The career of running back Maurice Jones-Drew may be ending not with a bang nor a whimper nor a contract squabble but via the use of two letters: I and R.
After a holdout that lasted through training camp and the preseason, Jones-Drew appeared in only six games, gaining 414 yards. He suffered a foot sprain on October 21, against the Raiders.
Jones-Drew said on several occasions that his return was only a couple of weeks away, but it never happened. Finally, the Jaguars have cleared the roster spot and placed Jones-Drew on injured reserve.
Along the way, coach Mike Mularkey arguably called Jones-Drew out for not making it back. “Everybody is different with their pain tolerance,” Mularkey said. “I can’t compare him to anybody else because I don’t know how he’s feeling. Some guys come back from torn ACLs [Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson] and lead the league in rushing; some guys take longer to come back.”
In the end, Jones-Drew didn’t come back at all. And, like Mularkey, Jones-Drew may not come back to Jacksonville in 2013. Though the Jaguars hold his rights for one more year, owner Shahid Khan may decide that it’s time to move on, getting what he can for Jones-Drew and rounding up guys who truly want to be there.
Like, you know, Tim Tebow.Of course, after his failed season in New York, Tebow will be glad to be anywhere.