Jamaal Charles believes he belongs into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will get in, but it may take a while before he is inducted.
Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles did an interview with TMZ Sports, where he claimed he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Charles used his statistics as his case as to why he should be indicted into Canton.
“Some of my numbers look way better than some people already in Canton,” Charles told TMZ Sports. “That tells you what type of player I was. I gave it my all. Every time I touched the ball, I averaged six yards a carry basically.”
In his 11-year career, so far, nine of them in Kansas City, Charles rushed for 7,563 yards, has 2,593 receiving yards and 64 total offensive touchdowns. Perhaps the biggest case for Charles is the fact that he owns the highest yard per carry average in a career by a running back with 5.4 yards per carry.
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If you look below, Charles was among the top five in rushing in 2010, 2012 and 2013 while being one of the top scorers in 2013 and 2014.
Rushing yards ranking
- 2009: 11th
- 2010: 2nd
- 2011: Week 2 ACL tear
- 2012: 4th
- 2013: 3rd
- 2014: 13th
- 2015: Week 5 ACL tear
- 2016: Played 3 games (knee injury resurfacing)
Total touchdowns ranking
- 2009: 24th
- 2010: 31st
- 2011: Week 2 ACL tear
- 2012: 54th
- 2013: 1st
- 2014: 3rd
- 2015: Week 5 ACL tear
- 2016: Played 3 games (knee injury resurfacing)
Total yards from scrimmage ranking
- 2009: 11th
- 2010: 2nd
- 2011: Week 2 ACL tear
- 2012: 5th
- 2013: 2nd
- 2014: 19th
- 2015: Week 5 ACL tear
- 2016: Played 3 games (knee injury resurfacing)
Although it was a short time span, and includes a 2011 season where he played one game and one quarter, Charles was one of the most dominant offensive players in the NFL from 2010 through 2014.
When deciding whether or not an athlete belongs in a Hall of Fame, championship rings are brought into the discussion. For Charles, he does not have a playoff win under his belt, which can hurt his case in getting in, or it may take time because of his lack of postseason success.
Granted, Charles played for four different head coaches in Kansas City, three of which who were fired in Herm Edwards, Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel. His best season came in 2013 under Andy Reid. During many of the down years in Kansas City, Charles was one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs and attracted fans in watching because of his electrifying talent.
Former Broncos running back Terrell Davis is the most recent running back inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A big reason Davis earned that honor was due to his dominant four-year run, which includes a 2,000-yard rushing season, two Super Bowl wins and one Super Bowl MVP award.
In Charles’ TMZ Sports interview, he said his numbers are better than some who are in the Hall of Fame. In comparison to Davis, who ran for 7,607 yards, Charles is 44 rushing yards behind Davis while Davis has 248 more carries than Charles.
Yes, Charles is right when he says his numbers are up there. Charles was a rare running back who caught everyone’s attention for his prevailing performances in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Expect Charles to get a Hall of Fame nod. Don’t expect it soon, though. Although he was one of the best running backs this decade, Charles’ lack of playoff success and injuries will prevent him from getting in for a while.
Taking a while to get in is not a bad thing. Plenty of players have had to wait before hearing that they have been elected. Former Chiefs safety Johnny Robinson was just recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Although he was the 2019 Senior Committee nominee for the Hall of Fame, he still had to wait 48 years before his Hall of Fame honor arrived.
For Charles, it will take some time, but he will get there.