With the Kansas City Chiefs in the hunt to defend their Super Bowl title, many remember the great Chiefs running backs in their history.
Before Kareem Hunt came and went from Kansas City, Jamaal Charles was a dominant and physical running back who carried some of those less than stellar Chiefs teams on his shoulders.
Charles has been self-marketing and attempting to advance his cause to be considered for a nod from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
NFL's Jamaal Charles On Hall of Fame, My Numbers Speak For Themselves Is Kansas City Chiefs legend Jamaal Charles a Hall of Famer?? The RB ain't saying for sure … but the former NFL superstar tells TMZ Sports his stats c… https://t.co/eC2CkLBuOV #cosmetics #lifestyle #beauty pic.twitter.com/mZccnj1Bxa
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The question remains:
Is he a Hall of Famer?
The answer is no.
Here’s why.
1. Longevity
Those who wear the golden jackets typically have long careers.
They may not stay with the same team, but their performance is top notch no matter what team they are playing for.
Yes, Charles played 11 seasons.
A deeper look shows that he played only 7 full seasons.
In 2011, he tore his left ACL in Week 2 and missed the season.
Charles tore the right ACL in Week 5 of the 2015 season and was done for the year.
In 2016, in what would be his final season for the Chiefs, he got off to a slow start.
Charles struggled to bounce back from the right ACL tear he suffered the year before.
Unfortunately, his season ended prematurely because he needed surgery on his meniscus.
In his final year, 2018, he only played two games with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released.
Charles’ longevity was hampered by injury which makes his candidacy for the Pro Football HOF questionable.
2. Winning A Championship
Jamaal Charles was not part of the Kansas City Chiefs when they began their ascent.
He only saw action in two playoff games in his career; one in 2010 and one in 2013.
Because the Chiefs never contended while Charles was on the roster, it is difficult to consider him a candidate for the HOF.
3. Stats
Jamaal Charles has good stats, specifically for 2009, 2010, and 2012-2014.
He rushed for a career 7,563 yards with 44 rushing TDs and 20 receiving TDs.
To his credit, he was a four time Pro Bowler in 2010 and 2012-2014.
Charles was also an All Pro three times, first team in 2010 and 2013, second team in 2012.
These are admirable numbers and honors, but are they HOF worthy?
Not really.
Peer Comparison – Frank Gore
Let’s look at Jamaal Charles in comparison to running back Frank Gore, who in my opinion is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.
Frank Gore is 37 years old and still playing in the NFL; whereas, Charles is 34 and has already been retired for two seasons.
Gore has rushed for 16,000 yards in his career.
He has 81 rushing TDs and 18 receiving; that is 99 career TDs.
Gore has played for 5 teams in his career.
He performed at a high level for each of them.
Those are the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and New York Jets.
Gore has not won a championship, but he has appeared in 9 playoff games.
It is probably easy to make opposing arguments for Jamaal Charles’ candidacy in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And he may eventually get in.
If it happens, it will take a while, but I believe it is likely not to happen at all.
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