The NFL Network camera crew hunkered down in his house, ready to capture footage of a life paralleling his exploits on the field.

Maurice Jones-Drew should have warned them.

Not all superstars lead exciting lives.

"I'm just a regular dude, man. I'm doing this '24/7' thing (an all-access show on NFL Network) and they think my lifestyle is all this and that. Dude was so bored at my house the other day," Jones-Drew said, laughing. "I don't do anything. My whole life and just about everyone in it is trained around football."

That incident, regardless of how uneventful, shows Jones-Drew as the face of a virtually faceless franchise in Jacksonville. By most accounts, he's the only star on a Jaguars team that lacks pizzazz.

Jones-Drew has the stats of a star. The Jaguars' 5-foot-7 running back leads the NFL with 6,143 total yards (including return yardage) the past three seasons - despite starting only four of 47 games - ranks sixth in yards from scrimmage (4,081), third in receiving yards (1,500) and third in touchdowns (40).

He also does commercials, has charisma, and is easily approachable.

Still, Jones-Drew says he's not a star yet.

"I haven't done what superstars like Randy Moss, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning have done," he said. "My main focus is this: You play the game to be the best. You don't play it to be average. People may tell me, 'Hey, I saw you on this commercial.' And I'm like, 'That's awesome,' you know. But to me, I'm still trying to be the best. If I start looking back, that will slow me down from getting to my goal, which is to win a Super Bowl."

Defining a star

Most superstars share a couple of common traits, according to Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio. They've had some type of good fortune in their lives, usually in the form of a parent, mentor or someone special to help instill certain superstar qualities. And they possess a passion, work ethic, and commitment to their craft that lifts the physical talents to another level, allowing them to operate efficiently through the most difficult of circumstances.

"People sometimes fail to realize or recognize just how hard these guys work at being great," Del Rio said. "Michael Jordan didn't become a great player because God blessed him with great ability. He became great because of his passion, his drive, his competitiveness. Those are things that everybody you see playing at a great level, that's what they've been about. That's what separates them. It's not talent. It's really a lot more than talent. There are tons of talented people in the world. Those who achieve have the commitment, drive, purpose and passion."

They also have an everyman quality, according to Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward.

"Can fathers and mothers say, 'Hey is this someone you should model yourself after, someone you can relate to?' " [Can they] look at this person and draw examples of things you do on and off the field for their kids? That's going to make you a superstar," Hayward said. "It's one thing to make plays and celebrate on the field. Then when you go off the field, people look at your character, what you've done, and they might shun you. You don't want that. You want to be one of those people like Peyton Manning and have things that are amazing on the field. But when you look at him off the field, you see he's a great guy."

Jones-Drew isn't sure where he fits, but there's a set of qualities he believes makes a star player. First on his list is being personable and approachable.

"I really couldn't tell you what a superstar is," Jones-Drew said. "But to me, it's someone who doesn't change; they stay themselves. Obviously, they've got to have a little bit of talent. But what makes the best of the best is the work ethic. They don't talk. They just do what they have to do to gain the respect of their peers with their play."

Influenced by engineer

Jones-Drew, who grew up in northern California, said an argument with an engineer shaped his childhood thinking and established a goal that didn't include football. The man asked Jones-Drew, who was 10 or 11 years old at the time, what's the biggest number in the world?

"Infinity," Jones-Drew replied.

"He was like, 'No, it can't be,' " Jones-Drew explained. "He told me it was 9 because after 9, everything repeats itself."

The engineer told Jones-Drew that smart people typically become astronauts and engineers. Jones-Drew wanted to be one of those. "So I was like, 'I'm not stupid,' " he said. Playing football became a way for Jones-Drew to have fun with friends. But in the back of his mind, he really wanted to be like the smart man he'd met.

"I really didn't have dreams of being any kind of superstar, singer or actor," Jones-Drew said. "Don't get me wrong, you see guys like Prime Time [Deion Sanders] on TV. Everybody wants to be like him, but I wouldn't say I dreamed of being him. In Pop Warner, I'd have the tape around my pads, the long towel, the tape on my facemask, all that. But at the same time, I was just out there having fun. Nobody forced me to play. I never thought, 'Oh, I've got to keep playing.' When you think you've got to do something, it becomes more of a job than a hobby you can grow with."

By the time he finished high school, Jones-Drew had become so good at his hobby that he had his choice of college scholarships.

"I was just happy I got to that point," he said, "to be able to play a game that I love and go to school for free."

Jones-Drew didn't start thinking about a career in the NFL until he was just about done with his record-setting career at UCLA. In Pop Warner, high school and college, his football goals always remained the same.

"I just wanted to come in and play the best I can to help my team win games," said Jones-Drew, who was selected by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2006 draft. "Everything else kind of just took off from there. My goal on every level I've played is to win the championship. I didn't do it in college. So now, I've got to do it here. I just play to have fun, to win and prove that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible. Granted I'm still not an engineer yet - that was my main goal - but I ended up in a good situation."

Not Mr. Hollywood

Jones-Drew is popular in Jacksonville, and he's one of two Jaguars seen on national commercials. But his No. 32 jersey doesn't rank in the top 20 in NFL sales, and his list of endorsements (which include Jack Hanania's Audi Jacksonville, Reebok, Winn Dixie and several trading-card companies) falls far short of the Peyton Manning-sphere of national exposure.

The Jaguars made Jones-Drew one of the team's highest-paid players in April, signing him to a four-year deal worth $31 million ($17.5 million guaranteed). But the trappings of success haven't changed him.

Perhaps that's what actually makes him a star.

"Without a doubt he's a proven talent on the field and has been consistent over the last three years," said Jones-Drew's agent, Adisa Bakari. "His star appeal, his personality off the field, whether he's in a big or small market, he'd emerge as a superstar personality on any franchise."

Jones-Drew says former Jaguar Fred Taylor is the most famous person he hangs out with regularly. He once met Tiger Woods at TPC Sawgrass, "but that was about it," and hangs with Saints running back Reggie Bush "sometimes" when they run into one another in California. Other than those few brushes with stardom, "I don't hang out with Matt Leinart, Nick Lachey or anyone like that," said Jones-Drew, who prefers the company of his family and a group of longtime friends from high school.

Jones-Drew said there aren't many days he experiences a wow-I'm-famous moment.

"Sometimes it happens," he said. "For instance, some nights I'm playing the video game and people come online and they're like, 'Oh my God, I'm playing against Maurice Jones-Drew.' I'm like, laughing, 'What are you talking about? Let's get on this game.' "

Del Rio and Hayward said Jones-Drew has all the qualities needed for stardom.

"Obviously, he's got to be able to sustain the approach he has now. But that's the right approach,'' Del Rio said. "He's got the heart of a champion. That's why [running backs coach] Kennedy [Pola] speaks that way about him. That's why I speak that way about him. You see the drive, the passion."

Added Hayward: "He's making plays on the field, and he's outgoing and hilarious off the field. He's building his limelight as he runs."

He's also continuing to treat the game the way he did in Pop Warner by just having fun. It's a lesson he learned from Taylor that keeps the game from growing into something bigger than it actually is.

"I'm not Hollywood, man. That just ain't me. I don't ever look at this as 'This is the NFL.' That's one thing Fred taught me," Jones-Drew said. "This to me is still a hobby, but at the same time it's my job, what pays the bills. It's not work. I train from February to July or August, that's how much time I put into this. But I do it because I want to be the best.",

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