Jaguars turn to rookie RB to lead them to wild card

Diminutive Jones-Drew has been a big surprise.

By JOANNE KORTH
Published December 22, 2006

JACKSONVILLE - With no shortage of contenders for NFL offensive rookie of the year, it comes as no surprise Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has been overlooked.

He's used to it.

Listed at 5 feet 7 and 212 pounds, Jones-Drew has always had to overcome his lack of size. And for Jacksonville to have any chance at an AFC wild card, Jones-Drew will need to come up big in Sunday's crucial game against East division champ New England.

Veteran back Fred Taylor, with whom Drew has amicably shared the backfield this season, likely will not play because of a hamstring injury. Quarterback David Garrard threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in last week's deflating loss at Tennessee.

At 8-6, the Jaguars are tied with the Broncos, Jets and Bengals in the wild-card race. So, with the season at stake, Jacksonville will turn to Jones-Drew.

Among NFL rookies, Jones-Drew is a virtual unknown compared to offensive stars Vince Young, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler. Even receiver Marques Colston, a sixth-round pick from Hofstra, gets more publicity than Jones-Drew.

But his impact is undeniable.

Splitting time with Taylor, the AFC's fourth-leading rusher with 1,120 yards, Jones-Drew has chipped in 764 yards. He averages 5.7 yards a carry and 10.5 yards a reception. He also has sparked the Jags special teams with a 27.5-yard average on kickoff returns, including a 93-yard touchdown in a 44-17 drubbing of the Colts.

"His advantage is his height," Taylor said. "People make fun of him from time to time, but he does a great job in blitz pickup. I thought that would be the toughest part for him, but he's done a great job. The running part is easy.

"He hides behind the offensive line, and when he finally makes contact, he's strong enough to break tackles and run over a couple guys. I think he'll be able to last as long in this league as any other back."

The Jaguars drafted Jones-Drew late in the second round with the 60th overall pick. Initially, he was miffed no team considered him worthy of a first-round pick. As a reminder, he chose jersey No. 32, the number of teams that passed on him at least once.

"That was back when I was a little bitter," said Jones-Drew, smiling. "I'm still bitter, don't get me wrong. But I'm all about team. Back when I was getting drafted, a lot of things were going on and it seemed like the whole world was against me, so I picked 32. But I always have in the back of my mind that a lot of teams passed up on me, and you want to prove yourself to them."

Taylor, who ranks 21st on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 9,487 career yards, took an instant liking to Jones-Drew and took the bubbly rookie under his wing.

Together, they broke the team's single-season rushing record of 2,102 yards set in 1998.

With two games left, the team has 2,293 yards.

"Jones-Drew is the funniest guy on the planet," Taylor said. "He's an easy person to get along with. My mom had seven kids; it's easy to share. I'm the oldest and I always had to look out for my brothers and sisters. I look at him in the same light."

The question is whether the rest of the league sees Jones-Drew in a different light.

"They disrespect little people sometimes," Jones-Drew said. "I just hope everybody that said everything takes it back a little."

[Last modified December 22, 2006, 00:53:27]