Kansas City Chiefs on Jamaal Charles’ lack of carries: Negligence

Sep 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) carries the ball against the Tennessee Titans in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) carries the ball against the Tennessee Titans in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Everything appeared primed and ready for the Kansas City Chiefs to have a big opening weekend but things quickly turned sour in their Week 1 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

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Not only did Kansas City lose Mike DeVito and Derrick Johnson for the season (crushing news), Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles was non-existent. Quite possibly the most explosive player in the NFL, Charles finished the contest against Tennessee with just 11 touches.

Understandably, head coach Andy Reid was ripped by local fans and media for his usage of Charles and Reid himself took blame for the poor decision making on Monday morning.

Speaking to a mass of reporters, the veteran NFL coach suggested it was negligence on his part that Jamaal Charles wasn’t more heavily involved.

While it’s nice that Andy Reid admitted the error in his ways, I’m not sure an apology is what fans of the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for. Did the lack of touches lose the game for Kansas City? That’s likely up for argument, though there was sub-par play all over the field.

For what it’s worth, Reid understandably suggested that Jamaal Charles will be used at a far greater clip come Week 2. Of course, the Chiefs get the luxury of playing the Denver Broncos and could very well be playing catch up for most of the game which could again limit Charles’ touches.