Maurice Jones-Drew played a bit more than expected in the Jaguars' season opener against the Vikings on Sunday. Jones-Drew, who had only been with his team for a week since returning from a contract holdout, was supposed to be the Jags' third-down back, while Rashad Jennings would be the starter and primary ball carrier.
But after Jennings went down with a knee injury, Jacksonville turned to its franchise running back. Head coach Mike Mularkey had this to say at Monday's press conference when asked how much Jones-Drew's playing time against the Vikings would benefit him:
"A lot. Obviously that was not the plan to play him as much as he did. I thought he did well. Really there was nothing blatant that stood out as far as mental errors with him. He may have lined up on the wrong side of the protection but he was protecting the right guy. He was just on the wrong side in the shotgun. Actually, it looks like we have other protections with him having to come across to block it. I was pretty pleased. I think a couple of those runs I have seen him on tape in previous years get out of. I think that's going to come as he gets more playing time."
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Tampa Bay. For more in-depth coverage of this game, visit Jaguars blog Big Cat Country. For more news, notes and analysis from around the league, check out SB Nation's NFL hub.