The Jet Press Hall of Fame Nominee: Thomas Jones

Our next candidate for enshrinement, brought to you courtesy of JETSerious.

Thomas Jones could be the best running back the Jets have ever had. That is, of course, excluding Curtis “my favorite” Martin. But Jones is next on the list, before anyone else.

Thomas Jones ran for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Jets in 2009– his best season of his 12 year career. Let’s be honest, Jones carried the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in 2009. Yeah, the Jets had the #1 defense in football. Yeah, Mark Sanchez made the throws when he needed to. But Jones was the one to hammer the nail to get there. If I remember correctly, it was Jones’ two yard rush that sealed the deal in San Diego, to propel the Jets into the AFC title game. He couldn’t do it on his own in Indianapolis, but that was a tall task. Going into Peyton’s place, you have to stop him or keep up with him. Neither of that happened, and the Jets ended up releasing Jones after a career year.

Against the Bills on 10/18/09, Jones had a field day.

He killed it running for 210 yards on 22 carries, and one touchdown.

That’s 9.5 yards per carry!

It’s safe to say that this was Thomas Jones’ best day running as a Jet.

Thomas Jones shouldn’t be remembered for how he left, going to Kansas City to finish out his career. Jets fans should remember Jones for the outstanding three-year-effort he put in. He should be remembered for the impact he had on and off the field, as well. If you sit back and think about it, the Jets locker room fell apart only a year after Jones was released. It was the 2011 Jets that were a joke to the world. It was devastating to the fan base. If I remember correctly it was @e_man who said “In my 20 (I think it was) years of watching the Jets, this has been the most disappointing season of them all.”

He was spot on. The loss of Alan Faneca, Damien Woody, Shaun Ellis, and Thomas Jones really hurt the Jets locker room. There is no way to replace veteran leadership in the locker room. Jones led the way. He was the one pumping up the team. He was the one leading the Jets circle during pre-game warm ups. Jones led on the field and off the field. In the locker room and in the film room, Jones was there. And amongst everything, Jones voice was well-respected among the team. And the best part was, he spoke with his play. You could literally hear him on the field, running over and past defenders. Leadership is just irreplaceable.

We, as Jets fans, are fortunate to have the leadership in place now — in Muhammad Wilkerson, Dawan Landry, Sheldon Richardson, Demario Davis, Nick Mangold, and D’Brickashaw Ferguson. John Idzik did a great job fixing the cap issues too, so things are back to looking bright for this franchise. There are a lot of things to be excited about, but the point is this…

As good as Thomas Jones was on the football field, he was just as good (if not better) off the field. The hard work and dedication put in by Jones during his three years with the Jets is something we should thank him for. Jets fans will always have a place in their hearts for Thomas Jones.

What better way to thank Thomas than to vote him into TJP Hall of Fame?

Give him the respect that he deserves for his career as a Jet.

Vote Thomas Jones into TJP Hall of Fame!

If you are double-guessing your vote, we’ll leave you with some highlights before you go!

Thanks for reading!

Follow @JETSerious