Charles Omenihu reports ‘no trouble’ after return from ACL tear

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive end Charles Omenihu returned to the lineup for the team’s 19-17 defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders. In his first action since tearing his ACL in January’s AFC Championship, Omenihu was on the field for 29 plays, including 61% of the Raiders’ passing downs.

Speaking before Wednesday’s practice, Omenihu credited the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach Greg Carbin (and athletic trainer Tiffany Morton) with helping him get back onto the field.

“I feel good,” he declared. “I don’t have any soreness. [There’s] no swelling. Greg and Tiff have been marvelous in the process of getting me back and getting to the point where I can play.”

But while he appeared satisfied with his physical condition, he wasn’t nearly as content with the quality of his play.

“My expectations were to play really well,” he remarked. “Did I meet my own personal expectations? Probably not. But I’ve got to sometimes give myself grace that I haven’t played in... I saw somebody said 308 days. So it’s been a long time since I’ve played; you’ve got to be realistic.

“But my foot’s on the gas. Like it’s, ‘I’ve got to go!’ That’s my mentality.”

Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images

Since the game was on a Friday, the team had extra time to rest and prepare before hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday — giving Omenihu plenty of time to go through his routine.

“I’ve watched the game over like five times,” he revealed. “I’ve watched all my plays [from] every angle possible, so I know where I could have been better at.

“It’s a mental thing. I didn’t forget how to play football. I didn’t forget how to rush. I think just my mind may have been on trying to make the big play all the time, rather than just looking back on how I played when I was playing at a high level — and doing that.”

Before his return to play, Omenihu also watched plenty of his previous film — not to mention other players from whom he could learn.

“You don’t re-invent the wheel, you just sharpen the iron,” he said of his study during rehab. “There’s a lot of, like, mental stuff for me. I watched last year in the games that I played a lot. I watched this year [to see] what [our] guys were doing.

“Then I watched other guys in the league — not to take or mimic, but for the small things that people don’t see. They only see the sack or the tackle for loss. I see the first two or three steps before that. That’s why I want to just make sure that I had [that] down pat.”

Omenihu left no doubt that recovery from the injury was excruciatingly difficult.

“I commend guys who get through any injury, first of all,” he explained, “but getting through that ACL is not for the weak. [It] definitely makes you a man — and toughens you up, bro — and makes sure that you take care of your body.”

He had no difficulty identifying the most difficult point of his journey.

“When we were in training camp — like Month 6 — that was the hardest point,” he recalled, “because I still had the little machine on my leg — and that shit hurt like hell!

“Having to do that — and still just having to rebuild your strength? I think now that I’ve gone through this, I pray to God I never ever go through this again. I would not wish this on anybody.”

Still, there was a point where he could see he was headed downhill.

“Around Month 8 is where I knew that was going to be good,” he said. “I kind of knew when I was going to come back. I pretended like I didn’t, but I knew the whole time.”

Although he insisted he is playing pain-free, Omenihu admitted there are still some twinges.

“There’s a little bit of residual [pain] from having surgery that’s still there,” he allowed, “but it’s not anything that anybody can notice but me.”

Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images

The Chiefs’ defense certainly welcomes him back after an up-and-down stretch that has raised concerns about its championship capabilities. While acknowledging the difficulty of not being able to help his teammates win games, Omenihu was happy to defend his teammates’ play.

“You go out there,” he said, “and you feel like your presence is a big presence for the team — [but] you’re not there to be able to help. It’s tough. It’s hard. But I had the utmost confidence in everybody that went out there — and they did pretty well, right?

“It may not be what everybody wanted it to be, but our run defense has been amazing. We’ve harassed quarterbacks — and we were a 10-1 before I got back. So I think they did pretty solid.”

The timing of Omenihu’s ACL tear meant he was unavailable for Kansas City’s Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. But he said it was still amazing to watch.

“It was beautiful,” he said of watching the championship game. “I was here through the process of getting there — and to see us win the Super Bowl. I still felt like I was a part of it — and [I was] happy I got my ring.

“It’s just now [an] onward quest — to continue to build on this season.”

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