"Durable. Dependable. Humble.

These were the first words that came to coach Rex Ryan's mind when he was asked to describe his top running back.

"He's a guy that's not going to be outworked," Ryan said. "He's a true leader. He brings people with him. He leads by example, but he also encourages and brings guys with him and builds his teammates up."

This was Ryan talking about Thomas Jones, but it might as well have been Bill Parcells, Al Groh, Herman Edwards or Eric Mangini talking about the greatest running back in Jets history — Curtis Martin.

Jones still has many miles to trek before he reaches Martin's Hall of Fame status, but his quiet and determined consistency, as well as the family background that drives him, draws an uncanny parallel to the former Jets great.

Jones' 109 rushing yards in Thursday night's 19-13 win over the Bills in Toronto put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth consecutive season and third since the Jets acquired him in a trade with the Bears in 2007. He has 8,883 career rushing yards.

Martin, with legendary toughness and work ethic, rushed for 1,000 or more yards in his first 10 NFL seasons, including his first seven with the Jets. Only Barry Sanders bettered that in NFL history. Martin is fourth all-time in rushing with 14,101 yards."