Bears take high-speed direction with new running back.(Chicago Tribune)

Byline: David Haugh

CHICAGO _ When Thomas Jones was a boy growing up in the small coal-mining town of Big Stone Gap, Va., he wore a pair of tennis shoes just because Walter Payton endorsed them.

Wednesday night, Jones realized a lifelong dream of following in his idol's footsteps with the Bears.

The running back signed a four-year, $10 million contract, including a $3.5 million bonus, to become the starter for the team for which he grew up cheering from afar.

"This was just a great fit for me," Jones said in a news conference at Halas Hall. "This is an opportunity to show exactly what I can do."

The signing capped a first day of NFL free agency that was as frenetic for the Bears as it was fulfilling for Jones.

The Bears also signed backup quarterback Jonathan Quinn to a …