"A year ago, Felix Jones was just trying to earn a larger role in the Dallas Cowboys' offense and possibly stake a claim as the best back on the team.

That was before he unseated Marion Barber as the featured back last season and came into training camp this year as the undisputed No. 1 option after Barber was released.

Now, Jones is not only looking to become the Cowboys' first 1,000-yard rusher since Julius Jones in 2007, but he wants to be the best back in the league.

"That's what I want to do. That's what you strive for. You strive to be the best," Jones said. "You don't want to be second, you want to be the best."

Hearing Jones talk about being the best back in the league is a strong statement, given his shy and seemingly unselfish past. He has never been the go-to guy in the backfield dating to high school. He was the explosive second option in college at Arkansas behind Darren McFadden. He was drafted in 2008 by the Cowboys to be a speedy change-of-pace option to Barber's bruising style.

For the past three years, Jones frequently talked about being happy with his role, while saying he didn't care about how many carries he got. But this new role has him looking at things from a different perspective."