Thomas Jones needs love

Thomas Jones is the NFL equivalent of a dude that a chick dates for a few months until she finds someone better. During that time that dude will give it his all and be the best boyfriend he can be, never knowing that his current relationship is on a one way street to Splitsville.

You might not recall it, but Jones was a beast in his college days. He ran for nearly 1,800 yards his senior season at Virginia in 1999 and was a consensus first-team All-American.

The Arizona Cardinals thought so much of Jones that they took him with the seventh pick in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, ahead of Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne.

Maybe TJ has found love...

Alas, the love affair with the Cardinal franchise only lasted two years, and in 2003 he was spurned in favor of Marcel Shipp and a used up Emmitt Smith. That year the Cardinals shipped him off to Tampa Bay in a trade for Marquise Walker.

What followed was a solid ‘03 campaign in which he averaged 4.5 yards a tote and scored three touchdowns. But the love that eluded him in Phoenix wasn’t to be found in Florida, either.

He was a free agent looking for that special something in 2004, and it looked as if he had found it when he signed with Chicago.

What a glorious time that was for young Thomas Jones as he indulged in the warm embrace of Chicago’s big, fat, cheese stained arms. He showed his love by averaging 1,164 yards from ‘04 through ‘06.

In the ‘06 playoffs, he gave it his all for the Bears, running for 123 yards in the NFC Championship Game win over the Saints and another 112 yards in the Super Bowl loss to the Colts. It appeared Thomas Jones and the Bears were a match made in heaven.

Two months after that Super Bowl loss, Jones would once again be a spurned lover. This time, it was through a trade with the Jets for…the 37th pick in the draft.

Chicago wasn’t just dumping him, they were dumping him for a dude they hadn’t even met yet. That’s like giving a guy his walking papers before you’ve even signed up for eHarmony.

“I had a great time in Chicago, and it was a great experience playing there and making it to the Super Bowl last year with those guys,” Jones said via conference call after trade. “But I’m very, very excited to be here in New York.”

Sounds like a guy who was crying on the inside to me. But heck, why not give love one more try? And that’s what Jones did with the Jets.

After giving like crazy in Chicago, he gave even more in New York, averaging 1,277 yards rushing over the last three seasons to go with 31 touchdowns.

But just when you thought he’d found that special somebody, the Jets asked him to take a pay cut. He declined, and this week he finds himself out of a job. We all know what’s going on here, New York is giving all the love to Shonn Greene and Leon Washington.

He’s now a lonely 31-year old coming off career highs of 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. But by NFL standards, he’s an old man for his position.

Will he ever find true love? Who knows, but I can imagine that somewhere right now he’s slumped in a corner with the shades pulled as this song plays on a continuous loop:

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