Jamaal Charles refuses to address lack of carries against Raiders

Despite receiving a season-low five carries on Sunday in a 10-point loss to Oakland, Kansas City Chiefs tailback Jamaal Charles did not directly speak about his unusually low usage rate at Tuesday's press conference.

"I can’t worry about what I can’t change," Charles said. "All I can worry about is when my name is called and when I can go into the game and make something happen."

Charles may have lost a handful of snaps to power back Peyton Hillis in his first game back from injury, but the 250-pound Hillis still finished the day with only four carries, one less than his teammate. Just two weeks removed from a three-game stretch where he racked up 461 rushing yards, Charles indicated that the decision had nothing to do with any possible injury.

"My body feels good," he said. "I didn’t get that many opportunities last week, but I feel real good to take it on the road. Whenever my name is called, I’m ready to go."

A strong interior runner like Hillis should continue to eat into Charles' playing time in the coming weeks, but the Chiefs desperately need to find a better way to get their speedy home run threat involved early in games. With a short week ahead due to the team's Thursday Night Football game with San Diego, Charles' fresh legs could be extremely important in Week 9.