Jamaal Charles just may be THE best RB in the NFL hands down.
by krayfish on Dec 29, 2009 8:09 AM CST
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I got to tell you that the more I watch Jamaal run, the more raw talent I see. This guy is incredible. He has no rival IMO other than Chris Johnson. But I think he reminds me of Chris Johnson. A lot. The way he patiently waits for a lane to open up. Even if no lane opens up..do you EVER and I mean EVER see Jamaal fall backwards? No. Because he can quickly identify when there is NO running lane and he just dives head first into the pile and drives ahead for at least 2 yards.
Sometimes, it looks to me at first glance that he only gets back to the line of scrimmage. But then it turns out he gains 2 or 3 yards. How? There is nothing there. But he finds a way somehow. And he's raw. Really really raw. Like never been a starter raw. Like picking up where LJ left off halfway thru a season raw. Like WOW!
I cannot believe he is the leading the league in his past 4 games. If he runs for 139 yards against Denver, he will break 1000 yards rushing. After only starting half a season. And behind OUR offensive line no less. Can you even fathom what this kid could do with a pro bowl calibre offensive line and a passing game? Can you really?
Folks we could have a player here in Charles that would put the Chiefs back on the map. Much like CJ does for the Titans. Much like AJ does for the Texans. I can't even fathom what we could have here in Charles with a good team surrounding him. He could carry us into the playoffs on his shoulders alone.
This opens up some very different options for Pioli in the offseason now. We do not have to get that RB we thought we needed when LJ was here. We don't have to spend every ounce of effort on the offense this offseason. Just a couple of guys who can actually catch the ball would be enough behind Jamaal's colossal efforts at RB to give us a very solid second year rebuilding team offense.
We can concentrate on the defense now. Almost solely. Not completely, but mainly. What a relief this is for us. What a game changer this is to have Charles here. He has single handedly reshaped the way we will draft this offseason no doubt.
I also feel as though there were times this season, after we were completely eliminated from any playoff chances, that Haley shifted the way he played this team. There were times that it was obvious if Haley would have just simply handed the ball to Charles over and over non-stop in the red zone that he would have scored. Undoubtedly. I know Haley knows that. But Haley demands that all players become great. That all players become play makers when called upon. So many times I felt that Haley intentionally did not got to Charles in the red zone because he wanted to see what his Qb and receivers were made of. There was way too much evaluation that needed to be done before season's end not to test those guys like that. Not to just take the easy way out and give the ball to Charles constantly.
Haley seems to want a complete team on offense. No excuses. And I felt that on several occasions, he too would have gone to Charles IF we had any chance at the playoffs what so ever. But at some point he needed to see what the other guys could do when called upon. So we would know and have a clear picture of what we needed going forward. I mean what if Charles is injured? Can you count on your QB and your receivers to get the ball in the end zone? If not you need to find that out now when we are already way out of the running and it does not matter anymore whether we win or lose as far as the playoffs are concerned. Hence, good bye Mark Bradley. Hello Chris Chambers. etc. I think this was good for us in the long run.
I wouldn't trade Charles for Chris Johnson or Adrian Pederson. He hasn't even sprouted wings yet. This guy hasn't even hit his stride yet. He's still learning and growing. OMG he is going to set records for us, and not the kind we've been setting as of late.
Charles is our superstar. Out of all our draft picks, he is the ONE. We can build a team around him like they did in Minnesota. Only we have Cassel, who despite his erroneous ways this year, is certainly a better QB than Tarvarus Jackson is. So we need that defense now folks. So we can get the ball back to Jamaal next year and let him win us games. Don't you just love this guy?
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.
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Whassup Kray?
I agree. Charles is our next rising star to come out of KC. It definitely takes some pressure off the staff to focus on the offense so much in the draft however, we still need a couple of linemen, a WR, and a bruiser RB for short yardage.
The emergence of guys like Charles and Cottam to a lesser extent make it seem as though this offense could be pretty potent next year. Just think about what would’ve happened if we had started Charles at the beginning of the year. How many wins would we have? A LOT more than three!
Agreed Kray
I cant wait to see the day that Charles unseats LJ as the number two all time rusher and then eventually passing Priest.
Rec'd
There is one player I can compare Charles to and he played a few years here in KC with JCs ability to get small and slide through holes very similar to the things Marcus Allen did for us. I think he has a little more speed than Allen and that could turn into RECORDS easily if he stays healthy.
I can see the comparison but, Allen always ran very upright where Charles runs lower to the ground.
He’s a little more of a banger than Allen was although, Marcus Allen proved himself to be one tough hombre. Time will tell on JC.
by Chiefsfan1970 on Dec 29, 2009 2:21 PM CST up reply actions
Hey Krayfish
I totally agree with you. In one or two years I think he could very well be in the top 3 discussion. I still think AP is heads and shoulders above every RB in the league (his stats aren’t as good but how can they be when the offense switches to pass-happy to appease Favre? He’s still killer when it comes to power, speed, and work ethic/character).
I just like CJ and JC because of that home-run hitting ability that guys like AP don’t really have. Bringing back the spirit of Barry Sanders, those two! If we get a great line that helps push JC into the secondary, it’s off to the races and I’ll bet on him 99% of the time.
Recommended.
"Speed...(long pause)....Kills." -- Lenny Dawson (on JC)
Charles is a damn good running back
I’m not ready to call him one of the best in the league….certainly not the best in the league….and yes if the Vikings call us in the offseason and want to Charles for Peterson straight up….you take it.
Charles is damn good….but common he’s not the best in the league…yet.
Don't Fuccop Succop
by chicks_love_chiefs on Dec 29, 2009 9:05 AM CST reply actions
I will argue that he is
All you have to do is look at the stats since he took over if you think our Line is > than Minn, or > than Tenn, then Charles has been and is the best back in the league since taking over the starting job.
I'll be interested to see how he does next year...
Right now he’s playing great and he is showing that he has something to prove. Will he play with that same chip on his shoulder next year after all the LJ crap is forgotten? That’s the burning question. I think he’ll be better but, you just never know.
Charles LOVES football
Money NOR Fame will change the way he runs the ball I am 100% sure of that Charles LOVES football and has the WANT and DRIVE to be great.
Kray
I’m not even gonna lie, every time we hand the ball to Charles I’m just holding my breath because I know it’s a good chance of being a highlight………every time! The kid has an uncanny ability to make tacklers miss. I can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen when the passing threat improves, because then he will really have a chance to shine.
JC is gonna get a lot more reps this offseason in camp, and we will have a new o-lineman (or two) so I expect big things out of him next year….
yah exactly....wait until he gets all the reps in training camp...wait til' it's HIS show
and he feels that! His confidence will soar!! He is going to be phenomenol….every time he touches the ball I feel the same thing. I hope there’s not a flag !! lol
LOL......I always scan the field
for that damn flag when he breaks one!
by Hail2DaChiefs on Dec 29, 2009 9:50 AM CST up reply actions
Good stuff Kray
Lets not get too excited tho. I’d like to see him perform at this level for a full season before putting him in with the elite players in the league. I disagree that his emergence means that we should ignore the OL this offseason. We are still well below average in terms of pass protection and this offense will have a hard time evolving until C and RG are addressed.
Charles is certainly an outstanding building block and we should seek to build the O around him. Getting him the help he needs includes improving his OL. D may need to be the primary focus, but OL is still a concern.
This is my signature line. It is full of awesome and win.
by KCSatchmo on Dec 29, 2009 9:32 AM CST reply actions
rec'd kray - good post, but this whole thing makes me even more upset with Haley
that Haley ran LJ every week with no thought of Charles at all … until he HAD to … Haley the Depth Chart Madman has no clue about “talent” … and it bothers me (see today’s Arrowheadlines) that he plays Cassel every week (read the scout.com article, you’ll understand)
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!
The NFL was going to FORCE us to start LJ when he returned!!!!!!
Yes the NFL was demanding that LJ be put back into the starting line-up. That is why he got released and not just benched the NFL was trying to tell us how to have our depth chart. I think it was that way before. I never knew the NFL could do something like that but they were trying.
Did you know that Charles birthday was this past Sunday?
When you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
RIP Chris Henry #15 (Bengals)
RIP Derrick Thomas #58 (Chiefs)
geez 23??? omg we got a killer in this guy.
Look I’m Mr. call it like I see it. I get a lot of grief for my negativity in the past. but I have nothing bad to say about Charles. I believe he will be THE back in the NFL soon enough. Hey we need something to feel good about and he is IT!! He is awesome! and he is young and just getting started too!
Kray
Your right the upside with Charles is pretty high. He provides the Chiefs with skills that the offense can be built around. I also liked your analysis about development of all offensive tools/weapons. This complete offensive unit makes sense, and I appreciate you pointing this out.
and again...I didn't say we didn't need to address the line at all..just not as urgent a need
as 6 weeks ago. We don’t have to waste a precious draft pick on it I hope.
We still need 2 new guys on the line
A Center and a guard would make a HUGE difference.
I'm pretty sure....
AP got drafted with a Pro-Bowl line already in place….with J-Chuck tearin’ it up behind our haphazard situation, he’s gonna be lethal with some stout o-linemen
If you will it dude....It is no dream - Jeffery Lebowski
by ChiefsnotChefs on Dec 29, 2009 10:41 AM CST reply actions
Good post, Kray
I’m very enthusiastic about Charles and his play. I was wanting to see him get more playing time from about the second game on. I thought his speed made him much more likely to be successful behind our line than 2.7. But I also saw why Haley didn’t play him more, it seemed like every game he would make a big mental error, whether a fumble or a missed blocking assignment. That seemed to change once 2.7 cried his way out of town and Charles was made number 1. It makes me wonder if 2.7 was getting in his head before.
I think he’s got a lot of talent and could become a star back in this league. He’s like a bigger Joe Delaney in a lot of ways. I’ve been very pleased with his durability so far (something Joe struggled with). I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next season!
As for the draft – I’m still hoping that Pioli can get a trade to a lower spot. The only guys that worth getting that high are QBs, left tackles, and defensive ends. We could maybe go for a left tackle and see who wins between Albert and him, but I’m really hoping a QB hungry team trades down for our spot so we can get a better deal and go after a safety, center, guard or linebacker. Probably a pipe dream if we pick in the top 5, though.
-"A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married." - H.L. Mencken
Is there an NT worth a top 5 pick?
I’m OK with grabbing one on the first day, but I’m not in favor of paying D tackles big money coming out of college. That’s not worked out well for us since Steadman left (with Bill Maas being the example of him getting it right). I agree those positions are big needs, but none of them are the kind of guys that would rate the big money of a top 5 pick in my book. I’m even skeptical about Suh, just so you know. It’s very rare that a guy whose a monster in college shows up like that in the pros. The talent level is so different that it’s rare that a guy doesn’t have to modify his game. Sometimes the big guaranteed dollars seem to hurt their motivation.
I also expect we’ll pick up at least one good free agent lineman at either guard or center to fill the holes on the line and draft another guard/center and tackle. I also expect to see Pioli get a LB and Safety in FA as well.
-"A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married." - H.L. Mencken
There isn't a top 5 NT prospect this year.
Cody may be the only 1st round NT to come out this year. Free agency is where we need to find our guy. We simply can’t wait for another young guy to develope. We need someone who can instantly make this defense better. I’m pretty sure that Pioli sees it that way too. Imagine how good this defense could be with a NT like Wilfork and Eric Berry at Safety. Maybe bring in some new blood at LB and this defense could be real good real fast…Especially once T-Jax starts gelling.
by Chiefsfan1970 on Dec 29, 2009 1:50 PM CST up reply actions
+1
At the risk of being slapped I think he looks alot this Chris Johnson too. Has the same skill set, same speed and elusiveness, same catching ability. Remember that Johnson is a season and a half ahead of him developmentally because hes been the starter for two full seasons now. All Charles has proven since LJ left is that he’s the second best RB in the league and thats behind a well below average offensive line.
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
Yup, Tennesee has one of the stoutest O-lines in football too.
Put Charles behind that line and watch the record books get broken to pieces.
Charles will be a huge part of the future, indeed
but there needs to be other guys to step up & Pioli needs to get some talent in here in a huge way, like a stout C, G & a bruiser RB(Gerhardt) to give Charles a blow & wear out opposing Ds even more. As much as we all love Charles, we don’t want to see him get hurt.
A true #1 deep threat WR would open up underneath routes for Cottam & would be a great compliment to DBowe who seems to be more of a possession reciever than the #1 everybody thought he was going to be.
The middle of the D is soft, obviously & I think everybody agrees that a stout NT allows the LBs to perform @ a much higher level. I agree with the Ravens theory that Reed is dominant because of Lewis who is dominant because of Ngata & Siragusa before that. I hope Pioli goes after Wilfork/Hampton & drafts one in the later rounds to develop.
Eric Berry would be awesome too!
I'm starting to wonder
if we need a bruising back. Sure, I’d like a short yardage specialist, but that guy can be your 3rd RB or FB. If we’re going to use a 2nd on a RB, why not get one that is similar to JC? Imagine torching the D with JC then we give him a rest and bring in someone similar like CJ Spiller or Jahvid Best. No rest for the weary in that scenario.
With that said, I’d much rather use our 2nds fixing the otehr problems on the team. Gerhardt is a nice player for sure. But we have far more glaring needs.
This is my signature line. It is full of awesome and win.
by KCSatchmo on Dec 29, 2009 12:14 PM CST up reply actions
good pt., Satch
I’m just saying that Charles needs a spell everyonce in a while, & there are certainly more immediate pressing needs, like the O line , NT, S…..maybe Williams develops more next year to take the bruiser/short ydg. role……I’ll def. take Spiller or Best as a change of pace. That way there’s ALWAYS that guy on the field that opposing D’s need to account for on every play.
We DEFINITELY need a solid deep threat, and get Cassel to work on his deep ball……it seems like they’re always floaters that recievers have to jump for. If the passing game doesn’t have the ability to stretch the field vertically, that limits what the posession recievers on the underneath routes can do
we do satch we do. You kill a guy like Charles at 200 pounds if he doesn't have a fullback
to wear down the d a little. Plus it wears the defense out so it helps on passing downs too. It’s a big picture thing. EVERYTHING counts in the NFL.
I think Charles Scott (LSU)
Will still be around in the later rounds. Hes 6’0" 230lbs.
by chiefs_fan05 on Dec 29, 2009 2:16 PM CST up reply actions
I think Charles Scott SUCKS I do not want another SLOW footed big guy.
Not another LJ Please. NO SCOTT, NO TATE, Hardesty maybe but to similar style to LJ for me to want him I would rather another Charles style back with the ability to get small and Slimey to pick up the short yards. Spiller, Best, Brown, Murray, (Mathews), Gerhardt is a big man but has quick feet would take him or Dixon as Power backs as they have quick feet.
FA options Taylor, Thomas, White.
I dunno
I used to agree. But the Ds we’re playing against look pretty tired chasing JC all over the field. I’m all about limiting his carries. I’m just not sure we need a bruiser to take some of the load. I’m leaning more towards a JC clone.
This is my signature line. It is full of awesome and win.
by KCSatchmo on Dec 29, 2009 5:19 PM CST up reply actions
Agree
We Will kick at least 4 Teams Asses in 09. Almost there :)
And Succop will be the Key in two of them. Skins & Raiders! Pittsburgh Sweet!
" Think and talk positive football off the field." Hank Stram
by Steve_Chiefs on Dec 29, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions
Yep! I just don't know how much you can fix in one off season
I don’t think you try to fix both sides completely or you end up with mediocre on both sides of the ball. I think Pioli will go balls to the wall defense this offseason and do what he can for the O line.
To me the O line at the end of the season played well enough to get the job done. Lets face it. Minnesota and Green Bay have terrible offensive lines and they are playoff bound. The Titans have arguable the best O line in the NFL and will be on here with us talking about the playoffs.
If our receivers could catch and hold on to the ball we would be competitive now as long as our defense would dominate when they were up. We would get the ball back in good territory a lot more often if the D was stellar.
I just don’t know how much u can realistically fix in one off season. I would rather see the defensive side of the ball come first. Our defense is the biggest problem. We will get the offense fixed as long as Charles stays healthy. And can you say “Lindell White please”?
I
Charles ia a talent no doubt.
He may not be the type of player that can be an every down back.In fact he probably isn’t .He has sustained quite a bit of injury and hasn’t even played 16 games.He definately needs some serious offseason conditioning or we need to get a change of pace guy to give him a blow.
I agree completely
we need a stout bruiser RB a la Gerhardt, and a shifty, find the hole kind of guy like PH used to be. Charles can’t sustain the hits of being an every down back. He needs help.
LINDELL WHITE!! He's the man...that one two punch would be unstoppable
plus…here’s another point to be taken into consideration. If you have a demon like Charles and a forklift like Lindell White, it free’s Charles up more for other things, like catching passes on the run, in motion already, with a head of steam built up. If you line Charles and White up in the backfield with Bowe and Chambers (maybe not Bowe, we’ll see) who do they cover? How do they cover that?
It opens up so many possibilites for haley’s trickery plays to work. Will White run to the outside with the option to shovel it to Charles speeding around his backside or will Cassel fake the whole hand off and hit Chambers on the fly? Lots of things become possible when the defense has too many talented stars to try and cover.
To add to several comments on here...IMO
if we do NOT get a stellar center and a bull of a NT we won’t be any better than this year. Those two position HAVE to be addressed. MUST be addressed. Those two alone would make a major difference. MAJOR. No more getting run over by every RB in the league and Edwards sucks anyway.
Just that alone would help. Not snapping the ball over your QB’s head, not snapping the ball and falling backwards would also help don’t you agree? Niswanger is so terrible. He is really awful.
+1
I’ve been saying that for days now! If we could go out and get ourselves the BEST NT in free agency, it would turn this entire defense around. It’s the same with Center on the O-line. Those are the two most critical line positions on either side of the ball (other than maybe LT) Even saying that, the Center has way more responsibilities than the LT. These positions make everyone around them better.
Right now, Our opponents are double teaming Dorsey as well as T-Jax very frequently. Unfortunately it is all our NT can do to hold off the Center let alone pull any doubles. Once we force teams to double team our Nose, Dorsey and Jackson can go wild and will create big problems for QBs and RBs. If you think Hali has looked great this year, imagine what he can do when the pocket is collapsing from the middle and QBs are forced into his lap. The secondary won’t have to cover for nearly as long due to the added pressure and these young LBs will look like seasoned vets because they also won’t have to cover as long and the pass rushing lanes will open up for them.
NT should be the Chiefs TOP priority but, it needs to be done in free agency as well as maybe a late round draft pick. IMO we should spend our first 2nd rounder and get the best Center on the board.
by Chiefsfan1970 on Dec 29, 2009 1:44 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
NT, & C I think are unanimous
Definitely NT via FA maybe even C as well….we can draft in those positions in later rounds & maybe even the next couple of years if we get proven stout players @ those positions that have some tread left on their tires, It would be well worth the amount of money it would cost. I think that upgrades in those 2 positions alone will get us 2-3 more wins next year.
……but in addition if we got a serious deep threat @ WR that could stretch the field, that would open up so much more space for JC to torch, also it opens space up for more screens, other underneath , middle 3rd routes…….That might have to wait for next year. I think Pioli is really trying to build depth in the trenches, and upgrading @ C & NT buys him some time, & will be key in his future strategy
Love that thought :)
Rec
We Will kick at least 4 Teams Asses in 09. Almost there :)
And Succop will be the Key in two of them. Skins & Raiders! Pittsburgh Sweet!
" Think and talk positive football off the field." Hank Stram
by Steve_Chiefs on Dec 29, 2009 2:53 PM CST up reply actions
If we pick up 2 solid lineman in the offseason, via draft or fa, jamall charles will be able to hit the second level untouched more often than not, and then that opens up the whole offense. Matt Cassel will have many more opportunities to throw the ball to open receivers. Its a domino effect, just like our lack of a pass rush and run d makes our safeties look so bad.
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