Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey backs RB Maurice Jones-Drew as starter – NFL News
After missing Week 1 game on the starting line, Jacksonville Jaguars star running back Maurice Jones-Drew has regained the leadership role and has boasted readiness to go about it from the next game without any issue at all.
The Jaguars persisted with Maurice on the number 2 position in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on past Sunday just to give him some time to return to full fitness and form because he had made it to the side only a couple of days before the start of the new season after spending the entire offseason and preseason in protest pertaining a fresh deal demand.
Maurice said:
"I was ready for 80 carries last week. We'll see. We'll see how increased it is. I definitely didn't think it was going to be what it was last week, but that's how it happened and we just got to adjust so we'll see how it goes this week."
Also, the team is not sure about fitness level of Rashad Jennings, who had replaced Maurice as leader in the Vikings' game but got a knee injury during it. He missed this Wednesday’s team practice and coach Mike Mularkey is not sure about his timeline for return, irrespective of the fact that the official has ruled out possibility of a serious injury.
Mike nevertheless is satisfied with Maurice’s fitness level and said he has now seen enough game and should be ready to go as effectively as ever.
The coach said:
"Pretty good is a good description for the first game. I think he was sore after the game, which he was probably sorer than he would have been if he would have gone through the camp, some of the hits. I think it's a gradual thing.”
So all the controversy of the player’s protest and the team’s stubbornness to work out his problem seems to have died down unconditionally and with nothing changed as far as the player’s contract is concerned. He is playing under terms of his current deal, which still has two years left on it.
The running back has categorically denied a media report that he has been fined up to $800,000 for the absence from training camp. He was prone to this fine but apparently the team has gone against exercising the option.
Tags: