INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 9: Thomas Jones #20 of the Kansas City Chiefs breaks free from Philip Wheeler #50 of the Indianapolis Colts during the second half of play at Lucas Oil Field on October 9, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
I was joking with a friend the other day saying it seemed like you could simply breathe on Kansas City Chiefs RB Dexter McCluster and he'd go down. He's fun to see if you can get him into space but you don't really count on him to break a lot of tackles, which is expected at his size.
Maybe I should have revised my joke to include Thomas Jones. The Chiefs running back has the distinction of ranking last in the NFL in one stat category, per ESPN Stats and Info:
Among backs with at least 40 carries this season, Thomas Jones is worst in the league with an average of 0.9 yards after contact per rush. Rashard Mendenhall is second-worst (1.1), Johnson is third-worst (1.3) and Reggie Bush is fourth-worst (1.4).
I knew he was struggling but that's surprising. We thought one of his strengths, with those ridiculous biceps, would be that he's hard to take down. Apparently that's not the case.
The Chiefs have probably recognized those numbers. Todd Haley has been emphasizing in recent weeks yards after the catch and yards after contact.
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