NFL Rumors: Jaguars' Season in Jeopardy If Maurice Jones-Drew Remains out

Maurice Jones-Drew is the best and most complete running back in the NFL, period. MJD's 2011 numbers of almost 2,000 total yards and an average of 6.7 yards per touch—despite Jacksonville having the league's worst passing game to back him—is unbelievable.

Not to mention, but the Jaguars also faced rough defenses in Houston (twice), Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Atlanta and the New York Jets. Five of these teams ranked inside the top seven for total defense while the Falcons were No. 12.

Now with high hopes for 2012 as the Jags upgraded the receiving corps and field a top five potential defense, all that appears to be in jeopardy. According to Mark Long of the Associated Press and Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union, Jones-Drew is not expected to be at Jacksonville's OTAs.

"

No real surprise, but all indications are Jaguars RB @jones_drew32 will not be at OTAs that begin tomorrow

— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) May 14, 2012"

"

#Jaguars OTAs start tomorrow. As expected, w/o kicker Josh Scobee or running back Maurice Jones-Drew who haven't been at voluntary workouts.

"

"— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) May 14, 2012"

Well, this obviously is horrible news for Jags' fans after such a strong offseason leading into the summer. So for how MJD's potential absence will affect Jacksonville's 2012 season, let's see what the aftermath provides.

Unproven Backups

If you take Maurice Jones-Drew out of the Jaguars' offense, their running back presence takes a steep dive. Last season Deji Karim was the team's second-leading rusher with only 130 yards, but he did get 120 receiving yards on 14 catches.

The upside about Karim though, is that he acted as Jacksonville's kick returner the past two seasons by gaining 1,900 yards and averaging over 24 yards per return.

He's the Jags' best option after MJD as DuJuan Harris and Montell Owens combined for just 87 total yards in 2011. Needless to say, Jones-Drew rarely missed a snap and was utilized for every possible game situation.

Without MJD in the backfield, it's obvious Jacksonville has its hands full in reshaping the offense because the improved passing attack won't have a chance to get set up.

No Setup to the Pass

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert remains a work-in-progress, and although he did respectably well without any legit receiving targets in 2011, Jones-Drew was available to rely on.

Now, Gabbert has the luxury of Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson out wide in his spruced-up receiving corps, but the non-existence of MJD allows secondaries to play softer coverage while the defensive line stuffs the run.

Gabbert then has more pressure to produce well, so you can also expect defenses to blitz much more and play single man coverage. Jacksonville's running game will suffer between the tackles, and the threat of play-action becomes irrelevant.

For as much as the NFL has relied on the passing game, no offense will consistently succeed without the ability to run the ball when needed. The Jaguars have that with MJD, but his absence gives opponents the opportunity to take more risks.

In turn, this forces a second-year quarterback and rookie receiver to take over games against a rough schedule.

Schedule

This season the Jaguars get to face the entire NFC North and AFC East, as well as the Bengals and Raiders outside of the AFC South.

Fortunately, the division isn't overly difficult as the Colts are beginning anew and the Titans failed to significantly improve the defense. Houston remains the biggest challenge as it has just as great of a defense and a more balanced, yet, explosive offense.

Without MJD, Jacksonville can still go 3-3 or 4-2 in the division; with Jones-Drew, possibly 5-1 if the passing game consistently produces. The NFC North, however, presents fast offenses and defenses good enough to stop the MJD-less Jags.

Green Bay and Detroit will simply outscore Jacksonville, whereas the Bears are more balanced but have made impressive additions with Brandon Marshall and Shea McClellin. The Vikings are the only for-sure win, but the other three will slow the Jags' passing game and win the field position battle.

Getting back to the AFC, Cincinnati is a rough game as the Bengals field a complete defense and even more powerful offense. If Jacksonville can't move the ball on Cincy, the Bengals' will wear the Jags down through quarterback pressure and a strong passing attack.

Oakland isn't a lock, as a 100 percent healthy Darren McFadden gives the Raiders an edge. The AFC East possesses two multidimensional offenses in New England and Buffalo, while both these teams and the Jets present excellent defenses.

Miami is the weakest link here, but if Jones-Drew remains unavailable, an upset can happen as the Dolphins proved that capability in 2011.

John Rozum on Twitter.