Chiefs Training Camp: Todd Haley Talks Thomas Jones, Jamaal Charles And The Depth Chart
by Joel Thorman on Aug 11, 2010 2:12 PM CDT
in Chiefs Training Camp
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PrintWhen the Kansas City Chiefs started training camp a couple weeks ago some eyebrows were raised when Thomas Jones was repping mostly with the first team. Jamaal Charles, the hero in the second half of the 2009 season, was taking second teams reps.
It didn't make any sense to a lot of us. Here you've got this guy in Charles that did everything Todd Haley asked last year and came out, despite some things working against him early on, and had a terrific second half of the season.
So why was he "demoted", even if it was in name only?
"I wouldn't hold me to anything on the depth chart right now," Haley said in his press conference this afternoon. He said he was excited about the running back position but didn't get into too many specifics as to the role of Jones and Charles.
The depth chart that came out this week had Jones ahead of Charles, as they've been in practice.
"These guys," Haley continued, "without speaking too much for them, they get it. Both of them. They both want to be the starter. There's no doubt about that. Somebody's gotta start and that's just the way it is. We'll do our due diligence on that end but I think they both get it.
"I've said we're going to play the guys that gives on the best chance to win on that particular day, series or half, whatever it is. I won't be shy to make sure that the guy that is running the best will be in there. That gives them motivation and they understand that and they're clear on that."
This pretty much confirms that the Chiefs will go with whoever the hot hand is at the time. But I do wonder if Charles and/or Jones, like many running backs do, need enough carries to get into a rhythm to be effective.
Even though Haley wasn't exactly clear when talking about the role of Jones and Charles, he did make it clear for the the guys behind them -- special teams is a necessity. He says the second, third and fourth running backs will have to be special teams contributors.
"One thing in this game I'm excited to see -- I'm excited to see everything obviously -- but special teams. Don't miss one of those plays because that will be a real big part. You can't simulate that part. You can't get what you get in a game."
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I had a hunch TJ would start
Doesn’t matter to me though, if TJ comes in first to wear the D down then JC comes in to finish them I’ll still be happy. As long as we get a W at the end
by RamX21 on Aug 11, 2010 2:18 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I think these two
are the kind of guys you can set a game approach like mentioned above with. Neither of them come off to me as a “me first” type of guy. Regardless of who starts, both know they are going to get touches, both know they are going to be relied upon very heavily to turn this all around and honestly I feel very happy knowing we have them, and knowing that they are going to be fine to complement each other.
This is our year.
I think TJ is gonna start
But it’s going to be a 2 back system, mainly. And it’s not like it doesnt work. We’ve seen it work well many times. Jones has been part of a 2 back system and was still able to pull off 1,400 yards.
I know that you're afraid... you're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin.
Felix Jones and Marion Barber
I feel like Thomas Jones andJamal Charles will be like these two. Maybe with a little more touches in Charles hands than what Felix gets. But the Solid smashmouth RB and then the guy that is going to just pass everyone by.
Smile, its the second best things you can do with your lips!
"I wouldn't hold me to anything on the depth chart right now,"
I bet charles atleast gets the first series then I could see Tj working the rest of the first half, until JC comes in and changes them up
My bold prediction for 2010....The Chiefs win the AFC west with a 9-7 record, while the Chargers fall off, Denver remains the same, and Oakland, well enough said.
Offensive Player of the Year = J Charles
Rookie of the Year = Eric Berry
by DirtySouth Chiefs Fan on Aug 11, 2010 2:23 PM CDT reply actions
changes it up
cant type today
My bold prediction for 2010....The Chiefs win the AFC west with a 9-7 record, while the Chargers fall off, Denver remains the same, and Oakland, well enough said.
Offensive Player of the Year = J Charles
Rookie of the Year = Eric Berry
by DirtySouth Chiefs Fan on Aug 11, 2010 2:23 PM CDT up reply actions
I think we will get to see a lot of both players.
This is going to be a big time year for the Chiefs rushing attack. As I have said before, it is a great problem to have that you need to get players on the field. Charles/Jones or Jones/Charles doesn’t make that much difference. The duo is going to hammer some tail. Besides, even if Jones starts a few games, the position will go to Charles when Jones retires after a couple or three years. Charles should still have plenty left to contribute and may be the starting back before Jones retires. This is going to be good, men.
"The Hammer"
agreed said the same thing up above
its a good problem to have, and hopefully we can get a solid #3 back Williams, Battle, or Moore that will step up on ST’s and come in when both JC and TJ need a break.
This is our year.
Pass blocking
Seems like Charles did a decent job of pass blocking most of the time last year. Or maybe it was just in comparison to Whiff 2.7. How is Jones at pass blocking? Are those two about the same in that category?
Haley has said
That Jones is a beast at blocking.
Smile, its the second best things you can do with your lips!
no problem
Smile, its the second best things you can do with your lips!
by fleetmarine on Aug 15, 2010 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
most likely...
this is why TJ will start over JC…
http://www.sundaybikes.com/v3/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/sunday-bubble-pegboard-500x350.jpg
I completely agree
Pass blocking is something that we desperately need.
Smile, its the second best things you can do with your lips!
by fleetmarine on Aug 15, 2010 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Who starts will depend
on the formation and play calling of our opening drive. I reckon both will get officially credited with a pretty even number of starts this year.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present...
by Randy5225 on Aug 11, 2010 2:32 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
i personally think you nailed it
if rhymes were valiums, i'd be comfortably numb
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by Chris Sembower on Aug 11, 2010 3:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I reckon you're right, I tell you what.
Let’s hope they’re more slippery than snot on a glass doorknob.
Predictions:
1) Fans will feel just scads better from mid-to-end of the 2010 season.
2) During the 2021 season, Ryan Succop will become the Chiefs’ all-time leading scorer with 1469 points.
?
I don’t know TWSS.
Predictions:
1) Fans will feel just scads better from mid-to-end of the 2010 season.
2) During the 2021 season, Ryan Succop will become the Chiefs’ all-time leading scorer with 1469 points.
RamX21
Nailed it! Who cares who gets what, as long as we get a W at the end! It’s all about team work. God knows we don’t need another Larry Johnson, me me me me me!
Let the fantasy football guys worry about who starts and who gets the most carries.
It’s about game plan and what you can do to hurt the other guys.
"I ain't lyin' 'bout nothin'."
"Oh? So what exactly are you lying about?"
Who Starts? Who cares?
I sure don’t think either one of these guys give a toss who starts and who finishes. I think they are both all about the team. We shipped off the “ME” running back last year. Yes, I’m referring to everyone’s favorite douchenozzle, LJ.
When these guys come out and both gain over 1000 yards and extend their careers an extra year because they have less wear on their bodies, we’re all going to be happy. Well, except for LJ, because the Skins will find out soon enough that he needs a hole 8 feet wide to run through until the linebacker yells boo so he can fall over. Just sayin…
President - Team Colquitt Fan Club - est. July 29, 2010
did I mention?
LJ is my hero
President - Team Colquitt Fan Club - est. July 29, 2010
by ARROWHEADSHANE on Aug 11, 2010 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions
What depth chart? Where did the Chiefs post a depth chart?????
"Now, now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies."
~Voltaire~ (On his death bed, when asked by a priest to renounce Satan)
Would someone please post a link to the depth chart? Can't find it anywhere.
"Now, now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies."
~Voltaire~ (On his death bed, when asked by a priest to renounce Satan)
Thanks dude!
"Now, now, my good man, this is no time for making enemies."
~Voltaire~ (On his death bed, when asked by a priest to renounce Satan)
Thomas Jones is going to get a lot of love
from Chiefs fans. And you know, interestingly enough, I don’t think he has gotten that much in the other places he has been.
"The Hammer"
Best line
“I’ve said we’re going to play the guys that gives on the best chance to win on that particular day, series or half, whatever it is.”
How sweet is it ...
that we have two running backs that are both projected to have amazing seasons?
It only gets better because when they walk on the field, they will always be fresh and not tired out. This will make each of them perform better.
Not to mention that most analysts (looking at fantasy football) have KC as the best rushing strength of schedule for 2010. So we’ll have maybe the best rushing corps against the worst rushing defenses. This is the number 1 thing that really gets me excited this year.
I'd rather see...
Jamaal Charles be the starter, with Thomas Jones getting carries none the less. I want them to split. Jamaal takes the early and often carries, Jones takes the 3rd down and goal line work. We could have the #1 rushing attack in the league, and with that opens up great play action where McCluster Bowe and Chambers come in.
re
He’ll start with whoever hangs on to the ball. And I guaruntee you it isn’t all hunky dorry with Charles or Jones or anybody. You don’t get to this level without being extremely competitive.
Balance!!
Gawd that is a great word……We haven’t had it on Offense since 2005. It will be a nice change of pace to have opposing DC’s have to actually guess what we are doing. But the only thing I think that can kill us is the O-line. Hopefully the improvements have been enough to open up some running lanes.
Who starts
is insignificant. Who finishes the game is more important. Besides, Carolina seems to do fine with Williams and Stewart. On any given Sunday, either one of those two can tear it up or sometimes they both do together. Everyone is making a much bigger issue out of this than it needs to be IMO.
by kc_radrh8r on Aug 11, 2010 3:37 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
When we need to score I'd rather have Charles on the field.
When it’s time to kill the clock or protect the lead then Jones.
"Success is never ending, failure is never final."
+1
I’d like to see our fastest offense on the field at the beginning of the game. Throw a little shock and awe at the opponent. Then unleash Jones on them just to beat em up towards the end.
We should be able to control the ball very well this year.
by Chiefsfan1970 on Aug 11, 2010 9:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Why Jones is with the 1st team...
Remember the article earlier that stated – who you see with the 1st team isn’t necessarily because that’s where they’ll end up, but maybe they need more work than the guy that is listed 2nd or 3rd.
Charles has been in this offense for a while – he knows it well and is comfortable with it. He probably doesn’t need a ton of reps with the 1st team.
Jones, though he is a savvy veteran, is in his first season with the team. Regardless of whether or not he ends up as the starter, it doesn’t hurt to let him get more reps to get accustomed to the plays, the linemen and the overall feel of the system.
I honestly hope we get ourselves in to plenty of situations where we can just pummel the opposing teams with our RB corps in the 2nd half of games. Not only with Jones and Charles… but also Battle/Moore/Williams/Castille (whoever is on the roster) – as those guys are bigger bodies that can cause hell for a worn down D late in the game.
The wildcard in this whole mess is the O-line – can they continue the same way they finished ’09? If so, this is going to be an exciting year for the KC running attack.
For all the lip service most coaches give to making players EARN a starting job...
…Thomas Jones got the job without really even having to earn it. He did a great job in NY, of course, but I think it was a questionable decision by the coaches to hand him the top spot on the depth chart just like that.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Aug 11, 2010 4:26 PM CDT reply actions
I prefer TJ to start
Not because i think he’s better or because he earned it, but because I would rather the spell back in the system to be JC. after TJ pounds it for a while and softens up the defense, Charles comes in fresh while the D is winded. Will make for some HUGE runs. The Defenses couldnt catch him when they were both tired. Having Jamaal fresh will be a huge advantage and reduce the wear on him for future years. Just as long as he gets plenty of carries I’m fine with it
I would say the opposite, but I like your rationale.
Jones is very durable, and Haley’s offenses seem more about setting up the pass with a hard-nosed in-your-face rushing attempt or three. Showing you’re willing to pound it and CAN pound it, if the LBs don’t honor the run. Then you’re set up for the play pass.
I just prefer to use the speedier guy, early, to threaten the edges. Get the defense (especially the widebodies) thinking they have to pursue full-speed laterally, to start the game, which softens up the middle indirectly. Then attack up the middle with the bruiser.
"I ain't lyin' 'bout nothin'."
"Oh? So what exactly are you lying about?"
One other possibility
for Charles being relegated to #2 on the chart: Taking a page out of the Parcells/Belichik book of “Messing with the Press and Others,” Coach Haley may be trying to get a little bit of the bulls-eye off of Charles while that shoulder heals completely. Make other teams game plan more for Jones, then smack ’em with a big dose of Charles. Just saying…
+1
Tough times never last, but tough people do.
by MadMartigan816 on Aug 11, 2010 6:25 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Pioli and Haley have both said more than once not to get too wrapped up in the depth chart early on.
So, I’m not.
10 + wins in 2010. Chiefs SHOCK the NFL!!! Mark it down.
Don't let what they're telling you in TC fool you...
Most likely they will line up how they’ve been lining up, with TJ as the ‘starter’. However, I think ‘starter’ in this sense should be used loosely. TJ will get a few more carries than Charles, but at the end of the day they both may see the same amount of touches, which will be somewhere around 15, I’d imagine, depending on how games shake out.
The Chiefs will see a return to respectability in 2010, emerging as the front runner in the AFC West! ....And I'll quantify that however I choose. Ahem.
I think Charles needs to start.
He’s the young up-and-comer and he’s our guy. Jones is a veteran and a journeyman. They should spell eachother and each get significant carries but I’m gonna be really upset if Jamaal is only running the ball 5-10 times in a game. HUGE waste of talent. Needs to be more like 15-25, and Jones needs to be saved a little bit so he can still be effective down the stretch. Remember that he totally broke down in the playoffs last year.
I wouldn't say he broke down last year, so much as the Jets were more predictable.
Even the relatively small Indy defense can sell out on the run and swarm the line with extra hats. Until the home stretch of the season, the Jets were able to protect Sanchez a lot more with ball control.
"I ain't lyin' 'bout nothin'."
"Oh? So what exactly are you lying about?"
Charles will start.
It’s going to be like in Carolina. Jones will be short yardage & 4th qrt pounder when we have the lead. 2 RBs is a must now in the NFL. You gameplan for a team. Whichever RB poses a greater threat to the opponent will get the rock more. I’m not worried. Keep JC fresh. I want him to have a 10+yr career for us
Tough times never last, but tough people do.
by MadMartigan816 on Aug 11, 2010 6:23 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Charles has to stay healthy
Sure pro players have healthy egos, and want to hear their name announced, but in the game today does it really matter who starts. In a properly balanced offense, the team can get the maximum value toward winning, and two backs can get the stats and accolades that translate to more money. Not to mention longevity; the less reps the less likelihood of injury and more time to earn. Everyone, myself included is hyped on Charles, but can he really stand up to the rigors of twenty touches a game over a full season. Charles would appear to most valuable, ultimately, on a winning team, by being used frequently, but wisely. Let Jones start, this isn’t high school where Mom and Dad get bragging rights in the bleachers,
This, of course, is no surprise to me
I have been predicting this since spring. Jones is the type of back that normally anchors the Haley/Belechick/Parcells type of Erhardt Perkins. He will be the primary back until/unless he simply can’t get it done or gets injured. He is going to get 2/3 of the carries this year and if he comepletes the year with 1200 or more yards, he will be the absolute steal of the FA market for last year. The best part is that with JC, the opposing defense will have to wonder what is going to happen when Jones is getting a breather. The pass will benefit as well. This offense will be much improved from last year.
"You gonna pull them pistols...or whistle Dixie?"
who cares who starts
I think ochophostate has it right. Just as we see Mccluster taking the kickoffs only because the chiefs need to see what he can do I believe they are working Jones not only to start or relieve but to get him the reps he needs to be comfortable and for the coaching staff to be comfy with him.
Thomas needs at 3-5 carries to get warmed up. Charles needs maybe 1 if any
But im not sure if we have the luxary of watching TJ rush for 2 yards 3 straight times giving the ball up, getting scored on, then Thomas running 4 ypc and us only getting to the 50 yard line
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