You know who Thomas Jones kind of reminds me of?

[L.I.MikeBleedsGreen]

He is a much stronger much more aggressive RB than Leon, he runs a different style. Also 15-20 lbs is a lot of strength when your talking all/mostly muscle. And leon was rumored to be barely at the 200lb mark...

This was a great pickup for a great price...

Yeah ,But all that disapears when you have an average o-line (which is what we have) I just feel we needed a Bush kinda back instead of another leon /quick juke movin' kind of back b/c we have one already.

[MSGold12]

Dude, you are missing the point.

It does not matter how big Thomas Jones is. The point is that he PLAYS like another Leon Washington. Ron Dayne was like 250 pounds. He was a dancer, just like Thomas Jones. Who cares that Tom Jones weighs 220 if he plays like a guy that weighs 205?

IMO, we got an older, slower version of Leon. So, yeah, that's why I'm not exactly stoked that we traded a borderline first round pick for a borderline third round pick to get him.

Dude,

His exact quote is "they are similar in height and size". They are NOT similar in height and size. One is 5'8" 202, the other is 5'10" 220. Not even remotely close. And to characterize Thomas Jones as a "dancer" or "scat back" is a ridculous statement. The two backs are not even remotely alike in style. Not to mention he is a proven feature back who can carry the ball 275+ times a year and is coming off of two stright 1200 yard seasons.

And if you dont like the trade, considering how badly we needed a RB, please give me a better alternative. And don't say Turner considering how expensive he was going to be to trade for.

[oktaren]

For the Love Of Christ,

THANK YOU Troll, that's all I've been trying to tell MSGold.I think you and I are the only guys on the board who aren't Jumping for joy for this Pick.

im not jumping for joy, i just wouldnt say the two are ANYTHING alike...i mean NOTHING.

[MSGold12]

For the Love Of Christ,

THANK YOU Troll, that's all I've been trying to tell MSGold.I think you and I are the only guys on the board who aren't Jumping for joy for this Pick.

I'm sorry...perhaps I misunderstood...what exactly were you trying to say when you said "they are similar in height and size"? Please explain what you mena tby that quote other then to imply they are similar in height and size...when they are not.

Considering one is 5'8", 202, runs a 4.3 has lightening quickness and surprising power for a smaller player and the other is 5'10", 220, runs a 4.5, is strong as a horse and has shown the ability to wear down defenses wiht a grinding style and the ability to break an occasional long one, I am baffled how ANY of you who actually have seen this guy play can think he and Leon are similar players. You took ONE post by a bears fan who says he dances a bit too much and have morphed that into he's a Leon Washington clone. The players are TOTALLY different. And considering our other alternatives at RB that were out there, this was a tremendous move! We got a 1200 yard rusher with size and speed for a swap of #2s! What did oyu people want? Tomlinson for a future 4th????

[MSGold12]

im not jumping for joy, i just wouldnt say the two are ANYTHING alike...i mean NOTHING.

Thank God! A voice of reason!!!! These two players are NOTHING alike. In fact they are terrific compliments to each others styles.

[L.I.MikeBleedsGreen]

I'm sorry...perhaps I misunderstood...what exactly were you trying to say when you said "they are similar in height and size"? Please explain what you mena tby that quote other then to imply they are similar in height and size...when they are not.

Considering one is 5'8", 202, runs a 4.3 has lightening quickness and surprising power for a smaller player and the other is 5'10", 220, runs a 4.5, is strong as a horse and has shown the ability to wear down defenses wiht a grinding style and the ability to break an occasional long one, I am baffled how ANY of you who actually have seen this guy play can think he and Leon are similar players. You took ONE post by a bears fan who says he dances a bit too much and have morphed that into he's a Leon Washington clone. The players are TOTALLY different. And considering our other alternatives at RB that were out there, this was a tremendous move! We got a 1200 yard rusher with size and speed for a swap of #2s! What did oyu people want? Tomlinson for a future 4th????

So what your saying is 2 in. and 2 sec. and maybe 15 lbs is not Simuliar behind an average o-line ?? Wha?? Man either you guys have a hard on for this dude or you don't see what I'm seeing.

[The Troll]

Dude,

His exact quote is "they are similar in height and size". They are NOT similar in height and size. One is 5'8" 202, the other is 5'10" 220. Not even remotely close. And to characterize Thomas Jones as a "dancer" or "scat back" is a ridculous statement. The two backs are not even remotely alike in style. Not to mention he is a proven feature back who can carry the ball 275+ times a year and is coming off of two stright 1200 yard seasons.

And if you dont like the trade, considering how badly we needed a RB, please give me a better alternative. And don't say Turner considering how expensive he was going to be to trade for.

It makes me wonder how much people have seen Thomas Jones play. They just look at his pretty stats and his height/weight and his big muscles and say "This guy is a ****ing bulldozer". There was a Bears fan that posted here the other day and he said exactly what I've been saying: Jones is a dancer. He will hit the hole if it's there, if not, he will dance around and hope one opens. He is not going to run over anybody. It does not matter how big he is IF HE PLAYS SMALLER.

What's a better alternative? How about bringing in ANY veteran back that doesn't require moving down 30 spots in the draft? It's unfair to compare Turner and Jones because Turner would have been a long-term answer. At 29, Thomas Jones is NOT. And when you are not relying on a player long-term, there is no need to piss away a high draft pick on him unless you are THISCLOSE to getting over the hump. And we aren't.

[L.I.MikeBleedsGreen]

Troll, don't waste anymore key strokes dude these are Jet fans any signs of hope and they think we are either going to be Great or they think we are headed to the Superbowl. That's why the bears let him go for almost nothing . B/c his IS nothing Special. Man these dudes need to stay away from the Kool aide for sure.

[MSGold12]

Troll, don't waste anymore key strokes dude these are Jet fans any signs of hope and they think we are either going to be Great or they think we are headed to the Superbowl. That's why the bears let him go for almost nothing . B/c his IS nothing Special. Man these dudes need to stay away from the Kool aide for sure.

Thanks OBiWon. Advice from a guy who thinks two Rbs who have a 2 inch and 15-20 pound difference are "similar in size"...and then backtracks on that very definitve statement when exposed. So I guess Kellen Clemens (6'2", 220) and Drew Bledsoe (6'5" 235) are "similar in size" too then huh????

We got a RB who is coming off 2, 1200+ yard seasons for a bad weather, playoff team. A guy who would have been named game MVP in the last SB had Chi won. We get him for simply moving down in rd 2...and all you can do is bitch and moan with faulty analogies THAT'S pathetic. Go root for Miami.

[MSGold12]

It makes me wonder how much people have seen Thomas Jones play. They just look at his pretty stats and his height/weight and his big muscles and say "This guy is a ****ing bulldozer". There was a Bears fan that posted here the other day and he said exactly what I've been saying: Jones is a dancer. He will hit the hole if it's there, if not, he will dance around and hope one opens. He is not going to run over anybody. It does not matter how big he is IF HE PLAYS SMALLER.

What's a better alternative? How about bringing in ANY veteran back that doesn't require moving down 30 spots in the draft? It's unfair to compare Turner and Jones because Turner would have been a long-term answer. At 29, Thomas Jones is NOT. And when you are not relying on a player long-term, there is no need to piss away a high draft pick on him unless you are THISCLOSE to getting over the hump. And we aren't.

Who? Who was better then this guy? name the player? Yes, Turner would have been the longer term answer and I would have loved to have had him...but were you ready to give up a 1 and then some to get him? And define "long term"? The pats have had 4 different feature backs in the last 6 years...syre hasnt effected them poorly. If we get 3 years out of this guy that is ample for "long term" in the NFL.

This is a guy who could easily be aour feature back if we make a run in a year or even 2. he has very few carries for his age and has proven he can carry the load for a team that has NO pasisng atack yet still made the SB last year. Regardless of how you perceive him to play, he is a 220 pound HB wiht 4.5 speed who has had 1200+ yards the last two seasons.

So again...tell me who wuld have been a better player to have gotten....

[MSGold12]

So what your saying is 2 in. and 2 sec. and maybe 15 lbs is not Simuliar behind an average o-line ?? Wha?? Man either you guys have a hard on for this dude or you don't see what I'm seeing.

You have all but admitted you have never even seen the guy play so what exactly have YOU "seen" to be such an expert on him. Aside from your very interestnig measurement theories.

[NJ]

It makes me wonder how much people have seen Thomas Jones play. They just look at his pretty stats and his height/weight and his big muscles and say "This guy is a ****ing bulldozer". There was a Bears fan that posted here the other day and he said exactly what I've been saying: Jones is a dancer. He will hit the hole if it's there, if not, he will dance around and hope one opens. He is not going to run over anybody. It does not matter how big he is IF HE PLAYS SMALLER.

What's a better alternative? How about bringing in ANY veteran back that doesn't require moving down 30 spots in the draft? It's unfair to compare Turner and Jones because Turner would have been a long-term answer. At 29, Thomas Jones is NOT. And when you are not relying on a player long-term, there is no need to piss away a high draft pick on him unless you are THISCLOSE to getting over the hump. And we aren't.

I've seen him play plenty Troll and he's a good strong workhorse that will have to crash the line sometimes whether he likes it or not. Absolutely his forte is juking in the cutback lanes, but even Herm would have that figured out after awhile. Well maybe.

When you look at the two "snowplow's" we just gave the gate to - I'm sure this exact subject was gone over thoroughly in the discussions with Tangini. We also don't know what Houston's role is going to be but it's doubtfull they will platoon the 3 of them as Houston isn't exactly The Bus.

[L.I.MikeBleedsGreen]

Thanks OBiWon. Advice from a guy who thinks two Rbs who have a 2 inch and 15-20 pound difference are "similar in size"...and then backtracks on that very definitve statement when exposed. So I guess Kellen Clemens and Drew Bledsoe are "similar in size" too then huh????

We got a RB who is coming off 2, 1200+ yard seasons for a bad weather, playoff team. A guy who would have been named game MVP in the last SB had Chi won. We get him for simply moving down in rd 2...and all you can do is bitch and moan with faulty analogies THAT'S pathetic. Go root for Miami.

Never, I live here yes ,but I hate the dolfags with all my being. And as far as Tj if you love the guy ,cool ,but to say I'm pathetic for having my own opinion is a little pathetic if you ask me.

[L.I.MikeBleedsGreen]

You have all but admitted you have never even seen the guy play so what exactly have YOU "seen" to be such an expert on him. Aside from your very interestnig measurement theories.

Dude I have the Network and I'm a fan of Defense ,so I 've seen him play all year long and he is nothing special (maybe for some Jet fans) but not me .I just call them like I see em. And I think there are a least 4-5 rb's in the draft that I would take over TJ, But don't kill me for it, it's JMHO.

[oktaren]

Dude I have the Network and I'm a fan of Defense ,so I 've seen him play all year long and he is nothing special (maybe for some Jet fans) but not me .I just call them like I see em. And I think there are a least 4-5 rb's in the draft that I would take over TJ, But don't kill me for it, it's JMHO.

too bad that opinion is wrong ya know, the one where they are the same size...hahahaha.

[MSGold12]

Dude I have the Network and I'm a fan of Defense ,so I 've seen him play all year long and he is nothing special (maybe for some Jet fans) but not me .I just call them like I see em. And I think there are a least 4-5 rb's in the draft that I would take over TJ, But don't kill me for it, it's JMHO.

You cannot with a straight face name 4 or 5 RBs in this draft that are better then a 29 year old, 220 pound HB who runs a 4.5 and has had 1200+ the last two years for a SB contender that had no passing game and was nearly the MVP of the last SB played.

Sorry...no way.

[MSGold12]

Never, I live here yes ,but I hate the dolfags with all my being. And as far as Tj if you love the guy ,cool ,but to say I'm pathetic for having my own opinion is a little pathetic if you ask me.

Whats pathetic is not your opinion or having your own opinion.

Whats patheitc is that the jets just picked up a proven 1200 yard back for nothing more then a move down in the second round and you sound like you want to cry in your beer because of it and find as many lame excuses as possible to downgrade the guy. Even saying that being 205 and 220 are the same thing! THAT'S pathetic.

I dont "love" Thomas Jones. But i appreciate the player he is and I also know that RB was a huge need and for what was available to us, this was by far the best move we could have made. There were no other FA backs that had this guys resume excpet MAYBE Travis henry and he has had substance abuse issues. Turner would have cost us at LEAST a 1. Ahman Green is an injury waiting to happen and he fumbles. Chris Brown hasnt been healthy in 2 years. TJ Duckett has been a bust for 2 teams. Buffao was not trading McGahee wihtin the division. Corey Dillon is 32. We are not geting Adrian petersen or Marshawn Lynch at #25. Need I go on?

Jones was the right move for many reasons and his size and speed and power are exactly what this team needs to go wht Washington Houston and now Barnes.

[L.I.MikeBleedsGreen]

You cannot with a straight face name 4 or 5 RBs in this draft that are better then a 29 year old, 220 pound HB who runs a 4.5 and has had 1200+ the last two years for a SB contender that had no passing game.

Sorry...no way.

I said THAT I would take NOT the Jets.And you can't tell me that a RB that is 29 years old can run better, faster,harder and can take more that a kid coming out of College. NO WAY

[Arsis]

if they 29 yr old has more talent then yes.

[MSGold12]

I said THAT I would take NOT the Jets.And you can't tell me that a RB that is 29 years old can run better, faster,harder and can take more that a kid coming out of College. NO WAY

OK...so when the LIMikeBleedsGreen Jets are on the clock at the draft, they can take one of those backs and I wont be surprised. In the meantime, I think about whats best for the NEW YORK Jets if its all the same to you.

As to your last sentence...so your making the banket statement that all rookie RBs are better choices then all 29 year old RBs? Is that REALLY what you are saying???? So when Tomlinson turns 29, SD should dump him since a 22 year old kid coming out of college will clearly ru better, fatser and harder and take more? Please tell me you were drunk when you wrote that.

[Pragmatic Bus]

Extremely slow? That's pushing it. Nobody that is "extremely slow" goes that high in the draft.

"Virginia RB Thomas Jones was impressive in his workout, running a 4.43 40 yard dash, a 35" vertical and a 10'4" long jump he also benched 225 lbs 24 times. Should easily go in the top ten probably to the Cardinals"

www.footballsfuture.com/2000/workouts.html

again with the test times. he is not fast. a true 4.4 never gets caught from behind. even bryan thomas ran a 4.4 in the combine. game speed is different than test speed.

hope he starts posting here. he'll fit right in with that kinda resume'

huh????

Hes a 220 pound punshing runner with 4.5 speed. Translation: Bull rusher with speed.

What games were you watching?

As to the Murrell comaprison, they are nothing alike. Jones has much more power then Murell did and hits the hole wiht much more authority.

As to being caught from behind, Curtis Martin spent a career getting caught from behind...I didn't hear anyone complaining about him.

jones might have power but he never uses it. he is a shifty back who shy's away from contact. i've watched a lot of games on him. he is bassically another curtis martin. a good solid producer, who will move the chains. he is definately not a brahma bull. even though he looks the part, with those biceps. and nobody is complaining. we are just categorizing him. you are the only whiny party.

Huh???? Hes got 15-20 pounds on Leon! Leon plays at 205...Jones played last year at 220-225. A scat back???? Hes strong as an ox, runs with power, and hits the hole hard. Hes not a speed merchant but he can break a 50 yarder if he gets outside. I mean the guy has averaged 1250 yards the past two seasons...and last year he was splitting carries!

Leon is like Bruce Harper but with more power. Jones is like Clark Gaines or Scott Dierking but with more speed.

Trust me, Leon and Jones are perfect compliments...they are nothing alike as ruinners and will give us a terrific 1-2 punch if used correctly.

again with the measurables. leon washington is more physical than jones is. he just needs to be more patiente and set up his blocks and find the right holes to explode into. when u see leon run he runs east and west. he needs to imagine the holes before they get open and when they do, explode through them before they close. that is why LT is such a great back because he can see in the future. whats going to happen. a good back can always anticipate the hole. when leon doesn't see the hole he panics an goes outside towards the contain where faster CB can catch him.

[#27TheDominator]

How can you judge a guy's speed if you don't want to consider his measurables? His game speed may be worse than 4.45, but it's a hell of a long way from "extremely slow." He's a whole hell of a lot faster than Curtis Martin ever was. I can tell you that.

[SeniorFlaJet]

To LI Mike:

I have the good fortune every year to go on the field prior to the game.

In this regard I stand in the area where the Jets warm up.

NOw list carefully when I say this:

If Leon Washington is the same height and size as Thomas Jones, then I want the

deal cancelled and Jones returned to the Bears.

[Pragmatic Bus]

How can you judge a guy's speed if you don't want to consider his measurables? His game speed may be worse than 4.45, but it's a hell of a long way from "extremely slow." He's a whole hell of a lot faster than Curtis Martin ever was. I can tell you that.

i'm not saying he is a bad player just slow...

[EM31]

I think we all need to take a little reality pill here folks. Thomas Jones is about to join his 4th different NFL team and none of the first three were killing themselves in a mad rush to keep him under contract. Call that situational or call it whatever, it is what it is. Two of his previous three teams were the Cardinals and the Bucs for Christ sakes! Take a pause to let that one settle in for moment. The Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For the last two years he has had nice seasons, but 1300 and 1200 yards are very far from dominant and very far from elite. We also need to consider that these were the only two years out of seven where he topped 1000 yards at all. He also played for a team which had an utterly dominant defense and which played in a conference that is extremely weak by any historical measure. What does this all add up to? Well that is hard to measure exactly but what is indisputable is that the Bears defense created numerous situations for the Bears offense to take over in great position to run the ball down the other team's throat. In other words his numbers better have been good these last two years.

Given that he just came from a team that went to the superbowl, we also signed him to a contract at the absolute peak of his market value. Somewhat akin to buying Manhatten real estate around this time last year. Not necessarily a disasterous investment but certainly no bargain either.

Thomas Jones will improve our running game because of how pathetically awful our running game was for long stretches last ear. Thanks a bunch Blaylowlock. If we are playing a game of which runing backs from the Jets past that Thomas Jones is most like, I would go for...

Johnny Johnson... a bit of a heavier and a lot quicker but without the insticts to sniff out and slide thorugh a 3 yard crack like Johnny.

He reminds me a bit of Brad Baxter. Not as heavy a load as Brad but they were both chiseled... Much Quicker than Brad in the open field of course.

A little like Johnny Hector too, only a tad more ripped. Johnny was one of my favorites.

[MSGold12]

i'm not saying he is a bad player just slow...

Yeah, he sure looked slow on that 50+ run in the SB.

Let me just say this. If all you ati JOnes geniuses are correct and Jones is nothing more then a slow, not powerful, old, dancing scat back then I have to say I am even happier that he's now a Jet. Because for a guy like that, wiht so little skill as you think, to somehow manage to gain 1200+ yards for a bad weather playoff team two yerasd in a row whose QB was so bad that defenses could key on him all day...well then he must have been some f*cking magician to pull that off. And magic is always welcome on my team.

And, as I expected, not one of you anti Jones bashers came up with a viable alternative to the move we made...you just whined and cried (and lied) about how "bad" Jones is. You're probably the same guys who defended Hermy all those years and then claimed you always hated him when the obvious finally became clear to the masses. And I am sure you'll all say how much you liked Jones when he runs for 1100 plus this year for us.

[MSGold12]

I think we all need to take a little reality pill here folks. Thomas Jones is about to join his 4th different NFL team and none of the first three were killing themselves in a mad rush to keep him under contract. Call that situational or call it whatever, it is what it is. Two of his previous three teams were the Cardinals and the Bucs for Christ sakes! Take a pause to let that one settle in for moment. The Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For the last two years he has had nice seasons, but 1300 and 1200 yards are very far from dominant and very far from elite. We also need to consider that these were the only two years out of seven where he topped 1000 yards at all. He also played for a team which had an utterly dominant defense and which played in a conference that is extremely weak by any historical measure. What does this all add up to? Well that is hard to measure exactly but what is indisputable is that the Bears defense created numerous situations for the Bears offense to take over in great position to run the ball down the other team's throat. In other words his numbers better have been good these last two years.

Given that he just came from a team that went to the superbowl, we also signed him to a contract at the absolute peak of his market value. Somewhat akin to buying Manhatten real estate around this time last year. Not necessarily a disasterous investment but certainly no bargain either.

Thomas Jones will improve our running game because of how pathetically awful our running game was for long stretches last ear. Thanks a bunch Blaylowlock. If we are playing a game of which runing backs from the Jets past that Thomas Jones is most like, I would go for...

Johnny Johnson... a bit of a heavier and a lot quicker but without the insticts to sniff out and slide thorugh a 3 yard crack like Johnny.

He reminds me a bit of Brad Baxter. Not as heavy a load as Brad but they were both chiseled... Much Quicker than Brad in the open field of course.

A little like Johnny Hector too, only a tad more ripped. Johnny was one of my favorites.

I dont think his supoprters (includiong me) think he is an elite back. And I think some of your assessments and comaprison are sound. But you also forget he played on a team wiht a pathetic and niconsistent passing attack whihc could have destroyed a lot of backs' production.

What he is is a fringe pro bowl HB who we got for a bargain trade price and signed to a market value contract. If he gets his 1000 yards this season on 250 carries and is a consistent move the chians back, he was well worth the investment.

[Arsis]

I like Jones, before he rushes for 1250 yards for us this season and over 1300 the next.

[EM31]

Yeah, he sure looked slow on that 50+ run in the SB.

Let me just say this. If all you ati JOnes geniuses are correct and Jones is nothing more then a slow, not powerful, old, dancing scat back then I have to say I am even happier that he's now a Jet. Because for a guy like that, wiht so little skill as you think, to somehow manage to gain 1200+ yards for a bad weather playoff team two yerasd in a row whose QB was so bad that defenses could key on him all day...well then he must have been some f*cking magician to pull that off. And magic is always welcome on my team.

And, as I expected, not one of you anti Jones bashers came up with a viable alternative to the move we made...you just whined and cried (and lied) about how "bad" Jones is. You're probably the same guys who defended Hermy all those years and then claimed you always hated him when the obvious finally became clear to the masses. And I am sure you'll all say how much you liked Jones when he runs for 1100 plus this year for us.

I think you have basically set up a false dichotomy here, or false choice if you prefer. It is possible to think that Jones is an improvement for the Jets and still have misgivings about some parts of his resume.

In my opinion he is a fair to middling back, maybe a bit better than that who benefitted greatly from being in a tremendous situation over the last few years. Trust me there is not a running back in the league who would not relish the thought of a steady diet of running plays against predominantly weak-a$$ed NFC opponents after your all-universe defense has forced the opponents to go 3-and-out for the umpteenth time in the game. Need a breather? No problem, we have the #4 overall pick to step in and spell you while you freshen up. Please don't try and portray that into a bad situation for a running back.

People who warn that he is old may be wrong because this guy is clearly a physical specimen but history tends to support the idea that age 29 for a running back is pretty old. Running backs do not, as a general rule, gracefully glide down from their physical peak to the point where they cannont hack it any more over the course of a number of seasons. It tends to happen very sufddenly. One that the guy can get it done the next he is all washed up. Will that happen wiuth jones over the next 2-3 years? Probably not but there is a substantially better than zero chance that it might.

Jones is an improvement for us but he is not the 2nd coming of anyone great.

[EM31]

I dont think his supoprters (includiong me) think he is an elite back. And I think some of your assessments and comaprison are sound. But you also forget he played on a team wiht a pathetic and niconsistent passing attack whihc could have destroyed a lot of backs' production.

What he is is a fringe pro bowl HB who we got for a bargain trade price and signed to a market value contract. If he gets his 1000 yards this season on 250 carries and is a consistent move the chians back, he was well worth the investment.

I agree with this. I also think that Jones + Houston are very likely to pound opposing defenses quite nicely thank you. In fact I think that Cedric is going to end up will quite a few more carries than some people around here do.

I an not sure that Thomas Jones has ever played with a quarterback like Chad who can certainly involve the running back in the passing game to a considerable degree. It should all be interesting.

[MSGold12]

I think you have basically set up a false dichotomy here, or false choice if you prefer. It is possible to think that Jones is an improvement for the Jets and still have misgivings about some parts of his resume.

In my opinion he is a fair to middling back, maybe a bit better than that who benefitted greatly from being in a tremendous situation over the last few years. Trust me there is not a running back in the league who would not relish the thought of a steady diet of running plays against predominantly weak-a$$ed NFC opponents after your all-universe defense has forced the opponents to go 3-and-out for the umpteenth time in the game. Need a breather? No problem, we have the #4 overall pick to step in and spell you while you freshen up. Please don't try and portray that into a bad situation for a running back.

People who warn that he is old may be wrong because this guy is clearly a physical specimen but history tends to support the idea that age 29 for a running back is pretty old. Running backs do not, as a general rule, gracefully glide down from their physical peak to the point where they cannont hack it any more over the course of a number of seasons. It tends to happen very sufddenly. One that the guy can get it done the next he is all washed up. Will that happen wiuth jones over the next 2-3 years? Probably not but there is a substantially better than zero chance that it might.

Jones is an improvement for us but he is not the 2nd coming of anyone great.

My initial response was not directed towards you. Your comments about JOnes and your concerns and comaprisons I think we pretty accurate for the most part. I dont agree with all of them but at least they were based in some fact and reason.

No, my initial post there was directed at the 3 or 4 "superscouts" who for most of the day have been trying to convince everyone that Jones is nohting more then a slower, older version of Leon Washington which is so ridiculous it defies logic. Or the "there are 4 or 5 Rbs in this draft better then Jones" piece of brilliance. Or the "jones and Washington are the same size" mensa comment. or the "Jones is slow because he gets cuaght from behind sometimes" analysis.

Noone...not even me...is saying Jones is Eric Dickerson circa 1984. But what he is is a bona fide 1000-1200 yard back who can grind a D and break an occassional long one. HIs age is also misleading since its usually carries and not age that take down RBs quickly. Most RBs start to decline after 2000 carries. For many that is 8 seasons ro so. For some that is 5 or 6 seasons (see Earl Campbell) if they are pounded more then average. JOnes has 1400 on his resume and thats not alot for a 29 year old. We should get at least 2 and probably 3 solid seasons aout of him.

End of the day, woiht our needs and the options we had and what we gave up, this was a tremendous move. We'll see how it plays out but the minority here that is bashing the guy and making false comparisons is way off base.

[MSGold12]

I agree with this. I also think that Jones + Houston are very likely to pound opposing defenses quite nicely thank you. In fact I think that Cedric is going to end up will quite a few more carries than some people around here do.

I an not sure that Thomas Jones has ever played with a quarterback like Chad who can certainly involve the running back in the passing game to a considerable degree. It should all be interesting.

As I said in a prior post. I see TJ geting the majority of first and second down carries....maybe 18 a game. At a respectable 4.2 a run, thats 1200 yards. I see Leon in there on 3rd downs and on occassional 2nd downs to run the quick hitters and short passes and draws...figure 8-10 carries a game for a bit of a better average. Ced will be a short yardage and goal line specialist back and will spell one of the other two on occasison. He'll get his 3-5 caries a game. Between the 3 of them, I foresee about 2100 yards on 500 or so carries which averages to be about 125-130 a game on 30 or so carries. That would be a huge improvement over 2006 and make Chad's life a lot easier.

[The Troll]

Yeah, he sure looked slow on that 50+ run in the SB.

Let me just say this. If all you ati JOnes geniuses are correct and Jones is nothing more then a slow, not powerful, old, dancing scat back then I have to say I am even happier that he's now a Jet. Because for a guy like that, wiht so little skill as you think, to somehow manage to gain 1200+ yards for a bad weather playoff team two yerasd in a row whose QB was so bad that defenses could key on him all day...well then he must have been some f*cking magician to pull that off. And magic is always welcome on my team.

And, as I expected, not one of you anti Jones bashers came up with a viable alternative to the move we made...you just whined and cried (and lied) about how "bad" Jones is. You're probably the same guys who defended Hermy all those years and then claimed you always hated him when the obvious finally became clear to the masses. And I am sure you'll all say how much you liked Jones when he runs for 1100 plus this year for us.

Yeah, he looked great on that 50 yard run in the Super Bowl, especially when he got caught from behind.

Hell, Corey Dillon broke some big runs this year. Maybe we should have signed him. He must be lightning quick.

Thomas Jones' longest run during the regular season was a whopping 30 yards. But, since he made one big run against maybe the worst run defense I have ever seen, it makes him a home run threat. Whenever we trade for him, I guess it does. Jones' lack of home run power is also evident when you look at his receiving yards stats. I honestly don't think I have ever seen averages so pathetic: 4.3 yards this past season. FOUR POINT THREE. ON RECEPTIONS. Seriously, what the **** is that? I don't even know.

You keep saying he did this IN SPITE of Rex Grossman, which is pure bull****. Grossman has a cannon, and if you watched them at all, you'd know he REALLY isn't afraid to use it. With Rex throwing bombs every other play, it stretches the defense and doesn't allow teams to bring 8 men into the box unless it's a completely obvious running situation. Compare that to Chad Pennington, and Jones was actually in a better situation, QB-wise, in Chicago. Chad can't stretch the field because he can't make all the required throws. It allows teams to stack the line all day long because Chad isn't going to come over the top and beat you.

You are making Jones out to be some sort of world-beater whenever he's merely a middle-of-the-road, average NFL starting running back. There were plenty of those guys available that didn't require the Jets moving down in the draft.

[Barton]

Jones is nothing like Leon. Jones can move piles, get 1st downs and break tackles, and he's got some speed (better than Curtis Martin had). Leon is a better receiver than Jones and has more wiggle and speed, but Jones is a far better back, not even close.

[MSGold12]

Yeah, he looked great on that 50 yard run in the Super Bowl, especially when he got caught from behind.

Hell, Corey Dillon broke some big runs this year. Maybe we should have signed him. He must be lightning quick.

Thomas Jones' longest run during the regular season was a whopping 30 yards. But, since he made one big run against maybe the worst run defense I have ever seen, it makes him a home run threat. Whenever we trade for him, I guess it does. Jones' lack of home run power is also evident when you look at his receiving yards stats. I honestly don't think I have ever seen averages so pathetic: 4.3 yards this past season. FOUR POINT THREE. ON RECEPTIONS. Seriously, what the **** is that? I don't even know.

You keep saying he did this IN SPITE of Rex Grossman, which is pure bull****. Grossman has a cannon, and if you watched them at all, you'd know he REALLY isn't afraid to use it. With Rex throwing bombs every other play, it stretches the defense and doesn't allow teams to bring 8 men into the box unless it's a completely obvious running situation. Compare that to Chad Pennington, and Jones was actually in a better situation, QB-wise, in Chicago. Chad can't stretch the field because he can't make all the required throws. It allows teams to stack the line all day long because Chad isn't going to come over the top and beat you.

You are making Jones out to be some sort of world-beater whenever he's merely a middle-of-the-road, average NFL starting running back. There were plenty of those guys available that didn't require the Jets moving down in the draft.

Yeah...teams really feared that Chicago passing attack....please.

Corey Dillon is 32 and has over 2000 carries on his resume. I assume you are smart enough to distinguish between the two.

As to receiving, that role will probably belong more to Leon.

And if your prerequisite for being a good back is that you never get cuaght from behind then can I assume you hated Curtis Martin? Because he couldn't outrun me and rarely ever broke one for more then 25. Hey based on your criteria, maybe we can coax Carl Lewis out of retirement to be our HB...lord knows hed never get cuaght form behind so I guess you'd LOVE that move huh??? Maybe Lam Jones is still available?????

But hey, maybe you'll get lucky and Jones will suck and the Jets will have a crappy year...and then you can tell everyone how right you were. Wouldnt that be great?????

And I am not making JOnes out to be anything more then he is...a fringe pro bowl RB who has excellent size, very good power and good speed and wh is comiong off back to back 1200 yard seasons for a bad weather team with a below average passing attack. It's you geniuses who are making him out to be worse then Curtis Enis.

And what exactly is "home run power"??? Is he a RB or a freakin DH???? Get your sports straight. BTW, I dont care if he catches one ball all season so long as he consistently moves the chians at about a 4-4.5 clip.

And for the last time....can you tell me what the better alternative to this move was? Come on...lets hear it already.