Joseph Addai

Addai at a game in Denver in September 2010, during his tenure with the Colts.
No. 29     New England Patriots
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1983-05-03) May 3, 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth: Houston, Texas
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Weight: 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College: Louisiana State
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30
Debuted in 2006 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (2006–2011) New England Patriots (2012-present)
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl selection (2007) Super Bowl champion (XLI) 2× AFC champion (2006, 2009) 1× BCS National Champion
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Rushing yards 4,453 Rushing average 4.1 Rushing TDs 39 Stats at NFL.com

Joseph Addai, Jr.^[1] (born May 3, 1983) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots. He was selected in the first round (30th overall pick) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Louisiana State University by the Indianapolis Colts and played for the team for six seasons.

Early years[link]

Addai's family hails from Ghana in West Africa. In high school, Addai was a left-handed option-style quarterback for the Sharpstown Apollos. In his senior year, he rushed for 1,429 yards on 159 carries and completed 37 passes for 425 yards. He was chosen as a member of the 5A All-State first team in Texas. He was named an All-American by ESPN and Fox Sports, and was rated as a top 100 recruit.

College career[link]

During his tenure with the Louisiana State University Tigers, he ranked fifth all-time in rushing, with 2,577 yards, despite being primarily used as a blocking fullback early in his career. He wore two numbers while at LSU, 41 in his early years and then number 10 in his final years.

Addai started his stint at LSU in 2001, but after only two games was granted a medical redshirt. The following season, he carried the football 80 times, gaining 438 yards, and scoring four touchdowns. His first big game came against the University of South Carolina, during which he gained 98 yards on eleven carries and scored two touchdowns. On November 9, 2002, he amassed 91 yards, including a 63 yard run for a score, against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. His performance helped to set the stage for The Bluegrass Miracle, a "miraculous" 74-yard game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Marcus Randall to wide receiver Devery Henderson as time expired on the last play of the game.

Addai's sophomore season proved to be a banner year for LSU. Led by coach Nick Saban, the Tigers won the BCS National Championship, the first national championship for LSU since 1958. Addai ranked second to freshman Justin Vincent in rushing, gaining 520 yards on 114 attempts. He led LSU's early season 59-13 rout of the Arizona Wildcats with an 86 yard, two touchdown performance.

In 2004, he rushed for 680 yards on 101 carries and caught 24 passes for 294 yards, scoring a total of seven touchdowns. He stood out against the Alabama Crimson Tide in a 26-10 Tiger Stadium victory on the 13th of November. He led the team in rushing with 99 yards and added another 46 yards receiving, as well as scoring two of the three Tiger touchdowns. for the day. The following week he teamed with Alley Broussard (250 yards on 26 carries) to lead the Tigers to a 27-24 victory over the Ole Miss Rebels. Addai's 107 yards was part of an impressive 360 yard ground attack by the Tigers.

During his senior season, Addai led the team with 911 rushing yards on 187 carries, scoring nine touchdowns. The highlight of the regular season was a 21-17 victory over the Florida Gators in front of a record-setting 92,402 crowd. Addai sealed the victory for LSU with a three yard touchdown run with 6:27 remaining on the clock. His career-best effort combined 156 yards rushing on 32 carries with 37 yards receiving on 3 catches. Joe Addai completed his tenure at LSU with an impressive game in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. In the Tigers' 40-3 victory over the Miami Hurricanes, he gained a total of 135 yards and scored twice.

Addai graduated from LSU in December 2005 with a degree in General Studies.

NFL career[link]

2006 NFL Draft[link]

Addai was selected in the first round (30th Overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Colts. Addai was the third running back selected by the Colts in the first round since 1994, when they selected Marshall Faulk with the second overall pick in 1994 and Edgerrin James fourth overall in 1999.

(* represents NFL Combine)

Indianapolis Colts[link]

On November 26, 2006, Addai tied a Colts franchise record for most rushing touchdowns in a game held by Lenny Moore, Lydell Mitchell and Eric Dickerson, as well as the NFL rookie record by rushing for 4 touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was named the NFLs "Offensive Rookie of the Month" for November on December 7, 2006.

During the 2006 season, Addai led all rookie running backs in rushing yards with 1,081. He also became the first NFL running back to exceed 1,000 rushing yards without starting a regular-season game. His first career start came on January 6, 2007, for the Colts/Chiefs wildcard playoff game. During the game he ran for 122 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and caught seven passes for 26 yards. For the next week, leading up to the divisional round of the playoffs, Addai became the target of Baltimore Ravens' linebackers Ray Lewis' and Bart Scott's trash talking, but did not respond to either of their comments, as the Colts upset the favored Ravens 15-6.^[3] On January 21, 2007, in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, Addai scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:00 remaining, giving the Colts a victory and a trip to Super Bowl XLI. The Colts went on to win the game with their rush attack, dominating the Chicago defense. Addai had 77 rushing yards and 10 receptions for 66 yards, for 143 total yards. His 10 receptions were the most ever by a running back in a Super Bowl, which left him one catch short of the overall record.

On November 4, 2007, in a Week 9 game against the New England Patriots, Addai became the first Indianapolis Colt ever to gain 100 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing in one game. Joseph was rewarded for his play in the '07 season by being invited to his first and only Pro Bowl in January 2008.

On November 1, 2009, in a game against the San Francisco 49ers, Addai completed his first professional pass, a touchdown to Reggie Wayne.

Addai became an unrestricted free agent after the 2010 season and was re-signed by the Indianapolis Colts on July 31, 2011. Addai had his worst season statistically in 2011 as he rushed for 433 yards and only one touchdown. He was released following the 2011 season on March 9, 2012.

New England Patriots[link]

On May 6, 2012, Addai agreed to a 1 year contract with the New England Patriots.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Joseph Addai Official Website
• Indianapolis Colts bio
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • ESPN • Yahoo! Sports

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joseph Addai

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Jones-Drew at ESPN The Weekend in February 2010
No. 32     Jacksonville Jaguars
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1985-03-23) March 23, 1985 (age 27)
Place of birth: Oakland, California
Height: 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) Weight: 208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
College: UCLA
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60
Debuted in 2006 for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars (2006–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
3× Pro Bowl (2009, 2010, 2011) 3× All-Pro (2009, 2010, 2011) 2× NFL Alumni Running Back of the Year (2010, 2011) NFL Alumni Player of the Year (2011) NFL Rushing champion (2011) NCAA Season Record Punt return average Jaguars single-game record for all-purpose yards (Week 14, 2006) Jaguars single-season record for all-purpose yards (2,250 yards, 2006) Jaguars single-season record for rushing yards (1,606 yards, 2011) Consensus All-American (2005)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Rushing yards 6,854 Average 4.6 Rushing Touchdowns 62 Receptions 278 Receiving yards 2,473 Receiving Touchdowns 10 Stats at NFL.com

Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew^[1] (born Maurice Christopher Drew on March 23, 1985) is a professional American football player who currently plays running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He led the NFL in rushing in 2011 and has been named to the Pro Bowl three times. He was drafted in the second round (60th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. Drew played college football for the UCLA Bruins for three years before declaring himself eligible for the NFL draft after his junior year.

Early years[link]

Jones-Drew was born in Oakland, California, and graduated from De La Salle High School in Concord, California. De La Salle owns the longest winning streak in high school football history at 151 games. The football teams he played on never lost a single game during his 3-year career. He was an elusive, high-scoring running back and return specialist on offense and a punishing linebacker on defense, he also played four official college games as a corner-back. Jones-Drew somersaulted into the national consciousness on October 6, 2001, when, as a junior, he scored all four of De La Salle's touchdowns in a 29-15 nationally-televised victory over Long Beach Poly in the first game that ever matched up the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked high school football teams. On the Spartans' opening drive, Jones-Drew received a short pass in the right flat on third-and-eight from the Poly 25-yard line. He broke a tackle and then sprinted down the right sideline before launching a spectacular forward somersault into the end zone. Drew next scored on a 29-yard reception on fourth down in which he ran a circle route out of the backfield down the left sideline and hauled in an over-the-shoulder touch pass at the goal line from quarterback Matt Gutierrez. Drew’s third touchdown came in the second quarter when he burst through the line, shook off two tacklers, before hitting paydirt 17 yards later. Drew’s final score salted away the historic De La Salle victory. It was a similar effort to his third touchdown and came on a 22-yard run with just under 7 minutes remaining. Drew finished with nine carries for 86 yards and three catches for another 79 yards. During his junior season, Jones-Drew rushed for nearly 2000 yards, averaged nearly 12 yards per carry, and scored 26 touchdowns. He was rated the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation by rivals.com. He is pictured outrunning a slew of defenders on the cover of the book When the Game Stands Tall, which chronicles the De La Salle Spartans' all-time-record 151-game winning streak.

College career[link]

Jones-Drew attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played for the UCLA Bruins football team under head coach Karl Dorrell. Despite being undersized, Jones-Drew led the Bruins in rushing all three years he was on the squad and showed good pass catching ability and big playmaking skills as both a punt and kickoff returner. He was the fifth player in Bruins history to lead the team in rushing in three seasons.^[2]

In 2005, Jones-Drew set an all-time NCAA single-season record with a 28.5 yards per return average on 15 punt returns, breaking the previous record of 25.9 yards per return held by Bill Blackstock of Tennessee in 1951. His career average of 23.2 yards per punt return ranks second in NCAA history. Jones-Drew also established a number of UCLA records, including the career all-purpose yardage record (4,688 yards). As a sophomore against Washington, Jones-Drew set UCLA's all-time record for yards rushing in a single game (322 yards) and also scored a school-record five touchdowns.

On his first carry of the game he burst to the outside and raced 47 yards to tie the game at 7–7. On his second carry, with UCLA trailing 24-7 and 2:30 remaining in the first quarter, he raced 62 yards for another TD. On his fourth carry, a third-and-12 with 40 seconds left in the first quarter, he sped 58 yards for his third TD. In the first quarter alone, he rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns on four attempts. He gave the Bruins the lead for good (27–24) with 4:16 remaining in the first half when he scooted around right end for a 15-yard touchdown. In the third quarter, he broke numerous tackles en route to his school-record fifth touchdown, a 37-yard run on the Bruins' first possession of the half. His total of 322 yards rushing was the 3rd most in the history of the Pac-10 Conference, and his overall performance earned him several National Player of the Week awards.

His final year in college, his junior year, he was a consensus first-team All-American as an all-purpose back and a first-team All-Pac 10 selection as a punt returner, ahead of Heisman Trophy-winner (since vacated) Reggie Bush. He was also the first Bruin since Jackie Robinson to lead the country in punt returning. Additionally, Jones-Drew was named second-team All-Pac 10 as a running back.^[2] Jones-Drew gave a sign of things to come when, as a freshman, he rushed for 176 yards on only 18 carries against Arizona State, including an 83-yard scamper down the left sideline to the end zone which put UCLA ahead in the game for good in the third quarter. The run was the longest ever by a Bruin true freshman and ranked ninth (tied) overall on the school's list of long runs. His 176-yard day ranks No. 2 on UCLA's all-time list for true freshmen. Jones-Drew led the Bruins in rushing that season, becoming the first true freshman to lead the Bruins in rushing since DeShaun Foster in 1998.^[2] He was also named first-team All-Pac 10 as a kick returner by The Sporting News.^[2] In his collegiate career, Jones-Drew had 16 touchdowns of 40-plus yards.

NFL career[link]

2006 NFL Draft[link]

Jones-Drew was selected 60th overall in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars to perhaps eventually replace Fred Taylor. He was passed on by all 32 teams in the draft, most citing his height (which is 5-foot-7) as the reason why he would not succeed in the NFL. He stated on Sirius XM NFL Radio that is the reason why he chose the number 32.

(* represents NFL Combine)

Jacksonville Jaguars[link]

2006 season[link]

In the beginning he was used mostly for kick-off returns, but he eventually became the Jaguars' primary third-down back, behind Fred Taylor. After a relatively slow start, Jones-Drew suddenly exploded. Against the Colts on December 10, 2006, Jones-Drew set a franchise record with 166 rushing yards and 303 All-Purpose Yards, which included a 93-yard kickoff return for touchdown. He already has broken Jaguars team records by scoring at least one rushing touchdown in eight consecutive games (the previous record was four straight games) and by gaining 2,250 all-purpose yards.

He finished 3rd in the NFL in both kickoff returns (27.7 yd avg) and touchdowns scored (16). He was also one of only two players in the NFL to score at least one TD rushing, receiving, and returning kicks (Reggie Bush was the other). He also led all AFC running backs in scrimmage yards per touch. Narrowly missing 1,000 yards for the season, Jones-Drew's rushing average of 5.7 yds per carry was 1st in the NFL for backs with 100 attempts and was the highest for an NFL running back since Barry Sanders averaged 6.1 yards per rush in 1997. In addition, he had the third-most all-purpose yards of any rookie in history. He was nominated five different times for NFL Rookie of the Week in 2006. One NFL scout said, "Jones-Drew should be rookie of the year. He's got the biggest legs for a shorter guy and way more power than anybody gives him credit for. And he's got outstanding speed. He's just a little dynamo."^[4]

Nevertheless, he finished tied for 2nd in the balloting for Offensive Rookie of the Year (Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans was the winner).

2007 season[link]

Jones-Drew before a game against the Denver Broncos in September, 2007.

In his second season in the NFL, Jones-Drew had already proven to be one of the most versatile running backs in the league.^[5] At the beginning of the 2007 season, Jones-Drew was considered arguably the best running back from the Class of 2006.^[6] Expectations were high, and although the preseason had its ups and downs, such as a dropped pass from Byron Leftwich in a 21–13 win against Green Bay, a high was provided by the 38-yard catch and run from Leftwich in a win against Tampa Bay. Overall Jones-Drew averaged 4.6 yards per carry in the preseason.^[7]

In his 2007 season debut Jones-Drew's production was just average. During a 10-7 win to the Titans, Jones-Drew had 32 yards on seven carries in a game that produced just 48 rushing yards between Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor combined. Jones-Drew's fumble at the 8 yard line in the 4th quarter was the last scoring opportunity for the Jaguars in that game.^[8][9] Promises that the running game would get better as the season progressed were realized when Jones-Drew celebrated his first touchdown of the year after the fourth game of the season, in a 17-7 win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The following week against the Houston Texans Jones-Drew recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of season, rushing for 125 and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries. He also recorded 4 catches for 59 yards. In week 7 he scored the Jaguars only points in a Monday Night loss against the Indianapolis Colts. In week 10 he reached the 100-yard mark for the second and final time in the season, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. He would score a touchdown in each of the following three weeks.

Although his role as a running back was diminished during the 2007 postseason, he still managed to impact the game with his capabilities as a receiver and a return man. In the Wildcard game against Pittsburgh he totaled 198 all-purpose yards and 2 touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 43-yard pass from David Garrard, his second was a 10-yard run which put the Jaguars up 28-10 in the third quarter. He also returned a kick-off 96 yards to set up the Jaguars' first score of the night, a Fred Taylor 1-yard run. He was named co-MVP of the game together with QB David Garrard. One week later against New England, he rushed for just 19 yards on 6 attempts as the Jaguars lost 31–20. He did manage to catch 6 passes for an additional 49 yards.

2008 season[link]

Three Jaguars offensive linemen were injured by week one of the 2008 NFL season and Jones-Drew was not as explosive as he was in 2007. His first 100 yard rushing game of the season came against the Indianapolis Colts, where the Jaguars won by a score of 23-21 on a last second field goal by kicker Josh Scobee. Teammate Fred Taylor also compiled over 100 yards in the game. Another good performance came in week 10 against the struggling Lions, where Drew posted three touchdowns, all in the first half. On Thursday Night Football in week 16, Jones-Drew was given the opportunity to carry the load with Fred Taylor on injured reserve. The ball was handed to Drew 20 times and with that he gained 91 yards for a 4.6 yards per carry average. He also caught the ball 7 times for 71 yards.

In total, Jones-Drew gained 824 yards on 197 attempts, posting a 4.2 yard per carry average. He also gained 12 touchdowns on the ground. Drew was used more in the passing game than his previous seasons and he managed 525 yards on 62 receptions.

2009 season[link]

Jones-Drew had a record-breaking season for the Jaguars. In a 13-30 loss in Tennessee during Week 8, Jones-Drew rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on only 8 carries, one for 80 yards and another for 79 yards. This performance tied Hall of Famer Barry Sanders' record of rushing for two touchdowns in a single game of 75 yards or more, which was set by Sanders in a Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 12, 1997. Jones-Drew became the third player to share the record, as San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore, also tied Sanders' record in a Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks during the same season.

At seasons end Jones-Drew compiled some nice statistics. He rushed for 1,391 yards on 312 attempts for a 4.5 per carry average and 15 TD's. He was also one of the big components in the Jaguars passing attack, as he had 53 receptions for 374 yards and a TD. In a recent article by Thomas George, Jones-Drew had been recognized as the most versatile offensive player in the NFL.^[10]

Jones-Drew was selected as a backup in the Pro Bowl behind Chris Johnson. During the game he rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown on 5 attempts.

Jones-Drew waiting for the snap on December 11, 2011 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

2010 season[link]

Jones-Drew played the entire 2010 season with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He became aware of the extent of the injury in training camp, but tried to keep it a secret to prevent opponents from intentionally taking shots at his knee.^[11] After the 2010 season, he was named Running Back of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association.^[12]

Although the Jaguars did not make the playoffs, Jones-Drew drew attention in the postseason with comments he made questioning the severity of an in-game injury to Jay Cutler in the NFC Championship Game.^[11][13] Jones-Drew stated that he was also rooting for the Bears, but his injury prompted him to say: "All I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee ... I played the whole season on one", as well as comparing Cutler to former quarterback Urban Meyer.^[14]

2011 season[link]

Maurice Jones-Drew led the NFL in rushing yards during the 2011 season and also broke the Jaguars franchise records for both rushing yards in a season and also yards from scrimmage^[15] in a season finishing with 1,606 rushing yards.^[16] Jones-Drew did all of this despite the offensive struggles that were experienced by the Jaguars, at the end of the season he accounted for 47.7% of the Jaguars yards.

Jones-Drew was named to the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl as a back-up for Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice as a result of his spectacular season.^[17]

NFL career statistics[link]

Statistics taken from ESPN.com^[18] and NFL.com^[19]

Jaguars franchise records[link]

• Most rushing yards in a single season (1,606 in 2011)
• Most rushing touchdowns in a single season (15 in 2009)

Outside of football[link]

Jones-Drew appeared in a 2007 ESPN commercial as an inductee into the ESPN Fantasy Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

Jones-Drew appeared in a commercial for the Madden NFL 09 video game.^[20]

He hosts a two-hour radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio titled Runnin' With MJD which focuses on fantasy football talk and strategy.^[21]

In 2011, Jones-Drew appeared as himself along with fellow NFL players Brent Grimes and Sidney Rice in an episode of the FX comedy The League.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Born to Sidney Gayles and Andrea Drew, Jones-Drew was raised by his grandparents, Maurice and Christina Jones. At the height of his college career, his maternal grandfather died of a heart attack while watching his grandson play at the Rose Bowl against Rice University. Dorrell broke the news to Drew on the sideline during the game, and he ran to the locker room and left to go to the hospital. To honor the man who raised him, he had his entire legal surname affixed to his jersey, making him “Maurice Jones-Drew.” ^[23][24]

Jones-Drew is a father of three with two sons (Maurice II & Madden) and one daughter (Alayah).^[25]

References[link]