ESPN is running their AFC West special tonight and Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles was one of the guests. Charles had some pretty good things to say, some good sound bites, as he's been prone to lately. I transcribed the whole interview and posted it below.
The highlights:
- Says he'll be ready in Week 1.
- "...I feel like me, I feel like the same Jamaal Charles."
- Describes himself and Peyton Hillis as "speed and power".
The full interview is after the jump.
On his injured knee:
"My knee is doing fine. I'm still rehabbing and I'm just waiting to get on the field."
On his status for Week 1:
"As far as getting on the field, I think I'll be ready to go. It's not like I got hurt at the end of the year, I got hurt at the beginning, so I had a long time to wait, so i'll be ready Week 1."
On the injury last year:
"It was a hard time. I had a lot thinking, a loton my mind and I just thank god that he put me through and I'm still alive. Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger and I feel like it made me stronger."
On his expectations in 2012:
"I have been working hard throughout this whole process and I feel like me, I feel like the same Jamaal Charles. So I think my numbers can go up. I can still be producrtive. I want to win this year, it's all about winning and going to the Super Bowl."
More: "I'm ready to put my cleats back on and ready to punish everybody in my way"
On him and Peyton Hillis:
"Speed and power. Peyton is a great running back. He's a power running back and I'm speed so you have to know you'll face both of us this year."
On the carry-over effect of beating the Packers last year:
"It has a lot. We want to be the best in the NFL. We beat the Packers, we didn't have some of the best players on the team, so just having me, Tony and Berry back, I feel like we bring even more confidence to our team."
Why the players support Romeo Crennel:
"Because he's been in a position like this before. He's been a head coach. He's been places where they won Super Bowls and we want to do that here. The players are happy he got the job and now we just want him to have the job the rest of his career."
On the difference between superstars and Hall of Famers:
"A superstar is one of those guys who can say he was in the NFL for however many years and a Hall of Famer leaves a legacy for all the right reasons."
More: "When I touch that field going out there, you're going to feel my pain"
On what separates Matt Cassel:
"He's our captain of the team. He's been on teams where they've won and he's been there where they've been to the Super Bowl. He's a guy that can bring in a lot of different [things][ to our team, like being a leader, and showing the young guys how to run the routes. He's thrown to some of the best wide receivers in the league like Randy Moss and he's throwing to Dwayne Bowe so he's still doing it."
On the toughest challenge in the AFC West:
"I think everybody in our division will give everybody a tough challenge. They have some of the best players on their team just like we do. It's not like we're playing high school or college. Everybody in the NFL is planning to do the same things we're trying to do, try to win games. I think everyone in our division will try [something inaudible]."