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Grading the New Chiefs: The Jamaal Charles Edition

By Jon Yoon | May 11th, 2008

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Today, I’m going to talk about Jamaal Charles. Definitely an interesting pick to evaluate, because there are plenty of fans who think this was a lousy pick.

Players Charles reminds me of: Maurice Jones-Drew, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Maurice Jones-Drew

Charles’ role with the Chiefs: We’re going to change the order of this evaluation simply because we can’t discuss Charles’ upside or downside until we understand what role he is expected to play. The argument is that if the Chiefs already have LJ, why do they need a starting RB? And if the Chiefs already have Kolby Smith, why do they need a backup RB? Here’s how I would best answer that question: don’t think of Jamaal Charles as the #1 or #2 RB; think of him more as a #1a or #2a RB. What I mean by that is that LJ is a workhorse back, whereas Charles is a change-of-pace back. If LJ falls to injury, Kolby Smith will take on the workload, while Charles still serves as a change-of-pace back.

Charles’ upside: Charley Casserly, former GM for the Texans, absolutely raved about the Jamaal Charles pick. Granted, he wasn’t necessarily an outstanding personnel guy at Houston, but this is still a pretty big-league endorsement. In one of his mock drafts, Charles was slated to be picked in the first round. He also had Charles as one of his biggest draft-day sleepers. Here’s the deal: when you have a first-round graded player fall to you in the third, there is no reason for you not to pull the trigger on the pick.

Charles’ upside is that he’s a home run hitter. While it’s possible the Chiefs drafted Charles as insurance for LJ or as a replacement for LJ a few years down the road, the more likely reason the Chiefs drafted Charles is that he’s the change-of-pace back the Chiefs have always wanted. For as fast as Michael Bennett was, I never saw that same kind of shiftiness and elusiveness I saw in Charles. And Charles is probably even faster. If LJ is the RB that will batter and ram defenses and wear them down, then Charles is the RB that comes in with fresh legs and zips through a tired defense. He’ll also likely be the 3rd down back who can stretch short dump-offs into long gains, since LJ has proven to be a marginal blocker at best. In other words, for anyone who believes this is a terrible pick because the Chiefs already have LJ, realize that his upside is to play the roles that LJ cannot and his role is to serve as a complement, not a substitute for LJ. Teams these days are carrying 2-3 RBs to keep their star players fresh and that is exactly what the Chiefs are doing here. Quite possible that Charles and Kolby will extend LJ’s career a few more years.

In other words, his upside is that he becomes the next Maurice Jones-Drew, though in a slightly scaled-down role.

Charles’ Downside:

Charles does not have great size and there are concerns as to his durability. However, realize that he’s not likely to be an every-down back and realize that his commitment to track in college likely kept him out of the weight room. I saw an interesting discussion originally posted by Burnt Orange Nation that suggests:

“Charles has dedicated himself to the football team after running track early in his career at Texas. The added time in the weight room and practice field are showing now, as Charles is much stronger and seems to understand the game more. Charles is becoming more of a work-horse back as the 2007 season wears to a close. His 216-yard fourth quarter against Nebraska shows that he has the ability to carry the load for a top football program.”

He also has a problem holding onto the football and there are concerns about his ability to pick up the blitz, which is not a good thing, given that his role will largely depend on that. However, I would suggest that because he is serving more as a role player for now, he can afford to spend a little extra time learning those kinds of fundamentals. I would also argue that weaker RBs tend to have more difficulty holding onto the ball, so the hope is that as he gets stronger, he’ll be better able to hang on to the football.

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11 Responses to “Grading the New Chiefs: The Jamaal Charles Edition”

Dr. Paine says:

May 11th, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Remember when Mickey told Rocky in response to Rocky’s inquiry as to why he was being asked to chase a chicken “If you can catch this thing, you can catch greased lightning.” Opposing defenses should probably employ this classic training technique in hopes of trying to catch Charles. If anybody reading has ever played defense, it is an extremely physically taxing side of the ball to play on (rotating lineman is key). I don’t think it’s easy to stop LJ when he has BLOCKING; if he gets into the secondary, he’s a monster to stop. You can have both in the same lineup and use one as a decoy. Charles has world class speed, and getting it in the third round will prove to be a steal. I’m surprised the Lions passed up on him, but I’m glad they did (same thing with them passing up on DJ and picking Mike Williams, who recently weighed in at 275. The WR, not the lineman
Ron says:

May 12th, 2008 at 5:56 am

It seems to me that expecting LJ to be a marquee RB from this point forward, what with all work he shouldered prior to the 2007 season AND the size of his wallet weighing him down, is a study in unrealistic expectation. I don’t think we’ll see the ‘old LJ’ again.

The drafting of Charles, therefore, was of prime importance in terms of getting production up from the RB position. What no one is saying but the signs are apparent, is that the Chiefs are tilting toward the RB by committee approach which has gained traction in the NFL the past few years.
Dr. Paine says:

May 12th, 2008 at 8:17 am

LJ is a player who respects the history of the game and how the game has developed over the course of time. Despite his relatively callous and abrasive nature, he certainly takes pride in his job and his ability. I don’t think LJ is going to run with any less intensity or anger after his big contract. He is eager to prove he is worth his paycheck. The RB by committee approach works as you pointed out and is certainly a good idea as the season wears on and RB’s have more of a burden to carry the O in harsh weather. Gailey is going to relentlessly pound the rock, and having a stable of horses makes me feel really comfortable about the direction they are moving on offense. Keeping the mileage on LJ low and keeping the D guessing is going to pay dividends in both the short and the long term.

Compare the gargantuan holes and creases that he had with Roaf, Shields, and co. to the microscopic pinholes he had last season with Terry, Welbourn, and co. Has nothing to do with his prior workload or his contract.
G.L. says:

May 12th, 2008 at 11:37 am

With improved offensive line play, I think all the Chiefs backs will step up their game. Having Charles and Smith to be there if LJ should falter or be injured is pretty reassuring. Also if Jamaal Charles role is to be the third down back, what better spot for him as a rookie? He doesn’t have to carry the load entirely on his shoulders, and has the ability to break the long run from any spot on the field. I saw a pretty good third down back named Marcus Allen break a seventy-something yard run from scrimmage against the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead. At the time, Marcus was not exactly a spring chicken, but his ability to break that run even on his thirty-five plus year old legs was a definite punch in the mouth to the Seattle defense. I envision Charles as a much younger Marcus Allen in the third down back role.
Jon says:

May 12th, 2008 at 2:25 pm

Dr. Paine, I agree with you 100%. Judging by the look on LJ’s face after a play got blown up before he even got the ball, he was obviously not happy with performing anything but the very best.

I don’t think it’s fair to say that LJ didn’t care last year. Nothing you can do when playcalling is so predictable that the opposing defense is 5 steps ahead of you. What I saw was a RB running against 8, even 9-man fronts, and they knew exactly which direction he was going to run to. Even Barry Sanders couldn’t squirm through that.
DJ says:

May 12th, 2008 at 4:16 pm

I think we’re going to be seeing alot of two back sets with LJ and Charles in the backfield together. Their running styles are almost complete opposites of each other.

LJ is a bashing North-South bruiser that would just as soon run over you as try to go around and needs a little room to get up to speed. Charles is explosive from his first step, adept at running around the edge and is shifty enough to get around opposing defenders.

Putting these two guys in the backfield together ala Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew will present a unique challenge to defenders. A big plus is that BOTH of these guys can cath the ball out of the backfield.
lee says:

May 13th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

charles is steal
BJS says:

May 14th, 2008 at 7:31 am

This was a good article, and Charles was an excellent pick. I have never had a great deal of confidence in Larry Johnson as a complete back, as he’s really just a great pure runner who is average at best as a receiver and terrible as a blocker, but as the article says, Charles is in KC to do some things Johnson does not.

I would like to point out one thing about the “fumbling problems” he had: in 2007 his mentor, beloved RB coach Ken Rucker, was battling prostate cancer, and wasn’t around to play those important roles in Jamaal’s life. When Rucker walked unannounced into a team meeting in mid-season, Jamaal Charles broke down, and the two guys went to work (even bringing in Earl Campbell) to get Jamaal on track. That’s when Charles went on that tear in the second half of the season, and that’s when his fumbling problems stopped almost entirely. If he can keep the things he learned from Coach Rucker and Earl Campbell, and find a good role model in KC (not Larry Johnson, please), fumbling probably won’t be any kind of issue in his career.

Here’s hoping!
Dr. Paine says:

May 14th, 2008 at 10:34 am

Every player, whether it is the franchise player or a special teams backup, has a responsibility to improve in areas that are lacking in their game. Given the type of competitor LJ is, I think he will work extremely hard to block better. I don’t remember him dropping any passes, but I could be wrong. I worked with a girl who went to high school and Penn St with Larry, and she told me that he has always been the way he is. Nobody should ever ask you to change who you are. He’s not a rah rah type of locker room leader; he’s a less verbal, lead by example type of leader. I think he could be a mentor for both Kolby and Jamaal; he has seen a lot of defenses and has carried the ball a lot of times. He has played under Vermeil and Saunders, two offensive masterminds. He has spent countless hours watching classic NFL films of Brown, Payton, Sayers, Campbell, Dickerson, and a ton of other old-school greats to both make himself better and to appreciate the men who layed the foundation for the league that we all love and enjoy.
PVChiefsfan says:

May 16th, 2008 at 12:36 pm

“Here’s the deal: when you have a first-round graded player fall to you in the third, there is no reason for you not to pull the trigger on the pick.”

Absolutely right…this is exactly why we drafted this guy…he is just a tad bit slower than the guy from East Carolina… but he has the added bonus of - he didn’t go to East Carolina!
Dr. Paine says:

May 21st, 2008 at 4:02 pm

Yeah, I have no idea why the Titans drafted him that high, they obv fell in love with the 40 time. They drafted a RB with a high pick the last 3 years in a row! Not to mention, they drafted the wrong one this year.

Lots of fans wanted to see a lineman picked in the 3rd, but Herm and co. told everybody a million times that they weren’t going to reach in any round, and no lineman were on the board that had a 3rd round grade when they picked. All 3 players are a bargain in the third.