Maurice Jones Drew : Final Thoughts
Maurice Jones Drew : Final Thoughts. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Maurice Jones Drew…MJD…Mojo…He was a hell of a player and definately will be in the Ring of Honor one day. He now though is a Oakland Raider. He leaves us with many memories. Here are some things that I close the MJD book with. These are in no particular order.
- I will miss that MJD was probably the first Jacksonville Jaguar that was an actual NFL star. There had been successful and respected Jaguars prior to MJD’s arrival (Tony Boselli, Mark Brunell, Jimmy Smith, Fred Taylor, and Marcus Stroud…just to name a few.) MJD was the first to break through the “highlight on SportsCenter” level to being recognized by other teams and the NFL as a whole. From pimpin’ the latest Madden video game, to appearing in the ESPN magazine’s “Body Issue”, MJD was the first Jacksonville Jaguar to truly be known outside of Jacksonville.
- I will miss that Mojo was a scorer. I know things slowed down the last couple of years, but Maurice was a guy who smelt the end zone and would run over anyone who tried to stop him. I will also miss the end zone celebrations. The simple act of standing up straight and blowing kisses to the crowd never stopped amusing me.
- I will miss what a competitor MJD was. When there were the occasional Jaguars who appeared to be going though the motions, just earning a check, Maurice always seemed to be squeezing every inch of ability that God bestowed upon him. Never forget people, for many years and multiple losing records, Mojo was THE only show in town.
- Now the negative…I will never forgive Maurice for holding out a couple of years ago. I know he had just completed a NFL leading rushing title. I know he was underpaid compared to other RBs. I also understand he was at an age where he felt the time was then to take a stand. My issue was that I didn’t feel he handled it correctly, from negotiating through the press to rarely communicating with the Jaguar’s office (and head coach) during that time. You also can not ever tell me that the holdout of the entire off-season workouts, training camp, and preseason, wasn’t a huge factor of his getting injured shortly upon hitting the field in the regular season. He has never been the same. It was the first time I had seen Maurice make a purely personal decision without considering the team. It was disappointing.
- My final negative point actually just happened. I heard a radio interview recently where MJD said that for the first time he has worked very hard this offseason to get in the best shape possible. TRANSLATION – He wasn’t willing to do that for the Jags. Every year when voluntary workouts came around, Mojo was busy trying to get his college degree, or getting married, or working out individually. Long story short, he cared about his conditioning and health more when it was for money…not team.
This article got a little negative at the end so let me bring it back where it belongs. I will miss Maurice Jones Drew. Next to Jimmy Smith, he is my favorite Jag player of all time. The only thing that I’m really pissed about is I currently have five MJD jerseys in my house and I hate to wear the jersey of a player who just left the team. Other than that, the Maurice Jones Drew era for the Jacksonville Jaguars can only be seen as a positive. Good luck MJD…RAIDERS SUCK!!!!
Waiting for the beginning of the Toby Gerhart era!!…Michael McDonald.
Tell me your favorite MJD moment on Twitter @gumbussy.