Fansided

NFL: Top 10 players living on past reputation

By Jeff Weisinger

Aug 16, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick (1) throws a pass as Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Montgomery (70) defends during the fourth quarter at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 16, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick (1) throws a pass as Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Montgomery (70) defends during the fourth quarter at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew (21) scores on a 40-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew (21) scores on a 40-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Maurice Jones-Drew, HB, Oakland Raiders

While everyone loves to see a player come home, the Raiders have to hope that Maurice Jones-Drew can stay healthy, especially when the guy in front of him, Darren McFadden, usually doesn’t stay healthy.

MJD has been a shell of himself since rushing for a career-high 1,606 yards in 2011, the last time he ran for over 1,300 yards.

Injuries and basic wear-and-tear has begun to take a toll on the Bay Area native as he prepares for his ninth NFL season, his first in Oakland.  From 2009-11, MJD had about 300 carries in each season, including 343 in his career-best 2011 campaign.  Last year, in his first full season back from injury, MJD carried the ball 234 times.

Jones-Drew also recorded his worst yards-per-attempt total of his career last year, only rushing for an average of 3.4 yards per carry, over a yard less than his 4.7 average in 2011.  (He only played in five games in 2012 due to injury.)

While he is still considered one of the more explosive backs in the league, it’s unlikely that we’ll see the same Maurice Jones-Drew that ran all over the place for the Jaguars in the last nine years.  But if he can stay healthy, we could still see some of that rushing dominance, this time in his home town.

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