Tribal Warfare
09-09-2010, 11:30 PM
The Chiefs will sink or swim with Jamaal Charles (http://www.kansascity.com/2010/09/09/2211435/the-chiefs-will-sink-or-swim-with.html)
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
It’s all different now. Jamaal Charles said he can sit in the locker room and feel how things have changed.
Two years ago, he said, the locker room was lifeless and without leaders. Charles didn’t know his purpose then, and he’s not sure whether anyone else knew theirs, either. Last year, he began the season as a talented, young running back whose future was murky. Larry Johnson was the starter, and Kolby Smith was seen as a better option than Charles.
Things are simpler now.
“I’m just going out there to do my job,” Charles said. “Basically, they tell you a play and you’ve got to execute.
“I’ve got responsibilities now that I didn’t have my rookie year. I love this, I really do.”
Charles is quiet, and despite the occasional strain to convey his thoughts, he’s more thoughtful than he sometimes appears. He talks about God and the way things are meant to happen, even if they don’t immediately make sense. He talks about inspiring others with his play and how he’d rather be a role model than have a big contract. And he talks about how, for the first time in three seasons, the Chiefs have the leadership and talent alongside Charles to at least show improvement.
“Last year,” he said, “everybody probably was leaning on me.”
The Chiefs learned last year how Charles is a microcosm of the team: young and unproven but eager — maybe even desperate — to improve and be taken seriously. How Charles goes this year and beyond, the Chiefs are likely to go. There is reason for optimism, but there’s also a chance that both could struggle amid rising expectations.
Charles said he has been tested. That rookie season, he said, was difficult. No strong voices and no real purpose.
“Every guy was just looking at each other,” he said.
Then last year, Charles was inactive in the regular season’s second week. The Chiefs thought they were better without Charles than with him. He said last season that being inactive was the harshest motivator of his career. He vowed to coach Todd Haley that he wouldn’t go away quietly and that he would make it difficult for coaches to consider benching him again.
In his final eight games, Charles rushed for 968 yards. Coaches kept testing Charles to see how he’d respond, and he kept proving that he was up to the job. Before the season’s final game, Haley issued Charles a challenge: Rush for at least 200 yards. Charles’ previous career high was 154. On that day in Denver, Charles rushed for 259.
Whether it was a goal handed down from his coach or that benching months earlier, Charles kept responding.
“You look and you say, ‘Wow, he really responded to this adversity,’ ” Haley said. “He’s progressing, and I’m looking for more and more.”
The latest test for Charles came when the Chiefs signed Thomas Jones, a veteran who rushed for more than 1,400 yards last season with the New York Jets. Charles said he could’ve recoiled, but why would he do that when Charles could use Jones as a resource? Charles said he leans on Jones often, learning what he can, and not worrying much about playing time.
“The team’s growth is not just me no more,” he said. “It’s not about you; it’s about the team. I’m not worried about being the starter. It’s about this game; San Diego. Go in the game, do what you do, show out and make some big plays.
“I just want to inspire people with the way I play.”
The Chiefs know that, if Charles keeps improving, the team probably will, too. If he backslides, then Kansas City might be something similar to the group that went 4-12 last year. And Haley said he’s not interested in anyone staying the same.
“He’s either going to improve and get better,” the coach said, “or he’s going to get worse.”
That’s something the Chiefs can’t afford. Charles said he’s confident that this year will be better than 2009. He said there was a reason why he was given all those tests, and a reason why he kept passing them.
“I didn’t really know my purpose on the team; why I’m here, my role,” he said. “I’m confident now. I’m real comfortable about my team. We can go out there and win. It’s different. It feels different.
“We need leadership and people who’ve got purpose on this team. And that’s what we’ve got.”
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
It’s all different now. Jamaal Charles said he can sit in the locker room and feel how things have changed.
Two years ago, he said, the locker room was lifeless and without leaders. Charles didn’t know his purpose then, and he’s not sure whether anyone else knew theirs, either. Last year, he began the season as a talented, young running back whose future was murky. Larry Johnson was the starter, and Kolby Smith was seen as a better option than Charles.
Things are simpler now.
“I’m just going out there to do my job,” Charles said. “Basically, they tell you a play and you’ve got to execute.
“I’ve got responsibilities now that I didn’t have my rookie year. I love this, I really do.”
Charles is quiet, and despite the occasional strain to convey his thoughts, he’s more thoughtful than he sometimes appears. He talks about God and the way things are meant to happen, even if they don’t immediately make sense. He talks about inspiring others with his play and how he’d rather be a role model than have a big contract. And he talks about how, for the first time in three seasons, the Chiefs have the leadership and talent alongside Charles to at least show improvement.
“Last year,” he said, “everybody probably was leaning on me.”
The Chiefs learned last year how Charles is a microcosm of the team: young and unproven but eager — maybe even desperate — to improve and be taken seriously. How Charles goes this year and beyond, the Chiefs are likely to go. There is reason for optimism, but there’s also a chance that both could struggle amid rising expectations.
Charles said he has been tested. That rookie season, he said, was difficult. No strong voices and no real purpose.
“Every guy was just looking at each other,” he said.
Then last year, Charles was inactive in the regular season’s second week. The Chiefs thought they were better without Charles than with him. He said last season that being inactive was the harshest motivator of his career. He vowed to coach Todd Haley that he wouldn’t go away quietly and that he would make it difficult for coaches to consider benching him again.
In his final eight games, Charles rushed for 968 yards. Coaches kept testing Charles to see how he’d respond, and he kept proving that he was up to the job. Before the season’s final game, Haley issued Charles a challenge: Rush for at least 200 yards. Charles’ previous career high was 154. On that day in Denver, Charles rushed for 259.
Whether it was a goal handed down from his coach or that benching months earlier, Charles kept responding.
“You look and you say, ‘Wow, he really responded to this adversity,’ ” Haley said. “He’s progressing, and I’m looking for more and more.”
The latest test for Charles came when the Chiefs signed Thomas Jones, a veteran who rushed for more than 1,400 yards last season with the New York Jets. Charles said he could’ve recoiled, but why would he do that when Charles could use Jones as a resource? Charles said he leans on Jones often, learning what he can, and not worrying much about playing time.
“The team’s growth is not just me no more,” he said. “It’s not about you; it’s about the team. I’m not worried about being the starter. It’s about this game; San Diego. Go in the game, do what you do, show out and make some big plays.
“I just want to inspire people with the way I play.”
The Chiefs know that, if Charles keeps improving, the team probably will, too. If he backslides, then Kansas City might be something similar to the group that went 4-12 last year. And Haley said he’s not interested in anyone staying the same.
“He’s either going to improve and get better,” the coach said, “or he’s going to get worse.”
That’s something the Chiefs can’t afford. Charles said he’s confident that this year will be better than 2009. He said there was a reason why he was given all those tests, and a reason why he kept passing them.
“I didn’t really know my purpose on the team; why I’m here, my role,” he said. “I’m confident now. I’m real comfortable about my team. We can go out there and win. It’s different. It feels different.
“We need leadership and people who’ve got purpose on this team. And that’s what we’ve got.”