Jets, Thomas Jones Part Ways

Multiple news sources are reporting the Jets will release running back Thomas Jones in the very near future. The 10-year veteran, who rushed for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, was scheduled to earn a $3 million bonus on top of his $2.8 million salary this season but instead will be testing the free agent market.

Wowwwww (insert Jersey Shore comment here).

On its face, the move is stunning. The Jets are cutting a guy who finished third in the league in rushing (ahead of Adrian Peterson) and third in rushing touchdowns (tied with NFL Offensive POY Chris Johnson). They're cutting arguably the best running back they've ever had after the best season of his career. And while letting go of franchise backs is in vogue these days (see Westbrook, Brian and Tomlinson, LaDanian) the Jets are saying goodbye to the linchpin of their league-leading rushing attack.

Only it's the right thing to do. Here's why.

1. Jones isn't getting any younger. He turns 32 in August, and he's carried the ball at least 100 times in 10 straight seasons (and over 200 in the last six). As we've seen with Tomlinson and Shaun Alexander, top backs can break down very quickly after years of carrying the load for their team--no pun intended.

Jones may have two or three good years left. But there's a real possibility his production will fall off wherever he ends up, and the Jets have weaknesses they could shore up with the $6 million they save (wide receiver, anyone?)

2. When it mattered most, Jones was at his worst. Compare his numbers to backup Shonn Greene's in the Jets' three playoff games.

JONES
15 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD
14-41, 0 TD
16-42, 0 TD
-------------------
45-117, 1 TD


GREENE
21-135, 1 TD
23-128, 1 TD
10-41, 0 TD
-------------------
54-304, 2 TDs

Jones averaged under three yards a carry and had exactly two runs of note (the touchdown in the wild-card win and a two-yard plunge on 4th-and-1 to seal the divisional victory). Greene averaged almost six yards a carry, had countless big runs, and single-handedly made the play of the season when he ran over the Chargers' Eric Weddle on his game-winning 53-yard TD run. By the AFC championship game, I had this to say: IF THOMAS JONES GETS MORE THAN 25 PERCENT OF THE CARRIES, DISREGARD THIS POINT. IN FACT, DISREGARD THE ENTIRE POST.

Bottom line: The Jets won both games in which Greene had more carries than Jones, and lost when it was the reverse.

3. Greene is NFL starting running back material. He's strong, he's patient, and he's surprisingly quick in the open field. More than that, he's a smart runner, waiting for blocks from one of the NFL's best lines to open up holes and then plowing through the gap.

I saw Greene play at Iowa in October 2008. At the time, he was just a couple months removed from working as a truck driver while he attended community college to get his grades up. But he still destroyed Northwestern's run defense (stop snickering, our run defense was actually very good that year). What finally stopped him was a monster hit from our strong safety early in the fourth quarter that literally knocked him out. Until that point, he was a man among boys.

Cutting Jones loose is a big gamble. But if Greene can harness the potential he showed in the playoffs, it's a gamble that will pay off bigtime.