In a Week 1 loss to the Falcons, Jamaal Charles looked to be on the path to return to his former self that averaged 6.4 yards/carry in a 2010 season that saw him accumulate 1,467 yards rushing. With 16 carries for 87 yards, it seemed that the Chiefs were trying to ease Charles back in to the game, splitting his carries with Shaun Draughn and Peyton Hillis.
However, the running back took a significant step in the wrong direction in Week 2, gaining just three yards on six carries, while the combination of Hillis and Draughn picked up 122 yards on 16 carries. Making things worse is that Charles had soreness in the same knee that ended his season in 2011.
"He got banged up a little bit and then (the Chiefs) decided not to put him back in the game," Crennel told reporters on Monday. "He wanted to go back in ... but the other guys were doing OK so we left the other guys in.
While soreness in a knee that required surgery to repair a torn ACL is not uncommon, it's a sign that 100 percent is not yet a mark that has been reached by Charles a year removed from his injury.
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