Maurice Jones-Drew: Jacksonville Jaguars Offense Didn’t Need New QB

Jacksonville Jaguars starting running back Maurice Jones-Drew made some interesting comments on NFL Network’s Total Access when he openly questioned whether the team went the right direction with their first round pick. Jones-Drew had previously said that David Garrard was “our guy and he’s always going to be our guy,” and he expanded even more on those comments.

“I just feel like what we needed as an offense wasn’t a new quarterback, we just needed another year amongst each other because we had a lot of new players come in,” Jones-Drew said on NFL Network.  “You see a team like the Patriots or the Steelers or the Colts, those guys [have] been in the same system for the 10, 12 years together, and so that’s what we’re trying to grow right now.”

Jones-Drew’s comments could signal a long road ahead for rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who the Jaguars traded up to get in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Part of being a star QB is demanding respect in the huddle and showing players that you belong, but if Jones-Drew believes the team should have gone a different direction with the pick, why would he give the young signal-caller the time of day?

We will have to keep an eye on the dynamic between MJD and the rookie quarterback. If he truly believes that David Garrard is the right guy for the job, will he keep blowing that horn in the media and create a quarterback controversy?

In the end whether the team backs Garrard or Gabbert, it may be best for the younger quarterback to sit on the bench for a few years and learn the offense from a seasoned veteran.