MJD Ends Holdout

I never understood why people hold out. Sure you are making a statement saying that you are not playing until you get paid, but who really gets affected here. In the NFL, if you miss a day of training camp you get fined $30,000 and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew has missed every day until today. Add on a mandatory mini-camp that he missed, costing him an extra $60,000, and he's down $1.2 million already this season. It's kind of ironic how MJD was holding out for a new contract and more money, but he ended up getting fined over $1 mil.

On top of hurting his wallet, MJD is also hurting his team. The Jaguars have played all of their preseason games, so Jones-Drew won't get any game action before week 1 this Sunday. This means he may not be in game shape, and he hasn't had time to mesh with the offensive unit. This is especially bad because Jags quarterback Blaine Gabbert is only a second year player and needs to be comfortable in order to perform.

Just nothing good came out of this whole situation. MJD didn't even get his new contract. So the front office won the battle clearly and MJD looks like the bad guy. You also don't know what his teammates are thinking because they have been busting their tails in the summer heat to get ready for the season and Jones-Drew hasn't, yet will still start against the Vikings next week. For me, just be professional out there. You're the face of the franchise and your previous contract was worth $31 million. Your actions are what all of the younger guys are going to mirror and you're coming off as a diva. Obviously if you deserve a raise you can work with the front office to get a deal done, but in the meantime, go practice with your boys.

One Last Thing: Jones-Drew said in an interview earlier this preseason that he wants to be a "Jaguar for life." Has there ever been a sadder statement? No one even goes to see these guys play. They basically have to pay their fans to go to the stadium. On top of this, the team is cheeks, and haven't made the playoffs since legend Fred Taylor was there in '07. They also haven't been taken seriously since they fired the best NFL head coach, Thomas Richard Coughlin.