Jones-Drew: London deserves team

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Friday, July 11, 2014

Maurice Jones-Drew, who will make his second trip to play a game in London this season, said recently he believes the city deserves a full-time NFL team.

The running back, who played his first game at Wembley Stadium in 2013 as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, will play again at the famous stadium in 2014 as a member of the Oakland Raiders.

"You know what? I think they deserve one. It's just the toll it takes on the body because it's so hard to fly across the pond. I think the fans deserve it and London deserves it because it is a great city," Jones-Drew told Brit View NFL, a website that launched this week and covers the league from a British perspective.

Jones-Drew, however, acknowledged it would be difficult logistically for an NFL team to play its home games overseas.

"My only worry is the toll it would take for a team to go back and forth and how would you get that done? There are some things they would have to work on -- they might have to bring the Concorde back and cut that time in half. But you never know," he told the website.

Last season, Jones rushed for 75 yards on 19 carries and caught six passes for 47 yards at Wembley in the Jaguars' 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. 

The Raiders' game in London will be in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins with Oakland as the designated home team. It will be one of three NFL regular-season games played in London in 2014.

The NFL has raised the possibility of having a full-time franchise in London in the past and has played at least one game in the city each year since 2007.

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