Although the new decade started more than three months ago we though it would be interesting to examine the top three Offensive and Defensive Players of each position. We are going to start with the Offense and make our way to the Defense. A Defense that has and will always be the heart and soul of the Chicago Bears no matter how great the offense will be. Last week we examined the Quarterback of the Decade which turned out to be former Bear Rex Grossman. Tonight we examine and determine the Running Back of the Decade. In this current passer friendly era featured backs are not the commodity they once were. Nonetheless any good team needs to have some kind of Running Back talent if they want to win the Superbowl. Look no further than the defending Superbowl Champions the New Orleans Saints. The saints used a trio of different RB’s. They used Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Mike Bell. The three backs combined to rush for 1,837 yards and 16 TD’s. No one star back yet a combination that helped balance out the tremendous passing attack of the Saints and led them to a victory in Superbowl XLIV (44). The Bears have a rich history of running backs from Harold Grange and Bronko Nagurski to the legendary Gale Sayers and Walter Payton. The 2000’s proved to be no different although no one man dominated the decade.

All though not relating to the article I wonder how many people saw the Jets Bengal’s game during the 2009 playoffs? I also wonder how many people noticed the two Running Backs in the game. Thomas Jones of the New York Jets and Cedric Benson of the Cincinnati Bengal’s. T. Jones ran for 1,402 yards with a 4.2 YPC and 14 touchdowns in 2009. In 13 games for the Bengal’s Benson ran for 1,251 yards wit ha 4.2 YPC and 6 touchdowns. Two excellent Running Backs now imagine if they played for one team. Two dynamic players on one team…now who would be able to stop that team. What if?…Oh wait these two players did play together at one time: They played on the Chicago Bears. The Bears drafted Benson 3rd overall in the 2005 draft. They also had Thomas Jones who became the first Bear since the legendary Walter Payton to rush for 1,200 yards in back-to-back seasons. Only the Bears could screw something up like this. The Bears released Thomas Jones after their Superbowl season in 2006 to make room for Benson who the Bears believed would become their next Walter Payton. A few years later the Bears would release Benson due to off the field problems. In 3 years the Bears got rid of two quality running backs something which I don’t believe even Matt Millen could have accomplished. Although Benson never did anything with the Bears squandering numerous opportunities the fact remains that the Bears just released two franchise running backs in three seasons. Only the Bears…

ANYWAY, the running back of the decade was a tight battle between Thomas Jones and Anthony Thomas. Jones rushed for 3,493 yards and 22 touchdowns on 850 carries in three seasons with the Bears from 2004-06. As previously stated Jones became the first Bear since Walter Payton to rush for 1,200 yards in back-to-back seasons. Anthony Thomas ran for 3,332 yards and 21 TDs on 858 attempts from 2001-04. And the Bears running back of the decade is….

THOMAS JONES! Even though his stats are just a little bit higher than Thomas’s Jones won the award because he was even more valuable as a locker room leader and his hard play and no nonsense attitude help bring out the best in his teammates. Thomas Jones the Bears Running Back of the Decade.