The news broke Sunday morning that Kansas City Chiefs starting running back Spencer Ware will likely have season-ending surgery from the knee injury suffered Friday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
Ware, who had three carries for 15 yards and two receptions for nine yards before the injury, now gives way to a trio of Chiefs' running backs who will try and step up in his place less than two weeks before the season opener against the New England Patriots on September 7.
"I think we're going to be OK there," Chiefs coach Andy Reid noted of his running backs' group Sunday morning. "Now, listen, are you going to replace [Ware]? No, he's a good football player, but the young kid (Kareem Hunt) will step in and he'll do a nice job for us, and Charcandrick (West) has got reps under his belt, and C.J. (Spiller) has reps under his belt, so we're OK.
"I don't want to take anything away from [Ware] and how important he was to our team, but that's a position where we have a little strength, so we should be OK."
"Any time an injury like that happens you feel for them," quarterback Alex Smith added. "Spencer has put in a ton of time and worked really hard. You hate to see stuff like that happen. It is a part of the game. We have dealt with injuries before like every team, so we've got to go—got to roll.
"We have a good group of running backs with a lot of depth there…just have to find a way."
Reid confirmed that Hunt—the rookie third-round pick from Toledo—will be the first to step into that starting role, although the other two guys will mix in as well.
Hunt, who Reid said has really stepped it up over the past few weeks, finished Friday's game against the Seahawks with nine carries for 39 yards.
"It means everything," Hunt said of the trust in him to be given this opportunity. "It means that [Reid] trusts and believes in me. I'm very excited to be taking on such a big role, and I'm ready for the challenge."
Through three preseason games, Hunt has carried the ball 18 times for a total of 79 yards (4.4 ypc), adding four receptions for 32 yards as well.
"All the guys are going to get reps and carries," Hunt said. "We've got West and Spiller, and they've played a lot of football already. They've been helping me out a lot.
"We've got to step up for [Ware]," Hunt added. "He's a great guy and a great back, and we have some big shoes to fill."
Hunt finished his college career as Toledo's all-time leading rusher with 4,945 yards and 44 touchdowns, but he recalled the first opportunity he was given as a true freshman came under similar circumstances as he's facing right now.
"A guy named David Fluellen went down and I had to step and start midway through the season," Hunt explained. "I was kind of nervous. I just had to make sure I took it play-by-play and wasn't looking forward and trying to do everything at once."
Including the game Fluellen was injured against Navy midway through that 2013 season, Hunt stepped in and carried the ball 125 times for 789 yards with six touchdowns in the final six games of their season—averaging almost 6.3 yards per carry.
Hunt stepped up for his team when he was needed back then.
Fluellen is now a member of the Tennessee Titans, who in a weird twist of fate, the Chiefs face Thursday night in the preseason finale at Arrowhead Stadium.
"Be under control under pressure," Hunt explained is his focus. "The game is really fast sometimes and I tell myself to just relax. Don't make it bigger than what it is."
After three preseason games, Hunt said the game is slowing down for him, but understands it'll go up another notch when the regular season begins.
"I noticed that I'm really starting to be able to recognize the defenses more and see the fronts," he said. "It's going to be a big stage with a lot of hype (against the Patriots). I'm just going to stay in my element."
