Tribal Warfare
10-13-2008, 12:01 AM
Chiefs need some big plays from rookie Charles (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/838394.html)
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Jamaal Charles’ season can hardly be called a waste. The rookie running back is averaging 4.7 yards per rush, is the Chiefs’ third-leading pass receiver and has proved to be a willing and able pass protector.
But for his season to be a true success, Charles has to deliver more big plays.
The fastest of their offensive players, the Chiefs designed some plays intended to get the ball to Charles in the open field, where he might be able to outrun defenders. The Chiefs have even tried him as a kickoff returner, where he’s averaging slightly more than 26 yards per return.
He still doesn’t have a rush of more than 13 yards or a reception of more than 17 yards.
“It has to do with a lot of things,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “(A shortage of) plays. There have been a lot of three-and-outs for us. He’s dropped a couple of balls that maybe could have been big plays. Some of it is due to the fact he hasn’t been in the game a whole lot, hasn’t touched the ball a whole lot.
“In college, he was able to do that because he could outrun a lot of guys. In this league, you’re not going to outrun a whole lot of guys. This is hard. There are fast players in this league, and they can tackle good. That’s part of it, too.”
Still, the Chiefs had bigger hopes for Charles. They quickly determined they were more comfortable with Charles as a receiver and blocker, so he replaced Larry Johnson as the featured back on third-down plays and others calling for an obvious pass.
Rare is the rookie running back who is an accomplished pass blocker. Generally, they aren’t asked to block in college.
Charles was asked to at Texas. He blocked the wrong blitzing linebacker in the season-opener in New England and the result was a sack that knocked quarterback Brodie Croyle from the lineup because of a separated shoulder.
“My coaches told me that to make it in the league, I’d have to know how to block,” Charles said. “So I learned how to do it. I played my freshman year because I picked up the blitz well.”
Otherwise, his impact, like that of the offense as a whole, has been limited.
“To get stuff like that going, you’ve got to get your offense going first,” said Croyle, who will return as the starter in Sunday’s game against Tennessee at Arrowhead Stadium. “It’s hard to try to get the ball to certain guys when your whole offense isn’t going on any kind of consistent basis. Look at a team like New Orleans. They have a consistently productive offense and then they’re able to mix in some special things for Reggie Bush like screens and reverses.
“That’s what we’d like to do with Jamaal, but we need to get the rest of the offense going, too.”
Charles has 21 rushes and 12 pass receptions, so he’s getting the ball only 6 1/2 times a game on average.
“I’m really not getting the ball that much, really,” Charles said. “I’m just getting it out of the shotgun, mostly. I really want to run the ball out of the backfield instead of out of the shotgun. I think I can make more plays that way.”
The Chiefs have plenty of plays they would like to be able to do over in their 1-4 season. One from early in last month’s game against Oakland stands out.
Charles was split from the formation as a wide receiver, where he was covered one-on-one by linebacker Thomas Howard. Howard is fast for a linebacker, but he couldn’t keep up with Charles.
Charles ran down the sideline, but Damon Huard’s pass didn’t reach him and was incomplete. A strong throw would have given the Chiefs a touchdown.
“Did I miss a layup with him wide open? No,” Huard said. “But the perfect throw probably would have completed it.
“He’s a guy we’d like to get the ball to more. When teams blitz us, he usually has to stay in to block. Teams have done a good job of bringing that extra linebacker. We’ve been making the effort to get him the ball. If they’re in a soft zone, you can dump him the ball. We’ve thrown some screens to him, too.”
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Jamaal Charles’ season can hardly be called a waste. The rookie running back is averaging 4.7 yards per rush, is the Chiefs’ third-leading pass receiver and has proved to be a willing and able pass protector.
But for his season to be a true success, Charles has to deliver more big plays.
The fastest of their offensive players, the Chiefs designed some plays intended to get the ball to Charles in the open field, where he might be able to outrun defenders. The Chiefs have even tried him as a kickoff returner, where he’s averaging slightly more than 26 yards per return.
He still doesn’t have a rush of more than 13 yards or a reception of more than 17 yards.
“It has to do with a lot of things,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “(A shortage of) plays. There have been a lot of three-and-outs for us. He’s dropped a couple of balls that maybe could have been big plays. Some of it is due to the fact he hasn’t been in the game a whole lot, hasn’t touched the ball a whole lot.
“In college, he was able to do that because he could outrun a lot of guys. In this league, you’re not going to outrun a whole lot of guys. This is hard. There are fast players in this league, and they can tackle good. That’s part of it, too.”
Still, the Chiefs had bigger hopes for Charles. They quickly determined they were more comfortable with Charles as a receiver and blocker, so he replaced Larry Johnson as the featured back on third-down plays and others calling for an obvious pass.
Rare is the rookie running back who is an accomplished pass blocker. Generally, they aren’t asked to block in college.
Charles was asked to at Texas. He blocked the wrong blitzing linebacker in the season-opener in New England and the result was a sack that knocked quarterback Brodie Croyle from the lineup because of a separated shoulder.
“My coaches told me that to make it in the league, I’d have to know how to block,” Charles said. “So I learned how to do it. I played my freshman year because I picked up the blitz well.”
Otherwise, his impact, like that of the offense as a whole, has been limited.
“To get stuff like that going, you’ve got to get your offense going first,” said Croyle, who will return as the starter in Sunday’s game against Tennessee at Arrowhead Stadium. “It’s hard to try to get the ball to certain guys when your whole offense isn’t going on any kind of consistent basis. Look at a team like New Orleans. They have a consistently productive offense and then they’re able to mix in some special things for Reggie Bush like screens and reverses.
“That’s what we’d like to do with Jamaal, but we need to get the rest of the offense going, too.”
Charles has 21 rushes and 12 pass receptions, so he’s getting the ball only 6 1/2 times a game on average.
“I’m really not getting the ball that much, really,” Charles said. “I’m just getting it out of the shotgun, mostly. I really want to run the ball out of the backfield instead of out of the shotgun. I think I can make more plays that way.”
The Chiefs have plenty of plays they would like to be able to do over in their 1-4 season. One from early in last month’s game against Oakland stands out.
Charles was split from the formation as a wide receiver, where he was covered one-on-one by linebacker Thomas Howard. Howard is fast for a linebacker, but he couldn’t keep up with Charles.
Charles ran down the sideline, but Damon Huard’s pass didn’t reach him and was incomplete. A strong throw would have given the Chiefs a touchdown.
“Did I miss a layup with him wide open? No,” Huard said. “But the perfect throw probably would have completed it.
“He’s a guy we’d like to get the ball to more. When teams blitz us, he usually has to stay in to block. Teams have done a good job of bringing that extra linebacker. We’ve been making the effort to get him the ball. If they’re in a soft zone, you can dump him the ball. We’ve thrown some screens to him, too.”