Is Spencer Ware the Next Great Kansas City RB?
Through the years that I have been watching the Chiefs, there’s been a drought of talent at almost every single position group at some point or another. At QB we saw 7 years where the players with the most starts were Matt Cassel, Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen. Eddie Kennison and Johnnie Morton were the last consistently good duo of WR’s this team has seen. The entire defense has gone through more than one scheme change where the personnel took a few years to get into place…and then it would be time to adjust to a new Defensive Coordinator.
Then there is the running back position: one of the few things we have been able to count on year in and year out. I know this goes further back than Priest Holmes, but that is where my journey begins. Priest is almost as high on the list as Gonzalez when it comes to reasons that I’m a Chiefs fan. He was a player that you just knew no matter what happened he was going to impact the game. Weather it came in the form of a big block on a pivotal play, falling forward to make the line of gain or a 60-yard catch-and-run, you just knew he was going do something to help his team.
Larry Johnson was the successor of Holmes earning playing time late in the 2004 season due to an injury to Holmes. In both 2005 and 2006, Johnson ran for over 1,700 yards with a span of 9 consecutive 100 yards rushing days. Johnson would go on to become the 2nd leading rusher (at the time) in team history, only behind Holmes who led Johnson 6,070 yards to 6,015 yards. 2006 would be the last big year for Johnson as he missed half a season the following year and in 2008, when it looked like he was returning to form, he got hurt again opening the door for Jamaal Charles.
For the better part of the last decade, Jamaal Charles has been one of the most popular players in not just Chiefs Kingdom, but across the entire NFL. You never know what is going to happen when he touches the ball. All it takes is one small hesitation, one little wiggle or one slight head shake and he will turn on the jets… with not many in the NFL capable of catching him. Charles has surpassed Johnson and Holmes as the organization’s all-time leading rusher with 7,260 yards and counting. Much like the last two backs, Charles has had some injury issues and there has been a younger back that has taken advantage.
Last year, in week 6, Charles went down with his second ACL injury on the opposite knee. In his stead head coach Andy Reid went with Charcandrick West as his feature back ending the season with 160 carries and 34 targets from the QB. The other back rotating with him in the back field was Spencer Ware with 72 carries and 6 targets. The two combined for 1,038 yards with Ware finishing the year with 5.6 yards per carry. When training camp came around this year it was assumed the two would continue to split the carries but that hasn’t been the case while awaiting the return of Charles as Ware has 78 carries compared to the 15 that West has.
So far this season, Spencer Ware has looked like he could be the future at the running back position for the Chiefs. He has had a fumbling problem, that if not fixed, he won’t be able to stay in the league long, but if he does he has a chance to be the next great Chiefs running back. Don’t be surprised if Ware continues to be the lead back with Charles coming off of the bench. Last week Ware out carried Charles 24 to 9, and while I don’t think that large of a margin will be true every week, I do expect for Ware to continue to out carry Charles. I’m not trying to downplay the importance of Charles to this team; I just think he is going to find a new role that allows Ware to be the feature back. Another thing that could be in Ware’s favor is the contract of Charles which is due to count $7 mil against the cap next year. Also, Charles will be 30 next year, an age that seems to slow the production of most running backs.
So what do you think Chiefs fans? Is Ware the next great running back to come through Kansas City and if so, do you think his time is now, or does King Charles still reign supreme and if he does, for how long?
And that’s my read on the Chiefs!
