After nine seasons in the NFL, former Pro Bowl running back (and the closest thing the league had to a human bowling ball) Maurice Jones-Drew has decided to retire. He chose to do so through his Twitter account earlier this afternoon:
Jones-Drew spent his first eight seasons carrying the load for a Jacksonville franchise that had very few bright spots during his tenure (i.e. one winning season). Whilst Jones-Drew set a number of records for the Jaguars, he only got to play in two postseason games, both of which came after the 2007 season.
After a disappointing campaign in 2013, Jones-Drew signed a deal with another franchise that wasn't exactly championship-caliber, the Oakland Raiders. After averaging just over two yards per carry (on only 43 carries) MJD decided to retire at just 29 (news flash: the life of a pro running back is tough).
If nothing else, Jones-Drew should be an inspiration to the more "diminutive" football players out there who still have aspirations to go pro. He showed that even if you're 5-foot-7, you too could not only play, but dominate. The one two caveats, of course, are you should also weigh 210 pounds and run a sub-4.40 forty.
There's a lot to remember about Jones-Drew, and we're sure many Jags fans will reflect positively on his career over the next few days. But for our money (which is zero dollars, because that's just a stupid expression) this Shawne Merriman blitz pickup will always be the first thought of the 2011 NFL rushing leader that comes to mind:
2.
[via Twitter/YouTube]
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