Mularkey: Jones-Drew won't start, will be third-down back in opener

Maurice Jones-Drew will be eased into the Jaguars offense until he can start again. (US Presswire)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Maurice Jones-Drew will begin the season much like he did his NFL career: a backup and third-down running back.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said Monday that Jones-Drew will rotate in on third-down plays Sunday at Minnesota. The NFL's leading rusher in 2011 also will "get a series" in place of starter Rashad Jennings, Mularkey added.

"I don't know the number of reps that he will play, but I would imagine that he will play, yes," Mularkey said.

Jones-Drew ended a 38-day holdout Sunday without a new contract. He asked the team to rework the final two years of his five-year, $31 million contract, but the Jaguars declined.

Jones-Drew was unapologetic in regards to his absence and has no regrets about how he handled things. He spent about 12 hours at the facility Sunday, meeting with coaches, taking a conditioning test and studying the playbook.

He practiced with the team Monday for the first time since before last year's finale. Jones-Drew said he carried about 10 or 15 times, getting repetitions in 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

"It felt great," he said. "Obviously studying the playbook kind of getting into the intricate details of things, the snap count. It felt great to get out there and run around with the guys and get hit a little bit. It's kind of good to get my legs back underneath me and getting ready to roll."

Getting the playbook down should be the key to increasing his workload as the season progresses.

"Everything I'm doing I'm just trying to get acclimated with how they're blocking and the blocking scheme, my reads, reaction times, things like that that I couldn't work on being away," he said. "That's coming along fine."

Mularkey said Jones-Drew appears to be in playing shape, but expects to have a better gauge after Wednesday's fully padded practice.

"If you look at him physically, yes, I'd say he looks game ready," Mularkey said. "I have to see more than just an hour and a half practice."

Jones-Drew spent part of the offseason working out in South Florida with former teammate Fred Taylor. A second-round draft pick in 2006, Jones-Drew started his NFL career as Taylor's backup. He worked mostly as the team's short-yardage, goal-line and third-down back -- so his current role is nothing new.

"Yeah, I'm going to do the best I can and be ready," he said. "[Playing time is] up to the coaches. If they feel I'm ready, I'll play. And if not, that's their choice."

The always-confident Jones-Drew, who carried a career-high 343 times last season, believes he's ready to take on his usual workload -- maybe even more.

"That's not my call," he said. "I've already told you if I can carry the ball 80 times in a game, I would carry it 80 times in the game. We know that."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Third-down sacks: Seeking biggest stops a defense can get

Osi Umenyiora and the Giants pass-rushed their way to another title. (Getty Images)

It is the offseason, the draft is over and it's a good time for teams to dig deep into last season to find improvement for 2012. My first stop in mining for answers is one of the most critical situations for any defense -- third-down situations.

Most acknowledge the NFL is a passing league, and if you can't stop a passing game, you are in trouble. No greater time to stop a passing attack than on third down, or as some players like to refer to it, "the money down."

Sacks are important in any passing situation, but a sack on third down ends a drive and forces a team to punt or settle for a field goal. Granted some teams went for it on fourth down (430 times to be exact in 2011) and converted 186 times, but when you compare that to 5,303 third-down passing plays and 1,292 run plays for a third-down total of 6.595 third-down plays, there's only a six percent chance a team will go for it on fourth down rather than punt or attempt a field goal.

It is clear that teams only run the ball 19.5 percent of the time on third down and they pass it 81.5 percent of the time, so sacking the QB in this situation is critical. I recognize that an incomplete pass in this situation is also a good thing, but my experience years ago against Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Warren Moon and others was if we don't get them to the ground on third downs, they beat us most of the time.

Here's a look at all 32 teams sacks to pass attempts on third down last year from the best in the league Baltimore down to Tennessee. The NFL average for sacking a QB in third down situations last year was one sack every 12 attempts. If the Ravens don't drop a pass in the end zone, they were heading to the Super Bowl, and it's no surprise the top two defenses to get a sack on third downs were the Giants and Ravens.

Team sacks vs. pass attempts on 3rd downUmenyiora led the team with 5 sacksThe defense is not that far offAldon Smith & Justin Smith wow!Loss of Wimbley (4 sacks) hurtsAmazing with no Mario WilliamsPats got sacks when it countedLong had 4, bring back Hall 3 sacksPeppers had 5 and was double teamedGot 5 ? from Dockett & CampbellJabaal Sheard tied for No. 2 in NFL w/6.5Avril 4, Suh 2, KVB 0, Fairley 0Mincey had 5; no wonder they paid himFreeney & Mathis had 9, 4 for the restHali & Houston had 8; good young playersWith Mario & Anderson they go way upMaybin delivered (5), now Coples has toClemons had 4 but expect Irvin to helpC. Johnson had 3.5 but needs helpLowest number of third downs and too youngAntwan Barnes had 6 sacks, the rest had 3

I love to hear the trade rumors about Osi Umenyiora. In 123 games Osi has 36.5 sacks in third-down situations for his career. That's a third down sack 1:3.3 games. Julius Peppers has 34.5 in 164 games or 1:4.7 games. The great Reggie White had 47.5 sacks on third downs in 251 games or 1:5.2 games. The Giants aren't giving Umenyiora away and probably shouldn't trade him at all. Reggie White played until he was 39, and Osi is just 31.

Finally, there must be something about the fourth-round and guys who can sack quarterbacks on the money down. Jared Allen was a fourth-round pick, and he has 41.5 sacks on third down or 1:3 games. This past season a young 2010 fourth-round player tied for the lead the NFL in third down sacks when Geno Atkins had 7. Antwan Barnes of the Chargers was a fourth in 2007 and he led the team with 6. Also keep an eye on Jabaal Sheard, a fifth-rounder in 2011 for the Browns. Sheard wound up with 6.5 and 4 forced fumbles on the money down.

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