Maurice Jones-Drew played in just six games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 before a foot injury ended his season.
It’s been a lengthy recovery process for Jones-Drew that saw him get just 10 carries in three preseason games.
But Jones-Drew says he’s finally put concerns about his foot in the past and is ready to carry the load for the Jaguars running game.
“As many (carries) as it takes,” Jones-Drew said, via John Oehser of the team’s official website. “I feel great.”
Jones-Drew said he had to lie to himself and say that he was feeling good even when the foot and his conditioning were still being problematic. It took a few weeks before he was finally able to get over the hump and start feeling back in the groove. It was difficult for Jones-Drew at times to believe he was going to get to where he needed to be.
“There were a couple days during camp where I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this anymore,’” Jones-Drew said.
Ultimately he managed to get some work in during the preseason and feels ready to perform this year. It would be a major benefit for Blaine Gabbert if the Jaguars can provide a running game to take some of the pressure off the quarterback position. A healthy Jones-Drew would go a long way toward giving Jacksonville a more productive offense this season.