Jones-Drew Says He's "80-85%"

Maurice Jones-Drew played the majority of the 2010 season on a bum knee, which is something we all knew already. As I've warned with other players, be weary of guys saying they're "100%" in April, May, and June because quite frankly we have no idea, and neither does the player. The only time we'll really know is when training camp and the pre-season begin. There was concern about Jones-Drew prior to the season last year amidst reports of a torn MCL that Jones-Drew denied, but we found at at the end of the season he was playing bone-on-bone on his knee.

On Friday night, Jones-Drew appeared on Sirius NFL Radio and told Adam Caplan that he was currently 85% healthy.

Jones-Drew currently feels 80-85 percent. While the news seems positive at first glance, the soundness of MJD's surgically repaired knee won't be tested until he begins taking hits on it in training camp. We're skeptical it will respond well after a torn meniscus that became apparent in the preseason became bone-on-bone by year's end. It's a scary condition for a running back.

Now, I like to consider myself a realist (though some will say negative), but to me this is a big red flag. Jones-Drew said he was currently 80-85%, but would be 100% in 3-4 weeks, presumebly when training camp could start.

I'm no doctor, but if a player is 80-85% six-months after the season ends... Am I really to expect he'll gain that next 15-20% in the course of 3 weeks? As Caplan says, it is a bit of a scary situation. Quite frankly, Jones-Drew is the heart of the Jacksonville Jaguars offense. If he can't go, while the Jaguars have nice depth at the position, it will be a big concern.

We still have to actually get to training camp and the preseason, but it's something worth paying attention to.