The Chicago Bears gave up way too soon on Thomas Jones
Some of you might not remember just how good Thomas Jones was in a Chicago Bears uniform. The team signed him in 2004 and he became an integral part of the Bears Super Bowl run in 2006. During his three-year stint, Jones was fairly healthy. He started 14, 15 and 16 games during the regular season and played in all of the Bears' playoff games in 2005 and 2006.
While with the Chicago Bears, Thomas Jones amassed 3,493 rushing yards. He scored 21 touchdowns during that time as well. Jones was a workhorse, but the team decided to draft Cedric Benson fourth overall in 2005. Benson never amounted to anything his rookie year as Thomas Jones kept him on the sidelines most games. The same happened in 2006, but the team started force-feeding Benson additional carries. They did the same thing in the Super Bowl and it backfired.
Thomas Jones was helping the Chicago Bears keep the Colts' high-powered offense off the field. After an opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Devin Hester, Chicago was able to limit most of the Colts' downfield throws. Broken coverage by Chris Harris led to an unfortunate touchdown, but Chicago was up 14-6 after the first quarter. Benson had two carries that game for -1 yards and a fumble. Thomas Jones had 15 carries for 115 yards and caught all four of his targets for another 18 yards. Chicago gave up on the running game too soon and lost and then they gave up on Jones.
Thomas Jones played another five years in the league — three with the Jets and two with the Chiefs. He had very productive years with the Jets. He gained 1,119 yards and scored two touchdowns in 2007. He followed that up with a Pro Bowl year, gaining 1,512 all-purpose yards and 15 total touchdowns. In 2009, Jones rushed for 1,402 yards and another 14 touchdowns. Chicago gave up on him too soon while holding onto Cedric Benson for a total of only three years.