Chiefs: Don’t Go To Sleep on Spencer Ware

If you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan, you better not go to sleep on RB Spencer Ware. Although, if you are a foe of the Chiefs, that’s exactly what we hope you’ll do. Spencer Ware was slated to be the Chiefs first string running back in 2017, just like he was in 2016, but injuries to his right knee kept that from happening. Now, with his expected return in 2018, his contributions along side of Kareem Hunt should give the Chiefs one of the most dynamic running back combos in the league.

In 2016, the year Spencer Ware served as Andy Reid’s workhorse RB, he had 1,368 total yards from scrimmage. 921 of those yards came on the ground, 447 through the air. Kareem Hunt’s 1,782 total yards from scrimmage, 1,327 yards rushing, and 455 receiving yards could even be improved upon with the presence of Ware. Improved upon? Ware has a 4.6 yards per carry (ypc) average over his career while Hunt had a 4.9 ypc in his rookie year. If you’ll recall, RB Jamaal Charles had a 5.5 ypc average in his 9 years in K.C. so, there’s room for Kareem Hunt to make a move closer to that number (although we all recall JC had world class speed).

It was the last week of August, 2017, when the Chiefs faced the Seattle Seahawks in their last preseason game. Ware went down early and was carried off on a cart. The first we heard was he had sprained his knee but, an MRI revealed he had not only injured his Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) but his Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) as well. The following graphic shows the nature of his injuries.

The lettering in red indicates the places that Spencer Ware was injured. The following is from RotoWorld.com which says of Ware’s injuries,

“This is more significant than ACL and MCL damage, so Ware could be facing long odds of being ready in time for Week 1 of next season.”

Although that doesn’t sound encouraging, CBS Sports reports that the, “Chiefs coach Andy Reid expects Ware (knee) to return from injury and help diversify Kareem Hunt’s workload.” Also, take a look at this video of his recovery process back in November, five months ago,

While Ware had a long way to go at that point, remember, that was five months ago, and September is still five months away.

So, let’s take a look at Spencer Ware in 2016, to see if we can re-imagine his skills playing tag-team with those of Kareem Hunt. Here, I love Ware’s willingness to play bull dozer at the goal line:

Marty Schottenheimer would be proud! Speaking of the good ole days, here’s a run by Spencer Ware and if you squint your eyes and watch it, you may find he looks a whole lot like another Chiefs RB. 

Right… Kareem Hunt. Reid and Nagy ran the same play last year with the almost exact same results. Here, Ware shows his worth inside the numbers and also shows his ability to make one-cut and go.

Andy Reid has stated this offseason that he intends to throw the ball more to RB Kareem Hunt out of the backfield. There should be no drop off in production when Ware comes in.

When you think ahead to the 2018 offense of Andy Reid… and Eric Bieniemy… you think of passing and Kareem Hunt running the ball into wide open lanes because of all that passing. Don’t forget that Spencer Ware used to run the Wildcat in the offense.

What I think Kansas City Chiefs fans are looking forward to more than anything… is a playoff victory… one after the other. To do that, the Chiefs will have to bring a healthy, rested, diversified group of talented players to the show. Spencer Ware should help insure that Kareem Hunt is going to be healthy and rested. Yes, the Chiefs signed Miami RB Damien Williams who has many of the same skill and traits as Hunt and Ware. However, I believe they did that to hedge their bets against Ware not being able to return at 100% the first of September. 

Spencer Ware has a brutal running style. BJ Kissel once asked Ware, “Where does that physicality originate from as far as how you run the football?” Spencer replied,

“It just started when I first started playing football. So, it was like, ‘hit them before they hit me‘ so, once I felt how it would be to, you know, lay one of them out, so it was like, you know I can at least do the same, or try to.”

Spencer Ware is a better blocker than Kareem Hunt. I’ll never forget the block he made to set Knile Davis free for the Chiefs playoff victory down in Houston a couple of years ago. Watch the last half of this video to get a better look at the block Ware makes to spring Davis.

I still get chills. Here’s hoping Spencer Ware heals up nicely and has a speedy return. Should be a fun year!

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