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JAGUARS RB MAURICE JONES-DREW
(on the decision to let David Garrard go)
That is really not my decision. I have been in this business a long time and we just play, at the end of the day we have to play. We can only control what we can control. They made a move that they felt was best for the team. We can't do anything to change it if we wanted to or whatever and we have to go out there and play and win games this year and that is what we are focusing on in Tennessee right now.
(on the feeling of the team after the Garrard release)
There is no feeling, our expectations can't change. That would be like saying our quarterback got hurt Week One and he is out for the year, it is the same thing. You have to be able to move on and continue to play the game. I think for us, we just want to play ball. I haven't played football in 10 months really. I mean the preseason a couple of series that was alright, but to get into live action and play every down and somewhat of every down and be out there and get a rhythm, I haven't done that in 10 months. We are excited just to get back out there and play the game to tell you the truth.
(on Luke McCown as a player)
Luke is a great quarterback. Since he has been here one of his motto's that I think he has instilled in a lot of guys that are backing up or on special teams is that we have to prepare as starters all of the time because it is such a dangerous sport. He has been doing that and he is ready to lead us and we are ready to follow. Whatever he needs from us we are willing to do and he is doing a great job thus far.
(on how Garrard went to the team luncheon in the community and then was cut)
That is the business. That is the part we don't like. This time of the year no one likes it regardless whether it is a veteran or an undrafted free agent, you don't like this part of the year. People make tough decisions and I'm glad that I'm not on that side of the ball because you have to make a decision that doesn't seem right at the time but it ends up working out in the end. They felt that was a great decision, we are going to run with it and play with Luke (McCown).
(on if three new quarterback starting in the division makes it wide open)
Anything can happen on Sunday. I'm not going to lie to you, I was really hoping Chris (Johnson) didn't sign his deal until next week. I was hoping he signed the deal but not until next week. I'm happy for him but I'm a little upset he signed it last week. You can tell him that. In our division we have talent all across the board regardless if quarterbacks are playing. The Texans have Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub and they have a solid defense … they come in with a new style of defense. Obviously, Mario Williams playing on the outside is going to be tough. Tennessee regardless of what people are going to say about you guys they come to play football against us at least. It is always a knock-down, drag out fight. You know you are going to be sore after. We are built the same, we what to be a physical team on offense, defense and special teams as well as Tennessee. They have a couple of Pro Bowlers in there and a Pro Bowl returner that is going to give you guys a great advantage. There are a lot of things we have to work on still. Having that month of working out, every team has kinks they have to work out. Some teams look better than others in the preseason but everyone has kinks. We are still working on ours and we are getting ready for you guys.
(on how close Blaine Gabbert is to being ready to start)
You guys have your own situation there as well with Jake (Locker). I think it is tough for any rookie quarterback to come in with that month to learn the offense, especially an NFL offense. You might have more time, but there are more plays and it is more complex, but he is doing a great job. He is coming along well, but we weren't expecting him to come in right away and contribute. That wasn't in any of our goals as a team or even for our coaches. We knew we were going to have to bring him along and make sure he comes at his own pace which is faster than we thought. Luke (McCown) is obviously prepared and ready to go. He has played in this role before in Tampa and we are just ready to roll with him.
(on how long Chris Johnson needs to start playing like himself after missing camp)
He is not the only one. He has been working out hard and I haven't been in touch with him, but I have been talking to people he has been working out with, Mike Sims-Walker, and I know he is ready. I'm happy for him. He deserved that contract. He is one of the top players in this league, playmakers, and that is what this league is about. People want to talk about quarterbacks and all those things but you can't mention the Tennessee Titans without Chris Johnson. He is one of the top playmakers in this league and in our division. He is a guy that obviously deserves it. He is going to be ready to play and we are going to play with him. We know he is a guy that we have to try to control. It is hard to stop him but you can try to contain him a little bit and that is even tougher. Hopefully we can do that and play good football.
(on how he is feeling physically)
I don't know guys. You are just going to have to wait and see. I really can't tell you. I'm just playing. I feel great. I think rehab went well. This long offseason obviously helped me more than it did some other guys but I was able to do my rehab process on my own and not really be rushed back. Talking to Dr. Andrews, who did my surgery, not forcing me back in training camp was also a great idea. I feel fresh and I'm the lightest I have ever been and I'm just ready to play.
(on the Titans defense getting bigger especially after the Jaguars rushing performance in the second game last season)
They have definitely gotten bigger inside. They went and got Barrett Ruud who was a great linebacker in Tampa. (Will) Witherspoon is also a great linebacker. They got one of the great players for one of the best colleges in the country with their second-round pick. I think with Akeem (Ayers) they added a little physicality. They have always been tough, they have always had tough-minded guys there. We had a great scheme and our coaches did a great job scheming and the offensive line played well. That is what happened, and that was last year. This year is a new year. Obviously, they are going to be a little bit upset about that. We understand that and we have to be ready to play. We understand what it takes to win, they do too. Whoever executes the best is going to win the game and that is what we are working on.
(on how much better the team's defense is and how Wayne Weaver spent money of some pieces despite being called "cheap" in other areas)
I don't know about cheap, guys. I wouldn't say it that much. He obviously made me one of the highest paid running backs at the time, so I don't think that was cheap at all. I just think they are very smart. Our G.M. Gene Smith understood what we needed and we let go of two linebackers and we brought great ones in. We brought in a safety that comes from an attacking defense in the back end that understands coverage and with Courtney Greene and Rashean Mathis playing at a high level and the same with Derek Cox. You have a healthy (Aaron) Kampman coming back with a Matt Roth, who is a very good pass rushers and great against the run, with a nice and healthy and strong Pot Roast (Terrance Knighton) and Tyson Alualu in the middle rushing the passer, you can't ask for much more. Those guys are ready to play and then to anchor it all up you have your veteran guy that I don't think anyone gives any credit to and who I go against every day and I think he is one of the best linebackers in the game in Daryl Smith. We have a great defense with backup guys that are coming up with Drew Coleman at the nickel position coming from the Jets who has played well against out division. We have a lot of guys that we know can come in and play. The thing is they have to show it every day and that is what we are practicing and that is what we are doing. We are fine-tuning and sharpening our skills to get ready for Week One against the Titans.
(on how Barrett Ruud is different from Stephen Tulloch)
I'm not going to lie to you guys, I'm a little bias when it comes to shorter people. I would say Tulloch was one of the better middle linebackers in the league. I'm pretty happy they got rid of him because he is one of the only guys I knew that could get lower than me and then hit me under the chin. Barrett Ruud is a very smart guy, attacks the ball and is very aggressive at the point of attack. We know he is going to study us and study our tendencies and get those guys in the right place to be successful. We brings a totally different mentality to that defense that we haven't seen. We haven't seen a linebacker like that. It is going to be a great challenge and each Sunday presents that and this one is going against a great linebacker core and safety core that we have to go out and play well against.
(on what makes Daryl Smith underrated)
I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out too. Every year the guy is at the top in tackles, forced fumbles, whatever you want to call it, he is up there. He is a quiet guy. We call him our Silent Assassin, so he doesn't say much. He just goes out there and gets the job done. A lot of these guys have a lot of hype coming with them and they deserve it because they make plays and they are in the media talking. He doesn't like to talk as much. He is just a football player, that is it and he does well with that.
(on the player's thoughts regarding 7,000 tickets remaining for the home opener)
It is kind of similar to the first question you guys asked. We can only control what we can control. We know the city is behind us. Obviously, with the lockout and people not understanding football and not be able to save money to get season tickets that is very tough. It will pan out come Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
(on if he has talked with David Garrard since his release)
I have texted him. Obviously, this is a time where he needs his family and sit down and go through that time of mourning. It was a very sad day. Yesterday was a very sad day. I think it kind of hit everybody. He is a great guy and he has always done right by us. We kind of gave him his space. Whenever he feels free to talk to us, he will, but I don't think too many people talked to him. We are just kind of letting him be. It is a very tough decision. His impact on this organization was huge, so it is a tough decision. They made it and we are letting him deal with it the way he needs to deal with it.
(on if it is hard not to have bad feelings after something like this happens)
It is business. It is business. You can't take anything personal in this business. I learned that my first couple of years here. That is just what it is. If you didn't understand it during the lockout, you see it on days like today or yesterday.
(on if he thinks David Garrard will be able to look at it as a business decision by the team and not take it personal)
I haven't talked to him. I hope he could. It's hard to put yourself in those types of shoes, he is going to do it the best way he can.
(on the Jaguars being 35 million under the salary cap)
We got a solid team that we feel like we can win with, and that's what we are going to roll with. Sometimes you can spend money, we have spent money in years before and it didn't work out. We feel like we have solid team that we feel we can win with, so that's what we are going to go with. Obviously, high-priced free agent guys they come and go every now and then. Some pan out and some don't and so we feel like the guys right now we can win with and we are going to win with. We just got to prepare each day and make the best of our opportunities.
(on if he thinks that releasing David Garrard was a "roll of the dice")
I mean, I have been a part of it before so it is what it is. I wasn't there to make that decision. Whatever they say I do usually.
(on if he has seen enough from Blaine Gabbert to think that he could start at some point this year)
That's another decision they are going to make. I don't know guys. I will tell you what, put it this way, I'm just trying to stay here and be a Jaguar as long as possible.
(on if players are concerned that coach Jack Del Rio might be on the hot seat)
No, we can't worry about that. All the things you guys are asking me about are things that I can't worry about and we can't worry about as a team. All we can worry about is to try to go out and play our best ball and try to win as many games as we can.
(on if he knows Akeem Ayers and what kind of impact he will have on this league)
I know him very well. He is a heck of a…UCLA didn't have much but him, so he did a lot. Watching how he can rush the passer. That's one of his highlights that we are watching, we are studying the way he pass rushes. He is a great tackler, big hitter, fast, very fast, strong, so he has all the tools. Watching him play in the preseason, how he has gotten better through each preseason game, that's encouraging for him. It's going to be great to battle a young guy that came out of the school that I went to. I can finally say that I am a real veteran. I didn't go to school with none of those guys that went to UCLA.
(on what the pain level is like in his knee right now)
There is nothing now, nothing now at all. Last year I was a little heavy and it was hard to lose weight because every time I ran I was in constant pain. Obviously, towards the middle of the year, end of year, we kind of just took some precautionary things and tried to tough it out the rest of the year. Now there is no pain, I'm down to 205, so I'm playing well. Last year I played around 215 to 217 and I feel great. The offensive line and the guys in front of me are playing well, the receivers are catching the ball, Luke (McCown) is looking great, and we have a new defense. Like I said, at the end of the day all that stuff that we have done this offseason, it doesn't matter if we don't go out and execute on Sunday, and that's all you want to do. Run, throw, block, catch, whatever it is an offense, we want to go out there and put our best foot forward so that's what we are going to continue to do. And then on top of that its 9/11. I think that's going to be heavy on a lot of people's hearts too and I think it's going to be a great day. I just hope you guys are there to watch.
