"Quietly, because this is how he goes about his business, Thomas Jones is about to eclipse a milestone not many backs in the league have even had a sniff at: five consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

If Jones rushes for 116 yards against the Panthers Sunday at Giants Stadium, it'll put him over the 1,000-yard plateau for the fifth consecutive year and third with the Jets.

Jones, who won the AFC rushing title last season with 1,312 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, is third in the AFC and sixth in the NFL this season with 884 yards and he has eight touchdowns.

He's on a pace to rush for a career-high 1,414 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Impressive numbers, yet Jones is rarely in the conversation about the NFL's top backs despite the fact that he went to the Pro Bowl last season.

"I think the people that know, that really watch the game, know how good Thomas is," Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson said. "When those people sit down and talk about the top backs in the league they cannot have that conversation without mentioning Thomas."