Kansas City Chiefs: Can Dexter McCluster Pick Up the Slack?

Things are broken in Kansas City, both literally and figuratively. Rumors of discord between Scott Pioli and Todd Haley run rampant, and the Chiefs lost their biggest offensive threat last week against Detroit when Jamaal Charles tore his ACL.

But much like Broadway, "The Show Must Go On."

That means that unless the Chiefs want to deliberately tank this season to land Andrew Luck in next year's draft, something must be done to put together some semblance of an offense and pretend like they're a capable NFL team.

Kansas City's offense relies on two running backs to give defenses different looks and capitalize on their weaknesses. The first back pounds the defensive line, fighting for yards the hard way between the tackles.

The Chiefs still have that option. Thomas Jones still looks like he bench presses Buicks in his spare time and used his solid frame to hammer opponents for 39 first downs last season. Free agent Le'Ron McClain hasn't carried the ball much recently, but he scored ten times for Baltimore in 2008 as a fullback. So long as Jon Asamoah continues to improve at right guard, Kansas City should produce the same force up the middle as they did last year.

The second part of Kansas City's run offense relies on speed and quickness. With the defense focusing on the center of the line, the Chiefs pull one of their linemen, usually the center, and bounce a running back to the outside. Once the runner gets into open space, he can make use of his agility to avoid tackles and break for a big gain.

With Charles out of the lineup for the rest of the year, that job falls on Dexter McCluster, and speed is not a concern for him. McCluster broke more shoes than he did touchdowns last year; they just couldn't hold up to how fast he moved or how quickly he made his cuts.

He's also done well this season. So far, McCluster's gained 93 yards on only 12 carries. Like Charles, McCluster presents a lightning-fast home run threat every time he touches the ball.

The biggest concern, however, is his health. McCluster weighs nearly 30 pounds less than Charles, and he missed five games last year with an ankle injury. Would Kansas City try running McCluster 230 times this season like they did Charles in 2010?

Probably not, but 180 to 200 carries is certainly a possibility, so long as McCluster can stay healthy. The Chiefs' passing game went on the fritz following Charlie Weis' departure; Cassel completes passes to the other team 10% of the time, his protection went on vacation and Bowe misplaced his catching ability during the farewell party.

Kansas City won't likely see .500 this season, even if McCluster fills in well for Charles. The Chiefs can only hope that he provides enough flash on the field to prevent Kansas City from losing the home field advantage in their own stadium, which happened at least once last year despite their 10-6 record.

The Chiefs and McCluster need to be careful, though. Kansas City will want his playmaking ability next year, too, and no one wants to see another player tear their ACL whatever the circumstances.

And especially now. This season just isn't worth it.