Even though last night was a disaster, and even though it was ahead of his original timetable, Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles said he felt good.
Specifically, he felt completely healthy in his first game back from last year’s torn ACL.
“I feel like I’m 100 percent,” Charles said, via Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. “The plan was to put me in the game more. I knew I wasn’t going to start. It was to get my feet wet again.”
That wasn’t a problem in rain-soaked Pittsburgh, though as the game got out of hand, the Chiefs made it clear they were going to protect their investment. He finished the game with just two carries.
But to hear him tell it, the original plan was to let him rest through this week’s bye before returning, but Charcandrick West being inactive led to his being in uniform, even if they knew they wanted to keep Charles on a pitch count. Being on the wrong side of a 43-14 beating will do that to you as well.
“The game, we just got behind so far, and the plays we had in for me went out,” Charles said.
The good news is, that game’s over, and they can use the flames from that game tape to help dry out and wait for a day when Charles is more prepared to contribute.