Raiders key matchup No. 2: Burris vs. Charles

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second part in a series that spotlights three Raiders-Chiefs matchups to watch Sunday, 1:05 p.m. (CBS), at Arrowhead Stadium.Raiders LB Miles Burris vs. Chiefs RB Jamaal CharlesTale of the tape
Burris (56): 6-foot-2, 236 pounds, rookie, San Diego State
Charles (25): 5-foot-11, 199 pounds, fifth season, TexasKANSAS CITY -- The Chiefs are breaking in a new quarterback in Brady Quinn, who will be starting his second game for them this weekend, so you figure coach Romeo Crennel does not want to overload his signal caller. Not when he already has such an explosive threat running the ball in Jamaal Charles.Besides, the Chiefs have the league's No. 3-ranked rushing attack, averaging 164 yards per game on the ground and Charles' 591 rushing yards are the second-most in the AFC.So you figure Crennel would rather run Charles at the Raiders than have a rusty Quinn try and beat them with his arm. Even if Charles is coming off a left knee injury that limited him to two games last year."You never know about injuries and how players are going to respond, and how theyre going to come back from an injury," Crennel said in a conference call with Bay Area writers. "Jamaal, he worked hard during his rehab. At the beginning of training camp he hadnt made it all the way back, but we tried to manage him a little bit in camp. His knee feels good, and hes excited about being able to help the team the way he has. Hes looking forward to the rest of the season."Charles is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and had a 91-yard scoring run against New Orleans in Week 3. He is most dangerous when he bounces outside, and that figures to be where the excitable rookie Miles Burris figures to have a shot at him."A lot of intensity," Raiders cornerback Michael Huff said of Burris. "On every play hes fired up, intense, just running around making plays. You can tell hes a young guy whos just hungry and wants to go out there and make plays. Hes been playing well."Interestingly enough, the Chiefs lead the league in most runs for a loss, with 33. Might that play into Burris' skill set, or would an over-pursuing, over-excited rookie play right into the shifty Charles' hands?Burris, the Raiders' starting weakside linebacker, has played every snap the past two weeks and has 25 tackles, 17 solo, with a sack on the season."You know, I was even a little more beat up this time around," he said with a laugh. "Even more reps this game, and it's been a lot of fun, though. It's been a good kind of pain, especially when you win."Burris has been thrust into the starting lineup with Aaron Curry dealing with knee issues and on the PUP list to start the season."I came in with no expectations of how much I'd be playing or what the deal was," Burris said. "But I came in with the mentality to try and win a job and to just work as hard as I can to try and contribute to the team."Burris credited Curry and Rolando McClain with helping his development."They've been awesome," he said. "They've been a big part of my continued progress here, helping me get lined up, helping me learn, helping me on techniques. Not just the coaches. They've been great teachers in this process as well."A guy like Aaron Curry, too, not just in football, but he's making sure I know when Bible studies are and he's making sure I'm doing all right off the field. These guys are awesome."The Raiders are going to need just as awesome an effort from Burris to neutralize Charles.

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