A look at the Jaguars' stats from this season will reveal one thing with certainty: Maurice Jones-Drew is the best thing they have going for them.
Maybe the only thing. Which is why team owner Wayne Weaver wants to make sure MoJo stays put in Jacksonville. That means signing him to a long-term contract this offseason, most likely. Weaver is willing to build the success of the team around the abilities of Jones-Drew.
"He's the kind of guy that you want to build your franchise around,"
Weaver said. "He's an unselfish player that gives you 110 percent every play."
This isn't without its merit. Jones-Drew was far and away the best player on that team. He led in rushing with 824 yards on 197 attempts and 12 TDs. He was also second on the list of receivers behind Matt Jones. He had 62 catches for 565 yards and two TDs.
He scored an average 13.63 fantasy points per game, 12th in the league. If he signs a long-term contract during the offseason, his role in the offense will increase with more commitment to a run game.
There is a lot of separation between him and the elite fantasy backs like Michael Turner and Adrian Peterson in numbers of carries and yardage, so he will probably fall in the drafts behind them. He's a perfect double-threat runner, though, so keep him on your radar for 2009. If you're in a keeper league, he sits at 13 right now in our latest rankings, so expectations for him are pretty high.
