As a member of the Seattle Seahawks , he'll dress in the visitors locker room and play against his former teammates.

Instead of staying at his 4,800-square foot townhouse near Reverchon Park that's worth $1.1 million - which is now for sale - Jones will stay at the team hotel.

Jones will also see Marion Barber, the Cowboys backup who took his starting job before the first home playoff game in almost decade.

To say that Jones wants to prove a point on Thanksgiving Day is an understatement. He's had this game circled on his calendar for months. Jones wants to show the Cowboys they made a mistake last season by choosing Barber and letting him leave as a free agent.

"I think they went in a direction they wanted to go," Jones said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "That's it, man. That's part of the business. I'm rolling with it. I'm happy here. Cowboys went in a different direction and so did I."

Several former players said they're looking forward to seeing Jones, a second-round pick in 2004. Jones became the eighth-best rusher in franchise history, piling up 3,484 yards over four seasons.

Jones started last season and had 164 carries for 588 yards. Barber came off the bench, and fans fell in love with his hard-charging style. He finished the regular season with a team-high 204 carries for 975 yards and made the Pro Bowl.

Going into the playoffs, Barber got the starting nod over Jones. Barber ran for a career-high 129 yards in the 21-17 loss to the Giants.

When running backs coach Skip Peete told Jones of the coaching staff's decision, Peete said, "He was a very professional player and took it all right."

That game sealed Jones' fate in Dallas . The Cowboys never offered Jones a new contract after the season. He signed with Seattle, while Barber signed a seven-year deal worth $45 million with $16 million guaranteed in Dallas.

"I was cool with everything that happened to me down there," Jones said. "Obviously I wanted to play in the playoff game. It was the most important game we had down there in a long time, and I didn't even play. Of course I was a little salty about that.

"But it's just human nature. Everybody wants to play in big games. That's just the nature of the business."

Jones probably saw the writing on the wall. He won't say when, but Jones said there came a point when he decided he would look elsewhere after the season.

Terence Newman was Jones' neighbor. He said Jones was disappointed, "but he kind of expected it the way things were going.

"He knew he was probably on his way out. He kind of accepted that and used it as motivation there."

Marcus Spears said, "I'm happy he's doing well. As a player, you don't want to see anybody unhappy or not performing like they want to be performing. For him to get in and do some good things in Seattle is real good for him."

Jones has started nine games for the Seahawks and rushed for 637 yards.

The Seattle public address announcer called Jones' name in the starting lineup Sunday against Washington. But coach Mike Holmgren instead started Maurice Morris, who had 103 yards. Jones had just two carries for 21 yards.

Holmgren said Tuesday that Jones will indeed start against the Cowboys. Holmgren said he hopes Jones likes the Pacific Northwest because "he should have a fine career here."

The Seahawks gave Jones a fresh start. As for what happened with the Cowboys, Jones said the facts tell the story.

"My first year there in Dallas, things were a lot different for me," Jones said. "I had more opportunities, and I made the best out of them. I put the numbers up. You guys saw what I did there.

"After that, opportunities started to decrease and here we are today. You can come to your own conclusion."

Jones vs. Barber

Julius Jones was drafted by the Cowboys in 2004. Marion Barber was a fourth-round draft pick in 2005.

Julius Jones

Year Gm/St. Att. Yards Avg. TD

2004 8/7 197 819 4.2 7

2005 13/12 257 993 3.9 5

2006 16/16 267 1,084 4.1 4

2007 16/16 164 588 3.6 2

2008 11/9 141 637 4.5 2

After 2007 Jones left Dallas via free agency and signed with Seattle.

Marion Barber

Year Gm/St. Att. Yards Avg. TD

2005 13/2 138 538 3.9 5

2006 16/1 135 654 4.8 14

2007 16/0 204 975 4.8 10

2008 11/11 215 838 3.9 6

After 2007 Barber signed a seven-year contract worth $45 million.