RB Maurice Jones-Drew saviour of Jacksonville Jaguars hopes amid Blaine Gabbert slump – NFL News
Running back Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the only few reliable players with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and with second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert having difficult times on the field this season, his performance has become even more crucial for the side,
and also for Blaine.
Maurice has done well to catch up on the missed training and has almost returned to full form after missing the entire offseason programme of the team pertaining to his demand for a fresh deal with a higher payout, which never happened at the end. He is
playing on terms of his previous deal.
The RB is upbeat about the level of his fitness and form which he is able to assess on weekly basis. He said:
"It's a good team coming in. Every week is a chance to measure yourself."
His performance record in the last game versus Indianapolis Colts consists of 177 rushing yards including a 59-yard score. He was the leading rusher in the National Football League (NFL) last year with the tally of 1,606 yards.
It was his superb performance that prompted almost all commentators to see his demand of a better payout from the team as justified which unfortunately was denied by the team but did not affect his star stature.
His impressive performance has not only helped the victory cause of the team, it has well compensated the slump in form of QB Gabbert, who after his failing in the rookie year is found struggling again this season.
Coach Mike Mularkey, who had waited for meeting with Jones-Drew for entire offseason, has showered praise on the player after seeing him playing in the initial couple of games.
The coach is especially impressed with the fact that the running back has worked his way out to the top level of form so quickly which nevertheless is not an easy task given the player missed about 38 days of training and workout with the team.
Mularkey is banking on Jones-Drew in the forthcoming game versus Cincinnati Bengals and if he is able to perform as impressively as he has done in the past, the Jaguars can set their hopes for a win.
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