Tag: Jamaal Charles

Chiefs HC Andy Reid comments on Jamaal Charles’ Hall of Fame candidacy

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid gave Jamaal Charles his endorsement after news broke that the prolific running back will be on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2024.

Jamaal Charles is one of the best running backs in Kansas City Chiefs history, and when news broke that he is officially a Hall of Fame candidate for the class of 2024, nobody in Western Missouri was surprised.

Perhaps the least taken aback was Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who commented on Charles’ candidacy during his comments to reporters on Wednesday.

“[He is a] Hall of Fame [caliber] player,” Reid told the media. “He was tremendous, could do everything. I mean literally everything; he could have played wide receiver, did play running back. You give him the ball, you’re guaranteed – whatever his average is but it’s one of the highest if not the highest in league history. He’s a great player, wish I would have had him when he was even younger than what I got him at.”

It seems that Charles has Reid in his corner as he hopes to be forever enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The ringing endorsement that the long-tenured head coach gave Charles on Wednesday may give Hall of Fame voters that extra push to give him the ultimate honor next August.

Chiefs legend Jamaal Charles named Hall of Fame nominee in first year of eligibility

Former Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles named a Hall of Fame nominee in his first year of eligibility | from: @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ rich history of former players has played significant roles in the NFL. Many players and coaches who have represented the franchise are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The team may have another former player getting the nod for the most prestigious honor in football, as Jamaal Charles was named a nominee in his first year of eligibility. The Pro Football Hall of Fame posted the announcement on social media as Charles was listed amongst 173 Modern-Era nominees for the Class of 2024. Charles is one of nine new former players added to the list for induction consideration.

The other eight first-time nominees include wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Jordy Nelson, tight end Antonio Gates, offensive linemen T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton, Max Unger, and defensive linemen Haloti Ngata and Julius Peppers. The list of Modern-Era Nominees will be reduced from 173 to 25 Semifinalists in November.

Charles retired following the 2018 season but became one of the best running backs in the league while with the Chiefs for nine seasons. His 1,332 carries are the second most in franchise history, and his 7,260 rushing yards are still the most in Chiefs history. The former third-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft also tallied 64 touchdowns for fifth all-time among Kansas City players.

12 former Chiefs among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024

12 former #Chiefs among modern-era nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 | from: @EdEastonJr

The NFL announced the 173 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.

There are 12 former Kansas City Chiefs in the running, including return specialist Dante Hall, fullback Tony Richardson, quarterback Rich Gannon, guard Brian Waters, and first-time nominee running back Jamaal Charles.

The list will be cut to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists in early January.

Here’s a look at the former Chiefs up for the Hall of Fame in 2024:

Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith among 173 Hall of Fame nominees

A handful of former Jaguars players are on the preliminary list of nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame released its preliminary list of 173 nominees for the Class of 2024, including Jacksonville Jaguars legends Fred Taylor and Jimmy Smith.

Neither name is a surprise as Taylor has advanced to the semifinalist stage of the process in each of the last four years and Smith has been a nominee in all but one year since he became eligible in 2011.

Taylor is 17th in NFL history in rushing yards behind 15 players already in the Hall of Fame and two, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson, who will be soon.

Smith is 25th in career receiving yards and 27th in receptions.

There are nine players on the list of nominations for the first time, including running back Jamaal Charles, who played most of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs but finished it with an exceedingly brief stint in Jacksonville.

Similarly, Torry Holt — who played 10 years with the St. Louis Rams and ended his career with one season with the Jaguars — is a nominee. He was a finalist in each of the last four years, but hasn’t yet made the cut.

Andre Rison, Hardy Nickerson, and Bryce Paul are three more former Jaguars among the nominees.

In November, the 173-player list of nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists. Another 10 players will be cut in January and the 15 modern-era finalists will be presented to the selection committee just before the Super Bowl.

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Tyreek Hill has some advice for the Commanders: Listen to Eric Bieniemy, it’ll be worth it

A couple of Bieniemy’s former players have some positive advice for Washington players.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera didn’t realize one answer in his press conference on Tuesday would create such a firestorm.

When Rivera was asked if Commanders players thought new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was too intense, Rivera responded: “They just were a little concerned.”

Bieniemy also spoke to the media Tuesday and acknowledged, yes, he is intense, but his job was to make the Commanders better, and he’s been happy with the growth he’s seen from the spring until now.

When longtime ESPN reporter Ed Werder tweeted about Bieniemy’s “coaching methods being too harsh,” it caught the attention of Miami Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill.

Hill knows all about Bieniemy. He spent the first six seasons of his NFL career playing for the Chiefs, where Bieniemy was a running backs coach before becoming offensive coordinator in 2018. Hill, like many Chiefs’ greats, has nothing but respect for Bieniemy. And he offered some advice for any Commanders concerned about Bieniemy’s coaching style.

Hill would know.

Another former Kansas City great, running back Jamaal Charles, knows Bieniemy well, too. He echoed Hill’s comments.

Charles played nine seasons with the Chiefs, including four with Bieniemy as his running backs coach.

By all accounts, Bieniemy’s transition to Washington has been a positive one, with multiple players on both sides of the ball complimenting the style and intensity he has brought to the Commanders.

 

Chiefs legends Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry teased as Hall of Fame candidates

#Chiefs legends Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry were teased as Hall of Fame candidates by Adam Schefter over the weekend.

The Kansas City Chiefs have had several players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and could add two more to the list in 2024.

Two of the team’s most cherished legends, running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry, will be eligible for the ballot next year and were teased as potential selections by ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter on Twitter.

While neither player was on Kansas City’s Super Bowl rosters in 2019 or 2022, both helped lay the foundation for the success that the Chiefs have found in recent years.

Charles was among the most dominant runners of his generation and is among the NFL’s all-time leaders in yards per attempt. A homerun hitter, Charles was known for his exceptional speed and shiftiness that made opposing defenders tremble every time he touched the ball.

Berry, on the other hand, was a hard-hitting safety who was an absolute menace in Kansas City’s secondary from 2010 until 2018. He overcame a cancer diagnosis in 2014 to continue his career with the Chiefs and cement his place as one of the team’s most influential leaders until his retirement.

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Former Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles on ballot for 2024 Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Former #Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles is on the ballot to be selected for the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024:

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We could see back-to-back years with former Kansas City Chiefs RBs voted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Priest Holmes is set for induction in April of 2023, but Jamaal Charles can be voted in as a 2024 Texas Sports Hall of Fame class member.

A Port Arthur, Texas native, Charles was a two-time Willie Ray Smith Award recipient at Memorial High School. He’d go on to have an impressive college career at the University of Texas, recording 3,328 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns.

A third-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2008 NFL draft, Charles would join a long line of great running backs through franchise history. He recorded five career seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and two career seasons with over 1,900 yards from scrimmage. A four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection, there were many seasons where Charles was the most exciting player on offense in Kansas City. He’d finish his career with the Chiefs having recorded 7,260 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns. His 5.4-yard-per-carry average for his career remains the best mark in NFL history.

Official voting will begin on July 17 and end on August 17. ​Individuals can cast a vote this year by becoming a TSHOF member. Membership fees start at $25.

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Travis Kelce, Jamaal Charles attend Kansas City Community Garden’s Tomato Days event

Travis Kelce & Jamaal Charles joined the NFL & Lowe’s at Kansas City Community Garden’s Tomato Days event during the NFL draft. | from @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs served as the host city for this past April’s NFL draft and didn’t disappoint with thousands of fans in attendance. The multiple days of events made it an unforgettable experience for many locals in the community..

A busy man during the NFL draft festivities was Travis Kelce, who, along with his many offseason activities, hosted a concert called “Kelce Jam” and a live episode of his New Heights podcast with brother Jason. Chiefs legendary running back Jamaal Charles joined the All-Pro tight end for another special event that weekend.

The duo welcomed guests to the Kansas City Community Garden’s annual Tomato Days event giving back to the community. The garden works with groups and schools in the Kansas City Metropolitan area work together to grow their vegetables & fruit.

The NFL and Lowe’s partnered to host the event to support the garden and its mission to empower and inspire low-income households. Lowe’s donated a dense and shed to the local community garden, giving Kelce his own plaque on the shed.

Kelce and Charles were teammates briefly for three seasons before the latter finished his career with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a refreshing look at two all-time Chiefs greats working together to assist and celebrate the Kansas City community.

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Another time the Commanders owner intruded into the NFL draft

Vinny Cerrato checks in with his draft stories involving Dan Snyder.

Grant and Danny hosted former Washington player personnel director Vinny Cerrato last Friday.

Cerrato told a story of how Washington owner Daniel Snyder again intruded into the draft, demanding Cerrato to draft a certain player.

The setting was the 2008 NFL draft. Joe Gibbs had retired following the 2007 season playoff loss at Seattle. Snyder for some very bizarre reason, hired Jim Zorn to be the offensive coordinator before there was a head coach. This meant the new head coach would not even be permitted to hire his own offensive coordinator.

Consequently, Snyder had extreme difficulty finding anyone to take the head coaching job. So, embarrassingly, Snyder then made Zorn the head coach, though he had yet to be a coordinator in the NFL.

When the 2008 draft came, Cerrato traded out of the first round, giving the Redskins three second-round selections. At No. 34, he took Michigan State wide receiver, Devin Thomas.

Snyder then inquired to Cerrato whom he was going to select. Washington held the No. 48 and 51 selections. Cerrato told Grant and Danny that on that day he conveyed to Snyder he was wanting to draft Jamaal Charles a running back out of Texas.

However, Snyder, according to Cerrato, wanted receivers for Jim Zorn’s offense, voiced for Cerrato to take Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly. Cerrato says he disagreed and again said he wanted to take Charles.

What was missing in Cerrato’s version of the story is that Washington actually had another selection where Cerrato took USC tight end Fred Davis at No. 48.

Once again Cerrato said Snyder insisted the No. 51 selection be Kelly. So Cerrato surrendered and chose Kelly. Wouldn’t you know it? Kelly was already battling a knee issue, only caught 28 passes for his brief career, and never caught a touchdown pass.

Charles on the other hand was chosen by the Chiefs in the third round at the No. 73 selection. He provided the Chiefs 9 NFL seasons rushing for 7,260 yards, 43 rushing touchdowns averaging a HUGE 5.5 yards per carry.

But hey, Cerrato knows he is not clear from blame for the poor 2008 Washington draft. Thomas only caught 3 touchdown passes and 43 receptions overall in his unspectacular career. Davis had two good seasons (2009, 2011) before his career went south. He caught 162 passes, 13 for touchdowns.

Thomas had been chosen at No. 34 while Jordy Nelson (36th) and Matt Forte (44th) would have both been much better additions to the Washington offense.

Even more frustrating, DeSean Jackson was taken by the Eagles at 49, and Calais Campbell by the Cardinals the very next two picks after Cerrato took Davis at 48.

Oh well, this is the legacy of Daniel Snyder, the people he hired, and how he intruded into football matters.

Jahmyr Gibbs compared to two-time NFL first-team All-Pro Jamaal Charles

Jahmyr Gibbs compared to NFL legend Jamaal Charles at the combine

Of all of the players the Alabama Crimson Tide landed in the transfer portal last season, none had a greater impact than running back Jahmyr Gibbs. He was not only the Tide’s leading rusher in 2022, but he also led the team in receptions with 44.

Gibbs is one of the most versatile players in the 2023 NFL draft class, and he absolutely balled out at the combine over the weekend. The NFL’s official Twitter page tweeted out a by the numbers comparison between Gibbs and two-time first-team All-Pro Jamaal Charles. They are nearly identical.

Gibbs is widely regarded as the RB2 in this draft class behind Texas Longhorns RB Bijan Robinson. Both are expected to be selected in the first round of the draft.

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