My Maurice Jones-Drew Blog

Self expression is something that us Americans cherish and hold dear because frankly, we are one of the few country in the world that allow you to do what you want, wear what you want and have your hair as long as you damn well please.

This whole long hair controversy started last year when Chiefs running back superstar Larry Johnson tackled Pittsburgh Steelers safety Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu (who has probably the most recognizable hair in the NFL) by yanking on his hair and pulling him out of bounds, it was a sight to see and looked pretty damn painful, but you could make the argument that Larry Johnson was doing everything he could to make the tackle. On the other hand, it was pretty brutal and unnecessary in most people's eyes.

Well, next week all the NFL owners are getting together to discuss what rules they would like to enforce this season and the hair tackle will be one of them. This rule will not require to any football player like Polamalu to actually cut his hair (God knows how much trouble that would cause), but it will require him and all the other NFL players that have hair that cover the name on the back of their jersey to keep their hair in their helmet in what ever means possible.

If this rule does get votes from all or the majority of the NFL owners and get put into affect, you can expect some very mad NFL players like Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Maurice Jones-Drew over in Jacksonville and Robert Gallery with the Oakland Raiders. There will be a lot of unhappy players and may be even protests or some players even sitting out (doubt it, but very possible).

A stronger Jacksonville Jaguars team came back revamped and determined to make an impact in 2009, with some solid offensive weapons in place.

While the team did lose veteran running back Fred Taylor, they Jaguars have a magnificent athlete in Maurice Jones-Drew, and many NFL experts call him a top five running back in the league. This could be an enormous season for Jones-Drew, as he'll get more carries for the Jacksonville Jaguars than ever before. Then there's the acquisition of Torry Holt at wide receiver, adding tremendous strength to the team's passing game.

The Jaguars lost a very tough game in Indianapolis against the Colts to open up their 2009 football season. The Jaguars always seem to give the Colts a hard time, but this would obviously be a challenge, especially considering where the game was played.

While the Jags almost won this game, they fell just short, losing a 14-12 squeaker in the fourth quarter. This was a frustrating loss for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the team simply didn't have enough in the tank to overcome the Colts.

During the team's second week of football, the Jaguars hosted the visiting Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals, last year's NFC conference champions, also set off their season on a bad note as they lost to the 49ers during their first week of football. Things didn't look good for the Jaguars in week two either, as they lost to the Cardinals by fourteen points. With a match up against the Texans next, more challenges await.

The Jacksonville Jaguars came into the National Football League in 1995. Over the years they have had some great players play for them including Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith, Maurice Jones-Drew, Tony Boselli, and Tony Brackens. The team has also had some very good players play for them at the quarterback position. Here is a look at six little known facts about the quarterbacks of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

- Through the 2009 NFL season, Mark Brunell is in fourth place on the Jacksonville Jaguars all time rushing yards list with 2,219. This places him behind Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, and James Stewart. It puts him just ahead of Stacey Mack and fellow Jags quarterback David Garrard.

- The longest run from scrimmage ever by a Jacksonville quarterback went for 41 yards and was done by David Garrard.

- Mark Brunell was sacked 333 times during his time as quarterback of the Jaguars, no one was ever sacked more often than that.

- In 1996, Mark Brunell led the NFL with 4,367 passing yards, 272.9 passing yards per game, and 7.8 passing yards per attempt.

- Steve Beuerlein played 14 seasons in the NFL for six different teams. In his one season with the Jaguars in 1995 he put up the worst win-loss record of his career as a starter by going 1-5.

- The wide receiver who Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich threw the most touchdown passes to was Jimmy Smith. His 13 touchdown receptions from Leftwich are nearly double the second place player on the list, Ernest Wilford with seven.

As we enter the last few weeks of the NFL season, is it better to be playing excellent football, or does it even matter? A year ago at this time the Colts were the favorite to win the Super Bowl with the best record in the NFL and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There were questions as to whether it was better for coach Tony Dungy to rest his starters and coast the rest of the way, or to put the pedal to the metal.

Dungy chose to rest some starters. They lost two of their final three regular season games (0-3 ATS), barely beat a terrible Arizona team at home in the finale (17-13), needing a late TD, then lost the first playoff game to Pittsburgh, 21-18 as a double-digit favorite. They finished 0-4 ATS their final four games and looked listless in the first half of the playoff game. And those same Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl, winning their final 8 games (7-1 ATS).

This time of year, it's better to be playing your best ball AND be healthy, which is not always easy to do in the rough and tumble world of the NFL. Think back two years ago: The 2004 champion Patriots went 12-0 SU, 9-3 ATS down the stretch. The 2003 champion Patriots went 15-0 SU, 12-3 ATS their final 15 games. In 2002 Tampa Bay went 9-2 SU, 8-3 ATS their final 11 games while winning the Super Bowl. The 2001 Patriots went 11-1 SU, 10-1-1 their final 12 games. You get the picture.

Even more revealing is that Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick didn't "coast" or give star players rest. In the 2001 finale, Belichick pushed his team in a 38-6 rout of a 1-15 Carolina team. In the 2004 finale, the team had nothing to play for, yet after a 7-7 halftime tie with a bad San Francisco team, Belichick sent the starters back out for the second half in an eventual 21-7 win. Again, that game was meaningless, but it was more important to the coaching staff to execute and play well.

Which leads me to this 2006 season. The Colts are again the favorite to win it all as far as oddsmakers are concerned, but this team is not playing well, losing three of its last four games. Making matters worse is HOW they've been losing. The run defense is last in the NFL. They got run over for 219 yards two weeks ago in a 20-17 loss to Tennessee, then went belly-up Sunday as the Jaguars ripped through them with a surprising 44-17 victory. Jacksonville rushed for 375 yards! Jacksonville rushed 17 times for 251 yards and three touchdowns during the first half alone. Maurice Jones-Drew (166 yards) ran so much he started cramping up in the third quarter and had to get intravenous fluids. RB Fred Taylor was equally effective against the league's worst run defense, gaining 131 yards on nine carries before leaving the game with a sore right hamstring. Indy is now 1-4 ATS its last 5 games, and I can't see how Indy can match up with LaDainian Tomlinson & Co.

Speaking of the Chargers, San Diego continues to flex its muscles, riding a 7-game win streak, with a balanced and powerful offense that is 5th in the league. The Ravens are doing it on the other side of the line with a terrifying defense. The Ravens are 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS after Sunday's impressive 20-10 win at Kansas City -- a team fighting for a playoff berth and one with a great home-field edge. The Ravens forced three turnovers and sacked Trent Green four times. It was only the second December home loss for the Chiefs since 1995! The Ravens have allowed 10, 0, 13, and 10 points the last four weeks (4-0 under the total).

If you're looking for a sleeper team that might be getting hot at the right time, take a look at the Bengals. Cincy is 4-0 SU/ATS the last four games, including a win over the Ravens. It's more important to play your best football this time of year, with the REAL season just around the corner. Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.