to help carry the Eagles offense into the playoffs.

Sanders is preparing for an MVP season and one former NFL running back believes the Eagles star will have a breakout campaign. Maurice Jones-Drew is an analyst for NFL.com and recently broke down three second-year running backs set for breakout seasons.

Sanders made the list, joined by the Bills Devin Singletary and the Bears David Montgomery.

Miles Sanders
Philadelphia Eagles · RB
Year 1: 16 games | 179 att | 818 rush yds | 4.6 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 50 rec | 509 rec yds | 3 rec TDs

Sanders played well behind an Eagles’ offensive line that was among the best in the league in run-blocking in 2019. With 38-year-old veteran Jason Peters swinging inside to take over for injured guard Brandon Brooks, the second-year running back will have to do more and create more lanes on his own. The Eagles have shuffled through running backs over the last five seasons, so the pressure is on Sanders to solidify himself as a mainstay in the backfield. If he doesn’t, the Eagles will have no issue moving on, like they’ve done in the past. That should be a big motivator for Sanders. I think he’ll rise to the challenge, even with the Eagles adding to the passing game this offseason in an effort to get Carson Wentz back to the MVP form he displayed in 2017 before his season-ending knee injury. That said, I predict Sanders will earn 1,500 scrimmage yards, including 1,000 rushing yards (which would make him Philly’s first 1,000-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy in 2014) and 10 total TDs.

Sanders could be the running back that finally allows the Eagles to do away with their running back by committee approach. Sanders has the potential to be a top-10 running back in 2020 and if he can avoid nagging injuries, could push for 1,000+ yards rushing and receiving.

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Maurice Jones-Drew ranks Chris Carson as only 15th-best starting back

NFL.com’s Maurice Jones-Drew ranks Seattle Seahawk Chris Carson as only 15th-best starting running back in the NFL due to his fumbles.

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping for big things this season from running back Chris Carson. Sidelined at the end of last year with a hip injury, Carson is expected to be able to return to form in 2020.

But Carson’s health issues aren’t what is keeping him in the middle of the pack of NFL.com’s Maurice Jones-Drew’s top running backs heading into the season . . . it’s concerns whether or not he can protect the football.

“Carson, who finished in the top five in rushing yards last season, has been highly productive the last two seasons, but I have one major problem with his game,” Jones-Drew writes. “He simply coughs up the ball too much. Carson had seven fumbles last year alone. That is a killer for any offense.”

Carson’s ball-security skills were certainly called into question last season, but hopefully entering his fourth year in the league he is able to prove he’s well worth the risk.

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MJD slots Leonard Fournette at No. 13 spot of RB rankings

Leonard Fournette landed outside of the top-10 of NFL.com’s RB rankings, however, his new coordinator could make him a top-10 backs again.

Love him or not, it appears Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette will be the team’s No. 1 running back heading into 2020 and they need him to come up big. As a former top-4 selection, the Jags clearly felt he’d be a primary weapon for the team, and with jobs potentially on the line they need him to play like an elite draft selection more than ever.

Someone who would know about the pressure that comes with being a running back for a smash-mouth team is Jags great Maurice Jones-Drew, who now is an NFL.com analyst. The former Jags pro bowler recently put together a list ranking each NFL’s team’s No. 1 running backs. Unfortunately, Fournette didn’t crack the top-10, but he did land within the top-13.

13. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars

2019 stats: 15 games | 265 att | 1,152 rush yds | 4.3 ypc | 3 rush TDs | 76 rec | 522 rec yds | 0 rec TDs

Fournette bounced back last season after a down 2018, but he wasn’t used much in the red zone. With the addition of offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, I expect Fournette, whose fifth-year option wasn’t picked up, to get plenty of touches in an effort to protect QB Gardner Minshew and help set up big-play opportunities off play-action. One thing I know for sure is that it’s imperative that the Jags get their bell cow going if they want to have any type of success this season.

It appears Fournette’s lack of trips to the end-zone hurt him here, but had that not been an issue, he definitely would’ve cracked the top-10.

With Jay Gruden as the Jags new coordinator, it’s possible Fournette could get about the same amount of carries he did in 2019 (265), as Gruden has had several rushers accumulate 250-plus carries like Adrian Peterson, Cedric Benson, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and Alfred Morris. However, it’s worth noting the Jags have several new offensive pass-catchers, too, who could collectively take carries from Fournette. Still, fans should like Fournette’s chances to get over 1,000 yards and double his touchdown total of three from 2019.

As pointed out by Jones-Drew, Fournette will also be motivated by his fifth-year option being declined, and when adding in the fact that other teams will be evaluating him as a pending free-agent, fans shouldn’t discount him. Of course, that would improve the offense in general and possibly make them a top-10 rushing unit again.

Maurice Jones-Drew: Giants’ Saquon Barkley not among top 5 RBs in NFL

Maurice Jones-Drew says Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants isn’t even among the five best running backs in the NFL.

Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants has frequently been touted as the best running back in the NFL this offseason, but retired running back Maurice Jones-Drew is here to pump the brakes on that and to buck the trend.

MJD released his personal running back rankings on Monday and Barkley not only failed to land the top spot, he fell out of the top five entirely.

Rank 6: Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

Barkley is one of the most talented players in the NFL. There’s no questioning that. BUT his pass protection is horrible. Remember when Jamal Adams grabbed the ball out of Daniel Jones’ hands and took it to the house? Well, that was Barkley’s block. He missed it, and it cost the Giants big time. I need to see this part of his game improve.

Barkley is actually a solid pass protector who saw that part of his game slip a bit a season ago. MJD points out the most-obvious mistake made by Barkley, but those are not as common as his analysis would lead you to believe.

The Giants have struggled in pass protection as a whole and many of those issues became compounded when Daniel Jones took over for Eli Manning and center Jon Halapio went down with injury. Miscommunication was an obvious problem, especially with Jones struggling to call out the proper protections — an area in which Manning excelled.

As far as Barkley, it’s also very important to remember that he missed time due to a high-ankle sprain and then returned too early, which impacted every aspect of his game, including pass protection.

And in case you were wondering, the five running backs MJD had ranked above Barkley were Joe Mixon (No. 5), Alvin Kamara (No. 4), Nick Chubb (No. 3), Ezekiel Elliott (No. 2) and Christian McCaffrey (No. 1).

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Former Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew explains biggest regret of his NFL career

After being retired for five years, Maurice-Jones Drew wishes he had prepared with his teammates more in the offseason despite a great run.

After retirement, players from the NFL often reflect on some of the things they could’ve done better, even those who were successful. With him retiring in 2015, Maurice Jones-Drew has had five years to look back on his career in which he saw great individual success, but not a lot of team success.

In an article where NFL Network asked several of it’s analysts about their biggest regrets, Jones-Drew stated that he wished he would’ve taken a better offseason approach as a player. Like many players, he spent some of his offseason training away from the Jags facility, but when looking back on it, he’s come to realize that maybe he could’ve built a better bond with his teammates by being present.

Training together and building team chemistry is such a big part of high school and college football, and that’s exactly what I experienced at De La Salle and UCLA. When I stepped into a leadership role in Jacksonville, I should have encouraged my teammates to train together in the offseason rather than going our separate ways. There were several seasons where we were one or two games out of the playoffs and — who knows? — we might’ve been in the mix had we been pushing each other all spring and summer. I was one of the people who left Jacksonville in the offseason, and although I was improving my own game, how could I lead by not being present? I couldn’t.

He makes a good point. For players on the high school level, it’s heavily stressed that players participate in preseason workouts because it helps a group of young people build chemistry well before they take the field. The same could be said about college football.

During his career (2006-13), the Jags only had three winning seasons and Jones-Drew only saw the playoffs once (2007). As he stated, there were some  seasons where the Jags were .500 or close like 2009 (7-9) and 2010 (8-8) that could’ve evolved into something better, but now we’ll never know. The good thing about it is that Jones-Drew has been able to at least admit his mistake and can now pass down that knowledge to some of the current Jags and others.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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Why Houston RB Patrick Carr could make Seahawks roster

Patrick Carr is a short, stocky running back, a position where depth is crucial. The Seattle Seahawks could really use him in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks brought in a whopping 17 undrafted free agents from the 2020 class to compete for spots on the active roster.

Most years, teams are lucky to get one UDFA to make the squad, as they are primarily brought in to give the team extra bodies during training camp.

However, the Seahawks have had plenty of luck in the past, going all the way back to Dave Krieg, and including Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and more recently, defensive tackle Poona Ford.

Undrafted free agent running backs have had a recent run of success in the NFL, including Phillip Lindsay of the Broncos and Matt Breida with the 49ers (now with the Dolphins).

The Seahawks also had a ton of success with Chris Carson, a seventh round pick back in 2017. Carson will be joined by Rashaad Penny (if/when he is healthy) veteran Carlos Hyde and a pair of young backs from the University of Miami, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, for Seattle in 2020.

That doesn’t appear to leave a lot of room for Patrick Carr, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Houston, although Seattle’s recent bad luck with injuries to their running back room could certainly open up a spot for Carr to contribute at some point during the 2020 campaign.

Carr began his collegiate career at the University of Colorado, where he rushed 66 times for 272 yards and a touchdown in 2015 before transferring to join the Houston Cougars.

He exploded his junior year, rushing 152 times for 868 yards (5.7 yards per carry) along with five touchdowns. He only made it into six games his senior year, thanks to injuries, which hampered his draft stock and may have left Seattle with a bargain pickup.

Carr is built like former running back Maurice Jones-Drew, coming in at five-foot-eight and weighing 207 pounds. His stocky frame and sneaky speed make him an intriguing running back prospect, and one who could flourish learning from Carson and Hyde in Seattle’s system.

It’s hard to imagine him breaking camp with the team, unless injuries pile up, but considering what happened last year this team would be wise to keep him stashed on the practice squad, in case he is needed.

Who knows, if he gets himself into game situations he might just stick around.

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Mel Tucker hosting Instagram live chat with former Jacksonville Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew

MSU’s head coach is hosting his second live talk dubbed “Tucker Talks” today at 3 PM.

Tucker Talks is back.

Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker has been making steady use of social media since taking over in East Lansing. Two weeks ago he held a Q&A session on Instagram live entitled “Tucker Talks” and today will be round two of what looks like it could be a recurring event.

Tucker will be talking with former Jacksonville Jaguars running back and the 2011 NFL rushing leader Maurice Jones-Drew. The chat will start at 3 PM on Tucker’s Instagram page. Tucker was the defensive coordinator in Jacksonville from 2009-2012. He was also the interim head coach for five games in 2011–Jones-Drew’s best season.

Tucker has been a constant presence on Twitter and Instagram in his three months as head man of the MSU football program. He often interacts with fans, answers questions, and sends out behind the scenes pictures of him and his staff.

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Maurice Jones-Drew says he wants to see Jags better their defense through 2020 draft

NFL Network analyst and former Jacksonville Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew discusses what the Jags should do in the 2020 draft.

Despite the tireless work he puts into being a sports analyst, former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew often makes the time to talk about his former team throughout the years. That was the case this year when he joined Jaguars.com’s Brian Sexton to discuss the current state of the team and league.

In the last part of their 1-on-1, Sexton asked Jones-Drew who are some players that would excite him if the Jags acquired them on opening night and Jones-Drew said Clemson linebacker, Isaiah Simmons. He continued to call him the best player in the draft then explained why it would be important for the Jags to add an elite player like him to their defense.

“If you’re going to give Gardner [Minshew] an opportunity to remain the starting quarterback like I’ve heard multiple times and all the reports we’ve heard, I’d want to better this defense because when that unit was one of the best in the league you had more opportunities offensively,” Jones-Drew said. “[Back in 2017] it gave Blake Bortles and the offense more chances to score. Remember that time where Blake got hot for about a month and the Jags were the scariest team in the league? They had a top defense and a hot quarterback. It was like, Woah! So, in my mind, I want to go back to that.”

Simmons undoubtedly would add a very versatile piece to the Jags’ defense. Of the many positions he could play, the Jags would probably put him at safety as the linebacking corps and nickelback position have established starters.

As for Jones-Drew’s statements about building up the defense, he certainly makes a solid point. The problem with that is the fact that the unit has so many holes to the point where it could take a while to build up. That said, it would be much easier to address the offensive side as they have the most talent on the team and are just a player or two away from being an impressive group.

Either way, the Jags can come out of this draft with a solid nucleus as they have 12 picks. Simply put, if they stick to a best available player approach, they will come out of the draft greatly improved.

NFL.com analyst has Jonathan Taylor outside of the top five running back prospects in his latest draft rankings

NFL.com analyst and former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew released his latest running back rankings for the upcoming draft and…

NFL.com analyst and former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew released his latest running back rankings for the upcoming draft and, much to the surprise of many, listed five backs ahead of former Badger Jonathan Taylor.

The rankings divide the top 30 prospects at the position into three groups: “day one starters,” “system players” and “guys who need time to develop.” 

His top six goes as follows: Georgia’s D’Andre Swift, LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins, Florida State’s Cam Akers, Utah’s Zach Moss and, all the way down at No. 6 rounding out the “day one starter” category, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor.

Experts agree that there is an argument for selecting Swift or Dobbins ahead of Taylor due to their lower college usage and pass-catching prowess, depending what fits better with the team’s offensive philosophy.

What is outlandish and goes completely against the grain of what every draft expert has said thus far, though, is liking Edwards-Helaire, Akers and Moss all over Taylor.

I like Edwards-Helaire and his Darren Sproles-like versatility and quickness at five-foot-seven, and I think that Akers and Moss are solid prospects. But ranking Taylor below those three solely due to his college workload, one which did not cause him any injuries during his three years, is a take that will not hold up well in the long run.

Here are the four backs’ college statistics, and keep in mind Akers and Moss put up these numbers in the ACC and Pac-12 respectively, conferences with defenses not close to the level of those in the Big Ten.

Cam Akers: 586 carries, 2875 yards, 4.9 yards-per-carry and 27 touchdowns on the ground in addition to 69 receptions, 486 yards and seven touchdowns through the air in three years.

Zach Moss: 712 carries, 4067 yards, 5.7 yards-per-carry and 38 touchdowns on the ground as well as 66 receptions, 685 yards and three touchdowns through the air in four years.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire: 370 carries, 2103 yards, 5.7 yards-per-carry and 23 touchdowns on the ground in addition to 69 receptions, 595 yards and one touchdown through the air in three years.

Jonathan Taylor: 926 carries, 6174 yards, 6.7 yards-per-carry and 50 touchdowns on the ground as well as 42 receptions (26 from this past season), 407 yards and five touchdowns through the air in three years.

The numbers aren’t even close.

Here’s what Jones-Drew wrote when talking about Taylor in his rankings article.

“Taylor reminds me of Christian McCaffrey when he came out of college in the sense that the 5-10, 226-pound Badger has so many miles on his tires after recording 926 carries for 6,174 yards in three years at Wisconsin,” Jones-Drew wrote. “This was my concern with McCaffrey, but the Carolina Panthers have used him in a way where he doesn’t take as many hits. Unfortunately, Taylor’s size and downhill running style will make him more susceptible to hits at the next level.”

So, throwing his college production, speed, vision and advanced skill set out of the window, Jones-Drew compared Taylor to McCaffrey only in terms of how many times he touched the ball in college. It’s a necessary point to make, but by no means should it be the singular reason he isn’t ranked No. 1 or No. 2 on the running back board. 

The McCaffrey pick also has turned out pretty well for the Panthers so far.

Fit and system will obviously play a role in the success of the top running backs taken later this month, as each back’s success will be greatly influenced by the talent of the line in front of them, how their coaches choose to utilize their skill sets and whether the team’s quarterback is able to air it out and take pressure off of the ground game.

In the end, though, it will be extremely surprising if Akers, Moss or Edwards-Helaire have better professional careers than the Badger legend.

Maurice Jones-Drew predicts 1,000-yard, 10-TD season for Melvin Gordon

Former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew believes Melvin Gordon will be a great fit in the Broncos’ offense.

During his first five years in the NFL with the Chargers, running back Melvin Gordon rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season just one time, in 2017. He scored at least 10 touchdowns in three seasons.

Gordon is now joining a Broncos backfield that already includes Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. Gordon will have to share touches in Denver but he is expected to be the team’s lead running back.

“Because Gordon will share the load, his production won’t exceed his numbers from 2017 . . . but count on him to be used plenty at the goal line,” former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew recently wrote on NFL.com.

Jones-Drew predicted Gordon will have a 1,000-yard rushing season and will total 10 touchdowns. Jones-Drew believes Gordon will be a good addition to the Broncos’ offense.

“I think Denver is a really good fit for him,” MJD wrote. “This three-headed backfield has become one of the best in the league overnight, and it will allow second-year signal-caller Drew Lock to thrive off play-action.”

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