In a nutshell, the Thomas Jones experiment in Kansas City was a failure. In two seasons with the Chiefs, Jones ran the ball 398 times for 1,374 yards with only six touchdowns. Brought in as a complement to home-run-hitter Jamaal Charles, his 3.45 yards per carry never provided the impact that the Chiefs expected from him.
Standing at a slight 5'11" and 199 lbs, Jamaal Charles may never be able to shoulder the entire load out of the backfield. And after tearing his ACL against the Buffalo Bills in the second game last season, the Chiefs worst nightmare came true.
Enter former Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis, who Kansas City hopes will end their quest to find the perfect balance to Charles.
Although productive in 2010, earning him the honor of Madden 2011 Cover Boy, Hillis followed that by crumbling under the pressure of being the man with an extremely substandard 2011 season that was inconsistent to say the least.
The injury to Charles is the wild card affecting how the Chiefs decide to use Hillis this season. Charles has proven what he can do on 15 carries per game (2,587 yards on 420 carries with 12 touchdowns combined in 2009 and 2010), but will new head coach Romeo Crennel and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll limit his touches even more in an effort to bring him back slowly?
What the Chiefs do have going for them this season is an improved offensive line (right tackle Eric Winston coming over from Houston) that could get even better at the draft if they choose to go that route with the No. 11 pick.
An upgrade in the trenches will open up the passing game as well, with quarterback Matt Cassel coming back from a hand injury. He’ll have an improved array of weapons at his disposal; much better than what he had in 2010 when he threw for 27 touchdowns to only seven interceptions.
The jury is still out on whether Hillis expects to be a large part of the Kansas City offense. If he can somehow swallow his pride and embrace the role he was signed to play, he could fit the complementary role much better than Jones.
Contact Jeremy at jeremy@popflyboys.com, on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy and read more at popflyboys.com.
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