http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/1758 Recent articles about Maurice Drew en-us Let's have a look at how the player on each team with the highest average of carries per game stacked up against the average carries per game for the team. This will give us the average carries that each player lost per game. I think you may be surprised by how some of these guys rank... Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:41:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277665 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277665 maurice drew is a power young star running back 4 the jaguars.he had put jones in his last name when his grand dad had died in his last year of collage.he atended to ucla collage,and de la sale high school.he had broke the all purpose rushing yards in collage and broke reggie bush the heisman winner kick return record.jone-drew breaks alot of tackles and a powerful scoring running back.he also was a line backer.but he will still be the human pinball he is today!!! Sun, 06 Apr 2008 12:09:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/230245 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/230245 Believe it or not, I can actually get tired of talking about UCLA football, UCLA basketball, and UCLA recruiting. Yeah, it's usually exciting, but when you don't have some really tasty news over a span of a couple months, trust me, it can get a little monotonous. Something I won't ever get tired of talking about are the student-athletes that represent this university with pride, with class, and with dignity. I want to thank lvucla of the BRO boards for graciously allowing me to repost this story about his son and Maurce Jones-Drew: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:04:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/140874 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/140874 The path is now set in motion for the future of the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the season behind them, they will now set their sites on plugging the areas of need, retaining the players that are critical to their future success, and preparing for the draft. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:56:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/73065 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/73065 Well NFL fans the Divisional round has come and gone with some of the biggest shockers I have seen in a very long time. So let's review all the action that unfolded over the weekend in the NFL. SEATTLE Vs. GREEN BAY The Packers started off looking sloppy with a pass from Bret Favre to Ryan Grant that Grant fumbled and was picked up by the Seahawks and then eventually ran in by Shaun Alexander for the first score of the game. Grant had yet another fumble and the Hawks went up by two TD's. It seemed as if the Hawks had this game under their control within the first five minutes of the game. But there are two things that you do not do in life. You don't tug on superman's cape and you simply do not underestimate Brett Favre. Brett led his team from a 14-0 deficit to winning by two scores at halftime. Then after that it was nothing but the Ryan Grant show. He more then made up for his two fumbles in the first quarter. As Grant rushed for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns and the Ageless Brett Favre threw for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brett seemed to be on the top of his game the entire time. Even while looking up in the first quarter to a two TD deficit. He played with the poise of someone who knew he already had the game won. And my hat goes off to Ryan Grant, who even though he fumbled twice, he had the best game of any Running back over the weekend. Now I know that the Packers were playing one of the worst teams in these playoffs but this Packers team is for real. NEW YORK Vs. DALLAS Now I was wrong Giant fans, I was wrong about your team. And even though I hate Giant Fans and Cowboy fans equally I will give those G-Men fans their props this week. I really thought that the win against the Buccaneers was a fluke and that it was a mistake for the Giants to play that last meaningless game against the Pats. But that Patriots/Giants game seemed to recharge the Giants more than wear them down. As it has boosted their confidence and helped them win a second playoff game against the hated Dallas Cowboys. Now the key to this victory is Tom Coughlin, who finally realized it is more suited to Eli's strengths for him to be more of a game manager, rather then trying to be a game breaker. If this game did nothing else, it proved to us all without a shadow of a fact that Tony Homo is not the QB that Dallas thought he was. This has been his second playoff choke, and yes I will say that Romo choked this game away. Because had he studied film last week instead of upping his Hollywood image and taking Jess Simpson to Mexico the NFC title game would be held in Texas stadium. To be honest I am glad Tony and Jessica found one another. I hope they have a long relationship. Because as long as them two stay together the more the Cowboys seem to lose. Which can only make me as a Philadelphia Eagles fan a happy man! SAN DIEGO Vs. INDIANAPOLIS Now what an upset, who wasn't wrong in picking the winner of this game? I mean the Chargers barely defeated the Titans last week and here they go and upset the former Champions of the World. And give credit to Billy Volek and Michael Turner. The Back-ups to Phillip Rivers and All-World Running back LaDainian Tomlinson. If it weren't for these two back-ups this game would have been a Colts victory for sure. The Chargers defense played one of their best games, getting just the right amount of pressure onto Peyton, forcing turnovers and being able to stop the Colts in the red zone. Now the Colts may have lost this game but Peyton still threw up some amazing numbers with 402 yards and 3 touchdowns. But what hurt him were the interceptions, which was exactly what hurt Peyton the last time the Colts lost to the Bolts. Marvin Harrison came back in this game, but really he should have stayed at home. Only catching the ball twice and on one of those catches he fumbled the ball away. Turnovers and perhaps the breaking news on Friday that Colts head coach Tony Dungy may be leaving after this season may have led to the colt's downfall. JACSONVILLE Vs. NEW ENGLAND This game lived up to the hype; at least I think it did. The entire first half these teams were neck and neck. Going score for score and at halftime it was all knotted up at 14. But then came the third Quarter and that is when the Patriots showed us just why they went 16-0 in the regular season. As they scored two touchdowns' which were only answered by a measly Jacksonville field goal. Then in the fourth the Patriots scored another TD, which was only answered by another pitiful field goal. Jacksonville's two-headed monsters of Jones-Drew/Taylor were basically shutdown by the Patriots Defense and the lack of times they were able to touch the ball. As Maurice Jones-Drew only ran the ball on six attempts for a total of 19 yards. As his counterpart Fred Taylor only rushed the ball 13 times for 47 yards. That may have been one of the reasons the Patriots were so effective. The Jags main focus was obviously taking away the long ball and Randy Moss. Which they were able to do effectively, as Randy Moss only caught one pass for 14 yards. But if this game proved nothing else, it proved that the Patriots are able to beat you on so many levels. And seeing as the Jags main objective was to taking away the long ball it led them vulnerable to the ground game. Leaving Laurence Maroney to reap the benefits as he rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown. Many people including myself thought that the Patriots might lose this game, as the way the Jaguars play matched up so well against the way the Pats played. The problem the Jags had was that they got away from their style of football. They were attempting to play quick-strike, finesse football. Which made them throw the ball more than running it. Which any Jag fan will tell you isn't the style of football they are used to seeing out of Jacksonville. I give Coach Del Rio all the props in the world. I think he's the most under rated coach in the league. But when you got away from your style of football and started playing Patriot football you didn't have a shot. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:35:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72395 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/72395 Although New England looks less and less impressive from week-to-week, they still find ways to spread the ball around and win football teams. Saturday's 31-20 dismantling of the Jacksonville Jaguars was impressive given that the Jags were a trendy pick to upset New England. Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:04:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/70636 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/70636 It started out as a motto before the season began to get people to buy tickets. It has grown to become a mantra for a team that nobody knows. Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:57:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/68466 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/68466 It's That time of year again football fans, the divisional round of the NFL playoffs kick off this Saturday, many fans consider this weekend as the best football weekend of the year as the final eight teams compete for a chance to reach the conference finals. Tonight we will take take a look at all four of this weekends contests starting with the New England Patriots hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars. The All World New England Patriots enter the the playoffs riding a unbelievable high they feature Tom Brady coming off a regular season that many consider the best ever as a quaterback period, many consider it the best ever single season by any athelete, they also have da freak Randy Moss also coming off a record breaking regular season, these two have combined to make the Patriots the best Offensive team EVER , The Patriots have not lost a home playoff game since December 1978, but with all that said The Jaguars are being picked by alot of people to go into New England and Upset the Pats , The Jags Have one if not the best D lines in The NFL if that Line can get consistent pressure on Brady the Jags have a punchers shot, But one thing most of the pundits and fans forget to mention about the Jaguars defense is the fact that they give up a wopping 29 pts per Game and they are ranked 15th against the pass , Brady and Moss are Salivating to go up against the Jags D , On the Offense side of the ball the Jaguars are led by a dominating 2 back scheme that include Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, together they average 135 yds per game, If there is any weakness to the Pats its that you can run the ball on there defense, David Garrard Is the mistake free QB that leads the Jags, Garrard Has only thrown 3 interceptions this season he is also a quaterback who can make plays with his feet, because he has to with targets like Dennis Northcutt, Ernest Wilford, and Matt Jones , With all of that said Belichick (da guru..LOL) will devise a scheme to force Garrard into mistakes, and the Bottom Line is the Jags can not score enough points to keep up with the high powered Patriots. Patriots 38 Jaguars 24 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:40:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/67631 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/67631 Earlier today ESPN's Sports Center ran a story about the Jacksonville Jaguars website "power rankings". In their rankings they have the New England Patriots ranked number one and themselves ranked number five respectively. So what is all the fuss about? Well, I'll tell you. While they have the team they're set to face in the Conference Playoffs ranked number one in their power rankings. They had a asterisk next to it, so what is the asterisk for? Well, why does everyone want Barry Bonds to have a asterisk next to his name? Because according to the Jaguars website the Patriots cheated in one game. Of coarse they are referring to "Spy-gate". Now this sure doesn't bode well for the Jaguars. The same Jaguars team that many fans (including myself) believe may have what it takes to ruin the "master piece" of a season for the Patriots. Now with the Jags giving the Patriots some bulletin board material that may give the Patriots all they need to put a shellacking to those Jaguars. No fellow Yard Barkers, I am not pulling back on my picking the Jags over the Pats this week. But we have seen what the Patriots have done to teams who have given them Bulletin board material. Ask the Jets, Bills and Steelers what happens when you give this team bulletin board material. Those teams were simply obliterated off the field Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:52:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/67170 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/67170 In a game of inches, the entire outcome of the Jaguars vs. Patriots matchup on Saturday could come down to a simple asterisk. A punctuation mark could spell doom for a team that is on a roll. Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:28:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/64467 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/64467 So the Wildcard Weekend came and went, yours truly went two for two over the weekend and because I am not happy with being mediocre I am looking to improve on that this weekend in the AFC and NFC divisional playoff rounds. NFC Divisional Round SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS This would be epic if the Seahawks were a better team. Since Matt Hasselback backed up Brett Favre for so long in Green Bay, never getting a shot to start for the Packers. This should be Matt's revenge on his former team. There's only one problem and that is we already saw this! Anyone recall the famous "We want the ball and we're going to score" line Hasselback said during the 2003 playoffs. Matt did score on that drive the only problem it was via interception. Hopefully for Matt, Shaun Alexander and the rest of the Seahawks sake they can pull off another win like they did in the Wildcard round. But they are facing a much superior defense as well as a superior offense then they did in the Redskins. The Packers, I mean who would have thought it? After several seasons where media members were practically begging Brett Favre to retire. He comes out with one hell of a season in 2007. There were some problems towards the end but I am sure Brett being the seasoned vet that he is fixed them up in the week off. To be honest I see this as the strongest team in the NFC playoffs. They have good, tough receivers, a newly found run game in Ryan Grant and a QB who hasn't missed a game since the first Bush was in office. Not to mention this game is in Title Town. Packers win! Packers 36 Seahawks 21 NEW YORK GIANTS Vs. DALLAS COWBOYS Boy here's one game where I don't mind picking a loser! I honestly don't know which team I hate worse, lets start with the team I picked against last week the Giants. It seems that Sh-Eli has finally begun to look remotely related to Peyton these past two weeks. He has had a plus one hundred passer rating in the last few games. He honestly looks like one of the better Quarterbacks in the Playoffs right now. With that being said we all know how dysfunctional this team has been since Coughlin has been there. You're not going to tell me that all of the sudden they're going to pull it together and make a run. Not to mention win once again on the road against a really good team. Eventually this thing has to turn into a pumpkin and I am picking this weekend for that to happen. I see this being a high scoring affair eventually going to the Cowboys Cowboys 42 Giants 36 AFC Divisional Round SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Vs. INIANAPOLIS COLTS Last week we saw the Chargers struggle against the Titans, if it weren't for their ALL-WORLD Running Back they I think they wouldn't have prevailed. Now they face the second seeded team in the AFC who actually lost to them earlier in the season. Do I think that the same misfortune will fall upon the Colts? Not a chance. The Colts have had more than a game to rest their starters. Their other number one receiver will be in this game. This isn't the Titans offense, this is the same team who won the Super Bowl last year. But because of a super-team known as the Patriots no one is paying the defending Champions any mind at all. I take that a reason to play for if nothing else. I see the Colts winning this game hands down. Colts 38 Chargers 19 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS Vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS In my opinion if the Patriots are the Superman of the playoffs then the Jacksonville Jaguars are their Kryptonite. The Jaguars have this just tough as nails defense, which if the Patriots faced in the last few games of the regular season then they would not have that undefeated streak in tact. Their offense like I said isn't nothing to laugh at either. With their two-headed monster (Jones-Drew/Taylor) and the plethora of suitable receivers makes this team, in my opinion the most deadly. The Patriots after all are the Patriots and I wouldn't be smart if I ignored their talent. Their defense is the fifth best in the NFL. With their ALL-World offense; I said earlier this season that this was the best offense ever assembled. But I just don't believe that a single team can go all the way through to the super bowl and win every single game in this day and age of the NFL. I know the Dolphins did it when there were just sixteen games including the playoffs. But I feel the burden to win every game is just too much to bare on any team. Which is why I believe you have to lose at least one game during the regular season in order to win it all at the end. Just so you get that one loss out of the way. Now with that being said if any team has what it takes to win it all it is this Patriots team. Now I have to say you always have a chance with Tom Brady but I just don't think they can take this defense without a sufficient run game, which they do not have. I think they're going to lose this game, but I wouldn't be surprised if they won. Jaguars 36 Patriot 34 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:25:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/63526 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/63526 If the Jaguars are a team of destiny, this is the game where they prove it. Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:21:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/62871 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/62871 So Wildcard Weekend has come and gone and I am left very much like my Philadelphia Eagles, at five hundred. So I have come back to "eat crow" for my two loses. But more importantly; to brag about my two wins! REDSKINS Vs. SEAHAWKS I have to admit I really thought that the skins were going to win this one. When they took the lead after halftime I thought that they weren't looking back. Especially after that interception by Landry and that muffed kickoff that the Redskins recovered. I thought that fate was on the side of the Redskins. Obviously fate was no match for Seattle's twelfth man. Or perhaps it was Jamie Moyer who shared some Phillies luck with the Seahawks. Whatever the case may be the Seahawks came out victorious. I have to admit even though I chose the skins to win it was still good to see a rival go down as hard as they did. JAGUARS Vs. STEELERS Now if you did not see this one coming you just don't know football. The Jaguars are red hot. They play the game the way it was meant to be played – tough! With David Garrard managing the ball and not doing too much with it and the combo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor in the backfield, man what a two-headed monster that is. And I am going to be honest when I say I don't see another team who can play as tough as they do. So call me crazy I truly believe that this Jacksonville Jaguars team has the best chance out of any team to defeat the New England Patriots. I mean why can't they beat the Pats? They got a tough defense that is able to pass rush. Leaving the Patriots to run the ball. And we all know that the Patriots haven't tried to deny their rushing woes at all. I really believe this team can go a long way in these playoffs. GIANTS Vs. BUCCANEERS I really was surprised with this one. I honestly thought that the Giants were just played-out from that game against the Patriots. I didn't think they had it in them. Or maybe it was just I being a lifelong Giants-hater that blinded my vision. But the Giants showed to the world that they deserve to be in these playoffs. Eli Manning stepped up to the plate, leading this team to his first playoff win and the franchises first win since 2001. I am not going to give the G-men too much praise. After all I do loathe the blue bastards. TITANS Vs. CHARGERS A lot of people thought that Vince Young might have a shot at leading his team to victory. And when the Chargers were still down 3-0 after the second even I was thinking maybe Vince was the real deal. But you can only hold this LaDainian Tomlinson led team down but so long without him scoring a TD. Maybe next year Titans when your QB hasn't dawned the cover of a curse machine! Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:18:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/62236 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/62236 David Garrard carried the Jacksonville Jaguars down the field on a game winning drive at the end of the game which allows the Jaguars to extend their season. Next up? New England or Indianapolis. Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:18:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/61880 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/61880 Can the steelers win without WIllie Parker and hold the Jags great rushing attack or will they go down thinking about what they could of done.Well it'll be hard for the Steelers to win without Parker, I don't really think Davenport can run against this dirty dirty Jacksonville D so they'll have to depend on Rothlesburger throwing the ball to Ward and Santonio Holmes let's see. Another huge thing is how will PItt defend that potent rushing attack with MJD and Fred Taylor which is have been looking unstoppable all season and just ask Pitt about what happened a few weeks ago. One thing that the Steelers have going for them is that there a blue collar team and there scrappy, so they'll just pressure Garrard and just go after MJD and Taylor, even though Polamalu had a mediocre season him and Ike Taylor will just go all over the Jags recivers and if the backs go anywhere close to them they'll just smash them to the ground. For the Jags the impact player of the game has to be David Garrard because he'll have to keep the ball out of the Steelers hands and just control the clock and not ruin the game. So as I'm making my prediction I really have to go with the Jags in a close one 31-27. Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:50:36 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/60281 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/60281