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After missing most of the 2015 season because of a torn ACL suffered early in the year, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles didn’t waste any time letting people know how excited he is to get back to football when he spoke with reporters on Monday at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex. “I’m here, I’m excited and I’m going to cherish these moments until I hang up my cleats,” Charles, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, explained. The most obvious question people were asking regarded Charles and the health of his knee and where he’s currently at with his rehab. Five months removed from the surgery, Charles is running right now, but he’s not cutting yet.He said he’s not going to participate in OTAs but that he expects to be ready when training camp rolls around, adding that it’s important for him to be mentally in tune with what’s happening right now as he continues his rehab. “I’ll be ready,” Charles said of being back out there for training camp. “I can’t wait.” Recently, two of the guys in his running backs group and two of his closest friends on the team, Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, signed contract extensions after stepping up in his absence last season. West and Ware combined to run for more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, helping the Chiefs win a franchise-record 11 straight games and their first playoff win in 22 years. “I was happy for them,” Charles said. “It just motivated me. Nothing but positive things came out of me from that experience. I was excited for my teammates and excited for those people who stepped up. “We hope we can take that momentum into this year.”Specifically for his friends West and Ware, Charles said he’s glad they get to continue to be a part of an organization that has meant a lot to him personally since he was drafted in the third round out of Texas back in 2008. “I’m happy for them and their families to be a part of this experience that I’ve had my whole career. I don’t know their paths, but it has been a long-time coming. “It’s a blessing for them and they’ve got to cherish this moment.” The addition of a soon-to-be healthy Charles, plus West, Ware and Knile Davis, give the Chiefs a formidable running attack that Charles thinks is among the best in the NFL. “I don’t think any other team in the NFL has a running back group [like ours]. If anyone goes down, we know one of the guys in the group will be able to step up.” Charles even joked during the press conference that Andy Reid might figure out a way to have a four-running back set.With the playoff victory and getting Charles back healthy, the expectations will only grow for this team moving forward, and it’s something Charles embraces. “It’s time. It’s our year,” he said. “We’ve got a great team. We got great brothers and as long as we stay together, it’s going to be hard to break us.” Besides the rehab and taking care of his knee, Charles has been taking care of himself spiritually as well, which he explained on Monday. “To be able to say that I got baptized, I’m just trying to be positive and open up to people and inspire people,” Charles said. “I didn’t get here by myself and I can’t do this by myself. I want to inspire other people and that’s where my heart is at. To be worried about the wicked things—the wrong things, that’s not going to build my confidence or anything around me up. “Me, where I’m at, I’m trying to build my brothers up and help people out.” On and off the field, Charles has been and will continue to be a positive force for this organization. He’s still the NFL’s all-time leader in career yards per carry average with 5.5, and right now he’s motivated, grounded and can’t wait to get back on the field with his teammates. It seems like a pretty good recipe for success.

Kansas City Chiefs Official Team Website | Chiefs.com

Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles: "I'll Be Ready, I Can't Wait"

Charles spoke with the media on Monday