Jamaal Charles is best K.C. back ever?

[Stinger]

Adam Teicher seem to think so....

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- This is probably overdue but I got to thinking about it after Jamaal Charles went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season in last week's loss to the Denver Broncos. That's four straight seasons for Charles with over 1,000 yards and though that's certainly not the only criteria, it's time to call Charles the best runner to ever play for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Charles is third all time on the Chiefs' rushing yardage list. He is roughly 500 yards from catching Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson, the two backs ahead of him. With a big finish, Charles could conceivably catch both players this season. If not, he will pass them in 2014.

Charles is well shy of both players in rushing touchdowns, but Holmes and Johnson at times played for Chiefs teams that were offensive machines. Charles' teams in Kansas City haven't been built that way and it's unfair to penalize him for that. Charles isn't the pass receiver that Holmes was. There was no sight for Chiefs fans like Holmes running with a screen pass behind the great blockers he played with (unless it was Holmes running the sweep behind the great blockers he played with). But strictly as a runner, I'll take Charles.

Two factors go into that decision. First is longetivity. Johnson essentially had two great seasons for the Chiefs, Holmes three. Charles is now at four and we're still counting.

The other is Charles' career per-carry rushing average. Charles has picked up slightly more than 5.5 yards every time he's rushed the ball for the Chiefs in his career and that's frequently against opposing defenses that were often lying in wait for him because the Chiefs gave them little else to worry about.

Holmes rushed for 4.59 yards per carry, Johnson 4.37. That's a significant dfference in Charles' favor.

Holmes and Johnson deserve to be part of the discussion. But with apologies to those guys and some other great Chiefs backs like Marcus Allen, Christian Okoye and Ed Podolak it's time (and probably past time) to hail the new king.

http://espn.go.com/blog/kansas-city-...t-kc-back-ever

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Okoye/TecmoSuperBowl

[Bl00dyBizkitz]

The only RB in recent history that compares to Jamaal is Priest. But Priest had probably one of the best OLs in NFL history. We just need a comparable OL so Jamaal can put up the insane numbers.

Also, GOAT

[milkman]

Originally Posted by MGRS13

Priest. Sorry. Until J.C. gets the nose for the endzone Holmes had.

Priest's for the end zone was constructed by an outstanding O-Line. And one of the best lead blockers in the game.

[Hammock Parties]

Priest scored a lot of TDs because he played on a top 5 offense. In fact the year he scored 27 or whatever we had the #2 passing offense. Priest was good, but he got to take full advantage of the fact we had so many red zone possessions.

Charles would have scored just as many with that many opportunities.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

De berg you sleep through 2003?

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by milkman

I've seen a lot of RBs in KC through the years.

Mike Garret, Podolak, Tony Adams, Willie Green, Joe Delaney, Allen, etc.

Not a single one of them had the vision and burst that Priest possesse, until Charlesn
And Charles is so much faster.

If Charles were running behind a line that Priest ran behind, he would not onlyy be in the discussion as the greatest Chief, he'd be in the discussion as the greatest the NFL has ever seen.

Putting up the kind of numbers he has behind a piss poor line, with no real support from a complementary passing game on top of that, is nothing short of amazing.

[threebag]

Greatest Of All Time. Bitches

[MGRS13]

Originally Posted by milkman

Priest's for the end zone was constructed by an outstanding O-Line. And one of the best lead blockers in the game.

Maybe so. Sorry Im biased. I was there for most of those TD's he scored at home. The guy is always going to be my fave.

[Pants]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

All of you that think Jamaal is better than Priest are idiots and not old enough to remember /Dane

I remember that thread.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Absolutely. Charles by a landslide. Much more explosive than Priest.

[T-post Tom]

He's no Jesse Haynes.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by Omaha

If that were the case, Derrick Blaylock would have been better than he was. It was a great OL, but you're discounting what Holmes did way too much.

I recall Blaylock having some good games, and then doing nothing when he left in FA.

[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Oh.. I Don't know...I think his 2010 season was better. He's hasn't had any long breakaway runs this season for whatever reason?

I know he was a horrible human being, but for my money LJs 2005 season was the most electrifying season by a Chiefs RB ever.

Frankly Charles didn't look quite 100% for several games, but he seems to be back to form now. Saw at least two runs a couple weeks ago that Charles would normally take for LONG yardage that he kind of galloped into 20 yard runs. Last Sunday, he looked fast again, though I should say a "slow" Charles is still faster than most other RBs.

[cosmo20002]

Ted McKnight

[WakkaWakka]

I rarely buy jerseys, but I fully intend on buying a Charles jersey in the next couple weeks from Rally House here in town. I'm always afraid that if I buy a jersey, said player will get hurt or traded. I think Charles is safe. Guy is gonna be a Hall of Famer! GOAT!