During his recent appearance on NFL Network’s Total Access, Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew’s comments weren’t confined to his opinions on adding a high-profile wideout and his support for quarterback David Garrard. Jones-Drew, a California native who played college football at UCLA, believes that the time has come for the NFL to return to L.A.
“Everybody wants to come to L.A.,” Jones-Drew said. “Whoever the face of the franchise is, he is going to have a lot of responsibility.”
It also sounds as if Jones-Drew wouldn’t mind playing in L.A. himself. “To come back home to play in front of my family, so they don’t have to travel 2,000 miles to see me play, that is something I would love as well,” Jones-Drew said.
Before Jaguars fans begin breathing into the paper bags that in some years they choose to wear on their heads, Jones-Drew also said he loves Jacksonville. And, as a practical matter, by the time the Jags or any other team moves to Los Angeles, Jones-Drew likely will be done playing, or close to it.
Still, it seems inevitable that the NFL will return to L.A. The only questions are when, who, and how many teams.