NFL Rumors: Darren McFadden will be Raiders’ starting running back?
By Mike Dyce
The Oakland Raiders signed former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew this offseason. Jones-Drew was promised a chance to compete for the starting position with incumbent Darren McFadden.
“It’s going to be a competition and that’s really all I ask,” Jones-Drew said, via the Contra Costa Times. “… I only wanted a chance to compete and play. The Raiders gave me that opportunity, and I’m going to take it and run with it.”
Well in a Q&A with Raiders fans, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN was asked who he thought would win this race and he had an interesting answer.
“If healthy, and that’s a big IF, Darren McFadden is the lead dog in the backfield, when you consider his home run potential and familiarity with the Raiders offense,” Gutierrez said.
There is a familiarity between McFadden and the Raiders offense but there might be other reasons. McFadden will turn 27 right before the season starts and Jones-Drew will be 29, certainly not over-the-hill yet for a running back but Jones-Drew said teams thought he had nothing left in the tank.
There also is the wear and tear that comes with being a feature running back, McFadden has a total of 883 career carries to Jones-Drew’s 1,804 carries.