It's Maurice Jones-Drew's Time To Shine

For years, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ backfield has orbited around the presence of one man.

A man labeled as “fragile” in the past by fantasy owners, despite his now 11-year career in Jacksonville. A man who, despite being so "fragile," has rushed for more than 10,000 yards and scored 69 offensive touchdowns as a Jaguar. A "fragile" man who has played in 14 or more games in five of his last six seasons.

It is no mystery that Fred Taylor is that man. And now that 32-year-old man sounds ready to pass the torch to Jacksonville’s running back of the future: Maurice Jones-Drew.

Taylor admits that Jones-Drew’s time to be a star in the NFL has come, which means it may be time for him to take a back seat. Although he sees MJD’s star rising, he is not ready to go down without a fight.

Jones-Drew, meanwhile, seems reluctant to usurp the responsibility entirely from Taylor. Despite filling in as the primary ball carrier for Taylor when he went down with a head injury against Denver in Week Six, MJD seems content with sharing the load with Taylor. In that game, Jones-Drew carried the ball 22 times for 125 yards and two scores.

But it was against Denver, after all.

Even still, it may just be Jones-Drew’s time to take over in Jacksonville, regardless of his desire to keep Taylor in the fold. And I think Taylor knows that, too.

Jones-Drew has a knack for the big play. He can run inside and outside. His small frame is deceptively powerful, and you can ask Shawne Merriman for confirmation of that. He is an excellent receiver out of the backfield, can make plays on special teams and—although I cannot find the videographic evidence—can hit like a linebacker when his team turns the ball over.

He is the consummate do-it-all running back, yet no one seems to wonder why he has not taken over as the team’s primary ball carrier. How is it that a guy like Reggie Bush—known for the speed and home-run ability—can take so much flack for not being an every-down back, while Jones-Drew gets away with being No. 2 in Jacksonville?

Maybe it is because Jones-Drew shies away from the spotlight. Even now, in the waning days of Taylor’s career, Jones-Drew simply will not strip the man of his dignity. He wants Taylor around and enjoys sharing the responsibility with him. MJD knows his time will come and can patiently await it while learning from Taylor.

That maturation may be the indication that Jones-Drew now is ready to become the team’s primary running back. Taylor is no spring chicken, but you do not hear MJD crying for the football when things go bad or the team in ineffective on offense. He understands the roles of others in the offense and appears to be the ultimate team player.

Which is just the kind of back you need to be—like Fred Taylor—in order to succeed in this league. And Taylor sees that now in Jones-Drew. He knows that when his time is over, which could be soon, the Jaguars’ backfield will be in capable hands.

And that, of course, is great news for fantasy owners. Not that fantasy players will be happy to see Taylor go—he has been the butt of many an injury joke during his long, successful NFL career. But fantasy owners want to see less running-back-by-committees (RBBC) in the NFL. They want more solitary backfields like LaDainian Tomlinson in San Diego and Clinton Portis in Washington.

With Jones-Drew in the Jags’ current RBBC, fantasy owners are getting a lot of inconsistency. Huge weeks separated by subpar and sometimes dismal performances. With Taylor out of the way, however, things could be different for MJD.

And if Taylor does indeed step aside and Jones-Drew gets his hands on the gig, there may be no looking over his shoulder for that other back for quite some time.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?