Jones-Drew on tweet about Cutler: 'I didn't do anything wrong'

People who expect Maurice Jones-Drew to apologize for his tweet criticizing Jay Cutler's toughness will be disappointed.

Jones-Drew told NFL Network's Kara Henderson in an interview that aired Tuesday he doesn't regret his January post, which caused a backlash and even incited death threats from Chicago Bears fans who backed the team's quarterback.

"I haven't gotten a chance to, but I wouldn't apologize because I didn't do anything wrong, I don't think," said Jones-Drew, the Jacksonville Jaguars' two-time Pro Bowl running back. "I didn't commit a crime. I didn't kill anyone or rape anyone or anything like that. I mean, I stated my opinion, and it seems like you get more backlash for that than committing a real crime in some sense.

"I don't know, I don't feel I did anything wrong. I just said what everybody else was thinking at the time."

What Jones-Drew tweeted during the Jan. 23 NFC Championship Game was a direct shot at Cutler, who left with a knee injury in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers with a Super Bowl berth on the line.

"Hey I think the urban meyer rule is effect right now... When the going gets tough........QUIT," Jones-Drew posted on his Twitter page.

The nature of Cutler's injury was unknown during the game, but it later was revealed as a sprained medial collateral ligament. Even with that knowledge, Jones-Drew insists that he doesn't have any regrets.

"I don't regret anything I do," said Jones-Drew, who played through a knee injury of his own last season before missing the final two games. "I mean, you think about everything you put out there anyway. I'm not one of these guys who's going to say, 'Well, I shouldn't have done it,' because I did it. I mean, I knew what I was doing when I tweeted it. I just didn't know that many people were following me (on Twitter) at the time."

Jones-Drew might have led the way, but he wasn't the only player to criticize Cutler. Darnell Dockett of the Arizona Cardinals and Bruce Gradkowski, then of the Oakland Raiders, were some of the current and former NFL players who took shots at Cutler via Twitter.

Cutler has said he isn't bothered by what happened and appreciates how his teammates, most notably linebacker Brian Urlacher, came to his defense in the immediate aftermath of the Bears' 21-14 loss.

"That's all new," Cutler said last month when he reported to training camp. "That's never been an issue for me. I've never been questioned about it. I didn't really know how to react to it. I know that anyone who has played with knee (injuries) should never question that. I know the guys in the locker room aren't going to. You can't get caught up in that stuff. ... You're going to have to take it as it is and move on."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jags shouldn't worry about his repaired knee, Jones-Drew says

Maurice Jones-Drew missed the final two games last season with a left knee injury that required surgery. Now he's out to show the Jacksonville Jaguars that they shouldn't worry about his health.

"I can still carry the load regardless of what surgery I had or whatnot," Jones-Drew told The Florida Times-Union in a story for Thursday's editions. "They're going to be kind of anxious to throw Rashad (Jennings) in, and they're already kind of scared of my knee. ... I want to be able to be out the gates playing because it's a production-based business. They're already skeptical maybe it's his knee, maybe we're working him too hard, we should give him a break."

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Jones-Drew has carried quite a load during his two seasons as the Jaguars' featured running back, carrying the ball 312 times in 2009 and 299 times in 2010. He also caught 87 total passes in those two seasons. Still, he's confident he can return to his workhorse role and not lose touches to Jennings, his backup.

"If I have to go through double days in camp to prove it, I will," Jones-Drew said. "I'm fine."

Jones-Drew tried to grit his way through the 2010 season, playing with a meniscus that he tore before the campaign. He lasted 14 games, then had the surgery done by noted orthopedist James Andrews in January. He said last week that he expects to be 100 percent at the end of July.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter didn't know how much his star player was hurting -- "I was not in that circle. I didn't know," he said -- but he told the The Times-Union that coaches don't expect to limit Jones-Drew this coming season.

"There's been no discussions in the offensive staff room of Maurice's knee," Koetter said. "... I can assure you ... coach (Jack) Del Rio has never said to me when we get to the season we've gotta hold Maurice back."

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Jones-Drew defends Garrard, thinks QB deserves more time

The Jaguars used the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft to select Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, but Jacksonville's biggest star isn't convinced it was the right decision.

Maurice Jones-Drew, who has rushed for over 1,300 yards in back-to-back seasons, said Monday on "NFL Total Access" that the offense needed more time to develop, not a new face of the franchise.

"I just feel like what we needed as an offense wasn't a new quarterback, we just needed another year amongst each other because we had a lot of new players come in," Jones-Drew said. "You see a team like the Patriots or the Steelers or the Colts, those guys (have) been in the same system for the 10, 12 years together, and so that's what we're trying to grow right now."

Jones-Drew -- a fan of current Jaguars signal-caller David Garrard -- admitted he was "very shocked" that the Jags used their first pick on a QB. Jones-Drew said team officials explained to him that Garrard would benefit from competition in the same way he did back in 2007 when he unseated Byron Leftwich as starter.

Garrard has been unable to match the precision of his breakout 2007 season, but he remained a steady contributor for the Jags in 2010. In 14 games, Garrard threw for 2,734 yards and a career-high 23 touchdowns. His 90.8 quarterback rating was his best mark since 102.2 in '07.

"They're just trying to get that competitive thing going again and, I mean, it's going to be fun to watch," Jones-Drew said. "But I know David will win. He's a fighter, that's what he does."

Jones-Drew was asked if he thought the Jaguars should bring in one of the big-name wide receivers expected to hit the market. He said the team would benefit from a lower profile player with less baggage, pointing out Terrell Owens and Plaxico Burress as players who don't fit the culture of the team.

"Plaxico, because of his circumstances, what just happened, the zoo is going to come to Jacksonville, and we don't do that," Jones-Drew said. "We're kind of laid back, low key."

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Report: Jones-Drew set for scope on knee hurt during preseason

Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a right meniscus injury suffered during the preseason, The Florida Times-Union reported Saturday, citing a team source.

Jones-Drew hadn't practiced in the past two weeks and was ruled out of Sunday's regular-season finale against the Houston Texans because of the lingering knee problem. He also didn't play in last Sunday's overtime loss to the Washington Redskins.

The surgery calls for a knee scope to repair cartilage nestled between bones in the knee, which started bothering Jones-Drew after his sixth consecutive 100-yard game Dec. 12.

Jones-Drew doesn't have ligament damage, the source said, and he could be available if the Jaguars make the playoffs. To do that, they need to beat the Texans and have the Tennessee upset the Indianapolis Colts, giving Jacksonville the AFC South title.

Jones-Drew's 1,324 rushing yards through 14 regular-season games this season was second only to Houston's Arian Foster at the time. Statistics aside, the Jaguars prize Jones-Drew's health above rushing titles, so they monitored their star as he played through pain from Week 1.

"They told him going into this year -- that knee may not hold up," Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter told The Times-Union. "It's really pretty remarkable that he put up the numbers that he did and ran the way he did for as long he did."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jones-Drew rests injured hand, wrist, says he'll play Monday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew sat out practice Thursday because of a sprained right hand and wrist.

Jones-Drew injured his hand and wrist on the second play of the fourth quarter in last week's 36-26 victory at Buffalo. He rolled around in pain, then returned for the next series before leaving the game for good. Tests revealed no bone or ligament damage.

Jones-Drew called it a "swollen hand," adding that it's "nothing serious, no structural damage. That's it." He insisted he would be fine when the Jaguars (3-2) play host to the AFC South rival Tennessee Titans (3-2) on Monday night.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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