Kansas City Chiefs To Start RB Jamaal Charles & Other IR Returnees On Friday
The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that the “Big Three” of running back Jamaal Charles, safety Eric Berry and tight end Tony Moeaki will all play in Friday night’s NFL preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals. The trio gets the Big Three designation because they are the three key players who missed almost the entire 2011 season and whose return is the foundation for optimism regarding 2012.
I’m usually of the belief that you usually can’t read anything into preseason games, since it’s difficult for outside observers to know what the coaching staff is watching for. It does seem fair to say though, that the games of August are going to be important to the Chiefs’ offense. They’re working with a new coordinator in Brian Daboll, their best receiver in Dwayne Bowe is holding out of camp, they have two significant new pieces in tackle Eric Winston and running back Peyton Hillis, not to mention the return of Charles and Moeaki. That’s a lot of variables to work on getting into place by the time the September 9 season opener rolls around.
As such, I believe it’s going to be important that Charles and Moeaki get significant playing time. It doesn’t have to be Friday’s game per se, but sometime in the first couple weeks of the preseason, Daboll will have to get a look at what he can expect offensively. This in turn will affect how much aggressiveness has to be shown on the defensive side of the ball. If the defense has to produce points, along with stopping the opposition, the sooner head coach Romeo Crennel knows it, the better. Getting Charles and Moeaki on the field Friday night in Arrowhead Stadium will be a good start to the learning process.
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