As everyone knows by now, Julius Jones is no longer a Dallas Cowboy. He signed a four-year contract on Friday night with Seattle, ending a somewhat (or more than somewhat) disappointing four-year run with the Cowboys. Jones finishes his career with Dallas as the team’s seventh all-time leading rusher, ranking just ahead of Herschel Walker. Here are the current all-time team rankings:
| Name | Years | Seasons | Att. | Yards | Ave. | TD |
| Smith, Emmitt | 1990-2002 | 13 | 4052 | 17162 | 4.2 | 153 |
| Dorsett, Tony | 1977-1987 | 11 | 2755 | 12036 | 4.4 | 71 |
| Perkins, Don | 1961-1968 | 8 | 1500 | 6217 | 4.1 | 42 |
| Hill, Calvin | 1969-1974 | 6 | 1166 | 5009 | 4.3 | 39 |
| Newhouse, Robert | 1972-1982 | 11 | 1151 | 4750 | 4.1 | 31 |
| Garrison, Walt | 1966-1974 | 9 | 899 | 3886 | 4.3 | 30 |
| Jones, Julius | 2004-2007 | 4 | 885 | 3484 | 3.9 | 18 |
| Walker, Herschel | 1986-88, 96-97 | 5 | 737 | 3245 | 4.4 | 25 |
| Staubach, Roger | 1969-1979 | 11 | 410 | 2264 | 5.5 | 20 |
| Springs, Ron | 1979-1984 | 6 | 604 | 2180 | 3.6 | 28 |
| Barber, Marion | 2005-2007 | 3 | 477 | 2167 | 4.5 | 29 |
| Marsh, Amos | 1961-1964 | 4 | 427 | 2065 | 4.8 | 14 |
The player on this list most comparable with Jones is Calvin Hill, who played with Dallas from 1969 to 1974. Hill is often remembered quite fondly, but as far as statistics, he was pretty close with Jones in most statistical categories. Consider these numbers:
Julius Jones (4 seasons, 53 games) |
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| Year | Att. |
Yds. |
Ave. | TD |
| 2004 | 197 | 819 | 4.2 | 7 |
| 2005 | 257 | 993 | 3.9 | 5 |
| 2006 | 267 | 1084 | 4.1 | 4 |
| 2007 | 164 | 588 | 3.6 | 2 |
| Career | 885 | 3484 | 3.9 | 18 |
| Per Season | 221 | 871 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
| Per Game | 17 | 66 | 3.9 | 0.34 |
|
Calvin Hill (6 seasons, 73 games) |
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| Year | Att. |
Yds. |
Ave. | TD |
| 1969 | 204 | 942 | 4.6 | 8 |
| 1970 | 153 | 577 | 3.8 | 4 |
| 1971 | 106 | 468 | 4.4 | 8 |
| 1972 | 245 | 1036 | 4.2 | 6 |
| 1973 | 273 | 1142 | 4.2 | 6 |
| 1974 | 185 | 844 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Career | 1166 | 5009 | 4.3 | 39 |
| Per Season | 194 | 835 | 4.3 | 6.5 |
| Per Game | 16 | 69 | 4.3 | 0.5 |
A few more comparisons:
Drafted by Dallas
Calvin Hill
Hill is remembered as one of the famous “computer picks” by the Cowboys in the 1960s. He was a standout running back at Yale, but many questioned his selection in the first round of the 1969 draft. This was the same draft that featured O.J. Simpson as the top overall selection.
Julius Jones
The Cowboys passed on the likes of Steven Jackson, Kevin Jones, and Chris Perry to take Julius Jones in the second round of the 2004 draft.
Replacing Legends
Hill
Hill was brought in to replace Don Perkins, the first great back for the Cowboys who retired after the 1968 season.
Jones
Jones was expected to give Dallas a feature back to replace the great Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
Rookie Seasons
Hill
Hill rushed for 942 yards as a rookie in 1969 (during a 14-game season), earning him a Pro Bowl spot.
Jones
After missing a large portion of his rookie season with a fractured scapula, Jones returned to show some of the flash that the Cowboys thought he had. He rushed for 150 yards against Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, and then gained 198 yards the following week against Seattle. He finished the season with 819 yards in only eight games.
Competition during Sophomore Seasons
Hill
Notwithstanding statements by Tom Landry that the Dallas offense would feature Hill, the Cowboys picked up running back Duane Thomas in 1970, requiring Hill to share time with the West Texas A&M standout. Hill also suffered through injuries and finished with only 577 yards in 1970.
Jones
The Cowboys drafted Marion Barber in 2005 to complement Jones. When Jones missed three games in 2005, Barber stepped in and showed that his more physical brand of running could be effective in the NFL.
Disgruntled
Hill
Hill was one of the Cowboys who became outspoken regarding the management style of Tex Schramm, Tom Landry, et al. Players at that time, however, had limited opportunities to sign with different teams.
Jones
Following the resignation of Bill Parcells, Jones spoke out about how the former coach had ruined his running style by forcing Jones to run like a “robot.” Although technically a starter during the 2007 season, Barber had become the team’s biggest running threat, and Jones’ production dropped significantly.
Defections
Hill
Hill signed a future contract with the Hawaii franchise of the World Football League, and once the 1974 NFL season concluded, Hill departed. Hill later played for Washington and Cleveland, but his best years were clearly behind him.
Jones
Dallas made no effort to sign Jones to a contract, allowing him to sign with Seattle after visiting several teams.
Famous Family Members
Hill
Hill is the father of NBA player Grant Hill.
Jones
Jones is the brother of current New York Jet Thomas Jones.
Interesting comparison. Might be even more apt when we look at there top three seasons between each. Everyone should bear in mind that Hill was playing in a 14 game season (of course, Jones had been injured in parts of two). Plus, Hill’s rookie year ranked him second in the league in rushing and was rookie of the year. Plus, he almost established a rookie rushing record for the NFL and was being compared to Jim Brown as the next “power-speed” back. Thanks kickholder for another thought provoking post.
I’m not super disappointed in Julius Jones. He certainly didn’t live up to the hype that he created his rookie season. He looked like a SUPERSTAR for a few games and then crashed back to earth. I think he simply became over shadowed by Marion Barber. I expect/hope him to shine Seattle, assuming Shaun Alexander is gone.
I knew that Calvin Hill jumped to the WFL but was not aware of his state of mind. I simple thought he was tired of sharing the wealth and in Landry system, especially during the early part of the 70s, there were typically 3 backs splitting time. Calvin Hill does have one footnote that no other Cowboy RB has. He was the first to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Thanks for the comments. One thing that I failed to note was that Hill’s running style was very different than that of Jones. At 6′4 and 227 pounds, he was considerably bigger than Perkins, who was a fullback. Hill did not have either the speed or the elusiveness of Duane Thomas, but he was a smart player and plenty of talent to be a quality starter. Jones certainly has speed, but he lacks the ability to break tackles on a consistent basis and, at least in the last two years, does not read holes very well. Jones had his moments, and I would not call him a complete bust, but he was a disappointment in 2006 and 2007.