Oakland Raiders to go back to running back tandem in Maurice Jones-Drew’s return

Sep 24, 2014; Bagshot, UNITED KINGDOM; Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew (21) stretches at practice at Pennyhill Park Hotel in advance of the NFL International Series game against the Miami Dolphins. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

When 2014 free agency acquisition Maurice Jones-Drew was injured during Week One against the New York Jets the role of running back for the Oakland Raiders was thrusted solely on the shoulders of long serving Raider Darren McFadden over intriguing rookie Latavius Murray. So with MJD returning to practice this week ahead of the team’s game in London against the Miami Dolphins it is no surprise that the plan for Sunday will be to split the carries between the two veteran rushers.

According to Vic Tafur, who is in London covering the Wembley Stadium clash between Oakland and Miami, the Raiders will be trying to make the carries a 50-50 plan between DMC & MJD as the team continues to try to bolster a running game that has been unspectacular to say the least this September.

Fans will hope to see Latavius Murray, who hasn’t been able to make an impact in the few carries he has been given, get more of a role sooner than later even if the plan on Sunday is to let the old hands on deck do most of the work. A plan that can be justified as both Jones-Drew and McFadden have well over a decade plus of experience between them compared to Murray who is just coming off of a IR stint in his rookie season last year. That doesn’t mean that the duo won’t need an impressive showing soon to maintain their status as the fans frustrations with the running game will persist if the struggles continue in the backfield.

If that happens and the veterans keep failing at moving the ball on the ground expect the calls for Murray to get louder and louder over the season. Even if Jones-Drew and McFadden are the more experienced options with better pass blocking than the rookie from UCF, fans will always want the option that appears to have the most upside which is why so many have been pulling for Murray. If the ground game gets going in London on Sunday all will be well as the short memories of fans seem to kick in once things are going good and the team is winning. At 0-3 and not getting anything out of the running game, the return of MJD will be one of the most watched storylines for the Raiders tomorrow.