Around the NFL

MJD on Del Rio hire: 'Great things' ahead for Raiders

Published: Jan 16, 2015 at 01:16 AM

Marc Sessler

Whether or not Maurice Jones-Drew will be a Raider next season, he likes the hire of Jack Del Rio.

"I'm happy that coach Del Rio got a second chance," MJD told CSN Bay Area. "He was a really good coach while I was with him in Jacksonville. With his mindset and the talent of this team, great things are on the way for this franchise."

As coach of the Jaguars, Del Rio leaned heavily on Jones-Drew as his workhorse running back. MJD ran roughshod over the league with 4,321 yards on the ground over a three-year span from 2009 to 2011, Del Rio's final season with the team.

The coach's presence in Oakland is a boon for Jones-Drew, but we don't expect the Raiders to keep MJD around after he ran for just 96 yards this season at a paltry 2.2 yards per tote. Especially with Oakland set to save $2.5 million by cutting the 29-year-old before June 1.

Darren McFadden outplayed Jones-Drew down the stretch and young Latavius Murray outshined them all with 370 of his 420 yards coming from Week 12 and beyond. On a team desperately in need of a talent infusion, Del Rio and general manager Reggie McKenzie can't afford to play favorites.

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