Print edition: 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Thomas Jones looks the same.
Same broad shoulders and wide stance. Same direct stare and determined words. There's enough youth in his face and body to still have hope, even as the weeks pass and another NFL running back's inevitable reality becomes more difficult to ignore.
Jones, the Chiefs' veteran running back, said he doesn't know why this season has been a disappointment. He said, and maybe he believes, that his age, 33, isn't a factor and that he hasn't been rendered ineffective.
"I have no idea," Jones said, standing near his locker this week. "I'm preparing the exact same way. Same thing. Same way. Nothing different."
The results have not been the same. Two years after rushing for a career-high 1,402 yards with the New York Jets, Jones has 200 yards after eight games this season. He has zero touchdowns, and his longest run is 21 yards. Sure, he might have more outstanding games ahead. Jones is one of the Chiefs' hardest workers, and it's naive to count out someone with his work ethic.
But the NFL's most grueling position, and the one with the most visible lack of longevity, is running back. Of the league's top-10 career rushers — names such as Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk , Eric Dickerson and Tony Dorsett — none rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season after turning 33.
Some didn't even play that long. The ones who did watched as their career production began to taper, that disappointing bell curve of effectiveness sloping downward after age 31. Some were unable to give up the game, hanging on for a few more good years on the turf. Others were team leaders whose value wasn't restricted to what happened on Sundays.
Whatever happens next for Jones, the Chiefs see him as one of those leaders, even as his skills appear to be declining.
"Thomas is such a big part of our team," coach Todd Haley said."... When you have a poor outing, that's when it hurts even more for guys that generally just want to help. I know that Thomas can and will.... Along with his terrific, terrific leadership and work ethic, he is interwoven within the fabric of this team and is a big part of everything we do."
Jones is in the final year of a two-year contract he signed before the 2010 season. He and Jamaal Charles helped the team lead the league in rushing last season. Jones averaged 3.7 yards per carry, scored six touchdowns and broke a 70-yard run.
Still, his 896 yards suggested that the slope had set in.
A season later, that number looks optimistic and perhaps out of reach. Jones said he's not frustrated, though, because his team is 4-4 and tied with San Diego and Oakland for first place in the AFC West.
"For me, I'm doing the things I need to do during the week to be prepared," he said. "This is the way the season is playing out."
Jones has embraced the leadership role. He said he still joins the other backs for 7 a.m. film sessions and mentors the Chiefs' younger rushers, including Jackie Battle, who has overtaken Jones as the team's featured back.
"Part of being a pro is being a leader," he said, "especially for a guy like me who's been around a long time and been around a lot of different situations. For me, I enjoy that part of the game."
The timing of Jones' slow season hasn't helped the Chiefs. Charles, of course, tore a knee ligament in the second week of the regular season, and Dexter McCluster has been ineffective as a rusher. A backfield once packed with talent has suffered from bad luck, time and circumstance; the team has three rushing touchdowns in eight games, including one each from cornerback Javier Arenas and fullback Le'Ron McClain.
Jones, though, sees the hope, not the disappointment. The running backs who hang around always seem to.
"Obviously we're doing some good things," he said. "For me, I just try to take advantage of opportunities when they come and be a leader on the team and make sure I'm doing the right things and showing the other guys how to do the right things."
